Becoming Pobl

We considered delaying merger, but we have already completed most of the work required to make it happen, so we are satisfied that it won’t take our focus away from supporting our customers.

We are not changing our bank accounts, so you don’t need to do anything different.  Your direct debit or standing order will continue to be collected in the same way.

Yes, your rent card is still valid.

Yes, the portal that you use may look slightly different from 1 July as it will reflect the Pobl brand, but you can still use it in the same way as before.

The new organisation will be known as Pobl Homes and Communities – or just Pobl for short. Charter Housing, Derwen and Tai Gwalia all joined Pobl Group in April 2016 but have continued to operate as separate organisations. This merger will enable us to deliver a consistent service across all of our homes.

In the short-term customers will notice very little difference, but later this year we plan to launch a range of online services, which will enable our customers to pay rent, check rent balances and order repairs online, at a time that suits you.
We have already made changes to our teams, including introducing smaller patch sizes for our Neighbourhood Officers, so that we can be more visible and active in our communities, making a real difference where it matters.

Following the formal merger, residents who are currently tenants or leaseholders with Charter Housing, Derwen or Tai Gwalia will have a new landlord – Pobl Homes & Communities.

For customers, the merger will provide opportunities for us to raise our standards and improve service delivery. It will bring us greater financial capacity which will see us invest even more in maintaining and investing in our homes over the next 5 years.

We fundamentally believe in providing a local service to our residents. We know from talking to you just how important local knowledge and a local connection with the communities we serve are. We will ensure that a local focus is not lost and that levels of service remain high.

Yes. This is one of the major reasons for bringing our three organisations together. Over the next 5 years we plan to build over 2,500 new homes. We will continue to focus on delivering high quality, mixed tenure homes so that we are creating balanced and inclusive communities. Over half of the new homes will be for social housing.

You will not be asked to move home as a result of the merger.

No, your rights remain unchanged.

All existing arrangements will continue just as they do now.

For the time being, there will be no change to existing arrangements.

The websites for the three companies will be removed on 1 July but we have updated the Pobl website to include all the useful content that we know you use.  Take a look at the Pobl Group homes section here.

Our plans to automate key services by investing in new technology will offer greater choice to our residents about how they interact with us. For many people, this will create smoother, simpler and faster systems, and will enable us to be more cost effective. But we absolutely recognise that some customers need or prefer a more personal service, and we will continue to offer that alongside our new digital services. This is about us creating a choice of options that allow you to take control of how you interact with us.

In one word, yes.

At the heart of our commitment to new digital services is the objective of freeing up our people to spend more time on the issues where you need the most support. These include resolving problems and complaints, ensuring the area you live in is in a good and safe condition, and listening to and acting on resident feedback. We have reduced our patch sizes and invested in new community-based roles so our colleagues will be more visible in your communities.