HALTON’S biggest landlord chats to his tenants every month on Facebook.

Nick Atkin, chief executive of Halton Housing Trust, spends an hour talking to residents about a variety of issues from repairs to finding alternative accommodation.

Some organisations may feel nervous about opening themselves up to comments on social media but Nick says he really enjoys the contact.

He said: “I really look forward to my Facebook chats as it offers another way for customers to see a human side to what we do. I believe it is really important that customers are able to speak openly and directly to us. I’ve also tried to add some humour to some of my responses, which seems to be well received.

“An increasing number of our customers use social media as the basis for how they share and receive information so it makes sense to tap into this.

“Through using a variety of social media tools we are able to have conversations with a wider range of customers and tailor what we do accordingly.”

To get involved, search for the Halton Housing Trust page on Facebook.

Nick’s hashtag is #asknick so tenants can catch his Facebook updates on Twitter at the same time.

The trust manages 6,400 homes across Runcorn and Widnes and has 280 employees.