My RHA
The House Doctor
3rd November 2020 | posted in News
Railway Housing Association has appointed someone who has been in 38 prisons – but in Steve Jones’s case it was an essential part of his job!
Steve has joined Railway Housing Association as a Maintenance Surveyor.
It’s a position he has worked in most of his working life, with the last 20 spent working in the social housing sector. Prior to that, he worked as HM Surveyor of Prisons, a job which took him around the country.
He says: “I joke that I hold the record of being in 38 prisons and quickly clarify that by saying it was because it was my job to survey them!”
In his new role with Railway Housing Association, Steve covers around 600 homes in the York, Doncaster, Leeds, and Hull areas.
He is responsible for surveying properties before and after repairs and major planned works such as replacement of kitchens and bathrooms; overseeing contractors; and for completing stock condition surveys.
He explains: “When residents make contact to say they need a repair doing, or if they have an issue in their home, I go to see them to check exactly what needs doing.
“It’s like being a house doctor in that I am diagnosing the issue and offering a solution.
“It’s a job I have always enjoyed doing and I am delighted to have joined the team at Railway Housing Association.”
Steve, who lives in the North East and has three children (with a first grandchild imminent), first came across Railway Housing Association when he worked for an agency which was carrying out stock condition surveys for the Association.
He adds: “I already knew it was a good company from the time I spent there and knew about its background and history.
“It’s an organisation which cares for staff and you feel like you are not just a number. It’s got a real family feel so I couldn’t be happier.”
Steve is not expecting a repeat at Railway Housing Association of something he experienced when he went to survey a home for a previous employer.
He recalls: “I went into the kitchen and there was a pony in there. The family had made a stable for the pony in the kitchen; that’s certainly not something you expect to see every day!”
