Leeds Federated set up APS (Arthington Property Services) in 2020 as our in-house contractor. Building on our experience with external partners, we set up APS to improve how we manage our rolling replacement programme of kitchens, bathrooms and boilers – we call these planned works. Before we set up APS, challenges led to delays in completing work in customer homes. Creating APS as an in-house service has helped us tackle those issues head on and added so much more value for us too.
The service has expanded to include boiler installations, Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR’s), Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) projects as well as damp and mould treatment.
Since the launch, as fixed contracts have come to an end with external contractors, we’ve reviewed them and moved several across to APS. This process is ongoing, with more major contracts set to be reviewed in 2025/26.
APS also creates local job opportunities and brings added social value to our communities. Steve Preston, Operations Manager, has built a strong, motivated team that’s genuinely invested in the success of APS and Leeds Federated – and it really shows!
APS operates from Millshaw Park in Leeds and has a team of around 60 people, who work across all our homes. Their goal is to provide a flexible, customer-focused service that supports our Asset and Housing teams while delivering good value for the organisation.
We caught up with two Senior Multi-Skilled Operatives, Mark Delaney and Ian Boothroyd, to find out what their day-to-day looks like. They share how they go above and beyond to deliver great customer service. Mark and Ian both work on bathrooms and their role involves putting in plumbing, coordinating tradespeople and making sure jobs run smoothly.
A usual day
Mark says, “We start early and collect our materials for the day. We usually get to the customer’s home before 8am, greet the customer and show our ID. It’s important to be presentable and tell the customer our names.”
Mark continues, “Keeping a customer’s home clean and safe is really important. So when we begin a job, we make sure floor coverings and protections are in place and the safety signs are out. I like to set up any cutting work outside the home too and work methodically.
Ian says, “Once the initial plumbing work is done and the tradespeople have installed the new bathroom suite, we handle wall preparations, joinery, wall tiling, and decoration, then we coordinate the floor laying and final plumbing. We also carry out wet room installations for DFG works.”
Being flexible
“We need to be flexible to make sure everything runs smoothly. One of the challenges can be around coordinating other trades so we can keep to plan. The weather can sometimes restrict working too!”
Mark says, “We’re also flexible if a customer asks us to start a little later when it’s busy in the home or if they need to do school runs. It’s important to show respect to customers and their homes and make sure that we have their trust.”
Ian continues, “And if there’s a language barrier with a customer it’s important we’re patient and understanding, and we take the time to make sure they know what’s happening in their home.”
Prioritising work
Mark says, “We usually complete the work in one visit, making sure we leave the customer’s home clean and safe. Occasionally it can take longer if unexpected work crops up on the job or if we need to move to an urgent situation elsewhere. On the rare occurrence this happens we always make sure that the customers are aware of the reason and explain what will happen next. Communication is really important. Having experience helps too as we can often foresee an issue that will need to be dealt with. This means we can act on it early and minimise the impact on customers.
“We have the skills to deal with unexpected things like walls that need fully replastering or rotten floors that need renewing. We work as a team with several other APS team members, and we can always call on others if needed.”
