Improvement Programme
New World continues to invest in its properties to ensure that our residents have homes that meet or exceed a decent standard. Periodically we employ surveyors to undertake a comprehensive stock condition survey of all our properties to provide an accurate and independent overview of our maintenance requirements now and in the future. This allows us to budget and plan ahead in order to deliver timely upgrades of kitchens, bathrooms or heating systems for instance.
Since our last survey in 2015, we have responded to the information from our surveyors by undertaking several large projects. Timber framed windows and French Doors in over 35 properties have been replaced with modern, energy efficient uPVC equivalents. Plans are currently underway for another 10 properties to be similarly upgraded in the coming months.
In the same period, nearly 60 kitchens have been completely refurbished. Our contractors not only replace the kitchen units and worktops, new flooring, tiling and decoration are included as well as an upgrade of the consumer unit (fuse board), lighting, extractor fan and smoke/heat alarm system. New World is committed to an ongoing programme of kitchen re-fits and at least 15 properties will be similarly upgraded in the next 12 months.
We also constantly review our commitment to providing warm and efficiently heated homes; since 2015 we have installed 124 new boilers which represents over 1/3 of all our properties with gas central heating. Our forthcoming planned maintenance programme includes new highly efficient digitally controlled electric storage heaters in some of our properties without gas.
Other completed or planned investment includes new bathrooms, lift refurbishments and the cyclical redecoration of the communal areas of blocks of flats. In addition, we ensure that properties are modernised prior to to new tenancies when they are returned to us as and when residents move or are rehoused due to under or over occupying.
We have enlarged our main office space to ensure we are equipped to manage our increased number of properties which has grown by over 20% in the last 18 months. A new satellite office has also been built at our new scheme in Tooting, which with 67 properties, is the largest concentration of New World tenants in one area. Along with these projects, New World will continue to evaluate its stock to ensure that its homes meet the expectations of our residents.
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