Mole Hill Tenant Survey Report 2012

Mole Hill Community Housing Society

Tenant Satisfaction Survey Results

March 2012

Thank you to all the tenants who took the time to respond to the survey. We received 45 responses, which is approximately 27% of the tenants at Mole Hill.

A. Responses to Questions:

Strongly or Mostly Agree / Disagree / Mostly Disagree or Strongly Disagree / No Response
I am happy with my living situation at Mole Hill. / 91%
(41) / 2%
(1) / 5%
(2) / 2%
(1)
I feel the management at Mole Hill is doing a good job. / 94%
(42) / 0%
(0) / 6%
(3) / 0%
(0)
I feel that Mole Hill Housing Society does a good job responding to requests for repairs. / 87%
(39) / 7%
(3) / 0%
(0) / 6%
(3)
I think the grounds are well maintained and safe / 84%
(38) / 9%
(4) / 7%
(3) / 0%
(0)
I think the common areas are kept in good condition / 89%
(40) / 7%
(3) / 2%
(1) / 2%
(1)

The following are the comments we received in response to what the staff do well and what works well at Mole Hill.

  1. What does the staff do well?
  • They look over the grounds well, and respond immediately to concerns that can be resolved immediately
  • When you need help they will be there right away
  • Brian is excellent managing, Josh good at repairs, hallways & common areas clean, pest control prompt, upkeep of houses very good
  • Respond to concerns, inform us in advance of repairs, inspections, etc., deal with complaints, try to resolve problems
  • They are friendly, they make themselves easily available to tenants
  • Communicate cheerfully
  • Good maintenance
  • Friendly
  • Tenant concerns, pro-active planning, ‘team work’, highly skilled
  • Pleasant
  • I think the staff do a good job as a rule
  • Very courteous & competent
  • Pleasant when you call, repairs done in a timely manner
  • They’re cordial & helpful
  • Managing & up-keeping
  • Timely response to concerns/deficiencies
  • Respond within 24hrs in regards to accounting, all staff are friendly & polite, repairs are fixed in a professional way
  • They assist in whatever way they can
  • High standards in every respect, always friendly and obliging, special thanks to Brian and Josh
  • Fast response, considerate, take all options/ideas into consideration
  • Everything
  • Their jobs
  • They are open to any questions that I may have & answer them to the best of their knowledge. They try their best to contact me when I need help
  • Handle a thousand requests and details while staying pleasant
  • Bobbi does a great job keeping the laundry room clean, Josh has always responded quickly to any repair requests
  • Friendly, professional, helpful
  • Having only lived at Mole Hill for about 6 months, I yet have too little experience to answer these questions in an informed manner. My general experience has been that at Mole Hill the staff is friendly and helpful as well as the building’s in great condition
  • They are nice
  • Competent & professional
  • They are patient, compassionate, loving, understanding, wise, intelligent
  • Respond to complaints about repairs to both common areas & private areas
  • Brian is always very helpful and I trust Josh to do an excellent job with any repairs he has had to do for me
  • Brian works very hard
  • Property manager does a great job!
  • Grounds kept clean, laundry room serviced; garbage service good. I appreciate the flexibility of the staff in responding to my requests
  • Respond, listen, offer solutions, be helpful & approachable, organize tenant/society events, meet & greets, food at events, child-friendly
  1. What do you think works well at Mole Hill?
  • The greenery area and the gardens are well taken care of
  • The people and staff
  • Beautiful houses, sense of community, green space – birds & wild plantings, affordability for low income people
  • Good social interaction between tenants, generally; good interface between housing, public & private spaces and naturalized environmental areas, limited vehicle access is good
  • The grounds are well maintained & very pretty, I like the bike rooms & storage as well
  • Staff is really good & solves problems swiftly & cheerfully
  • Housing people of differing income levels
  • Everything
  • High level of skill sets, proficiency, efficiency
  • Neighbours are very decent on a whole
  • Community gardens
  • Good management
  • Support services, garbage, maintenance, & laundry facility
  • Everything
  • It’s a good atmosphere
  • Management team
  • Overall livability
  • Clean common areas
  • Good maintenance
  • Gardens
  • Everything, good neighbours, very nice community
  • The staff is very friendly and nice
  • Not much
  • Most neighbours
  • Generally mixed housing
  • Everything
  • Informal friendliness
  • The sense of responsibility for one’s noise level & communicating with neighbours about it in a civil manner
  • Kids playing in the alley
  • The sense of community is strong – after 8 years I still feel incredibly lucky to live here
  • I like almost everything here
  • Most everything
  • Love
  • Having a good E.D. like Margot
  • I think the office works well, but that is because of Brian
  • Management of the property, repairs are timely, grounds are well taken care of
  • Maintenance, checking of units, information about programs (newsletter)
  • Architecture promotes community – yards, porches

Based on the other comments and feedback we received, we will make the following changes or improvements:

Tenant Relations/Communication

Board/Tenant Relations: The Board of Directors is in the process of developing a Tenant Relations Committee that will include opportunities for interaction between the board and the tenants of Mole Hill Community Housing Society

Communication with Tenants: The current means of communication with the tenants is via the Mole Hill Newsletter, the society website and postering or leafleting as needed. Part of the Strategic Planning under- taken by the board will be the development of a Communication Plan.

Tenant Involvement: Tenants have been invited to volunteer for many events over the last year. They are welcome to organize events and use the Community Room and grounds on their own or with the support of management. Ideas for committee involvement are always welcome.

Transparency:Mole Hill exercises transparency to the best of its ability within the confines of our BC Housing Operating Agreement and privacy laws. Any information related to tenants including waitlists is considered to be confidential information. If you have specific questions, please ask.

Treatment of Tenants and Complaints: Mole Hill management endeavors to resolve tenant complaints as respectfully as possible. We agree hearing both sides of the story is important before taking any action. If you feel we have neglected to do so, please let us know.

Management:

Storage Lockers: One component of the Mole Hill Clean-up was to free up locker space. Mole Hill is investigating adding some new lockers to the storage areas.

Waitlists: Unfortunately, waitlist information is confidential. Publication of names on waitlists would be considered a breach of personal privacy. Please ask if you want information about where you are on a waitlist.

Guest parking: We have posted signs reminding people of the visitor parking policy and we are notifying people by putting notices on their cars if they are illegally parked. This seems to have helped to limit breaches of the policy.

Managing difficult tenants: We believe in giving people an opportunity to resolve conflict directly with their neighbours before we become involved. As per our Complaints Procedure we become involved only if this first step has failed. Mole Hill is home to a cross section of people, many of whom are here due to unfortunate and difficult life situations. Acquiring a legal Order for Possession is not only extremely difficult to obtain, we prefer to exercise all other options before resorting to the extremely difficult decision to evict.

Response to emails: Mole Hill management is committed to responding to email inquiries within 24 hours. On occasion, the response may be an acknowledgement of receipt of the message if management is unable to provide a solution to the enquiry immediately.

Maintenance and Cleaning

Response to work orders: Mole Hill has a web-based system for tracking maintenance requests. This system ensures accountability and reduces errors and oversights. The management team prioritizes tasks according to urgency and date of receipt of the request. Timelines for completing tasks varies accordingly.

Cleanliness of common areas: The common areas are cleaned according to a schedule or on an as needed basis. Periodic inspections of areas do take place to ensure a high level of cleanliness. All outdoor mats will be cleaned this spring!

Painting: The laundry room and a number of exterior doors will be painted this summer.

Recycling signage: New signage for recycling bins is being investigated.

Landscaping: Policy for landscaping is being written which will include philosophy and principles of landscaping practices and techniques.

Other:

Advocating for affordable housing: Mole Hill is a member of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, which, is an advocacy organization for affordable housing. This organization is at the forefront of housing issues at all levels of government and keeps all members informed of trends and issues. Mole Hill is also in close touch with the City of Vancouver and will be directly involved in the West End Planning process. Strategic planning at the board level will include considering the possibility of new housing development opportunities.

Increased budget: Additional revenue opportunities, such as filming on the Mole Hill site are being planned. The funds will be considered for additional projects or programs as identified in this survey.

Things that have completed so far:

* We scheduled a day for a garbage pick-up that included electronic equipment.

* Compost bins have been ordered and training will take place in May 2012.

* Limestone has been added to the Greenway walkway

* Mole Hill is considering howit can be involved in meeting the goals of the “City of Vancouver Greenest City Campaign”. Ideas include an Environmental Forum or Green Committee.

*

Mole Hill is now posting events and news items on Facebook and Twitter.

Just a reminder, tenants are welcome to organize community events, classes, activities or committees. The Community Room is available for use, free of charge for tenants and members. Thank you for your other suggestions, all of which will be considered.

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 1