23.07.07 - Residents to benefit from change of ownership

Beverley Gearey Development Manager of Martlet Homes, Martin Ward Chief Executive of Martlet Homes, Graham Colls, Mark Allen.

Magna Housing Association in Dorchester, Dorset is delighted to announce the sale of 71 of its properties in the Fareham and Portsmouth area to Martlet Homes in Chichester.

Graham Colls, Chief Executive of the Magna Housing Group, comments: “The primary reason for this sale is the benefit it will bring to residents of these properties. By transferring the properties to another RSL which is based in the area, residents will be able to get better services from a landlord that is closer at hand. These include 24-hour support and in-house teams to undertake repairs and maintenance.

“Martlet Homes was selected by Magna because it is local, customer-orientated, encourages resident involvement and is similar to Magna in its outlook. We have built up a strong partnership with the team at Martlet and have every faith it will work hard to serve its new community.”

Magna Housing and Martlet Homes have consulted the residents of the Fareham and Portsmouth properties about the transfer, and have kept them informed of the plans, ensuring there is an easy point of contact for any queries they might have.

Martin Ward, Chief Executive at Martlet Homes, explains: “Martlet Homes is looking forward to welcoming its new customers in the Hampshire area. We take great pride in providing good quality homes and services and creating sustainable communities where people want to live.

“Over the next few weeks, Martlet staff will again be making contact with those living in the 71 properties transferring from Magna Housing Association, but in the meantime, if customers need to get in touch, they can telephone our Customer Contact Centre where our advisors will be happy to help.”

Magna Housing Association will be looking to reinvest the money from the sale in housing and services in its main areas of operation, i.e. Dorset, Devon and Somerset.

23rd July 2007

Background information:
Magna Housing is a not-for-profit group of housing organisations. Magna provides and manages good quality housing in the South West of England for people who cannot afford to buy the accommodation they need on the open housing market.
Martlet Homes is also a not-for-profit housing organisation, the largest operating in the Chichester area, and is run by a non-executive Board comprising of stakeholders, tenants and others.