An update on our services - October 13 2020

Our offices remain closed but we’re still working hard to get as many of our services as possible back to normal.

Like other housing providers, we’re finding that more people are contacting us about all sorts of things -  including, for instance, tenancy management issues such as anti-social behaviour and support for more vulnerable tenants. The number of people asking for help with rehousing has also returned to the levels they were at before the lockdown, and we are currently dealing with lots of enquiries about the new rehousing policy due to come in at the start of November.

Our staff are working hard to keep up with these increases in demand and we’re looking at how we use our resources to make sure we deal with enquiries as quickly as we can. But our phone lines are still very busy at the moment, so please bear with us if it takes longer to get through – or look at the other ways in which you can contact us. 

Repairs 

You can order most types of repair online - please visit the repairs page if you need to do this. We’re currently working through a backlog of jobs, as well as entering the busy time of the year as the weather gets colder. So please bear with us if you find that you have to wait longer for an appointment – we’re doing our best and we’ll get to you as soon as we can. 

Home improvements

We’re re-starting some of our improvement programmes, and we’ll contact you directly if your home is included in one of these schemes.

Rent

We’re continuing to collect rent as normal, and our teams continue to provide help and advice to people contacting us to say they are struggling to pay because of the current situation. If you’re having trouble paying your rent, please contact us sooner rather than later. Find out more about how we may be able to support you with rent.

Tenancy and neighbourhood issues

Most staff are still working from home but getting out and about as needed to deal with tenancy and neighbourhood issues, linking in with council colleagues and other agencies as necessary.

Estate services

Our estate services team have had a lot of catching up to do, but are getting through jobs as quickly they can, weather permitting.

Rehousing

We’re letting homes as they become empty and getting re-let works done on them as quickly as we can bearing in mind the backlog in repair jobs generally and the need to prioritise these wherever possible. We do still have a backlog of empty homes to get through from when we weren’t able to let them in the original lockdown period – so if you’re due to move into one of our homes soon then please bear with us if it takes a little longer than it usually would.

Retirement housing 

Our retirement scheme managers are in their schemes every day and helping people to stay safe. We are having to restrict social activities at the moment but hope to reintroduce these as soon as we can.

Need to get in touch?

Please contact us if you have any questions about any of our services.