Helm signs £25 million maintenance contract with H&J Martin

Helm Housing Association has appointed Belfast company H&J Martin as its response maintenance contractor in an agreement potentially worth £25m over a seven-year period. The contract, which will see H&J Martin staff provide response maintenance services with the option of planned maintenance works to Helm Housing Associations 15,000 tenants in over 5,000 properties, lasts until 2021 and currently involves a team of 31 fully dedicated maintenance and customer service professionals. The appointment followed a OJEU compliant competitive tender process.

The new contract will see an enhanced maintenance service for tenants including agreed appointments within thirty minutes from initial call and full out-of-hours emergency support.  Tenants will also receive regular updates on maintenance progress via text message. H&J Martin will also work with Helm Housing Associations 17 partner organisations who provide support and care across Northern Ireland.

Michael McDonnell, Chief Executive, Helm Housing said: Helm is dedicated to building safe and sustainable neighbourhoods and ensuring people feel secure and comfortable in their homes. Ensuring that maintenance is completed quickly and to a high standard is an important part of this work and I am delighted that H&J Martin will be supporting us to deliver this.

This flagship contract represents a new approach to response maintenance and all Helm tenants will see significant benefits with the introduction of a new appointments system, handheld real-time communications and a dedicated Tenant Liaison Officer to resolve any queries,  he added.

The contract also includes a revised change of tenancy process which will enable the Association to turn around empty properties quickly to help single people, families and elderly applicants to move into much needed accommodation.

Derek Martin, Managing Director of H&J Martin Limited said: H&J Martins approach combines leading-edge work practices, innovative IT solutions and a strong focus on customer satisfaction. Together that means that Helm Housing Associations tenants will enjoy an unrivalled maintenance service, with everyone working to resolve issues as soon as they arise.

This contract also enhances our presence in the social housing arena in Northern Ireland and expands on our companys expertise in maintaining commercial and government property in Northern Ireland, he added.

H&J Martin teams have already started to work with Helm tenants with their operations fully underway since 1st September 2014.