Meet our TLOs
With lots of work going on in our communities, it’s a busy time for our Tenant Liaison Officers (TLOs). These are the people you see regularly whenever you have some major work undertaken in your home.
There are 12 officers in the team, and we caught up with two of them, Siôn and Rhian, plus manager Nadine to find out more about their job:
“The role of the TLO is to support tenants throughout any work taking place in their home” explains Nadine.
“Normally, a tenant will first meet their TLO during an initial survey before the work starts. The survey is often carried out with the contractor who’ll be carrying out the work, and the TLO will explain what work is planned, how we will carry it out and how long it is expected to last. They’ll also answer any questions the tenant has.
“They’ll visit again just before the work starts to go over everything again, making sure the tenant knows what exactly is going to happen, we call this the pre-start visit. They’ll also then make regular visits whilst the work is on-going before calling again once complete so we can hear the tenant’s feedback about what went well and where we could improve.”
The team are currently working on a range of major improvements to homes, including external wall insulations, re-wiring, roof renewals and something relatively new - solar panels, on which Siôn is one of the TLOs:
“Working with tenants having solar panels installed is great as they are quite often excited to have them and using the technology to reduce their regular electricity consumption.
“Whilst there is excitement, there will inevitably be a bit of disruption whilst the work is carried out, but by me being in regular contact with them, we can hopefully keep that to a minimum. It’s important to build trust with the tenant. We want them to be comfortable enough to call us whenever they need to and to be honest with us about how the work is going.
“We see ourselves as the middle person between the tenant and the contractor carrying out the work. They tell us if any date or time for work to be carried out is not convenient, if they’re on the school run or they’re going on holidays. They also tell us if they have any special circumstances, such as medical conditions that we need to be aware of so that we can be mindful of that whilst we carry out the work.
“With some work, things get worse before they get better, so we have to be with the tenant and reassure them along the way.”
As well as supporting the tenants through the work, the TLOs are also on the lookout at how else they can help tenants, as Rhian explains:
“Sometimes us going to a tenant can be the first contact they’ve had with Tai Tarian in years, so it’s important that we see if there’s anything else we can help them with, whether that’s helping them to report some repairs or referring them to one of our specialist teams like financial inclusion. It’s important that we support them in every way.”
Siôn explains what makes a good TLO:
“First and foremost, you have to be a people person. You are going into people’s homes day in, day out, so you have to be at ease doing that. You also need to be a good communicator, friendly, approachable, empathetic and a good listener. If these things come naturally to you, then you can learn the technical side of the job.
“You also have to be organised as you can be dealing with many different tenants at different stages of having work completed, and so you have many plates to keep spinning.”
Rhian adds:
“You also have to be respectful, both of the tenant and the property. We don’t go into homes and dictate that is going to happen. You have to remember that whilst it is our property, it’s the tenant’s home.”
For Nadine, her role as the senior TLO is slightly different:
“I have to oversee the work and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. I can also step in and support any of the TLOs if they need some extra help with any aspect of the role. Although I love my current job, I do miss being an actual TLO sometimes. I love a chat and getting to know a tenant and all about their families or where they’ve been on holidays, and I don’t get so much of that interaction these days.”
We finish our chat by asking each one what their favourite part of the job is. For Siôn, it’s about building relationships:
“It’s about the engagement. It’s knowing that people feel comfortable enough to give me a ring, whether that’s to report a problem or to say thank you for what we’ve done.”
Rhian agrees, saying:
“It’s really a big deal for some tenants to welcome us into their homes, so it is really satisfying and humbling to know that they trust us enough to let us in.”
Nadine concludes by saying:
“We are dealing with people, and you are having an impact on their lives. Carrying out improvement work comes with a lot of satisfaction, but also a lot of responsibility for us to get things right. It’s then very touching when they thank us for the difference we’ve made to their homes, and in some cases their lives.”