Apna Ghar – Pest Control

About Guinness Partnership

Founded in 1890, Guinness provide social housing services through 155 local authority areas across England with a portfolio of over 65,000 properties. Guinness describe themselves as a customer service organisation due to their focus on their customers and the wide range of services that they provide. Find out more at – https://www.guinnesspartnership.com

About Apna Ghar

Apna Ghar is a Guinness Partnershop associated residential care home in the South-East which caters primarily for individuals from Ethnic Minorities with mental health concerns. Founded in 1997, the safety and well-being of their residents is at the heart of their core values and the personalised, custom-built environment reflects their commitment to providing the highest quality care. Find out more at – https://www.apnaghar.co.uk/about-us/

Meeting our customers’ needs

We were first contacted by our client to help support Apna Ghar, a Guinness Partnership complex suffering from extensive issues with vermin and bed bugs. During recent months, vermin had gained entry to this residential home through external vents within the property, causing significant distress to the residents and site managers.

To make matters worse, tenants had also reported a widespread infestation of bed bugs which was further escalated through certain living conditions and the lack of knowledge regarding how this type of problem can quickly spread if left for longer periods of time.

Results that matter

As the budget was quite limited, it was important that we resolved these issues both quickly and cost-effectively. To fully eradicate the vermin issue, the following process was put into place –

• Full property inspection to identify vermin access points.
• Waste clearance of certain flats to remove the ongoing food source.
• Installation of new vents and the repair of any wall gaps or potential access points.
• Temporary trap installation to remove any existing vermin within the property.
• Regular site visits to monitor any potential recurring issues.

The bed bug issues were managed through the decontamination of affected flats. To resolve this issue long term, we provided an online education forum to all relevant Guinness Partnership relevant staff, so that they could pass on their knowledge to the residents within their projects, as well as to Apna Ghar residents. Our Regional Account Manager also arranged to attend a monthly residents meeting at the property alongside our pest control expert, to update residents on progress and any further planned works.

We also suggested that Orbis could help assist financially with initiatives such as installing a bike rack for residents, putting up hanging baskets and tidying up the garden to help increase tenant welfare and satisfaction. By working closely with this client and their tenants, we established a trusting relationship that allowed us to effectively carry out this scope of works. By fully communicating each stage of the process, tenants were highly satisfied with both the manner of which we operate and also the end result.