At Vectis, we are absolutely committed to delivering the best services we are able at a cost that represents excellent value for money. In our view, the best performance is a balance between consistency, reliability, responsiveness and affordability. We therefore review our performance on a regular basis and produce quarterly reports.

We are also conscious of the need to compare ourselves to other similar housing associations to make sure that we do not lag behind what others are doing. We are therefore members of the SHAPE `benchmarking’ club.

SHAPE

(Smaller Housing Associations Pursuing Excellence)

SHAPE comprises a group of thirteen small housing associations operating in areas from as far afield as Oxford to Sevenoaks in Kent, and from Bedford to us in the Isle of Wight

The smallest member association manages just over 80 homes, and the largest around 600 (that still makes them small!). We at Vectis are somewhere in the middle.

All members have, through a professional network, built up a working relationship with each other for the purposes of comparing performance in our various activities, sharing ideas of best practice, training our staff, and helping solve the kinds of issues that arise from time to time. For example, if there is an area of performance where a member association seems to do really well, whilst others struggle with it, there is opportunity to learn from the methods adopted by the successful one.

Whilst all housing associations, whatever their size, share common attributes, smaller organisations have particular qualities and problems, which the larger ones do not, and it is fitting that we should therefore work towards continually improving our services by sharing these experiences with those with whom we have the most affinity.

SHAPE covers every aspect of housing association work, from housing management(rents, tenancies, resident involvement, anti-social behaviour) to maintenance,and from finance to new development.

Copies of the annual SHAPE benchmark comparisons are available from the office.

SHAPE Members:

Eldon Housing Association - Surrey/London
Petersfield Housing Association - Petersfield
Franklands Housing Association - Haywards Heath
Thame and District Housing Association - Thame, Oxfordshire
Pine Ridge Housing Association - Watford
Chichester Greyfairs Housing Association - Chichester
Vectis Housing Association - Isle of Wight