Barnet Homes

Case Study Details

Client: Barnet Homes
Contract Duration: August 2005 - December 2010
Contract Value: £65m
Contract Form: PPC 2000 with four plus one Framework Agreement and Strategic Alliance with other partners
Contract Location: Various locations across Finchley and Barnet

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Description

Decent Homes upgrading works, including replacement of roofs, windows, heating systems, bathroom and kitchen refurbishment, electrical rewiring, external decorations and repairs, to over 4,000 occupied properties, tenanted and leasehold.

Challenges

There were several challenges on this project which needed to be overcome.

To avoid overspending during the early years of the contract and to ensure the Decent Homes target was achieved, there was a requirement to accurately survey all properties on the programme and link this to budget. United House employed an expert surveying practice and worked closely with the client’s project manager to continually monitor the survey operation, using our ‘FLAG’ project management system. As a result, all properties included in the programme will be ‘made decent’ within the original budget.

Barnet Homes has a high percentage (25%) of leasehold properties. This became challenging when carrying out external, rechargeable works to blocks of flats with mixed tenure. After some initial difficulties,United House and Barnet Homes worked together to successfully set up a comprehensive leaseholder consultation and cost notification system, that has been successfully tested at Leaseholder Valuation Tribunals. We are now using this system as a standard on other similar projects.

How we made a difference

United House had added value to the contract in several ways:

18 local, unemployed people from under-represented groups have progressed through the Construction Training Initiative set up in partnership with Barnet Homes. 50% of whom secured employment with our supply chain.
In partnership with the local Barnet Business Education Programme, United House has carried out more than 20 visits to schools in the local area to provide interview training and to take part in ‘Careers For You’ events. This included talks by United House staff on their careers in construction.

Support has also been provided to numerous youth sports events and estate fun days throughout Barnet, and local residents have received joint sponsorship on Quality Inspectors Courses.

We have also jointly sponsored Vulnerability Workshops attended by over 200 Barnet Homes’ employees and their partners’ operatives and staff.

United House made a major cash contribution to the cost of replacing residents’ belongings after a serious fire in a sheltered housing block.

For more information, please call 01322 665522 or email info@unitedhouse.net.

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