The RAF, Army and Navy Family Federations are the voice of Service families and are often the first port of call when moving into a new area or property. They offer advice, support and information on all aspects of military living and are committed to improving the lives of Service families in the UK and overseas.
We share their goal to support Service families as they move in, live and move out of their Service Family Accommodation (SFA). We are passionate about providing a better lived experience for military families in the UK and recognise that the Family Feds staff are closer than anyone to our customers. They understand the issues and challenges they face and we value their open and honest feedback.
An example of how bringing different organisations together to share information and knowledge can yield positive results is the recent work being undertaken by the Army Family Federation (AFF), DIO and Amey to tackle the ongoing issue of obtaining accurate SFA damp and mould information.In 2013, the AFF encouraged Service families to record d
amp and mould issues in their properties via their website and began to build a database of affected houses. Each time a family contacts them with a damp and mould issue, their address is also added to the database. With such a comprehensive list of affected properties, our teams were keen to add their support and embarked on a project to combine Amey’s current damp and mould information with the AFF’s database.
Cat Calder, Housing Specialist at the Army Family Federation said “With Army families moving SFA so often, the information on the database allows me to see if there have been historical reports of issues by previous families. Up to this point what it hasn’t been able to do is tell me where works have already been carried out, as in the last few years significant investment has been made by DIO with works carried out by Amey.”
With this in mind, Amey’s Pre-construction and Housing Stock Management teams have completed a review of the damp and mould reports on file for the properties featured on the database and are currently in the process of cross referencing the addresses with the additional works and repairs that have taken place at SFA over the previous five years of the contract. This will allow the AFF to quickly check whether historic issues at individual SFAs have been resolved, providing reassurance to families that their new home is damp and mould free.
DIO and Amey continue to problem solve together, with teams jointly reviewing current processes along with the Damp and Mould Policy to ensure it offers the best and quickest resolution for our customers. This exercise will also enable ‘hotspots’ to be identified by using the complaints/repairs data to establish any emerging trends, such as issues recurring in similar house types due to the construction/insulation techniques used when first built. It will also help Amey and DIO to build a more accurate pipeline of future project works.
Clare Martin, Amey’s Head of Pre-Construction added “The huge amount of work planned for delivery this year, along with the Government’s announcement of £200 million in fiscal stimulus funding to improve Service accommodation, of which £122 million will be used in SFA, will ensure that homes will be refurbished to a good standard. Many of the problems historically encountered, due to poor insulation levels and lack of ventilation will be resolved, and we expect complaints to reduce and the lived experience to improve. This truly collaborative project will result in teams being able to access accurate asset data for each SFA which will help us to better plan preventative maintenance for the areas affected.”
A total of £82m has been spent over the past four years on Army SFA, undertaking damp and mould remedial works, including re-roofing, heating upgrades, replacement doors and double glazed windows, loft insulation, and cavity and external wall insulation.