Tenants Handbook
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Ten ants H and bo ok Providing Quality Homes & Neighbourhoods HOUSING If you need any help communicating with us or understanding any of our documents, please contact us on 01909 534520. Mandarin Urdu Punjabi Polish We can arrange for a copy of this document in large print, audiotape, Braille or for a Language Line interpreter or translator to help you. Our contact details: 01909 534520 e-mail: [email protected] Contents Introduction Section 1 About us Section 2 How to contact us Section 3 Starting your tenancy and moving in Section 4 Your tenancy Section 5 Your rent & other charges Section 6 Repairs to your home Section 7 Getting on with your neighbours Section 8 Moving on Section 9 Services for older people Section 10 Tenant Participation and empowerment at A1 Housing Section 11 Estate Services and Caretaking Section 12 Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions Section 13 Useful contacts 1 Introduction Welcome to A1 Housing Bassetlaw Limited This handbook should provide you with most of the information you will need to know about being a tenant. We hope that you will find it useful and take the time to read it and familiarise yourself with the information we have included. 2 Section 1 ABOUT US A1 Housing is an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) set up in October 2004 to manage Bassetlaw District Council’s housing stock. An ALMO is a company that is set up by the local authority. An ALMO can apply for extra government funding to improve the homes that it manages by reaching a minimum standard when inspected by the Audit Commission. A1 Housing also have leaseholder responsibility for properties sold under leaseholder sales and also manage garages and some community centres and community houses. We are managed by a board made up of 15 people. They do this job voluntarily but are paid for out-of-pocket expenses, such as costs for travelling to meetings. The 15 people on the board are from three different groups. • You elect five tenant members through a postal election, (where more than one application is received for an area). • The Council nominates five people, these are usually councillors. • Five independent people are chosen (via applications) for specialist skills that they can bring to the board and which add to the existing skills of the tenants and members of the Council. Full board meetings are held 9 times a year and members of the public are able to attend. Section 1 3 About us Our Vision & Values We have developed a clear vision for our work after consulting our customers and stakeholders. The A1 Vision is; “To work in partnership with local people to deliver quality homes and support sustainable neighbourhoods” Our long term aims are; • To provide high quality, warm and well maintained homes • To be a resident led organisation providing fair, accessible and equal services • To provide an excellent and seamless service • To play our part in community leadership • To be an ambitious and well run organisation In order for us to achieve our aims we have adopted the following values; • We will listen and respond to customers to enhance our service quality • We will build strong relationships with our partners • We have pride in our work and will demonstrate this in delivering our services • We will be open, fair approachable and honest • We will offer highly visible leadership • We will set high standards for ourselves and for all our employees • We will deliver our promises • We will communicate regularly with our customers and partners Section 1 4 About us A1 Housing; Providing Quality Homes & Neighbourhoods What do we do? We provide a wide range of services to our customers, directly and through service level agreements, contracts and partnerships. These include: • Managing estates and tenancies • Involving our tenants and residents • Housing Repairs • Providing a 24 hour emergency repair service • Providing a 24 hour emergency anti social behaviour reporting service • Operating a 24 hour warden service • Delivering planned and capital improvement/ modernisation schemes • Providing leaseholder and right to buy services • Tackling anti social behaviour • Collecting rent and missed payments, including providing advice about state benefits You can find out more about the services we provide throughout this handbook. A1 HOUSING BASSETLAW LIMITED ARE COMMITTED TO: • Putting our customers first • Providing the customer with the best possible quality service • Continuous improvement of our services • Good relationships with other organisations and working together with them Section 1 5 About us • Providing a commitment to partnership and sharing of interests • Providing accessibility and services available to all • Reviewing and evaluating our Customer Care Policy in response to our customers • Continuing to assess customers’ needs through evaluation of customer consultation YOU CAN EXPECT OUR STAFF TO: • Treat you with courtesy, respect and consideration at all times • Identify ourselves by name and position in the organisation when we communicate with you and listen and respond appropriately • Conduct our communications with you with efficiency, equity, integrity, fairness and professionalism • Provide you with relevant, accurate and up to date information • Actively seek your comments on a regular basis in order that we continue to develop and improve our services IF PROBLEMS ARISE WE WILL: • Deal with the problems promptly • Advise you if there will be a delay in providing a solution to the problem • Advise you of progress in long-term problems • Advise where and who to contact in the event of any dissatisfaction Section 1 6 About us Section 2 HOW to contact US You can contact us in a number of ways. By phone • (01909) 534484 - Head Office • (01909) 533426 - Area Office West (Worksop) • (01777) 713202 - Area Office East (Retford) If you want to report a repair: Please phone our 24 hour Repairs Freephone on 0800 590542. If you want to report a repair or talk to a Housing Officer regarding anti social behaviour outside our working hours and at weekends, your call will be taken by our ‘emergency call-out’ team. The operator will ask you a number of questions about your repair to decide whether the repair you are reporting is an emergency. You can pay your rent by direct debit or credit card, by phoning: • (01777) 713201 - Retford • (01909) 533428 - Worksop • (01777) 713864 - Automated payment line By e-mailing us You can send us your enquiries comments, compliments or complaints by filling in the on-line form on the website at www. a1housing.co.uk or by e-mailing us directly at Customer. [email protected] Section 2 7 How to contact us By writing to us at; A1 Housing Bassetlaw Limited Carlton Forest House Hundred Acre Lane Worksop Notts S81 0TS By visiting us If you want to talk directly to a member of staff, you can visit us at our offices, or we can arrange to visit you at your home or meet you at one of the Council’s Community Houses. Our Head Office and offices at Worksop and Retford are open Monday to Friday between 8.40am and 5pm. You can call into our Housing Offices without making an appointment. However, you may need to make an appointment if you want to see a particular member of staff. A1 Housing Offices Head Office Carlton Forest House Hundred Acre Lane Worksop Notts S81 0TS Area Office West - Worksop Property Shop and One Stop Shop Queen’s Buildings Potter Street Worksop Notts S80 2AH Section 2 8 How to contact us Area Office East - Retford Property Shop 17B The Square Retford Notts DN22 6DB A1 Housing Surgeries Surgeries are held in the following places and will be attended at the listed times by a member of the Neighbourhood Housing Team. If you have a problem or require advice you can go along to a surgery, without an appointment. Harworth Information Office Scrooby Road Harworth Doncaster South Yorks Tel: 01777 713209 Opening Times: To see a Income Recovery Officer please call Wednesday - between 9.30am - 11.30am. To see a Housing Officer please call on a Monday between 10am - 12pm. To see an Adaptations Officer please call on the third Wednesday of each month between 10am - 12pm. Sandy Lane Partnership Building Sandhill House Opening Times: Worksop Wednesday 10.30am -12pm Notts Housing Officer Tel: 01909 477117 Kilton Housing Surgery Rayton Spur Community Centre Opening Times: Worksop Thursday 10.30am -11.30am Notts Housing Officer Tel: 01909 483340 Section 2 9 How to contact us Prospect Housing Surgery 91 Lancastrian Way Opening Times: Worksop Tuesday 10.30am - 11.30am Notts Housing Officer Tel: 01909 530603 Carlton Housing Surgery The Gateway Building Opening Times: Sycamore Road Tuesday 2.15pm - 3.45pm Carlton In Lindrick Housing Officer Worksop, Notts Thursday 9.30am - 11.30am Tel: 01909 731942 Income Recovery Officer Mattersey Thorpe Housing Surgery Community House Opening Times: 3 Cunningham Close Last Wednesday of Mattersey Thorpe each month 2pm - 4pm Retford Housing Officer Notts Tel: 01777 816397 Tuxford Housing Surgery Tuxford Mine of Information Opening Times: Market Place First Tuesday of every Tuxford month 9.30am - 11.30am Newark Housing Officer Notts Tel: 01777 870040 Misterton Housing Surgery Misterton Centre Opening Times: Misterton First Wednesday of every Tel: 01427 891872 month 9.30am - 11.30am Housing Officer Section 2 10 How to contact us Ordsall Housing Surgery West Hill Community Centre Opening Times: Cheyne First Thursday of Ordsall each month 2pm - 4pm Housing Officer Hallcroft Housing Surgery Hallcroft Children’s Centre Opening Times: Whitaker Close Second Wednesday of Hallcroft each month 10pm - 11pm Housing Officer Section 2 11 How to contact us 12 Starting YOUR TENANCY Section 3 AND MOVING IN We appreciate the stress involved in moving home and will try to help you to make it as easy as possible.