Local affordable homes

Cracking results for our priority neighbourhoods project

Our recent priority neighbourhoods event was a fantastic success and a great example of what can be achieved when we all work together.

Over the day, we helped customers clear large unwanted items from their homes and gardens, including washing machines and mattresses. A whole lorry skip was filled, helping make the area cleaner, safer and more pleasant for everyone. Alongside this, our teams and customers worked together to litter pick, collecting many bin bags of rubbish and clearing fly tipped waste from around the estate, all completely free of charge!

It was especially lovely to see customers getting involved and taking pride in the community they live in. Your support and enthusiasm really made a difference.

To finish the day on a high, we held an Easter egg hunt around the estate. Local children had a brilliant time hunting for hidden treats and enjoying the celebrations.

A big thank you to everyone who took part, as well as our neighbourhoods team and caretakers for all their hard work in organising and delivering the event. Our priority neighbourhoods initiative continues to make positive impacts in our local community, helping neighbourhoods feel tidier, happier and more connected.

Thinking about getting a pet? 

We know how much pets can mean to you. They can be great for your wellbeing, whether that’s boosting your mood or helping you stay active.

You’ll need to ask for permission before getting a pet, but in most cases pets are welcome in our homes. The main exception is flats with communal areas or shared facilities, such as lounges or laundry rooms.

If you have a pet, we ask that you take good care of them and follow all legal and welfare responsibilities, helping to keep your home safe and comfortable for everyone.

For more information, please take a look at our pets and animals policy, and our frequently asked questions, which explain things in a bit more detail.

Good news for local communities

A local food pantry in Old Sarum and Longhedge is celebrating a big improvement, thanks to support from Selwood Housing’s stronger communities fund. 

The funding helped the pantry replace a failing fridge with a brand‑new one, making a real difference to how the service operates day to day. Reliable refrigeration is essential for storing fresh food, and the new, larger fridge now allows volunteers to safely store and display a wider range of produce for local people who rely on the service, which is especially important at a time when the cost of food remains high. 

Volunteers shared how pleased they are with the upgrade, saying it reflects the pride and care they put into supporting their community. They also praised the funding process for being straightforward and quick, highlighting the supportive approach from Selwood Housing staff and the immediate impact the funding has had. 

This project shows how small amounts of local funding can make a big difference, helping valued community services continue to thrive and support residents of all ages.

If you’re involved in a community group or local charity, there’s more good news: the stronger communities fund application window is open until 31 May! The fund offers grants of up to £2,000 to support projects that bring people together, provide help or essential items, build skills, or improve local spaces for the benefit of Selwood Housing customers and neighbourhoods. Click below to find out more!

Listening to your feedback

Listening to our customers is an essential part of improving and delivering our services. We ask for your feedback in several ways. When you receive a repair or other service from us, our Rant & Rave text survey is sent to you automatically. This has two quick questions: a satisfaction score and the reason why you gave the score, in your own words.  

Rant & Rave

Your response helps us understand how we’re doing and areas where we could improve. From January through to March this year, we received over 1200 items of feedback, bringing our total for the year up to over 5000 and an overall satisfaction score of 4.67/5.00. Our yearly results also showed that over 21% of customer took the time to respond – thank you! 

One customer told us, “The two tradesmen were a pleasure to deal with and are a credit to Selwood for their professionalism and respect for my property,” while another said, “Amazing staff, very helpful, fast process. Couldn’t be happier.”

Tenant satisfaction measures

We also run quarterly customer perception surveys by phone to understand what customers think of our homes and services. In our last survey, we found that 81% of customers were satisfied with how we handle antisocial behaviour. This is a huge 16% improvement from the previous quarter and our best score yet! 

Satisfaction with being treated fairly and with respect has dropped to 87%. This is something we take seriously. We’re listening carefully to customer feedback to understand what’s behind this change and to help us improve, with the aim of bringing this score back up to the 94% level we saw earlier in the year.

Next survey dates 

If you’ve given us feedback via Rant & Rave or a phone survey, thank you! Your participation is hugely valued.  

Our next quarterly survey begins in late May and is carried out by market research company Acuity on our behalf. If you are one of the customers contacted to take part, we’d really appreciate your honest feedback. 

What number to look out for? 

If you receive a call from Acuity, the number displayed will be 01225 535021. 

When might I be called?  

Acuity make calls between 9am and 8pm, Monday to Friday, and between 10am and 6pm on Saturday.

If you have any questions about these surveys, please contact customer support on 01225 715715.

If for any reason you are unsatisfied with our services, please read our complaints process, which includes information on what a complaint is, and how we learn from them. You can contact us to complain via customer support on 01225 715715, email info@selwoodhousing.com, or write to us at Selwood Housing, Bryer Ash Business Park, Bradford Road, Trowbridge, BA14 8RT.

An update on plug-in solar panels

We know some customers are interested in using plug‑in solar panels, sometimes called 'plug and play' systems, and it’s great to see interest in renewable energy and reducing household energy use.

After careful consideration, plug‑in solar panels can’t currently be approved for use in Selwood Housing homes. This is because these systems can raise electrical safety concerns. They connect directly to a standard wall socket, which can affect important safety equipment in the home, such as residual current devices (RCDs) that help protect against electric shock and electrical fires.

There are also concerns about how well these systems work with existing household wiring, and whether installations meet safety requirements or have clear responsibility for maintenance.

For these reasons, and to help keep homes safe, we’re not able to approve plug‑in solar panels at this time. Technology in this area is developing all the time, and we’ll keep our position under review as clearer guidance and proven solutions become available.

If you’d like advice on approved energy‑saving options or ways to reduce energy costs in your home, please visit our energy‑saving advice webpage.

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