Pictured above: Neighbourhood officer Marsha Cooke out and
about welcoming Sutton Coldfield and Erdington residents to Family
Housing, which has taken over the ownership and management of 177
homes from Orbit Heart of England
Family Housing in Birmingham has taken over the management of
177 homes in Sutton Coldfield after successfully bidding for the
homes from Orbit Heart of England.
Orbit Heart of England, which manages 14,000 homes across the
Midlands, took the decision to look for an owner that was
geographically better placed to provide a more locally-based
service for residents.
Family Housing, which has an office in Coventry Road, Birmingham
and now manages 2,300 homes across the west midlands, has taken
over the management of the homes, which include right to buy and
general needs properties, in Sutton and Erdington - areas where it
already owns homes and has staff operating.
Chief executive of Family Housing Tim Sewell said: "This is an
exciting development for Family, contributing to a well established
track record of growth and community investment activities in
Birmingham over recent years.
"As a major provider of affordable housing in Birmingham we are
delighted that we have had the opportunity to work with Orbit,
taking on the ownership and management of homes in Sutton Coldfield
and Erdington. Family is fully committed to working in all areas of
Birmingham and these additional 177 homes in the north of the city
strengthen the role that we can play in communities where we have
homes. In particular we look forward to working with residents who
are transferring to Family from Orbit."
Elaine Johnston, director of operations at Orbit Heart of
England said "We are pleased to have worked in partnership with our
residents to select Family as their new landlord. From the outset,
we were clear that we wanted our customers to have a genuine input
into the process.
"Initial discussions began with residents in summer 2010, when
they told us what was important to them in selecting a new landlord
to manage their homes. Their feedback was built into the tendering
process, resulting in Family being selected as our preferred
bidder."