Willmott Dixon Partnerships, the property repairs and maintenance specialist, is set to change its name to Fortem.

Fortem is a Latin word for strength and prudency. The rebranding from Willmott Dixon Partnerships comes as part of a fresh approach.

The company is looking to provide the senior management team with more operational freedom to grow the firm outside its core social housing market.

Earlier in the year, Willmott Dixon outlined plans to sell the business. However this sale was abandoned when a suitable buyer could not be found.

The business, which has a turnover of £145 million, provides maintenance and repairs services to housing associations and local authorities throughout the country.

Its team of 1,400 directly employed engineers undertakes more than 400,000 repairs every year.

It also provides planned cyclical work to support estate renewal programmes and property asset investment.

Mick Williamson, Managing Director at the newly named Fortem, said: “We have strong ambitions for growth and this means that now is the right time to create a new stand-out brand to become recognised as a leader in property maintenance across all sectors, not just housing.

“Fortem reflects these aspirations by heralding a new era for our business as we continue to invest in ensuring we are ‘best in class’ for our existing customers, while giving us flexibility to plan ahead for expansion with new customers.”

At present, the company is responsible for maintenance, repairs and cyclical work on more than 110,000 homes.

It works as a key partner for local authorities such as Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Birmingham City Council, along with housing associations such as Paragon, Orbit, Metropolitan and Midland Heart.

Coinciding with the new name, the sister company of Willmott Dixon Partnerships, Willmott Dixon Energy Services, will be drawn into the Fortem brand to expand the business’ services and skill sets.