A week in the life of… a voids planner

Wednesday

This is my busiest day, as I plan all my works in for the following week. I start with my ‘top five’ list – a list of all the properties I have in Manchester and Cheshire and what they need. I send out all asbestos reports, which need to be signed and read by each team member.

Each property (unless it’s a new build) has to have an asbestos survey and, if it has any, we need to know whether it’s going to be disturbed. If so, we arrange its removal through planned maintenance.

I then advise the teams on where they will be working and forward-plan any major works for the following few weeks, so our team can measure up and order the components that are being replaced. I schedule the calendars for two of our electricians. It’s a challenge trying to arrange where the team will be working and who with, because of staff members shielding or having to isolate, but we manage it.

Thursday

Today is my day in the office (Jigsaw staff are currently in one day a week to minimise contact) so I update keys and fob sheets. I am responsible for all the keys and fobs, electric meter cupboard keys and loft hatch keys, which I keep track of electronically.

I liaise with the team leaders to check progress and see if they need more time on a property. I’m told we can now start work on one property that had bats in the loft. We were not allowed to move them, as they are protected, so we just had to wait until they left!

Friday

This is the day we look forward to, because it’s completion day. I check all the properties to make sure they are ready to be let. We can turn properties around pretty quickly and it’s really rewarding to know we have helped those who need it most – perhaps families fleeing domestic violence, the young mothers who are over the moon with their new build, or older people who need sheltered accommodation that we have prioritised.

I quickly catch up with one of our residents. I called to offer support through lockdown as she lives alone, and arranged food shopping for her.

Sadly, she lost her son recently and was unable to attend his funeral, so I offered her support and sent flowers. We keep in touch every week with a little phone call. Making a difference in so many people’s lives inspires me to keep doing what we do.