In December 2020 we invited every Cairn tenant who pay service charges to share their views and opinions on our proposals for how those services could be managed in the future.
We received 188 responses, which is 8.5% of the surveys issued.
- Tenants were generally positive towards the quality of information provided on service charges and how easy they are to understand, with 75% reporting that they were easy to understand, and 12% finding them somewhat difficult to understand.
- 8% of those who responded preferred how charges are currently managed, with 48.2% feeling positive towards the proposals for new pooled charges.
As well as some very positive views towards the proposals, and some clear objections, there were tenants who asked for more specific information on what the proposed changes would mean for their own service charges. Some tenants also had questions about how historic surpluses and deficits on service charge statements would be managed and, again, were looking for detailed information to take a more informed view of whether they agree with our ideas for improvements.
We have read all the feedback we received, and we are very grateful to everyone who took the time to get in touch. We have decided to make some changes to our proposals from your feedback, and then take more time to discuss and develop them further with tenants. This would have the added benefit of, hopefully, allowing for some face-to-face meetings when it is safe to do so, which is particularly appreciated by our tenants in sheltered and retirement housing.
What happens next?
In response to your feedback, service charges for 2021/22 have been calculated using the existing procedures and are set out in your letter confirming rents and service charges that will be in place from 1 April 2021.
We will arrange for future opportunities to consult with tenants about potential future changes to the service charge policy, but for the time being there is no change.
Thank you once again to those customers who provided feedback.
