RAAC removal – teams in place

Following a successful procurement and recruitment process we have both our contractor and our new RAAC project team in place.

On the team front, joining Frank our Project Manager, are two Tenant Liaison Officers, Mandy and Joni. Both have a great deal of housing and customer service experience. As the title suggests, their main role is to be the key tenant liaison point for the duration of the project.

We are pleased to share that DBM Building Contractors Ltd has been awarded the contract to undertake the work for us and this will commence after Easter. The plan is to start with a couple of properties that are currently empty, before moving on to those of Almond customers.

For the majority of our customers, it is the RAAC panel containing a loft hatch that needs to be removed, and having undertaken several pilots in properties with this same problem, we know that the remedial works take around 7 working days to complete. Due to the messy nature of this work, our customers will need to decant to alternative accommodation during this time.

We are currently preparing a number of houses for the decants. New kitchens, flooring and broadband has been installed, and furniture will be arriving very soon.

Director of Asset Management, Iona Taylor said:

“We appreciate the upheaval and inconvenience this project is going to cause and we will do our utmost to ensure the process is as streamlined and painless as possible for our customers. Logistically it is a detailed programme of works and needs support from all those involved to ensure the timeline and milestones can be achieved. A delay with one customer could potentially affect all those who follow.”

Thomas Brown, Managing Director of DBM Building Contractors Ltd added:

“We are pleased to be working with Almond Housing and our team is ready to bring our expertise to this essential project, working closely with the Association to ensure smooth and efficient delivery from start to finish.”

All Almond tenants who are impacted by this project have been sent various communications. Once the programme of works has been confirmed, Mandy and Joni will be reaching out to share the information; should anyone wish to contact them before then, they can be reached directly via: RAACTeam@almondha.org.uk