Repairs and Maintenance

Overview Financial Performance and activity

Overall financial result for the Argyle Housing Maintenance Expenditure for the End FY was $266,493 under the Full Year Budget (95% of Budget Spent). Being a total of $5,078,239.

• Responsive Maintenance was very close to the guidance with demand for repair work ongoing at normal levels.
• Cyclical Maintenance was below guidance.
• Planned Maintenance was below guidance with the roll-out of the final Planned Maintenance Program being placed on hold at the end of May as a precautionary approach to assist Argyle Housing’s overall budget position for the Full Year. Argyle Housing was able to deliver $307,000 in Scheduled Planned Maintenance, focused mostly on Argyle Housing owned properties.
• Tenant Damage was below guidance, however, this may have been influenced through reduced property inspections being undertaken in the later part of the FY due to the current pandemic. The final expenditure does include ~ $60,000 for a below excess fire event at 34 Proctor Way, Claymore.
• The insurance excess that was introduced for the 2019-20 FY that provided for three major fire events ($75,000 Deductible each) was below guidance due to Argyle Housing experiencing two major fire events (69 Proctor Way, Claymore and 10 Gordon Street, Young).

In addition to the Argyle Housing Maintenance Expenditure $1,139,800 in NSW Government Stimulus Funding was spent on Planned Maintenance works on NSW Land & Housing Corporation Properties that Argyle Housing are responsible for under the Short-term Lease (Capital) Program. These works replaced over 318 components (roofs, stoves, hot water systems, heaters, kitchens etc.) in over 175 properties (a small number items were not completed due to access issues). This brings the total expenditure on properties where Argyle Housing has maintenance expenditure liabilities to $6,218,039.00

Argyle Housing’s Property and Assets Team also provides Repairs and Maintenance services to properties owned by others and managed under “fee for service” style arrangements. The value of works completed under these programs during the 2019-20 FY were:

• BlueCHP – $143,962
• Eventide, Yanco – $57,656
• LAHC Home Purchase Agreement – $54,814
• DCJ Outsourced Maintenance Program – $118,399
• DCJ COVID-19 Deep Cleaning Program – $57,821
• Total Value of “fee for service” R & M in the 2019/20 FY – $432,652

The total value of Repairs and Maintenance works delivered by the Property and Assets Team in 2019/20 was $6,650,691

Maintenance Budget Expenditure vs. Forecast and Straight-Line Budget – End June 2020

Strategic & Operational Planning

• SAMP Review – The Strategic Asset Management Plan 2018-21 was reviewed and updated in November with all six of the Strategic Initiatives being progressed to varying levels. The SAMP 2019-22 added new principles that guide Argyle Housing towards Affordable Housing provision unless sufficient subsidy funding is provided for Social Housing, and a new Strategic Initiative that encourages Argyle Housing to actively seek out opportunities to partner with Local Councils and the NSW Land & Housing Corporation. The Development Pipeline Projects updated below advance these principles and initiatives.
• 10 Year Maintenance Forecast – In August a 10 year forecast of the estimated costs to maintain to standard the properties owned by Argyle Housing and LAHC was prepared and endorsed. The estimates show that the maintenance of the ageing housing stock continues to be a challenge. Since the adoption of this forecast, scheduled planned maintenance work on properties owned by Argyle Housing has been the focus for funds available from the R&M budget. The LAHC Stimulus funding in May and June helped address some of the backlog on LAHC properties.

Planned Maintenance Results

Throughout the year, and in addition to repairing property components, Argyle Housing replaces many of these components when they reached or are near the end of their useful-life. Whilst we would like to be able to replace more and more often, we do prioritise these works on a safety first, function second and appearance third basis to ensure our tenants are able to safely occupy their homes. This year we had additional assistance from NSW Land and Housing Corporation in the form of a one-off Repair and Maintenance Stimulus Fund. The chart below is a list of the key items we replaced and what this cost.

Assets Reporting
The National Regulatory Scheme Community Housing (NRSCH)

Asset Metrics
Argyle Housing Performance for year to 30 June 2020

As part of our ongoing Registration as Tier 1 Community Housing Provider, Argyle must meet benchmarks set by the Registrar for completion timeframes of Urgent and Non-Urgent works. We are pleased to report that we have met these benchmarks every month during the year and our overall performance is outlined below.

Total Number of Urgent and Non-Urgent Work Orders Issued to Contractors for year to 30 June: 10,871

Total Number of Call Logs raised from Tenants requesting repair maintenance for year to 30 June: 8,460

Jurisdictional Requirements

• Urgent (Emergency) 0-4 hours response time
• Urgent 4-24 hours response time
• Non urgent 1-7 days response time
• Non urgent 7-28 days response time

Total number of contractors and service providers who work with Argyle Housing: 234

Contractor Breakdown by Region

Argyle Housing hires many contractors across our areas of operation, with many of them being small and medium businesses. The vast majority are local businesses undertaking work locally. During the year, Argyle Housing issued over 12,000 Works orders and hired in excess of 230 contractors. The number of different contractors we used in each is outlined below.

Tolland Project

Update on Master Plan

For several years, Argyle Housing have been advocating to the NSW State Government to take a fresh look and a master planned approach to improving outcomes for the residents of Tolland in Wagga Wagga. We were very pleased this year when NSW Land & Housing Corporation called for Expressions of Interest from Community Housing Providers to outline their Vision and approach to improving these outcomes. As a result, Argyle Housing partnered with BlueCHP Limited and NSWALC Housing to submit a very ambitious and significant Vision and plan in August. We are currently awaiting the outcome of the EOI as we, and our partners, are very keen to deliver this exciting project that will transform the area into a vibrant mixed tenure community with significant supported housing for people of all ages.

Yass

34 Pollux Street, Yass

Argyle Housing have been working with NSW Land & Housing Corporation (LAHC) and a private developer to plan and prepare a 11 villa and townhouse development in Yass. As part of the due diligence to purchase the land, residual contamination from the demolition works undertaken in 2017 was discovered. Remediation of this residual contamination is currently the subject of a legal dispute between Argyle Housing and the demolition contractor. In parallel, Argyle Housing worked with Riverview Developments Pty Ltd to prepare and lodge a Development Application (DA) for the 11 townhouses and villas.

The land is currently owned by LAHC and will be acquired by Argyle Housing. A Development Application has been submitted with Yass Valley Council, and we hope to be able to start construction in 2021. This DA was prepared to ensure any future development on the site could be considered under the then 300m2 Lot Size rules and not under the new 400m2 rules. When complete the development will provide a mix of Affordable Housing properties that will be owned and managed by Argyle Housing plus properties that will be privately owned.

Griffith

190 Wakaden Street, Griffith
4 x 2 bedroom Villas

Argyle Housing Team Leader for Griffith and Wagga Wagga, Jenny, stands on the land that will soon become affordable housing for low income, transitional and key workers. The block is on the corner of Wakaden and Crossing Streets Griffith and is a short 10 minute walk to the main street town with great pedestrian access to shops and services.

Griffith Council gifted land to Argyle Housing to ease the housing availability crisis within the Riverina. This gifting was formalised after Christmas 2019 and Argyle Housing worked with local developers (James Scremin and Zep Lanza) to prepare and lodge a Development Application for the construction of 4 x 2 storey, two bedroom townhouses. The housing will be targeted to be rented by workers at no more than 75 per cent of the market rent.

Argyle Housing CEO, Wendy Middleton, said she is pleased with the outcome. We are very happy to be partnering with Griffith Council to provide Affordable Housing and Argyle Housing will partner with local builders to deliver the project. The development will utilise NIFIC funds for its completion.

“I’d like to congratulate Griffith City Council on their commitment to the Housing Strategy and in particular to low income accommodation,” she said.

General Manager Brett Stonestreet said he was glad that council has taken this constructive if ‘modest’ step, as part of the Griffith Housing Strategy adopted in 2019. The land is zoned for General Residential and is therefore appropriately zoned for the purpose of residential dwellings.

We would like to say thank you to Griffith City Council for their support of Argyle Housing and Affordable Housing within Griffith.

Griffin Green, Pioneer Village
67 New Dwellings, 20 Argyle Housing

Griffith Building Better Regions Affordable Housing Project

Griffin Green, Building Better Regions Project – Argyle Housing was invited to and worked with Griffith City Council during November and December to lodge an Application under Round 4 of the Federal Governments Building Better Regions Fund.

Argyle Housing partnered with Griffith City Council in late 2019 to lodge an application for funding from the Federal Governments Building Better Regions Fund. The Application was announced as successful in June, and it will provide $6 million of funding towards a $12 million project that will deliver 20 new Affordable Housing properties that will be owned and managed by Argyle Housing, 45 Lots of vacant land that will be sold to increase the supply of land for people to move into private home ownership, plus new road connections and enhanced parkland.

The project is located on NSW State Government Owned (LAHC) land known as Dave Taylor Park in Pioneer Village. Council were advised in June that they were successful in obtaining the $6m grant (matched $3m each by both Council and Argyle Housing) and planning works are well advanced. The project must be commenced on the ground by October this year and completed by the end of December 2022.

The planning for the project is well underway with infrastructure works to commence in early 2021. The project will be completed by the end of 2022.

Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga, Kooringal
4 Villas, 2 x Affordable, 2 x Social

The Boulevarde and Berala Streets, Kooringal (Wagga) – Argyle Housing partnered with a local developer (Gordon Saggers) in November to have four, two bedroom villas built for completion in late June. These villas were built to a minimum of the Silver Standards under the Livability Guidelines, with one of the villas meeting the Gold/Platinum Standard. The first two villas were completed, settled and occupied in June with their use being changed from Affordable to Social Housing to utilise surplus CHLP funds. A man in his 50s who is mostly wheelchair bound was housed in the Gold/Platinum level villa. The last two villas were completed and settled in July utilising NIFIC funds and occupied in July and early August with Affordable Housing tenants.

Garden Units

Tahmoor and Moss Vale

During the year Argyle Housing completed and occupied Garden Units in both Tahmoor and Moss Vale. Garden Units are two bedroom units in the rear yard of existing Argyle Housing owned properties. The project was not without its frustrations and challenges and delivery was unfortunately behind the original schedule. Notwithstanding these challenges, the Garden Units were a successful project in that Argyle Housing were able to deliver new two bedroom Social dwellings in good locations for between $184,000 (Tahmoor) and $207,000 (Moss Vale).

L&HC Stimulus Funding

Repairs and Maintenance

Stimulus Funding Received from the NSW Government

Argyle Housing have been very fortunate to receive $1.5m in stimulus funding from NSW Land & Housing Corporation to undertake repairs and maintenance works on properties managed from the Bowral, Young and Yass offices. The funding is for properties that were part of a Whole of Area Transfers. Work is well underway on 182 properties with a total of 338 components from rangehoods to roofs being replaced. The works need to be completed by 20 June this year and we estimate that over 6,200 hours of work (3.5 full time jobs for one year) has been created as part of this project. Thanks to everyone involved in the project. A massive amount of work has been undertaken with very tight timeframes to have this project approved and underway.

LAHC Stimulus Contractor Benefits

As part of the LAHC R&M Stimulus, Argyle were able to provide significant works to our existing and new contractors in Bowral, Young and Yass. The amount of work generated and the number of new and existing contractors during the early and uncertain stages of the Covid-19 Panbdemic and shutdowns was well timed, and is outlined in the Table below. As a result of this program, Argyle received many letters of thanks from our contractors and some of them are provided below. Argyle would like to thank the NSW Land & Housing Corporation, our contractors and their staff and our own staff for their many hours of hard work to deliver this project on-time and under-budget! 

Stimulus Team Recognition

The team of Trevor, Shane, Rachel, Scott, Bev, Simone, Belinda and Michelle worked very hard to deliver the works on time and with great humility and professionalism. The fantastic feedback from contractors and suppliers is clear evidence of their hard work.

To whom it may concern,

Firstly, I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to quote and complete the stimulus work over the last couple of months, it has been invaluable in these uncertain times with the slowdown in construction work and maintenance. Due to the stimulus it has allowed me to keep staff on the payroll and buy new tools that are required to do our trade more efficiently and safely. Hopefully these upgrades and replacements can continue in the future in order for me to retain staff during these uncertain times in the economy. 

Kind Regards,
Luke Rundle
Aquafix Plumbing Services

To whom it may concern,

Thank you for the work including me the stimulus program was much appreciate in these uncertain times being able to keep nine staff employed. The stimulus program was great opportunity to work with Argyle Housing. Program was very well organised for such short period of time. Any issues or problems were solved very quickly. Look forward to working with Argyle Housing in future.

Kind Regards,
Judd Morris
JMR Roofing

To whom it may concern,

After being offered the chance to work for Argyle Housing in the electrical field doing general maintenance etc in the Young area, I found the transition into their style of management very easy and very professional. Having worked for multiple large companies before I have found that they can be very confusing and awkward to work for especially when they are based out of a city. I have found with past experience these companies treat all contractors under the one banner, Argyle Housing approach things differently and have a very professional and personal approach to their contractors which makes working for them so much more enjoyable and a hell of a lot easier. The communication that Argyle Housing has with its contractors are second to none and it is the communication that makes the work so much easier to organise. I must admit I had concerns about signing up with another large company but these concerns where soon put aside after a week or two of starting some of their maintenance jobs, not long into starting with Argyle Housing I was made aware of planned works that the government had in line and that was to be completed by a designated date, this works could not have come at a better time as it created so much work and with the organisation skills of Argyle Housing staff I was able to set out and complete these works while working with other contractors and liaising with Argyle Housing staff should any questions need answering and always receiving a prompt response. Overall the contracts over the past two months have really helped generate a massive work load for so many contractors in and around the Young area and as stated earlier the Argyle Housing staff have made it so much easier than.it could have been thanks to their outstanding communication and organisation skills.

Daniel Cartwright
Carty’s Electrical
Young, NSW

Good morning Wendy and Justin, I hope you are having a good day.

MY name is Gabe Hall and I am the Homeless Youth Assistance Program Worker at the Queanbeyan Crisis refuge. I have been in contact with Rachel from Argyle to sort out some maintenance issues for our service and I would just like to say how amazing, supportive and on the ball Rachel has been. Rachel always answers questions with great detail which is amazing. Rachel goes out of her way to sort out issues for our service and the customer service is exceptional. Rachel is just an all-round amazing worker and person. Thank you very much Rachel for all of your amazing help and Argyle are super lucky to have such an awesome worker like Rachel working for them. Have an amazing day and thank you again.

Kind Regards,
Gabe Hall, HYAP Youth Worker, Queanbeyan Crisis Youth Refuge

Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing provides Australians on low to moderate incomes with an opportunity to rent homes at a rate that is below market value rent. Thus ensuring they can afford basic living costs such as food, clothing, medical care and education. Affordable Housing is developed to encourage low income earners into the rental property market. These properties are not social housing – they are affordable private rental homes.

Argyle Housing is pleased to manage many Affordable Housing properties across NSW and the ACT. These homes allow employed applicants safe, secure and sustainable accommodation. As these properties are just like private rental, when we have a vacancy in one of our affordable homes, we will advertise its availability on our website and other digital media.

At Argyle Housing we currently manage a total of 71 Affordable housing properties in NSW and 20 in the ACT.