THCH Powered by Hyde

THCH: Powered by Hyde

We’ve been looking for the right partner to help us make real, lasting improvements to residents’ homes, communities, and services. That's why we're excited to share that our Board has officially approved a new community-focused partnership with the Hyde Group, which we're aiming to complete in April 2025. 

THCH: Powered by Hyde means that THCH will keep its local roots, deep knowledge, and community presence, while benefiting from Hyde’s strong foundations and resilience to do more and be more to residents.

Find out more about Hyde

Doing more and being more to residents

With Hyde’s local approach and dedication to community, this partnership will bring stability and opportunity to do even more of what matters to residents.

This includes commitments to:

  • Offer a dedicated in-house repairs team
  • Speed up investments in your homes, community spaces, and building safety works
  • Keep a local team that knows and is available to the community through a local office
  • Provide a more personalised support and advice service
  • Improve community centres with more funding for better services
  • Give residents a stronger voice in decisions
  • Help build new homes, including affordable housing for local people

Resident consultation

Residents have played a key role in shaping the future of the partnership. To reach as many as possible, a formal consultation was promoted through multiple channels—regular emails, text messages, letters, leaflets, a video featuring residents and myself, and face-to-face engagement through proactive door-knocking.

In total, 249 residents (8%) from 95 residential blocks (50%) took the opportunity to share their thoughts on the proposal. Of those who responded, 68% viewed the partnership positively or neutrally, recognising it as a chance to enhance services and invest in their local community. Most importantly, the feedback highlighted the need to rebuild trust with residents and deliver visible, positive changes through this partnership.

What does this mean for residents? (FAQs)

We plan to officially launch the partnership in April 2025, when THCH will legally join Hyde as a subsidiary. In the meantime, both organisations will continue discussions around integration and service improvements, with a focus on keeping residents informed and involved throughout. We’ve put together some FAQs, based on resident feedback so far:

Why is THCH looking to partner with the Hyde Group?

We chose Hyde as a potential partner because our goals and values strongly align with their dedication to the community, locally focused services, and commitment to doing more.

A lot of consideration has gone into finding the right partner that will bring greater resilience and capacity to meet residents’ priorities. Hyde successfully met our criteria of:

  • Financially strong
  • Investing in quality and safe homes
  • Investing in customer services
  • Focused on improving neighbourhoods
  • Efficient operations
  • Ambitious development plans

How will THCH residents still get a local service?

THCH: Powered by Hyde means that the partnership will keep what’s good about THCH and its connection with the community but benefit from the resources available through a bigger housing association.

Hyde was chosen because it works closely with the communities it serves through a local neighbourhood’s approach. This means that communities have a dedicated Neighbourhood Officer and supporting team that really know the area and the community and are visible and accessible to residents. Most homes that Hyde provides are in a relatively small number of places, many of which are in London, like Islington, Lewisham, and Lambeth.

Through easy-to-use digital services, and other contact routes when residents have more complicated issues to get help with, THCH residents will also benefit from a more responsive repairs service that is run ‘in-house’, with a dedicated local team in Tower Hamlets.

Will my landlord change?

Unlike the previous partnership we considered with Poplar HARCA, this one won't involve a transfer of engagements. If it moves forward, THCH will join the Hyde Group as a subsidiary, and your landlord won’t change. If this decision is reviewed at a later date, residents will be consulted with.

How is Hyde performing for its customers?

Hyde is dedicated to gathering feedback from customers to keep improving its services. You can review their satisfaction measures here.

Has Hyde provided a loan to THCH in advance of the partnership?

Yes, ahead of the formal agreement of the partnership, Hyde has provided financial support to help us speed up investment into residents’ homes and communities. This allows us to move forward more quickly with projects like building safety remediation projects, installing new kitchens and bathrooms, and consulting residents on communal upgrades.

This support is in the form of a loan, agreed on commercial terms, and is not dependent on the partnership being finalised. If it doesn’t go ahead, THCH has a separate plan in place to continue operating while looking for an alternative partner. However, in that case, some of the accelerated projects may need to be postponed.

What is the benefit of an in-house repairs team?

An in-house repairs team provides a more efficient, responsive, and accountable service. Hyde introduced its own repairs team in 2022, which has led to quicker repair times and improved quality of the work by removing the reliance on external contractors.

Introducing an in-house repairs team for THCH will enhance our services by enabling faster response times, offering greater flexibility with appointment scheduling, achieving long-term cost savings through better budget management, and ensuring improved communication and direct accountability from THCH.

Why are you waiting to finalise the partnership until April 2025?

We’re aiming to legally complete the partnership and join Hyde in April 2025 to align with the start of the new financial year. This will make it easier to plan and budget right from the beginning and gives us time to make sure everything is set up properly – ensuring a smooth and thoughtful transition for everyone involved.

Is Hyde financially strong enough?

Hyde is a strong, stable organisation with G1 and V2 ratings for governance and viability from the Regulator of Social Housing. Its strong credit ratings position it well to directly invest in resident homes and community spaces.

Before the decision to move forward was made, the Boards reviewed extensive due diligence reports of both organisations’ finances, governance, and performance, and considered a strong business case involving additional investment into homes and communities over the first three years of the partnership.

What was the outcome of the resident consultation?

All THCH residents were given the opportunity to share their views on the ‘THCH: Powered by Hyde’ partnership proposal through a formal consultation. The survey was widely promoted via multiple channels, including emails, text messages, e-newsletters, letters, web pages, pop-ups, noticeboards, leaflets, a video featuring THCH residents and the CEO, as well as direct face-to-face engagement through door-knocking.

A total of 249 residents (8%) from 95 residential blocks (50%) participated in the consultation. Of those who responded, 41% had neutral views, 27% were positive, and 32% were negative. Residents also provided additional insights through optional free text feedback, with general themes indicating that many see the partnership as a chance to improve services and strengthen THCH's presence in the community. Above all, the feedback highlighted the need to rebuild trust with residents and deliver tangible changes through the partnership.

The results were reviewed by THCH’s Resident Voice Panel before being presented to the Board for the final decision.