‘The secret to good management is learning from tenants, listening to staff and freedom from bureaucracy.’ Thomas Nolan reflects on his first year as Manchester’s tenancy and lettings manager.
After 30 years in social housing, Thomas Nolan could be forgiven for wanting to recline his way into retirement, but that isn’t who he is. ‘I don’t want to sit here in a job that I don’t care about,’ he says. ‘I want to make a difference.’
Thomas, who manages the team responsible for tenancies and lettings in Manchester, has worked as a housing officer, team leader, housing manager, and regional manager. He made the move to Cromwood after spending a year nursing his mother back to health.
‘Coming from social housing to Cromwood has been brilliant. It doesn’t have the same level of red tape and so it can make decisions quickly which are supported by the regional manager. The change has been unbelievable,’ he says.
‘We offer a good service to meet the needs of local authorities who need assistance finding temporary accommodation for people.’
He defines good service in terms of proactive property management, responding to tenant needs, having adaptable team members that can embrace new ways of working and thrive in a positive environment.
One of the things that sets Cromwood apart from its competitors, he believes, is its skill in carrying out housing inspections and ensuring all tenants are safe in their properties.
‘A baby in Rochdale died due to damp and mould, which put the issue at the top of the national agenda. We are skilled at identifying bad mould and ensuring that it is dealt with quickly. We are ahead of the game in identifying
risk. And we work in partnership with our maintenance colleagues to reduce any risks within our properties.’
Risk to tenants is also often linked to person-centred issues. That’s where relationships with tenants and with partner agencies can make a significant difference.
‘In one case, six different agencies were involved because drug dealers were threatening a tenant. We had regular operational meetings with the council to help resolve the issue.
‘Cromwood is good at identifying issues with tenants, for example if they’re being financially abused or if there’s domestic violence. It takes a few minutes to report safeguarding concerns and we work with all our stakeholders and attend multi-agency meetings to assist with any issues identified.’
Underlying this commitment to good service, is a deep respect for what each staff member brings. ‘I’m not an autocratic manager,’ he says.
‘I like to manage proactive teams who feel free to challenge. It’s healthy creating this type of environment where staff feel empowered to make decisions, work together and feel part of something special. I see myself as a support to the team. We have regular fortnightly meetings to discuss cases, and a clear agenda that links in with our training.’
A culture in which staff welcome complaints is part of that healthy ecosystem. ‘Complaints are a way of improving,’ he states. ‘I say to staff, if tenants want to complain that’s fair enough, what are the reasons? How can we learn? How can we improve? What are the overall learning outcomes?’
Listening to individual tenants at a particular point in time is good management. Listening to all tenants over a period of time is intelligent management. Cromwood uses its intelligence to head off common, predictable problems.
‘In the run-up to winter we check boilers as part of our inspections programme. If someone comes in to say their boiler isn’t working and the pressure is down, it’s fixed straight away. If it’s winter and there’s a bigger problem, we send an engineer within 24 hours.’
As he marks his first anniversary at Cromwood, he is focused on how to make a good service better. He loves receiving feedback including through tenant surveys, with their potential to tune into the needs of specific client groups, pinpoint areas of improvement and create targeted action that builds trust and lifts the service to new heights.
Carried out correctly, surveys are the gift that keeps on giving. But until they can be put in place, he and his team know that feedback is valuable, whether it looks like praise or a complaint. ‘The most important things to work through are what tenants are telling us.’
