neighbourhood The magazine for residents of ISSUE 79: WINTER 2017 newsWest Kent Housing Association FIRE SAFETY AGE - A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE PAGE 8 - ARE YOU WINTER REPAIRS PREPARED? SEE PAGE 4 TIPS PAGE 10 @West_Kent West Kent westkent.org ISSUE 79 WINTER 2017 02 WESTKENT.ORG NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS DID YOU MISS THE AUTUMN eNEWS? IF YOU’RE NOT SIGNED UP TO OUR ENEWS YOU MISSED ALL THIS AND MORE! WELCOME FROM Re-housed, helped and happy - that's the positive result for FRANK one of our tenants who now lives Well the clocks have gone back and in Swanley's White Oak Court. in our house, we have already made "Welcome to Beeches" - a sign of a great our Christmas pudding. community. Guests at the opening of Beeches in Dover were welcomed by seven-year-olds from a Sign up at westkent.org/news Since I last wrote for you we have nearby school using signing. ■ Gold in RSPCA Community Animal had a general election and there Welfare Footprints awards has been the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower. West Kent has always taken ■ Residential fun for West Kent’s 8-12s the safety of our residents club members - Groups of children extremely seriously and will from some of the communities where continue to do so. We also need you West Kent has homes have enjoyed to do your bit - so please do read an exciting residential trip to the articles inside about fire safety. Thriftwood scout camp in Essex. ■ Triple success at Kent Housing Group And the new government is now in The air smells of sweet success at Montgomery Court in Medway, West Kent’s Emerald Extra Care Awards listening mode. They are launching scheme for over 55s, after five of their tenants a housing green paper and will be and staff have successfully quit smoking. ■ The newest members of our talking to tenants up and down the “West Kent family” were welcomed country. They will want to know to their homes at the official opening how you feel about your home, of Spires extra care in Tenterden how having a decent home helps on 28 June. you in getting on in life and whether you feel that your voice is heard. We will let you know how you can get involved in this conversation. Enjoy the festive Cookery skills provide food for thought - a group of Eynsford youngsters learned new skills before season. sitting down to enjoy a splendid lunch when they Chief Executive Frank Czarnowski highlights the joined one of our Summer FunFest events. value of supported housing when Dartford MP Gareth Johnson visited Wellfield Community Hall in Hartley. ISSUE 79 WINTER 2017 NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS WESTKENT.ORG 03 IT’S GOOD TO SHARE BUYING A SHARED OWNERSHIP HOME HAS NEVER BEEN SIMPLER. If you can't afford to buy a property outright, our shared ownership (sometimes called low cost home ownership) scheme will be a great option for you. Our shared ownership scheme allows you to buy a percentage of your home and rent the remainder from us. Over time you can buy bigger shares in your property until you own it all, at which point you won't have to pay us any find out about availability on sites in For more information on our new homes more rent - this is called staircasing. Headcorn, Ashford and Gravesend. for shared ownership please email us More information about being a shared We’ll be even busier from next year with at [email protected] or call us on owner is on our website. developments coming through in 01732 749400. West Kent has an exciting building Canterbury, Tenterden, Sittingbourne, programme offering homes for shared Hawkhurst, Lenham and Chatham, plus ownership across Kent. Contact us now to more homes in Ashford. PAY BY DIRECT DEBIT Why have the hassle of having to automatically for you. You’ll receive ■ West Kent payment card at a remember to pay your rent each confirmation ten days before the Post Office or Payzone outlet week/month when you can set up a change happens. ■ standing order - please visit direct debit? www.westkent.org for further We have stopped taking payments information All you need to do is either call your at our offices in Sevenoaks and Income Officer (if you don’t have their Swanley so a direct debit would be Further details are on our website at details call our customer services an ideal option for those that have westkent.org/payrent team and they can direct you to the previously paid this way. If this right person) or complete a simple isn’t for you there are other ways direct debit form (you can download that you can pay: one from our website) and send it to ■ automated payment line - us and we can set it all up to come 01732 749442 straight from your bank account. ■ online through Santander You can choose to pay monthly, BillPay fortnightly or weekly and any changes to the amount you pay will be made ■ online, through your own bank ISSUE 79 WINTER 2017 04 WESTKENT.ORG NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS Fire Safety Are you prepared? The tragic events at Grenfell Tower continue to dominate the headlines with the government, housing associations, councils and organisations across the country determined that a fire on this scale must never happen again. West Kent has always taken the issue of adequately lit, and that all doors to flats fire safety seriously, even before this can resist fire for at least 30 minutes. tragedy. Fortunately, the properties we We even check loft spaces because fire own are generally low rise, with the can spread if they are not exception of three blocks of flats and compartmentalised. none are clad with the material If you would like to see a copy of that was responsible for the the fire risk assessment for your spread of fire at Grenfell. Even block please contact our customer so, we do a lot to ensure the risk services team and they will send it of fire remains low throughout to you. our properties: Regular checks Fire risk assessments We carry out annual gas checks, including checking boilers are safe, We visit all our communal fit smoke alarms in all our properties properties at least every and check all electrics at least every five years and carry out ten years. a thorough check to ensure the risk of fire Build and manage our starting and spreading properties well is low. We check Our new properties conform to all the outside, for risks such latest safety standards and our existing as fuel stored nearby properties are well managed with the or obstructed paths, correct signage and regular checks in and inside for signage, place so we can pick up and tackle any any areas that are risks early on. cluttered or not ISSUE 79 WINTER 2017 NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS WESTKENT.ORG 05 Fire action notice the power if there is a fault and can All our communal blocks have clear be found in any DIY store. information about what residents should ■ Have any gas cooker or other TAKING THE do in the case of a fire. appliances checked every year by a What you should do Gas Safe registered engineer and RISK OUT OF service them regularly. You can help to ensure that the risk of ■ EVENTS a fire in your home is low by following Close bedroom doors at night, the advice given by Kent Fire and should fire start this could buy Residents at Wellfield have taken Rescue Service: you precious time from the effects some positive action to ensure the of smoke. safety of the people attending the ■ Keep communal areas free of clutter Are you prepared? many events they hold in the and know what to do in the event of Christmas community centre. a fire. Some things are particularly important Kent Fire and Rescue Service ■ Keep any appointments we make to remember at Christmas time: (KFRS) invited a number of regular to do a gas, electrics or other ■ Make sure your family and any users to a talk about fire safety and safety check. visitors staying for the festive the precautions they should be ■ Ensure you have working smoke period know what to do in an taking to reduce the risk of fire alarms installed on all levels of your emergency. Tell them where you starting or spreading. home. It can give you the vital time keep door and window keys so they Zoe Everest, Tenancy Services you need to escape in a fire. can escape if a fire starts. Manager, who organised the visit, Test them regularly and never ■ Ensure you switch off fairy lights explains, “The fire officer who remove batteries! and unplug them before you go to attended spoke about general ■ Don’t overload sockets - ensure only bed, and before you leave the house. safety for residents in their flats as one plug per socket. Always turn off Check they conform to the British well as the use of the lounge and electrical items when they’re not in Standard (BS EN 60598) and are in the importance of carrying out risk use, unless designed to be left on, good working order before use. assessments for any events they like freezers. ■ Never leave burning candles hold there. We had some really ■ Never leave cooking unattended. unattended. Keep candles out of the positive feedback from those Most fires start in the kitchen so reach of children, and away from attending, who now feel much more this is a high risk area. Be sure to decorations, cards and wrapping confident about what to do to avoid cooking while under the paper, fires, lights and heaters.