Council announces new housing repairs and maintenance contract in response to tenant feedback  

A new contract to deliver repairs and maintenance services for council tenants across the borough will commence in April 2026.  

Foster Property Maintenance has been awarded the contract and will take responsibility for day-to-day repairs, improvement work on properties, and preparing empty homes for new tenants. This will also include planned maintenance programmes such as kitchen and bathroom upgrades.  

The decision to appoint a new contractor follows extensive feedback from tenants and aims to provide a modernised service that is more efficient, responsive and tenant focused. The new arrangements are designed to make repairs easier and more convenient for tenants, and to improve communication and tenant satisfaction. The new contract model also offers better value for money for the council, which will support continued investment and improvements to council homes across the borough.  

Supported by its repairs and maintenance services, the Council remains on track to achieve the Government’s Decent Homes requirements across all council homes by 2028, with 1721 (96.4%) homes currently meeting this standard. On average the Council completes around 6000 repairs each year, and upgrades in excess of 400 homes.   

Through the design and evaluation of the new contract, specific attention has been given to the experience of tenants. Foster Property Maintenance have committed to working with the council to improve the customer journey for tenants. Tenants can expect clearer communication about upcoming works, timeframes, and any changes, as well as more flexibility to reschedule appointments when needed. New systems will also be introduced to make tracking repairs simpler, giving tenants and council officers real-time updates from Foster Property Maintenance.  

Following the Cabinet meeting, Cllr Pip Allnatt, Leader of the Council, stated, “We are delighted to announce this new partnership. The decision to re-procure our repairs and maintenance contracts was a significant one, made following careful consideration and extensive tenant feedback. Over the years, it became clear that the current service model no longer delivers the value for money or the quality of service our tenants rightly expect and deserve. 

“We’re looking forward to working with Foster Property Maintenance and seeing the newly shaped services come into effect. We take tenants’ feedback seriously and  their experiences, views and voices have been used to shape and influence this new service. We are particularly grateful to our involved tenants, who have played a key role in shaping the design and evaluation of the new contract.    

"We encourage tenants to continue sharing their experiences and feedback with us. This helps us understand what’s working well with our landlord services and highlights areas where improvements could be made.” 

James Jackson, Regional Director at Foster Property Maintenance, said 'We're delighted to be partnering with Melton Borough Council and look forward to delivering services in 2026 and beyond.  

“We are committed to helping the Council to improve tenant satisfaction and experience, building on tenant feedback and insights. We will be putting new arrangements in place to make it easier for tenants to book and be updated on appointments and repairs, we are committed to helping the Council to improve tenant satisfaction and experience.  

“The Council and  Foster's have a shared commitment to improving services in the Borough for tenants and look forward to meeting tenants in the coming months as we prepare to launch the new service.” 

The Council thanks Axis Europe for their partnership and delivery of the current repairs service in council homes over many years, including during periods of operational challenge such as Covid 19. Axis will continue to deliver the repairs and void service until 31 March 2026. The contract with Foster Property Maintenance will commence on 1 April 2026 and will be in place for a minimum of 5 years.  

There is no change to the delivery of gas servicing and repairs, which will remain with the Council’s existing partner, SureServe. 

~ends~ 

For more information please contact: communications@melton.gov.uk