The visits are designed to strengthen housing management and ensure residents are getting the right support, while also helping the council maintain homes to a high standard. 

The programme focuses on three key areas; verifying tenant identity and occupancy, identifying vulnerabilities and safeguarding concerns, and assessing property conditions to help prevent costly disrepair issues. 

So far, more than 3,500 visits have been completed. As a result of these visits, households have been identified across different levels of support need. 

The visits are already making a positive difference for tenants. Eleven tenants have expressed an interest in downsizing to smaller homes, including one fully adapted three-bedroom property with specialist accessibility features that could now be better matched to a family in need. 

Housing officers and Tenancy Update Visiting Officers have also made referrals to Community Navigators to help tenants access additional support services. 

The initiative has also helped prevent evictions. Of 24 households referred by the Rents team, and already facing eviction action, five households were successfully engaged through targeted visits, leading to sustainable arrangements being agreed. In one case, a tenant cleared rent arrears of £13,000 in a single payment. 

During the visits, officers identified repair issues, including cases involving damp and mould, helping ensure problems are dealt with earlier and homes remain safe and well maintained.  

The programme is also helping the council tackle tenancy fraud, with nine cases escalated to Internal Audit for further investigation into suspected sub-letting. 

John Knight, Director of Housing, said: “Behind Every Door is about making sure our tenants are safe, supported and living in homes that are well maintained. These visits give us the opportunity to speak directly with tenants, understand their circumstances and provide help where it’s needed most. 

“They also help us protect valuable council housing by identifying issues such as subletting, tackling repairs early and ensuring homes are being used in the right way. This is a proactive approach that benefits both tenants and the wider community.” 

Tenants are being contacted by their Housing Officer to arrange visits and more information on the progress of the programme will be made available on the council’s website.