We're excited to share that on 1 April 2025 WDH will become Vico Homes.
We’ve been working on reviewing our brand with customers, partners and our colleagues and believe that changing our name and our brand and will make us an even stronger organisation.
Over the past 20 years, we have grown and we now provide homes across the north of England. Growing and increasing the number of homes we provide is important as, not only does it help more people to have a safe place to live, it also enables us to invest in existing homes and communities.
This is a positive step, aimed at opening more doors to partnerships, more homes and improved services for our customers, wherever they live.
We know that our customers will have questions so we've put some answers together below to help.
If you have any more questions, you can send them using the form below.
We're turning 20 and we are not the same organisation anymore.
We have been known as WDH for nearly 20 years, and we are not the same organisation anymore. We have matured, we have grown, and we have had a positive impact on thousands of people and their communities across Yorkshire and the north of England.
We are a strong organisation, and we want to make sure that continues. We want to be recognised as the leading provider of homes with positive impact, and most importantly we want to continue to focus on our customers’ diverse needs.
We want to create places where people feel valued, wherever they live.
We want to give all of our customers a place to feel at home and create inclusive places where people feel they are valued and receive the same great support wherever they live (that goes for our employees too).
We are supporting people to build communities, whether that is in the workplace or where they live. Removing Wakefield from our name makes it clear that our focus isn’t only on Wakefield, and we value you, wherever you live, whoever you are and wherever you’re from.
We want to support more people in more places.
We are excellent at what we do and provide fantastic services for our customers. We provide homes with positive impact. So, it makes sense that we should help others to get that support.
Our growth can help tackle societal issues including homelessness and overcrowding, changing people’s lives through the places they live. Everyone deserves a place to feel at home and we can offer that.
It's about time we created our own identity and independence.
Our work with partners is fantastic and a real strength but we’re not the Council, we’re not the Police or other public service and we need to embrace that. We want to celebrate our partnerships, but we also want people to see that we are independent. Our support goes beyond the front door, and we fill gaps where others can’t.
Everything we do is driven by a powerful common purpose, not a legal duty and we do the things we do because it’s the right thing. We want people to know that.
No. This change is not a merger and doesn’t involve any other organisation. We are the same organisation with the same employees, management and Board, but from 1 April 2025, we will be known as Vico Homes.
No, you don’t need to do anything.
No, you can still contact us in the same way.
No, you will still be supported by the same great people. This change will have a positive impact on the services we offer.
No, you will still be supported by the same great people.
Value for money is very important to us. Whilst there will be a cost to the rebrand, we have timed the project to coincide with many costs we would have been paying anyway, such as updating workwear and renewing van contracts and signage.
All of our financial statements are published each year on our website and set out what we spend money on.
We have taken some of the familiar colours from the WDH brand and built on these to create a more modern feel. All will be revealed in April 2025.
No, your login information will not change. However, we are developing new and improved online services so we may ask you to register with a new system.
Our new name will mean changing our web address and email address domains. However, emails sent to old email addresses will be redirected for a while whilst people get used to the change.
Our phone number isn’t changing.
The rebrand will not affect this.
Yes, you might even find us on some new platforms.
Yes, it will be processed under our new name.
We recently shared the news that we would have a new Chief Executive from January 2025, Martyn Shaw.
No other changes are planned as part of the rebrand.
We are confident that the rebrand will give us more opportunities to work with others to provide more high quality services, to improve existing homes and to provide more homes for people who need them.
The rebrand will not affect community programmes and initiatives.
No, services will not be affected by the rebrand.
We have been providing homes outside of the Wakefield district for over 15 years. Land is in high demand in Wakefield, there’s simply not enough to build the number of homes that are needed.
Growth is really important for us to continue to improve your homes, communities and the services we offer. More homes, means more income to reinvest into the homes and communities we offer.
WDH will become Vico Homes on 1 April 2025.
You will continue to pay your Council Tax to your local council. WDH and Vico Homes are not a part of any local authority.
Vico Homes will continue to support people and communities to live in safe homes and vibrant communities. If you don’t feel safe at home because of antisocial behaviour or any other issue, please get in touch. We’ll work with our partners to support you and resolve the problem as quickly and effectively as we can.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to feel at home and that includes making sure that your home is safe and secure. If you have a repair you should continue to report it in the same way. See more information on repairs.
We have set out a new three year plan for the future which includes investment in improving existing homes across our communities. We’ll be sharing more detail on that soon.
Over a two year period we have consulted with a whole range of people, including our customers. This took the form of focus groups, online surveys and workshops with a number of customer groups to understand what they thought of the WDH brand and to help us develop our plans for the future and future strategy.
Whilst, as a community benefit society, consultation wasn’t essential we value what our customers and stakeholders think so it was really important to us that we captured those views.
WDH has been providing homes across the north of England (outside of Wakefield) for over 15 years. Vico Homes will continue to build on this, investing in new and existing homes both inside Wakefield and across our area of operation. Income from these homes will be reinvested in building and improving existing homes, wherever they are.
There is no change to the terms and conditions of your tenancy.
We will continue to build more homes and invest in existing homes, wherever they are. We’ll look to invest in building new homes in the places we already have existing communities, this includes Wakefield and areas across the north of England.
The services and support our customers can expect won’t be changing. However, we have plans for the next three years which includes building more homes for the people that need them in the places we already have homes. We have homes across the north of England and it’s important that all of those customers feel as valued and supported as our customers in Wakefield.
We will continue to provide new homes in Wakefield where we can and have plans to invest more money into existing homes over the next three years. The majority of these improvements will apply to homes in Wakefield.
Yes, Vico Homes will continue to be a not for profit, community benefit society.
Our rents are reviewed every year in line with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard, which is in line with Government policy.
Our approach to removing trees will not change. See more information on when we will and won’t remove a tree.
The name Vico Homes demonstrates our commitment to vibrant communities, which is also set out in our vision.
We’re not proactively looking to extend our area of operation, however, if opportunities arise near the area that meet our future goals, then we would consider this.
Nothing will change for our customers. You’ll still deal with the same people and have access to the same services and support.
Our name change won’t affect your Right to Buy or Right to Acquire or any terms contained within your existing tenancy agreement. Discounts in place now will stay the same after our name change. Tenancies with most other registered social landlords, and with us when we were called WDH, can still be used towards your discount.
Our name change won’t affect your Right to Buy, Right to Acquire or any terms contained within your existing tenancy agreement. Discounts in place now will stay the same after our name change.