Choice Services, the award-winning in-house maintenance and repairs provider for Choice Housing has announced its service expansion which will cover the whole of Co Down, securing 28 jobs and servicing more than 4,600 homes across Co Down.
The agreement between Choice and former service provider BEST Maintenance Services included the full transfer of 28 employees to Choice Services. The transfer doubles the number of homes now serviced through Choice, increasing from 4,257 homes to more than 9,000 homes across NI and Ireland.
The employee transfers included 3 apprentices and 1 work placement student and brings the total staff employed by Choice Services to 91.
In 2020/21 over 18000 repairs were delivered by Choice Services, with the organisation overseeing further expansion to support Oaklee activities (Choice Subsidiary) the continued mobilisation of the first social housing Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Ireland, and the development of several Planned Maintenance Schemes within Northern Ireland.
James Sterling, Managing Director for Choice Services said,
“We’ve seen our team grow significantly over the last eighteen months, which given the challenging circumstances we have worked through during the pandemic is testament to our colleagues and their commitment to supporting tenants. This transfer of services to Choice will ensure that homes across Co Down will continue to receive quality efficient customer service with real value for money.
“The transfer of 28 colleagues further strengthens our capability to respond to the needs of our customers, both in the Co Down area and across NI and Ireland. Doubling the number of homes we service demonstrates our commitment to providing value to more tenants across the island of Ireland.”
Choice Services recently won the Chartered Institute of Housing ‘Excellence in Customer Services’ award for their service provided to their tenants which comes following a successful in-house transfer of the response repair services. The Services now delivers 80% of general response repairs needs, ensuring value for money for tenants.
Choice Housing provides a mix of supported, sheltered and general needs housing across Northern Ireland, providing over 12,000 homes across the region.
