Once lost, trust is hard to rebuild. This course focuses on getting it right before the works begin. Setting clear, honest expectations to avoid surprises, and drop-outs.
This course equips anyone working directly with residents on domestic retrofit programmes with the communication skills needed to engage residents confidently before works begin. It covers explaining surveys clearly, preparing residents practically and emotionally for upcoming installations, managing common concerns, and recognising when to escalate.
Resident engagement, Pre-installation communication, Plain language, Jargon avoidance, Trust-building, Active listening, Survey types, Resident concerns, Honest timelines, Expectation management, Escalation, Safeguarding, Resident Liaison Officer, Vulnerable residents
You'll start by considering how it feels to be a resident receiving an unexpected knock at the door, before exploring why this matters for retrofit delivery. You'll understand that resident resistance often stems from not knowing what to expect, when to expect it, or who to contact with concerns, and that communication is not a "soft" add-on but the factor that determines whether the rest of the programme runs on time.
You'll learn to explain the different survey types used in retrofit — energy, structural, asbestos, and combined/desktop surveys — in plain, reassuring language. Through a call-based scenario featuring Jermaine and resident Deirdre, you'll see the impact of jargon on resident trust, then learn a four-step approach (who is coming, when and for how long, what will happen and why, and what the resident needs to do) alongside an Acknowledge–Explain–Offer strategy for handling common concerns such as strangers in the home, photographs, and commitment to works.
You'll explore the practical conversations needed ahead of installation: property access, spaces that need clearing, considerations for vulnerable residents, pets, and heating or hot water outages. You'll practise responding to common resident questions honestly and supportively, without overpromising, and learn how to communicate timelines that are realistic — clearly separating what is confirmed from what is expected — so residents remain informed and trusting even when plans change.
You'll learn the boundary between what you can promise a resident (to find out information, to log a concern) and what you cannot (outcomes owned by contractors, landlords, or programme managers). Through scenarios involving capacity, health conditions, disputed damage, and safeguarding disclosures, you'll practise recognising when an issue must be escalated immediately, and the importance of documenting what was said, when, and to whom.
