You have received this email newsletter because you are an Opendoor Homes tenant, leaseholder or landlord. It has been sent to you under legitimate interest. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time by clicking the link at the end of this email. You can also request a paper copy by emailing athome@barnethomes.org.

Repair timeframes

In 2025, Opendoor Homes refreshed its Responsive Repairs Policy using feedback from resident satisfaction surveys, complaints, customer engagement activities and best practice research.

Now that the updated policy has been in place for a year, we would like to remind residents of the different repair priorities and target timeframes, helping you understand what to expect when reporting a repair.

Introducing Opendoor Homes' New Strategic Plan 2026-2031

Opendoor Homes has launched its new Strategic Plan for 2026-2031, setting out how we will continue to provide safe, affordable, and high-quality homes for local people over the next five years. As we grow to more than 1,000 homes, our focus remains simple: delivering excellent services and making a positive difference to the lives of our tenants.

We know that a good home can have a huge impact on people's wellbeing, security, and opportunities. That's why our new plan is centred around ensuring every tenant feels safe, secure, settled, valued, supported, and proud of where they live.

The plan focuses on three key priorities.

Safe and decent homes

We will continue to invest in our homes, make sure they meet safety and quality standards, improve repairs and maintenance services, and tackle issues such as damp and mould quickly and effectively. We will also work to improve the energy efficiency of our homes, helping to reduce environmental impact and support lower energy costs where possible.

High quality housing services

We want every tenant to receive a service that is fair, respectful, and easy to access. We will strengthen the tenant voice, improve communication, learn from complaints, and make sure our services respond to the needs of the people and communities we serve. We will also continue supporting tenants to sustain their tenancies and managing issues such as antisocial behaviour and domestic abuse appropriately and sensitively.

Financial resilience and value for money

Remaining financially strong is essential if we are to continue investing in homes and services. We will carefully manage our resources, seek value for money, make informed decisions using data and technology, and ensure we remain a well-governed and sustainable organisation for the future.

We will regularly monitor our performance and report on progress, ensuring transparency and accountability to our tenants and stakeholders.

Ultimately, this strategy is about providing homes people can rely on and services they can trust. Our ambition is that every Opendoor Homes tenant feels proud of their home and confident that we are a landlord that listens, acts, and delivers on our commitments.

You can read our Strategic Plan 2026-2031 on our website here, and a summary version here.

Your Home, Your Say update - July 2026

We remain committed to listening to residents and acting on the feedback and lived experiences shared about our housing services. We have now scheduled additional virtual meetings, led by members of our Senior Management Team, to provide updates on progress across the housing themes that matter most to you.

All meetings will all be held on Microsoft Teams between 6.30pm-8.00pm

• Repairs and Gas Services – Thursday 10 September 2026
• Housing, Estate Services and Anti-Social Behaviour – Thursday 22 October 2026
• Treating you fairly and with respect, including communication and keeping you informed – Date TBC
• Safety in your home – Date TBC

To ensure you receive the most up‑to‑date information as meeting dates approach, please register your details on our Involvement Register here. If you prefer, you can email get.involved@opendoorhomes.org  and we will send you a direct link to the meeting.

Get involved in shaping the services you receive

If you would like to be part of shaping and improving the services we provide, please complete our online registration Opendoor Homes Resident  or email us on Resident get.involved@opendoorhomes.org

Opendoor Homes residents’ meetings 

We recently held our latest resident meeting which was open to all Opendoor Homes residents. 

It was great to see many of you join us to share your views and discuss what matters most to you and your community. 

Thank you to everyone who joined - If you were unable to attend meeting notes are available on our website 

Yasmin’s journey: seeing housing from both sides

Yasmin, was living in emergency temporary accommodation in Edmonton for 2 ½ years with her two children. She moved into an Opendoor Homes new-build flat in Barnet in July 2020. Soon after, she joined the Opendoor Homes Resident Scrutiny Panel, and said of her experience, “It’s been beneficial to me to be on the panel in many ways in life from being in a collective, talking, finding solutions, and for me being a mother and a resident neighbour.”

In 2026 Yasmin resigned from the Scrutiny Panel to take up employment with The Barnet Group’s homelessness service.

Q: How has your own experience shaped your perspective?
Yasmin: I remember how difficult it was. I was moved out of Barnet when my children were very young, and balancing everything, work, school runs, and uncertainty, was tough. Now, I understand why things can take time and that every situation is different. It’s helped me be more empathetic.

Q: How have you found your experience working in homelessness services so far?
Yasmin: I’ve found it both challenging and really eye-opening. My own experience with housing in the past gave me some insight, but working in homelessness is completely different. I’m learning a lot, and although it is hard, I’m enjoying it overall.

Q: How does this role compare to your previous experiences?
Yasmin: It’s definitely different. I was previously involved from the resident side and also on the resident board, looking at things like repairs. Now I’m seeing a whole new perspective. It gives you a better understanding of how the system works.

Q: What stands out to you about working in this area?
Yasmin: It’s the sheer demand. There are so many people who need help, and housing shortages make it even harder. Everyone is doing their best, but it can be a real struggle to support everyone.

2025/26 Tenant Satisfaction Measures results and 2026/27 focus areas

Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) help residents understand how well their landlord is performing in the areas that matter most to them. Our 2025/26 TSM results are available to view here.

A recap of the improvements Opendoor Homes delivered during 2025/26, following feedback from residents in 2024/25 on key priorities including repairs, ease of access, communication, responsiveness and anti-social behaviour, is available here.

Analysis of the 2025/26 TSM perception surveys and themes identified through complaints has helped shape our improvement priorities (shared below) for 2026/27.

To further improve how we make a positive contribution to neighbourhoods for residents, we will:

• Complete a resident-informed review to shape and implement changes to address concerns about cleaning of communal areas and grounds.
• Complete a resident-informed review to shape and implement changes to address concerns about the handling of anti-social behaviour issues.
• Further improve the time taken to complete for non-emergency repairs including those where contractors are the lead.

To further improve communication and customer care for residents, we will:

• Further improve how we manage more complex repairs for residents, including introducing processes that support improved proactive action and updates.
• Complete a resident-informed review to shape and implement improvements to communications for residents where these are most needed.
• Complete a resident-informed review to shape and implement changes to address concerns about cleaning of communal areas and grounds.

If you would like to share your feedback or help shape these improvements, please email customercare@opendoorhomes.org.

Meet and Greet events - summer 2026

Our Summer Meet and Greet events are now underway, bringing Opendoor Homes staff into local communities to meet residents, listen to concerns and take action. This year, we are focusing on four estates in Barnet identified through our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) surveys as having lower satisfaction levels and lower levels of resident information recorded, such as disability data.

These events are a chance to speak face-to-face with teams from across our services, including Repairs, Neighbourhood and Estate Services. Most importantly, they allow us to respond quickly to enquiries and issues while keeping residents informed about what happens next. We are also encouraging residents to update their information so we can better understand their needs and tailor our services accordingly.

• Three events have taken place so far at Blessbury Road, Gracie House, Montrose Avenue and Blundell Road . To find out more, click here.

The remaining event is at Sheaveshill Court, Citrine Lodge, Peridot Lodge and Tourmaline Way, Saturday 15 August, 10am–12pm

Come along, have your say, and help make a difference in your community.

Knowing Our Tenants – one year on 

In August 2025, Opendoor Homes launched the ‘Knowing Our Tenants’ project to improve the information we hold about residents. Having accurate and up-to-date information helps us better understand residents' needs and provide more tailored services and support.

What progress have we made?

The table below shows the information we hold about lead Opendoor Homes tenants as of 8 July 2026, compared with June 2025. Targets were set to increase the amount of information held by the end of July 2026, and we have already achieved our targets for five characteristics while making strong progress towards the others

How have we improved our data?

We have increased the information we hold by:

• Introducing a data collection form for new tenants during the lettings process.
• Collecting information during Housing Officer visits, Stock Condition Surveys and door-knocking exercises.
• Sending online data collection forms by text message and email.
• Adding QR codes and links to resident communications, including Stock Condition Survey letters and Customer Contact Team email signatures.
• Including resident information questions within existing satisfaction surveys for Contractor Repairs, Healthy Homes (damp and mould) and Anti-Social Behaviour services.

Why does this matter?

Accurate, up-to-date information helps us provide services that better meet residents’ needs, make reasonable adjustments where required, and improve services across our communities. To find out more about the project, visit our website.

If you have not yet shared your information and would like to do so, please complete our short online form.

Downsizing through the Fresh Start scheme

The Fresh Start Scheme is designed to assist tenants who are under occupying their homes by allowing them to downsize to a smaller property within the Borough of Barnet. This scheme is available to secure council tenants or assured tenants if the landlord is a Housing Association. To join the scheme, tenants must have their landlord's written permission and agree to a reciprocal agreement.

The Fresh Start Officer will conduct a property inspection and discuss potential re-charges. The scheme aims to provide tenants with a home of their choice in an area they want to live, offering practical help with the move and a payment of up to £15,000 for down-sizing to a property with fewer bedrooms. Please visit our website: opendoorhomes.org for further information.

A Fresh Start close to home for Nicole

When her children had grown up and moved out, Barnet Homes resident Nicole found herself living alone in a three-bedroom flat that no longer suited her needs. Following a cancer diagnosis, managing a larger home became increasingly difficult, so she decided it was time for a change.

With support from Barnet Homes' Fresh Start Scheme, Nicole found a smaller one-bedroom home close to her doctor, hospital and local community. In this interview, she shares her downsizing journey and why she would encourage others to consider the scheme.

Serving you better with our new EDI Strategy

At The Barnet Group, including Opendoor Homes, we believe everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. That is why we have launched our new Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy, setting out how we will make our services more inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the needs of our diverse communities over the next four years.

We are proud to serve people from many different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences. We know that different people can face different barriers, and we want to make sure our services work well for everyone.

Our strategy focuses on three key goals:

• Providing fair, accessible, and inclusive services that meet the diverse needs of residents and service users.
• Creating a fair and inclusive workplace where our staff feel respected, supported, and able to thrive.
• Strengthening leadership and accountability, so equality, diversity, and inclusion are part of every decision we make.

You can read our EDI Strategy 2026-2030 on our website here, and a summary version here

Barnet Homes Garages available to Opendoor Homes residents 

Barnet Homes garages are now being managed by Secure Parking & Storage. They are a specialist garage management company who will be managing
our garages on our behalf.

If you would like to rent one of Barnet Homes’ garages, you will need to contact Secure Parking & Storage.

Call: 0208 050 1065 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
Web form: https://secureparkingandstorage.co.uk/contact-form/

Upgrading our contact management system

We will shortly be changing the systems we use to manage calls and emails from residents as part of our commitment to improving your experience of our services.

Please note that our contact details remain the same. You can continue to contact us as usual by calling 020 8080 6586 or emailing 
customercare@opendoorhomes.org. We will continue to manage all enquiries as normal during this transition.

During this transition, you may notice that:

• Our telephone call queues and voice messages sound slightly different.
• A new in-queue call-back feature is available when you contact us by phone. This means that you can save your position in the queue, hang up and receive a call from a member of staff when you are at the front of the queue.
• When reporting complex repair issues over the phone you may be invited to take part in a video call with a member of staff to help diagnose the problem.
• At the end of a phone call you will be asked to complete an optional short satisfaction survey to find out about your experience of the telephone call.
• Our email responses look slightly different.

Make the most of your food waste caddy

Join thousands of residents already recycling their food waste.

Barnet recycles around 100 tonnes of food waste every week, which is turned into clean energy and fertiliser for local farmland. Use your kitchen caddy to recycle leftovers, such as peelings, bread, tea bags, eggs, meat, fish bones and out-of-date food (removing all packaging). Then empty it into your brown outdoor bin. Recycling food waste keeps it out of general rubbish, reduces overflow and supports a cleaner, greener Barnet.

Let’s keep doing our bit, Barnet. Every caddy counts!

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