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Post: Barking and Dagenham council launches ambitious programme to visit every council home

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Behind Every Door: Barking & Dagenham Launches Ambitious Initiative to Visit Every Council Home

Barking and Dagenham’s Housing service has officially launched ‘Behind Every Door’—a major new initiative with a bold mission: to visit all 16,500 council tenants over the next two years.

This proactive programme is designed to completely reshape how the council connects with residents, ensuring everyone gets the right support, homes are kept in top-notch condition, and social housing is being used fairly.

The Three P’s: What the Visits Are All About

The initiative isn’t just a quick check-in. Teams are focusing on three vital pillars during every single visit:

  • Proof: Verifying tenant identity and occupancy to ensure the right people are living in the right homes.

  • Person: Identifying vulnerabilities and safeguarding concerns so the council can step in with extra care where needed.

  • Property: Assessing the physical condition of the building to catch and fix minor issues before they turn into costly disrepair.

Early Wins: 2,000 Visits and Counting

The programme is already firing on all cylinders. With nearly 2,000 visits completed, the council is already seeing massive benefits for both individual residents and the wider community.

Here is how the ‘Behind Every Door’ team has made an impact so far:

Right-Sizing Families

Eleven tenants currently living in oversized properties have expressed interest in downsizing. Crucially, this includes a fully adapted, three-bedroom property with specialist accessibility features. Finding this out means the council can now reallocate this highly specialized home to a family desperately in need of it.

Preventing Evictions

Working alongside the Rents team, visiting officers stepped in to engage with 24 households already facing eviction. Thanks to face-to-face contact, five families successfully agreed to sustainable repayment plans, keeping them in their homes. In one incredible case, a tenant cleared £13,000 in outstanding rent arrears in a single payment.

Catching Repairs Early

Officers are identifying property issues on the spot—including damp and mould. By catching these issues early, the council can step in quickly to ensure homes remain safe, warm, and well-maintained.

Cracking Down on Fraud

To protect valuable social housing for those who truly need it, the team has already referred nine cases of suspected unauthorized sub-letting to the Council’s Audit service for deeper investigation.

A Word from the Council

Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Housing, Adult Social Care and Health, emphasized that this project is all about putting people first:

“The Tenancy Update Visits programme is about making sure our tenants are safe, supported and living in homes that are well maintained. These visits give us the opportunity to speak directly with residents, understand their circumstances and provide help where it’s needed most.

“They also help us protect valuable council housing by identifying issues such as subletting, tackling repairs early and ensuring homes are being used in the right way. This is a proactive approach that benefits both residents and the wider community.”

What Happens Next?

If you are a council tenant, you don’t need to do anything just yet. Your dedicated housing officer will be in touch directly to arrange your visit.

Regular updates on the progress of the ‘Behind Every Door’ initiative will be posted on the council website, so stay tuned to see how the borough is being transformed, one doorstep at a time.