This summer you gave feedback about your homes in face-to-face conversations on your doorsteps.
The Neighbourhood Knocks in our communities in Islington and Hackney opened up real conversations about your experiences, concerns, and ideas.
We knocked on 742 doors and had 249 meaningful conversations—131 in Hackney and 141 in Islington. What you shared gave us a deeper understanding of what matters most to you and how we can make things better together - drive real improvements, bridge the gap between staff and residents, and ensure our services reflect your needs.
Our conversations
During our visits we asked you about how services are, especially around repairs, and we asked where you thought we could do better for you. We also asked about how safe you feel in your area.
What you told us
Most of you told us you feel safe in your homes, which is great to hear. But we also listened to those who don’t feel as secure. Safety remains a top priority, and your feedback is helping us focus on the areas that need attention.
Some of the concerns raised included poor security on communal doors and gates, drug use and rough sleeping in shared areas, tailgating, and strangers entering buildings. Inadequate lighting, broken CCTV, parcel theft, and insecure bike sheds were also mentioned, along with reports of vandalism and more serious incidents.
One resident said: “There are rough sleepers who come into the building which is unnerving.” Another said: “There’s a lot of strangers walking around, I’m not sure who my neighbours are anymore.” But we also heard positive reflections, “I love my home… I feel safe at my home.”
When it comes to repairs and maintenance, many of you said your homes are maintained fairly well. However, we also heard about delays, poor communication, and repairs that don’t last. In Hackney, residents spoke about incomplete fixes, missed appointments, and recurring issues with things like doors, windows, heating, and lifts. Some also raised concerns about the cleanliness of communal areas.
Comments included: “It’s like the repairs are just being stuck over with a plaster…” “I find my home is well maintained. Occasionally communication is not great though.” There were positives: “We’ve had cyclical repairs done; it’s really improved the condition of my home.”
The value you put on face-to-face engagement was pleasing to hear. Many of you said how much you appreciated the chance to speak directly with staff during the Neighbourhood Knock. And you were clear about how you prefer to stay in touch - email came out on top, followed by phone calls and letters. While digital communication is growing in popularity, traditional methods still matter.
Thank you for taking the time to update information on your personal characteristics. It helps us understand our communities better and learn what support we can offer. As we went, you spoke about health conditions or disability that impacts your daily lives and your need for more support. We are working with our Building Safety and Tenancy team to ensure that we are supporting residents for their safety and wellbeing.
We also checked in on whether anyone in your household would need help evacuating in an emergency. We’ve information about this here.
We’re keen to hear from anyone who feels this is the case so please get in touch.
You said – we are doing
Thanks to your feedback, we’re already acting. We’re reviewing safety and security in communal areas, improving how we manage and communicate about repairs, expanding our communications. We are holding our contractors to account to improve on the standards of cleaning and repairs. The feedback from the knock is being used to develop the ISHA strategic plan and objectives, making sure that resident experience and voice is shaping priorities.
You’ll hear back individually with updates specifically addressing improvements based on hearing your feedback as we are sending letters to every home that we visited.
Some of you also took the chance find out more about how they can get involved in co-creating services and communities with us. We look forward to working with you.
If you missed us this time, don’t worry, we’ll be back! And in the meantime, you can always reach out to us, or to learn more about events like this where you are, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to stay in the loop.
Your voice matters, and we’re listening.
