Record customer satisfaction with Dale & Valley Homes

Published by Frances Griss for Dale & Valley Homes in Housing

Customers have praised the service from Dale & Valley Homes by giving it the highest satisfaction rating so far.

Around 800 customers replied to a recent survey asking their opinion of the service provided by the company, which manages council homes in the Wear Valley area of County Durham.

Satisfaction with the overall service provided rose from 88.3 per cent in 2011 to 92.7 per cent in 2012. When the company was formed in 2006 it was as low as 76 per cent.

Chief executive Peter Chaffer said: “The annual satisfaction survey is a key way we use to find out what customers think of what we are doing.

“Satisfaction levels have been steadily rising over many years but to achieve nearly 93 per cent is brilliant. Customers scored us even higher for keeping them informed.

“Some of the biggest changes are in the rating for the general condition of their homes and the value for money represented by their rent. This reflects the huge investment that has been made under the Decent Homes programme.

“Customers’ opinions are very important to us. We like to hear when we are doing things right but they can also help us identify weaknesses which we can try to address.”

Satisfaction with the condition of homes rose from 85.6 per cent to 91.1 per cent while the value for money figure increased from 85.8 per cent to 89.1 per cent.