Initial contact is usually made by a letter.
We have put together two template letters. Letter One is for when you first make contact. Letter Two is for after an initial visit has taken place and it has been confirmed the resident’s home is eligible for an energy efficiency upgrade.
Here are some top tips:
- Make the letter personal from a regular named contact. Ideally, this will be the customer liaison officer who they will be in touch with throughout the project. Include a picture of the contact so people recognise them when they come to visit.
- If you are going to call the resident, include the number you will be calling from, they will be more likely to pick up if you do this.
- If you are using a contractor, introduce them and include their logo in the letter, or in an information booklet, so residents can become familiar with them. Make sure you do this before work starts.
- Include clear step-by-step processes so the resident knows what’s happening next. Anxiety about timings was a big cause of worry for residents.
- Keep the letter concise and only include information the tenant needs to know. It is not necessary to include information about your organisational strategy or lots of background about net zero, this sort of detail will make it harder for people with additional needs to understand the letter.
- Follow the guidelines in our ‘the right language section’. This includes not using jargon, writing in short sentences, and using plain English.
- Use a minimum of size 14 font so more people can read the letter.
- Use data about the demographics of the area to decide if you need to send out the letters translated into another language.
All the above points will make the letter more accessible to residents with a range of needs. Find out more in our ‘communicating with different resident groups’ section.
