Co-Creating Better Communication

These letters are usually the first step in addressing tenancy issues, so it’s important they strike the right tone and clearly explain what’s happening and what support is available. To get this right, we invited customers to workshops, surveys and drop-ins to co-create better versions. Together, we explored how layout, language and tone could be improved to make the letters more supportive, accessible and effective - while still meeting legal and procedural requirements.

What we asked

We asked customers to help us improve the tone, clarity and layout of our Tenancy Enforcement letters. Together, we reviewed the letters we send - and compared them with examples from other housing providers to explore best practice across the sector. We asked questions like:

· How do our letters make you feel?

· Which parts feel confusing, intimidating or upsetting?

· What would make them easier to read and respond to?

· What could we include or change to help you feel more supported when receiving these letters?

What people told us

Over 60 customers took part in this project. They told us that our letters can feel confusing, intimidating or overly formal - especially when packed with legal language or sent without warning. Many said they’d prefer shorter, clearer letters that feel supportive and easy to act on. Phrases like “If you’ve already done this, please disregard this letter” were seen as reassuring. 

Younger participants said they struggled with terms like “enforcement action” and asked for simpler language, colour-coded letters, and clearer next steps. They also suggested using text messages to prompt action and labelling envelopes as “important”, so letters don’t get missed. Customers gave detailed feedback on layout and tone. They liked bold subheadings - but said excessive capitalisation or symbols like **asterisks** felt aggressive. Bullet points, short sentences, and clear spacing made letters easier to read. 

They like when important information stands out, but in a way that feels calm and purposeful. They also told us that communication should feel like a conversation - not a one-way instruction. Letters should reflect real understanding of their situation, with options to ask questions, check progress, and respond in ways that suit them. Overall, they highlighted that good communication isn’t just about getting the message across - it’s about making people feel seen, heard and supported.

What changed – How we improved

This project brought meaningful improvements to how we communicate through our Tenancy Enforcement letters. Guided by customer feedback, we’ve adopted a clearer, more reassuring tone - removing jargon and formal language replacing it with straightforward, supportive words and phrases. Letters are now easier to read, with shorter paragraphs, bullet points, and bold headings that highlight key actions. We introduced a consistent template across all letters which features contact details, links to support services, and a friendly, welcoming opening. Customers told us they wanted communications that felt less intimidating and more personal - so each letter now clearly explains what’s happening, what’s expected, and how to get help. Design and layout have also been enhanced. We’ve used colour and spacing to improve readability and made appointment details more prominent. Legal terms and abbreviations that were unfamiliar to customers have been removed, replaced with plain, accessible language. To build on this success, we’ve developed a new AI-powered tool that helps us rewrite content in line with our customer-approved Tone of Voice. It learns from customer feedback, suggests improvements, and flags language that may feel unclear or overly formal. This allows us to scale what we’ve learned from the project and apply it consistently across all communications - ensuring our letters remain clear, empathetic, and easy to understand. To support ongoing improvement, we’re setting up a customer group and/or customer created framework to help review all our communication. As part of the Customer First programme, we’re also exploring how to meet customers’ preferred contact methods - particularly by developing our systems to introduce text message reminders and prompts.

Any other details

As part of this process, we shared the newly revised drafts with customers to gather their feedback and approval. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Customers told us the letters felt clearer, more approachable, and easier to understand. They appreciated the tone and said the changes made the letters feel less intimidating and more supportive. No further changes were suggested, which gave us confidence that the improvements reflected what customers had asked for. We’re now applying the same approach to a new project focused on income-related letters - using the same principles of co-creation to guide the work. This feedback has reassured us that we’re on the right track, and we’ll continue to involve customers as we refine and improve our communications.