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Our Service Standards
We aim to provide excellent services and we have developed a range of service standards so that residents are aware of the level of service they can expect to receive.
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Contacting us
When you contact us we will aim to respond to your enquiry quickly and efficiently by:
- Providing a response to all letters and emails within 10 days of receiving them.
- Aiming to answer incoming telephone calls within an average of 5 rings.
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Providing Information
To keep you informed about housing issues and services and our performance, we will issue:
- Twice-yearly newsletters (Orwell News).
- An annual report to tenants.
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Dealing with Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with the service that we provide, then you are entitled to complain. If you make a complaint about the service, then we shall aim to:
- On receiving your complaint, we will provide a full written response to your complaint within 10 days of receipt.
- If your complaint cannot be resolved within 10 days, we will let you know how soon you can expect to receive a response.
- Apologise if we get things wrong and put things right where possible.
- Provide an opportunity for your complaint to be considered by a senior officer if you are dissatisfied with our initial response.
- Provide details of the Housing Ombudsman Service if all attempts to resolve the complaint under our Complaints Procedure have failed.
- Pay compensation when necessary.
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Tenancy Management
To ensure that you understand your rights and responsibilities and meet the conditions of tenancy we shall;
- Provide you with a Tenancy Agreement and Tenants Handbook containing information about our responsibilities and our responsibilities.
- Respond to all requests to mutually exchange within 5 days.
- Upon receiving a completed application form, make a decision on all mutual exchange requests within 42 days from receipt of a completed application form.
- Acknowledge all breaches of tenancy, neighbour complaints and antisocial behaviour incidents within 2 working days. Undertake to visit you within 5 working days.
- Provide access to a mediation service to help resolve neighbour complaints and antisocial behaviour incidents.
- Work with other agencies to help resolve neighbour complaints and antisocial behaviour incidents.
- Provide a written response to requests to assign a tenancy or those requesting a succession to a tenancy within 10 days.
- Ensure that all homes let have a gas safety certificate (where there is a gas supply) and an energy performance certificate available for the new tenant at ‘sign-up’.
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Repairs and Maintenance
To ensure that we undertake a repairs and maintenance as efficiently and effectively as possible we shall:
- Provide you with a Tenants Handbook, containing information about your home and tenancy, including your and our repairing responsibilities.
- Pay compensation for repairs not undertaken within the specified timescale (subject to certain conditions being met).
- Issue a repairs notice for all repairs requested detailing when the work is expected to be completed by and by which contractor.
- Provide an emergency out of hours repairs service.
- Ensure all our staff and contractors carry identification.
- Deal with all requests for residents wishing to undertake improvements to their homes within 10 days.
- Give you the opportunity to make an appointment with you to allow access to undertake the repairs requested.
- Inform you if any repairs requested are rechargeable to you before undertaking the work.
- Provide an annual gas safety check to your home.
- Inform, consult and involve you if we undertake major improvements to your home.
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Rents and Rent Recovery
You can expect us to:
- Provide detailed information to you regarding rent changes annually and giving you at least one month's notice of any inteded change.
- Make available to you a rent statement showing all payments and charges.
- Write to you to inform you of any rent monies owed to us.
- Take action against those who have serious arrears.
- Take action to recover arrears from former tenants.
- Provide support and advice to you on what to do if you get into difficulties with your rent.
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Estate Gardening and Communal Cleaning
To help maintain estates and communal areas we will:
- Ensure all designated communal grassed areas, shrub and flower beds are maintained.
- Ensure trees hedges and bushes are trimmed.
- Ensure all communal areas are kept clean and tidy.
- Organise the clearance of bulk refuse, and monitor rubbish and recycling collections by external authorities.
- Undertake cleaning of communal areas on a fortnightly basis/monthly/quarterly basis depending on where you live and the exposure of windows to the elements.
- Undertake the cleaning of communal windows on a monthly/bi-monthly depending on where you live.
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Getting Involved
You have the right to be involved in decisions about your home. You can expect us to;
- Consult you on changes or issues that affect the management of your home.
- Ensure that a representative of Orwell attends Resident Association meetings when they are requested to do so.
- Provide guidance support and training to Residents Associations.
- Undertake satisfaction surveys on services that we provide to you.
- Produce, monitor and review on a yearly basis the Tenant Involvement Statement.
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Housing Support and Advice
Where appropriate we shall provide extra support and advice to meet the needs of more vulnerable tenants by;
Providing extra advice and support to help promote independence for you to manage your home through your support provider.
Provide information in a plain language and in alternative formats when requested.