Silva is joining the Abri group - FAQs

Who are Silva Homes?

Silva Homes operates in and around Bracknell and has around 10,000 homes and assets, 14,000 customers and 250 employees. Like Abri, Silva is focused on creating homes and communities and supporting people. You can find out more about Silva here: www.silvahomes.co.uk.

Why is this a good move?

Considering the unique financial position facing the housing sector currently, including the rate of inflation, interest rates and energy costs, both boards have decided that Silva joining Abri, as a subsidiary, is in the best interests of customers, colleagues and the businesses. It will enable us to continue to deliver improvements to homes and improve services for our customers.

What will this mean for my tenancy or my lease?

There will be no changes for your tenancy or your tenancy agreement, or your lease or lease agreement with us.

What will this mean for my community?

This kind of growth means our organisation will have more to invest in our existing homes and neighbourhoods, develop more new homes in your community and make improvements to the services you receive under our new, regional approach.

Will I still receive the same local, quality services?

Yes, and we’ll invest to improve it further. By bringing both organisations together we will commit to reinvesting efficiency savings on service improvements and things that will benefit you where you live.

Will my landlord change?

No, there will be no change to your landlord.

Will I still have the same housing partner?

There won’t be any immediate changes, but if there are any changes to colleagues working in your area, we’ll let you know.

Will the same support and community services be available?

There won’t be any immediate changes, but if we change the services we offer, we’ll let you know.

Will the same trades carry out my repairs?

There won’t be any immediate changes, but if there are any changes to colleagues carrying out work in your home, we’ll let you know. Shared owners and other leaseholders will remain responsible for repairs and maintaining their own homes unless there are agreements in place for us to carry these out.

Will it take longer to carry out my repair?

No! This means we’ll have more people available to carry out repairs in the south east area, which is intended to improve our repairs turnaround time.

Will we see the changes to charges?

There won’t be any immediate changes, but if we change the services we offer, we’ll let you know.

Does this mean less housing will be available or more will be built in the area?

What will be our priorities for the south east region?

Earlier this year, we asked you what you thought about our proposals and what matters most in terms of the services you get from your housing provider. More than 130 of you living in the region shared what you thought about our proposals for Silva to join the Abri Group. You also told you’d like to prioritise in the following areas:

Improving the energy efficiency of homes
Improving repairs and maintenance services
Improving the safety of homes
Reducing inequality and poverty in communities
Creating better neighbourhoods and communities

When will the community pantry open?

We have plans to launch a second mobile pantry in the region and another community pantry so keep your eyes peeled for updates.

When is the next Community Action Day?

Our Community Action Days are a great chance for us to hear first-hand from you. They’re also hosted for us to help with a broad range of issues like maintenance, environmental improvements, cost of living support, employment support and everything in between. We’ll advertise the dates of your local action days soon.

What’s a Good Grub Club?

Our Good Grub Club launched in 2017 and was set up to tackle food inequality during the school holidays and combat social isolation. And it’s already helped hundreds of families with free meals, free activities, and sharing low-cost meals that taste great and provide the nutrition they need.

We’ve partnered with local organisations to expand the club into more communities and support even more people. The Bracknell Good Grub Club will be run by Easthampstead Baptist Church. They’ll be running sessions during school holidays until summer 2024 when the partnerships will be up for renewal. We’ll advertise these dates soon.