If this proposal goes ahead your landlord would remain the same. The terms and conditions of your Occupation Contract or lease would not be changed because of the merger. The merger would not affect your rent or service charge.

The key drivers for the proposed merger have been jointly identified as:

· To be in the strongest position to meet the challenges and expectations for housing associations in the coming years

· To achieve increased capacity for growth and greater organisational resilience

· To maintain and improve the quality of homes and services to residents by combining our resources and expertise

· To maintain and improve our community regeneration work

· To enable greater capacity and resilience to learn, explore and develop new and enhanced services for residents

· To be an employer of choice, able to recruit and retain talented skilled colleagues

No, the merger would not affect your rent or service charge. We would continue to review charges every year, as we do now, in line with your current occupation contract or lease. Rent increases would only be made in line with guidance and requirements issued by the Welsh Government (as they are now). You can find out more about how we set rents and service charges here

We anticipate that the new structure would take effect in early 2025. This would be followed by a period of integration, and a review of services and how best to utilise both organisations’ services efficiently and cost effectively.

There are no plans for these to change as part of the proposals. However, we would look to introduce improvements and efficiencies, so over time this may change, and we will make sure any new arrangements are communicated effectively

Two of the key reasons for the merger are: 

• To maintain and improve the quality of homes and services to residents by combining our resources and expertise 

• To enable greater capacity and resilience to learn, explore and develop new and enhanced services for residents 

Therefore we aim to maintain high standards and continually improve services.  

Repairs services will continue to be prioritised; this is a service we pride ourselves in and which residents tell us they value. You can track satisfaction with repairs services by looking at performance information on the website or by looking at information published by Welsh Government on all associations. Because we understand the importance of delivering a good and consistent repairs service, we will be proactively seeking feedback in this area so that we can continue to improve 

Rents will only rise in accordance with Welsh Government rules and the Rent Setting Policy, which is framed around affordability and delivering valued services. 

The proposed merger will not affect your rent or service charge. We would continue to review charges every year, as we do now, in line with your current occupation contract or lease. Costs of services increase every year, inflationary pressures in recent years have exacerbated these further. Controlling and, where possible, reducing service charges is an important element of making homes more affordable. We don’t make profits for shareholders and all income pays for the buildings and services we provide.  

This is a merger, not a takeover – a bigger organisation means more access to resources to invest in housing properties and services. We aim to maintain high standards and continually improve services. Both organisations are financially strong; our combined business plan has been shared with key stakeholders (including funders) and demonstrates that the proposed merger makes sense financially and will support our aim to improve services. 

Brand and communication style matters, this is an area we are focusing on and want to get the balance between formal and informal right going forward. We aim to keep communication channels open, accessible and personable. Feedback from residents on their communication preferences will help inform any changes.  

Welsh Government have recently produced a new standard for social housing in Wales and we are currently planning how to bring properties up to these standards. There will be more engagement with residents in the future to determine priorities for investment.  

There will be no change to the current arrangements with homeowners and leaseholders. A bigger organisation means access to more resources to invest in services.  

We don’t have plans currently to change the way a Community Housing Officer is contacted. Coastal’s Community Housing Officers have regular drop ins across their areas to meet with residents face to face you can find out more here. Being accessible, open and transparent is key to our culture.  

RHA have some differences in the way housing officers are contacted, but we will agree a new route for the new company as soon as practicable. 

Feedback from residents on their communication preferences will help inform the new approach.  

No. We entered merger talks ahead of resident consultation but we have provided multiple methods for residents to feedback on the proposed merger and all of these were presented to the Board for consideration alongside the findings from due diligence. The final formal decision to merge has not yet been made but all residents will be informed if the proposed merger goes ahead. 

While the merged company needs a new identity and brand, we have adopted principles to minimise costs including restrictions on marketing and promotions since mid-2023, undertaking much of the work in-house and phasing branding work around existing replacement cycles wherever possible, because of this we hope to deliver the rebrand within our existing budget.  However, one consequence of this approach is that residents may continue to see legacy Coastal and RHA branding out and about for some time post-merger, until replacement cycles fall due. 

Salaries of the executive team are published in the financial statements annually. Coastal’s are at here and RHA here. The salary range for the Executive Team has not increased because of the merger process. The new executive team is smaller than the current total of Coastal and RHA executive teams. 

Managing staffing levels and keeping workloads at a reasonable level are key aspects of our strategy. 

Protecting personal and sensitive data is always a priority and will continue to be throughout the merger process. 

There is no impact on the transfer register as a result of the merger. 

There are no changes to rent agreements as part of merger 

We publish financial statements on our website here. Latest published accounts for the year end 31 March 2024 show Coastal’s total reserves at £52million – this isn’t the same as cash, most of our reserves are reflected in our housing property and are required by funders as part of loan agreements. 

Reviewing stock condition was an important area of due diligence. We have both engaged an independent external business to review stock condition data and compare our approaches to investment and planning in stock condition. 

Welsh Government doesn’t provide grants for this work, it will be funded through RHA’s rental income in the same way that it is in Coastal. 

All assets and liabilities of RHA will transfer as part of the new organisation on merger. 

We both use treasury advisers because we have a lot of borrowing, and this is such an important area. We are advised through the due diligence process to ensure that there are no such issues. 

There are around 85 staff at RHA. There are no plans for any compulsory redundancies at RHA as a result of the transfer. Any possible future redundancies, if these occur, will be paid for by the new merged organisation and result in future cost savings. 

We want to increase operational capacity and retain skills in the new organisation so that we can deliver more for residents. Staff will transfer to the new organisation on the day of the merger – in time there may be some limited restructuring of non-resident facing roles.