Tenants’ HandbookCharter Housing Association

Charter HousingAssociation

Welcome to Charter HousingAssociation. This handbook is yourguide to Charter and the services weprovide. It will also tell you about yourt e n a n c y and your legal rights. Pleasekeep your handbook in a safe placeand if you move to another Charterhome, please take it with you.

Translation Service

If you need this information in your own language or informationon any of our other services please contact us and we will behappy to help.

Haddii aad u baahan tahay in aad warbixintan ku hesho luqaddaada gaarka ahama aad u baahan tahay warbixin ku saabsan adeeg kastoo kaloo aannu fidinnofadlan nala soo xiriir si farxad leh ayaannu kuu caawin doonnaaye

Welsh

Chinese (Cantonese)

Arabic

Bengali

Somali

Urdu

Os oes arnoch angen yr wybodaeth hon, neu wybodaeth am unrhyw un o’ngwasanaethau eraill, yn eich iaith eich hun, cysylltwch â ni a byddwn yn hapus ihelpu.

01

Welcome toCharter Housing Association

INTRODUCTION 06

CONTACTING US 17

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU 19

YOUR TENANCY AGREEMENT EXPLAINED 29

PAYING YOUR RENT 39

LIVING IN YOUR HOME 47

REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE 57

BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR 107

MOVING AND HOME OWNERSHIP OPTIONS 115

CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT 123

GOLD SERVICE 129

USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS 133

CONTENTSSection 01

Section 02

Section 03

Section 04

Section 05

Section 06

Section 07

Section 08

Section 09

Section 10

Section 11

Section 12

Welcome to Charter HousingAssociation. This handbook isyour guide to Charter and theservices we provide. It will a l s otell you about your tenancy andyour legal rights. Please keepyour handbook in a safe placeand if you move to anotherCharter home, please take itwith you.

This handbook will be regularlyreviewed and from time to time wemay send you updated sections toreplace older versions.

If you have any questions about thishandbook, please contact a memberof our Customer Services Team on01633 212375.

About the Seren GroupCharter Housing Association is amember of the Seren Group. The Sere nGroup was formed on 1 July 2004.The Group Members cover thefollowing services:■ Seren Group Limited: Central

support services such as HumanResources, Information Technology,Facilities Management and Financefor Group Members.

■ Charter Housing Association:Homes and services forcommunities across South Wales.

■ Fairlake Properties (whichincorporates Gwent Homes):Developing our properties for rentand low cost home ownership andmanaging our assets.

■ Reach (Supported Living): Careand support services for peoplewith disabilities and other needs.

■ Solas Cymru: Accommodation,training and support for singlehomeless people.

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07 How to use this handbook

07 About the Seren Group

09 About Charter Housing Association

11 Share membership

11 Equal opportunities

11 Translation services

12 Confidentiality

12 Access to information we hold about you

13 Respect for staff

13 Our complaints procedure

06

Welcome to Charter Housing Association

IN THIS SECTION

About Charter HousingAssociationCharter is a Housing Associationwhich provides high quality homes andassociated services. We work withpeople and communities to ensurethat our work has a positive impact onpeople’s lives, and that diversity andequality are recognised and cateredfor. Our customers are at the heart ofeverything we do.

Charter manages nearly 4000 homesin 4 local authority areas; Newport,Caerphilly, Monmouthshire andTorfaen, and we concentrate onproviding homes for people in need.We work with a number oforganisations to deliver support andmanagement services to a wide rangeof customers including; homelesshouseholds, people with learningdisabilities, people experiencing mentalill health, people who need support tomanage a tenancy, older people whoneed extra care or sheltered housing,women fleeing domestic violence,people with autism, sensory impairm e n t ,physical disabilities etc., as well as

families, couples and single peoplewho cannot buy a home of their ownon the open market.

Working in partnership is key to beingable to provide high quality homes andservices to our customers, and wework with many other organisations toensure that we get it right for people.

We are constantly looking for betterand more efficient ways of doingthings, and are outward looking,always open to new ideas. We canand do learn much from others, and inturn we are always open to sharing ourexperience and knowledge with otherlike minded organisations.

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Our purpose and valuesThe Seren Group provides housing,support and other services whichmake a positive contribution to thewellbeing of individuals andcommunities. Underlying our purposeis a set of key values.

Our values■ Responsibility ■ Integrity ■ Openness ■ Ambition ■ Respect ■ Fairness

Our commitmentWe are committed to being:■ Straightforward, open and

accountable, keeping our promisesand willing to learn from others.

■ Keen to promote opportunities forgrowth and new ways of doingthings whilst being prudent andconscious of the need to plan forthe longer term. Socially re s p o n s i b l eand encouraging social re s p o n s i b i l i t yin everything we do.

■ A supporter of social enterprise.■ A listening and learning

organisation regularly consultingour customers, staff andstakeholders.

■ Efficient and effective, continuouslystriving to improve our service toour customers.

■ A good employer, providingopportunities for personaldevelopment and encouraginginnovation and success.

■ An organisation which valuesdiversity and promotes EqualOpportunities in all we do.

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01

Share membershipAny tenant can apply for sharemembership of the Association.Membership costs £1. Share Memberswill receive a copy of the annual reportand an invitation to the AGM. Theyhave a number of responsibilitiesincluding, the appointment of BoardMembers and Auditors and involvementin changing of the Association’s rules.Share Membership carries no financialinterest in the c o m p a n y. If you arei n t e rested in applying for ShareMembership, please contact yourNeighbourhood Manager.

Equal opportunitiesCharter Housing Association provideshomes and services to a diverse rangeof customers with widely differingrequirements. We are committed toproviding high quality services to all ofour customers, and our respect fordiversity is something upon which wewill not compromise. We will enablefair and equal access to homes,services and opportunities. We willtreat all people respectfully, equitablyand appropriately according to theirindividual needs and preferences.

We will ensure equality for ‘diverse’groups and individuals, regardless ofrace, religion, gender, age, disability orsexual orientation and for people whoare HIV positive or have AIDS, personswho have a criminal history that is notrelevant, persons who have mentalhealth problems, carers, persons withdependants and others who may faceinjustice.

Translation servicesWe are able to provide a telephonebased translation service for customerswho wish to talk to us in their ownlanguage. We are also able to provideface to face language and signlanguage interpreters. We can providecertain leaflets and documents in otherlanguages, in Braille, large print or ontape by request. Our offices areequipped with a hearing loop systemand we have a portable system forusing in customer’s homes.

Our overriding aim is to provide realcustomer excellence, in an enviro n m e n twhere well trained, approachable stafftreat everyone with respect, and as anindividual, and enable customers toexercise choice where they can aboutwhat best suits them. We recognisethat what we do can have a majorimpact on people’s lives, and we wantto ensure that that impact is positive,and that our customer’s value therelationship they have with us.

Our Board membersCharter Housing Association has aB o a rd made up of tenant re p re s e n t a t i v e sand other experienced, committedindividuals who control the affairs ofthe Association. The Board consists ofup to 15 members. Board Membershave such responsibilities as settingthe objectives and plans for theAssociation, taking key decisions andapproving the budget and accounts.Election to the Board takes placeannually at the AGM.

Charter encourages tenants to putthemselves forward for BoardMembership and will give training andsupport to those who are selected formembership. If you think you might beinterested in becoming a BoardMember, please contact yourNeighbourhood Manager.

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Respect for staffWe have a very good relationship withthe majority of our customers. However,there are a small number of occasionswhen a customer may be abusive orthreatening to staff. If one of ourcustomers behaves in this way, or wefeel that there is a potential risk to staffwhen dealing with a customer, we mayplace special conditions upon the wayin which we deal with them in future.For example, we will visit them inpairs, or only interview at our offices. Ifthis happens, we will write to anycustomer explaining why we are doingthis. Any customer abusing orthreatening staff is in breach of theirtenancy conditions and may besubject to legal action includingproceedings to repossess their home.

Our complaints procedureOur commitment to youCharter aims to provide the highestpossible standards of service to ourcustomers. The standard you canexpect are explained in the ‘TenantsGuarantee’ copies of which areavailable upon request. We recognise,however, that there may be occasionswhen you will not be happy with theservice you receive or a decision wehave made. To be able to dealeffectively with your dissatisfaction, wehave a Complaints Procedure. We willalways treat your complaint seriouslyand investigate it as quickly as possible.We will also view your complaintp o s i t i v e l y, and will learn from anymistakes that we make to ensure thatour service is continually impro v e d .

What is a complaint?A complaint is an expression ofdissatisfaction about the standard ofservice, action, or lack of action byCharter, its members of staff orcontractors employed to do work onCharter’s behalf.

ConfidentialityThe information we are given and holdon our files and computer systems isconfidential. We will not give out anyinformation about you to anotherperson or agency except in thefollowing circumstances:

■ To Housing Benefit Departmentsand the DSS to help resolve yourhousing benefit claims or if wediscover any tenant is involved inbenefit fraud.

■ To the police if they formerlyrequest it to help detect a seriouscrime (or to resolve anti-socialbehaviour).

■ To anyone you nominate to us inwriting who you wish to deal withyour affairs.

■ Where you have signed adeclaration to give us permission todisclose your personal informationto another agency.

Access to information we holdabout youAll tenants and applicants to CharterHousing can ask to see informationabout them that we keep in our filesand on our computer system. If youwish to see the information that wekeep about you, please put yourrequest in writing. We have up to 40days to comply with your request butwill try to deal with it more quickly. Ifyou require any copies of informationfrom your file, we may charge you upto £10 to cover costs.

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What will happen next?Your complaint will be recorded on ourdatabase and given a referencenumber. We will acknowledge yourcomplaint in writing within threeworking days, and we will tell you whois dealing with your complaint.

We will investigate your complaintwithin seven working days, andprovide you with a written explanationof the details of our investigation.If we are unable to provide you with afull response within this time, we willwrite to you and tell you why we needmore time, and give you a revised datefor a full response to your complaint.If your complaint is complex and likelyto take some time to resolve, we willexplain why and keep you informed ofprogress at two weekly intervals untilthe full response can be provided, e.g.if we need to involve a third party.

What if my complaint is justified?If you have complained about a delayin carrying out repairs, and there is nogood reason why this has happened,we will make a set payment of £25. Ifwe do not respond to a letter or verbalcommunication from you within tenworking days, we will make a setpayment of £5. If our staff arrange anappointment with you and fail to keepit without informing you in advance,we will make a set payment of £20. Ifwe have done something else wrong,we will apologise and do all that wecan to put things right.

Who can complain?A complaint can be made by anindividual, a group of people or anorganisation personally affected by anaction or failure to act by Charter. Acomplainant can allow a representativeto make a complaint on their behalf.

How can I complain?If your complaint is of a generalnature, we will usually try to resolve itas soon as possible on an informalbasis. However, if you wish to make af o rmal complaint then you can complainto us in writing. Alternatively, you cantelephone us and ask to make a verbalcomplaint. If you explain the nature ofyour complaint to our CustomerServices staff, then they will be able toput you in touch with the relevantperson to deal with your complaint. If you make a verbal complaint, thenyour complaint will be recorded on ourstandard complaint form by a memberof staff.

What if my complaint is about racialharassment or other discriminatoryharassment? We take complaints of harassmentagainst, or by, our tenants or staff verys e r i o u s l y. We have a ‘Racial Harassment’policy which outlines what we will doabout a report of racial harassmentinvolving our tenants. If you feel thatwe have not dealt with a report ofharassment properly through thisprocedure, or you believe that youhave been discriminated against byCharter or members of our staff, thenyou can complain to us and we willdeal with your complaint as outlined inthis section.

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01

02

ContactingCharter Housing Association

What if I am still not happy?If you remain dissatisfied with ourresponse to your complaint, then youcan request that your complaint bepassed on to a more senior officer,who will usually be at AssistantDirector or Director level. You must dothis within 28 days of our initialresponse. You will be advised inwriting who your complaint has beenpassed to, and will be given a date bywhich you should receive a responsewhich will be within seven workingdays.

What if I am still not happy with theDirector’s response?If you remain unhappy with theoutcome of our investigation into yourcomplaint, then you can complainfurther, within 28 days of our secondstage response, to a small panelcomprising of representatives of theAssociation’s Board of Management.Where the issue also involves othercompanies within the Seren Group, oris about the Corporate Director, thenthe Group Chief Executive will sit onthe panel. You will be able to appeal in

writing, or appear before the Board inperson, to explain why you aredissatisfied with our response to yourcomplaint so far and what you want usto do.

The Panel will do their utmost toconsider your complaint within twentyworking days and will notify you oftheir decision, in writing, following theirmeeting, within seven working days.

Is there anyone else I can complainto if I am still not happy?If you are still not satisfied after yourappeal to the Board, you have theright to take your complaint to thePublic Services Ombudsman for Wa l e s ,1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae, Pencoed,Bridgend CF35 5LJ. Tele: 01656 641150. They have aseparate booklet available which givesdetails of the procedure they follow.The Ombudsman will usually, but notalways, have expected you to havefollowed your complaint through theprocess outlined above.

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Our reception is open b e t w e e n8 : 3 0 a m and 5:00pm Monday toF r i d a y (closes at 4:30pm onFriday). Our Offices are situatedin Devon Place, Newport.

Charter Housing FREEPOST CF2448, 11 Devon PlaceNewport, South Wales, NP20 4NPTel: 01633 212375 (general enquiries)Tel: 01633 678511 (repairs)Fax: 01633 245930

Please use our general number formost enquiries, however, you may usethe following telephone numbers forspecific enquiries. If you are not sure,then phone Customer Services. ■ Customer Services: 01633 212375■ Emergency Repairs (out of normal

office hours): 01633 214 222■ N e i g h b o u rhood Te a m : 01633 678539■ Nuisance Prevention Team:

01633 678552■ Customer Accounts Team:

01633 678507■ Lettings Team: 01633 678538■ Estates Maintenance: 01633 480450

■ The Sales & Property Team (for home ownership options):01633 233876

■ Charter By Choice Properties Hotline: 01633 678525

e-mail: contact@charterhousing.co.ukm a i n t e n a n c e @ c h a rt e rhousing.co.uk (forrepairs)C u s t o m e r S e rv i c e s Te a m @ c h a rt e rh o u s i n g.co.uk (for general enquiries)web: www.charterhousing.co.uk

The Seren GroupExchange House, The Old Post OfficeHigh Street, Newport, NP20 1AATel: 01633 679911Fax: 01633 258509e-mail: contact@seren-group.co.ukweb: www.seren-group.co.uk

Group Member contact numbers:■ Fairlake Properties Limited:

01633 679977 web: www.fairlake-properties.co.uk■ REACH (Supported Living)

Limited: 01633 679899 web: www.reach-support.co.uk■ Solas Cymru: 01633 664045web: www.solas-cymru.co.uk

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Contacting Us

03

Our CommitmentTo you, our Tenants

21 Customer Services Team

21 Customer Accounts Team

21 Neighbourhood Team

21 Nuisance Prevention Team

22 Lettings Team

22 Maintenance Team

22 Estates Maintenance Team

22 Community Initiatives Team

22 Our service standards

IN THIS SECTION Customer Services TeamCharter Housing is continually strivingto deliver customer excellence. Wefirmly believe that you, our customers,are central to everything that we do.

All enquiries are initially handled by ourCustomer Service Advisors. Theyprimarily deal with requests for repairs,housing advice, information on rentpayment and the provision of initialanti-social behaviour advice. They aim,where possible, to deal with yourquery on the spot.

More complex or specialist queries aredealt with by our teams of experts. Wewill ensure that you are put in touchwith the right person for your particularquery.

Customer Accounts TeamResponsible for collecting the rentalcharge, Customer Accounts Managersprovide or signpost a range of servicesconcerning your rent account andgeneral money matters. Whetherchecking your balance, finding themost convenient way to pay,

demystifying the benefit system orworking with you if you get behindwith your rental payments, theCustomer Accounts Team will be ableto help.

Neighbourhood TeamStriving to deliver an excellent estatemanagement service, NeighbourhoodManagers work to ensure that theneighbourhoods in which we operateare places where people want to live.The team can help you with a widerange of queries including tenancyinformation, customer involvement,exchanges, urgent reasons to moveand the environmental appearance ofthe place where you live.

Nuisance Prevention TeamSpecialising in resolving anti-socialbehaviour, this team provides anumber of services, including ResolveAssessment Service, an earlyintervention neighbour dispute service;Outreach Support, a servicesupporting both complainants andperpetrators of anti-social behaviourand an Enforcement Service; ensuring

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Our Commitment To You

■ We will provide our service leaflets,tenancy agreement and tenantshandbook in Braille, large print andon audio CD on request.

■ We will ensure that customers haveaccess to a translation service.

The service you should expect toreceive when visiting our office:■ You will walk into a reception area

that is accessible, clean,presentable and pleasant to use atall times.

■ We will greet you in a polite,friendly and welcoming manner.

■ You will be seen within 5 minutes ofyour arrival and a member of staffwill assess what service you need.

■ You will have access to serviceinformation that is accurate and upto date.

■ You will have access to a childfriendly play area.

■ You will be offered a privateinterview room.

The service you should expect toreceive when contacting us:■ We aim to answer you phone call

within 20 seconds. Where we fail toachieve this you will be given theoption of leaving a message andwe will return your call within 90working minutes.

■ Where we take a message for you,we will call you back within 24hours.

■ Your letters will be responded towithin 10 working days.

■ Your emails will be responded towithin 5 working days.

■ We will give our name when weanswer your phone call.

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proven cases of anti-social behaviourare dealt with swiftly and firmly.

Lettings TeamResponsible for administering ‘Charterby Choice’, the Lettings Team ensurethat any vacancies are advertised andlet according to the Lettings Policy.

Maintenance TeamEnsuring that Customer FocusedMaintenance is a reality, this teamcheck the quality of repairs completed,organise bigger repair items and co-ordinate the delivery of the plannedmaintenance programme, annual gasservicing and external paintingprogramme.

Estates Maintenance TeamProviding a grass cutting & estatemaintenance service, this team workto ensure that the areas in which weoperate are environmentally attractive.

Community Initiatives TeamAiming to ensure that the neighbour-hoods in which we operate are placeswhere people wish to live, this team

get involved in a range of projects andactivities geared towards communityinvolvement.

To ensure that you are clear aboutwhat you can expect from us we havea number of service standards. Moreinformation on these standards can befound within the information leaflet,‘Our commitment to you.’

Our service standardsGeneral standards you shouldexpect to receive:■ We will provide services that are

accessible to all.■ We will be honest and fair in

dealing with our customers.■ We will keep our promises.■ We will seek the views of

customers and learn from them.■ We will deal with complaints openly

and fairly and learn from them.■ We will keep our appointments and

when we can’t we will contact youto let you know why.

■ Staff will be trained to provide highquality advice about the serviceswe provide and associated servicesprovided by other agencies.

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If you fall into rent arrears we will:■ Contact you to make an

arrangement for repayment of yourdebt.

■ Make a repayment arrangementthat we believe you can afford.

■ Record all agreements made withyou.

Lettings■ Application forms will be registered

and acknowledged within 10working days.

■ Priority cards will be issued whereagreed, the next working day afterreceipt of necessary supportingdocumentation.

Anti-social behaviour When you report a case of nuisance,harassment or anti-social behaviourto us we will:■ Respect your confidentiality. We

won’t reveal your identity to anyoneunless you say we can.

■ In cases of harassment we willrespond within 24 hours.

■ In other cases, with your consent,we will refer you to ResolveAssessment Service.

■ Use the full range of legal and nonlegal remedies to assist in resolvinganti-social behaviour.

■ Keep you informed with what weare doing by letter, by phone or byvisiting you.

■ Explain what support we and otheragencies can give you.

■ Work with other agencies to resolveissues.

■ Give you clear information on whatyou need to do to assist inresolving problems that you areexperiencing.

■ Tell you if we are not able to takeaction and advise you of thereasons why.

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What to do if you are unhappy withone of our services:You can make a complaint byfollowing our Complaints Procedurewhich is outlined in Section 1 of thisHandbook.

What you can do if you would like tomake a comment or suggestionabout one of our services:■ You can fill in a comment/suggestion

card and drop it into the suggestionbox in our reception area.

■ You can submit your comment/suggestion online.

■ You can telephone us and we willcomplete a comment/suggestioncard on your behalf.

In addition to our general standards,each of our service areas offers anumber of further commitments.

Customer AccountsWhen managing your rent account: ■ We will send you a statement four

times a year.■ We will offer a wide variety of

payment methods■ We will provide help with filling out

housing benefit claims on request.■ We will give you general advice on

benefits, debts and moneymanagement if you want us to.

■ We will inform you where you canget independent advice.

■ We will give you four weeks noticein writing of any changes to theamount of rent or service chargeyou have to pay.

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We are committed to maintainingthe appearance of the areas inwhich we have homes. We will:■ Inspect every estate at least twice a

year.■ Remove racist or offensive graffiti

within 24 hours of it being reportedto us.

■ Respond within 24 hours to reportsof abandoned properties and makesure the property is safe andsecure.

■ Investigate and respond within 5working days to reports ofabandoned vehicles.

■ Investigate and respond within 5working days to reports of rubbish.

■ Respond within 24 hours whererubbish or other hazards representa danger to residents.

■ Work in partnership with others,including the police to reduce crimeand make communities safer.

Estates MaintenanceWhere the Estates MaintenanceService is provided, we will:■ Visit your estate at least fortnightly

during the summer season (mid-March to mid-October), with atleast a monthly visit during thewinter season.

■ Cut the grass to your front gardenand communal open spaces, if thisis necessary (i.e. if the grass hasgrown sufficiently since the lastvisit).

■ Regularly trim shrubs planted byCharter in front gardens andcommunal spaces to maintain atidy appearance.

■ Clear litter and other rubbish that isnot clearly any one resident’sresponsibility or that does notrequire specialist removal (i.e. notlarge domestic items such asfridges, or materials containingdangerous substances such asasbestos). We will report thepresence of ‘non collectable’ itemsto the relevant NeighbourhoodManager.

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W h e re you are re f e rred to theResolve Assessment Service we will:■ Complete the case from referral to

c l o s u re letter within 10 working days.■ Identify the issues of concern to all

those involved.■ Outline the options available to

address issues raised.■ Agree with you the option that you

wish to take.■ Confirm the details of the visit and

what will happen next in writing toyou.

Tenancy Management – whendealing with your tenancy we will:■ Provide you with a tenancy

agreement setting out your rightsand responsibilities as a tenant andCharters responsibilities as aLandlord.

■ If you apply to exchange (swap)homes with another tenant we willgive you our decision in writingwithin 42 days. If we turn downyour request we will explain why.

■ If you apply to sublet, or to letsomeone else have part of your home, we aim to give you ourdecision in writing within 28 days.

■ If you apply to use your home for apurpose other than as your only ormain home, such as for businesspurposes, we aim to give you ourdecision in writing within 14 days.We will not unreasonably withholdour permission. If we do turn downyour request, we will explain why.

■ If you apply to make a change toyour tenancy we will give you adecision in writing within 14 days.

■ When we are told that a tenant hasbroken any term of the tenancyagreement, we will investigate andtake appropriate action. This couldinclude enforcement action.

■ We will consult you about anyhousing management matterswhich substantially affect yourtenancy and where you live. We willtake your wishes into account whenmaking a decision.

■ We will provide a variety of ways foryou to influence the services thatwe provide.

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04

Your TenancyAgreement Explained

■ Trim grass edges, unless thoseedges abut gravel paths ordriveways (this is for health andsafety reasons).

■ Inspect communal pathways,fences, lighting and will report anydefects found to the relevantdepartment.

■ Maintain steep banks as far aspossible, within safety guidelines.

■ Undertake the planting up of thebeds at the sheltered schemesduring the appropriate seasonwhere agreed in advance withresidents and incorporated into theservice charge, and maintain suchbedding until the end of the season,when plants will be removed.

■ Provide and install hanging basketsat sheltered schemes, where agre e din advance with residents andincorporated into the service charg e ,but watering of such baskets willbe the warden/residents’ ownresponsibility between our regularvisits. Baskets will be removed at t h eend of the season i.e. September/October.

■ Carry out regular sample surveys ofcustomers to check satisfactionwith service.

■ Respond to complaints about theservice within 48 hours of the initialcomplaint, and thereafter inaccordance with Charter’scomplaints policy.

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31 About your Tenancy Agreement

31 What is a starter tenancy

32 What is a assured tenancy

33 What is a secure tenancy

33 Security of tenure

34 The Tenants’ Guarantee

34 Joint tenancies

35 Relationship breakdown

35 Domestic violence

36 Passing your tenancy on to others

36 Taking in a lodger

37 Subletting part of your home

37 How to end your tenancy

38 Abandonment

IN THIS SECTION Your tenancy agreement is alegal contract between youand us. It sets out our and y o u rrights and re s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .When you sign your tenancyagreement you agree to abideby the conditions of thetenancy agreement. Thea g reement protects your rightsas a tenant. It is important t h a tyou keep it in a safe place.

Your tenancy agreement containsinformation about the type of tenancyyou hold, when your tenancy startsand your rent and service charges.

If you are unclear about the type oftenancy you hold and its associatedrights, contact your NeighbourhoodManager.

What is a Starter Tenancy All new tenants of the Association areissued with a Starter Tenancy for thefirst 12 months. Starter Tenants are notentitled to the full rights of an AssuredTenant. You do not have the right to:■ Take in Lodgers.■ Sublet any part of the premises.■ Make improvements, alterations or

additions to the premises.■ Assign the tenancy (this means you

will not be able to exchange).

We will allow Assignment of the tenancyin certain specific circumstanceswhere it is ordered by the Court.

3130

Your Tenancy Agreement Explained

agreement. If you do break the termsof the agreement, we may serve anotice seeking possession and takeyou to court to gain possession ofyour property. The grounds on whichwe can do this are explained in yourtenancy agreement.

As an Assured Tenant your rent will beset by us but it will be affordable tothose on a low income. Certain eligibletenants will have the ‘Right to A c q u i re ’ .You will find more information on thisin the section on Moving Options.There is a right for one succession to aspouse or other qualifying person.Succession is explained below.

What is a Secure Tenancy?If you were given your tenancy before15th January 1989 you will have asecure tenancy. As a secure tenant,you have the ‘Right to Acquire’ yourproperty and certain tenants may havethe ‘Right to Buy’. You also have theRight to Repair and the Right toExchange. These Rights are explainedin other sections of the handbook.Your rent will be set and reviewed by

the Rent Officer Service. There is aright for one succession to a spouse,co-habitee or a family member,provided they meet the criteria.Succession is explained below.

Security of tenure for Secureand Assured TenantsSecurity of Tenure means that we canonly make you move out of your homeif we are given a Possession Order bythe Court. Before we can go to Court,we must give you 4 weeks notice bys e rvicing a ‘Notice Seeking Possession’.The Notice will state on which groundsand under which Housing Act thenotice has been issued.

If you receive a Notice SeekingPossession, you will be given achance to comply with the conditionsof tenancy, for example by:■ Paying off any arrears■ Stop causing nuisance and

annoyance to neighbours

If you do comply with the terms andconditions of tenancy, no furtheraction will be taken. If you fail to

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This type of tenancy provides a 12month trial period during which wemonitor you to make sure you abideby the conditions of tenancy. If youbreak the conditions of your tenancyagreement in that time for example, bycausing a nuisance to neighbours orby not paying your rent, and we havedone all we can to try and resolve theissue without success, we can serve aSection 21 notice.

This notice will give you 2 months toleave the property. You will have theright to appeal against this notice to apanel of three Board Members, eitherin writing or in person. You will begiven clear guidance about the reviewprocess when the notice is served.The notice will only be withdrawn if wehave not followed the correctprocedure.

Following service of the notice and ifany appeal is unsuccessful, if you donot leave the property within twomonths, we have the right to ask theCourt for a possession order. TheAssociation has an automatic right to a

possession order as long as we canshow that we have followed theprocedure correctly.

If you do not break the terms of thetenancy agreement within the 12month period, your tenancy willautomatically revert to an AssuredTenancy. You will then become entitledto the extra rights that this type oftenancy brings.

What is an Assured Tenancy?All tenancies issued after 15th January1989 are Assured Tenancies (unlessthey are issued as starter tenancies –see above). An assured tenancy givesyou the right to remain in your home as long as you want to unless youbreak the terms of your tenancy

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there has been a previous successionto the tenancy. We will also considerthe length of time you have livedtogether which should be over 12months. If you ask for a joint tenancyto be created on marriage, we will askto see a copy of your marriagecertificate.

Relationship breakdownIf you are joint tenants who are marr i e dand your relationship breaks down,you should make sure that the tenancyis resolved by your solicitor as part ofthe divorce proceedings. If you areremaining in the home, you can applyfor a property adjustment order to putthe tenancy into your sole name. Yo umay also be able to get a sole tenancyt r a n s f e rred into your name if youremain in the home and your part n e rleaves.

Domestic violenceIf you are suffering from domesticviolence, you should speak inconfidence to a member of staff. Wecan help you by contacting specialistagencies who will give you advice and

support or find you alternativeaccommodation if that’s what you want.If you have to leave your home b e c a u s eof domestic violence and your partnerremains, you should speak to yourNeighbourhood Manager before takingany action to end the tenancy. Yo ushould consult a solicitor who may beable to get an injunction to protect you.For advice you can telephone theNational Domestic Violence Helplineon 0808 2000247 or Women’s Aid on0808 8010800.

35

comply with the terms and conditionsof your tenancy agreement, we canask the Court for a Possession Orderand you could lose your home.

The Tenants’ GuaranteeThis is issued by the Welsh AssemblyGovernment and contains safeguardsfor Assured Tenants. The Tenants’Guarantee required the Association toinform tenants of its obligations andalso the way in which it deals withcertain issues. You will receive a copyof the Guarantee when you sign yourtenancy agreement.

Joint tenanciesJoint tenants are jointly responsible forkeeping to the terms of the tenancyagreement. If one joint tenant leavesthe home, they continue to beresponsible. For example, if theremaining person did not pay the rent,both tenants would be subject to legalaction that could be taken as a result.Leaving the home does not end yourinterest in the tenancy.

A joint tenancy can be ended by oneor both parties giving four weeksnotice in writing. If you are left in thehome after your joint tenant leaves andends the tenancy, we will considergranting you the tenancy in your solename but it is not an automatic right.In making a decision we will considerthe conduct of the tenancy andwhether the size of the home issuitable for your needs.

If your joint tenant has left and notended the tenancy we are not able toconsider putting the tenancy into yoursole name without written notice fromthe other tenant.

If you are a sole tenant and would liketo become a joint tenant with someonewho lives with you, you should putyour request in writing to yourNeighbourhood Manager who willadvise you of the implications. It maynot be in your best interests to do this.We will not unreasonably withholdconsent, but we will consider whetherthe person who wishes to be a jointtenant owes us any money or whether

34

04

like laundry. If you take in a lodger youshould notify us with the name andage of the person so we can makesure that your property does notbecome overcrowded. You should alsoremember that taking in a lodger mayalter your entitlement to HousingBenefit. You should seek advice fromthe Local Authority Housing BenefitDepartment.

Sub-letting part of your homeYou have the right to sub-let part ofyour home to another person but youmust ask The Association for perm i s s i o nfirst. We will not withhold permissionprovided your request is reasonableand there is no over c rowding cre a t e d .The person to whom you sub-letbecomes a sub-tenant and he or sheshould have their own room and willlook after themselves. You do not havethe right to sub-let part of your home ifyou are a Starter Tenant. Pleasecontact your Neighbourhood Managerfor all enquiries about sub-letting.

You are only able to sub-let part ofyour home. If you sub-let all of your

home and move out yourself you willlose your security of tenure and we could ask the Court to evict you andthe person living in your home formthe property.

How to end your tenancyTo end your tenancy you must give usfour weeks notice in writing. Yournotice must run from a Monday and bereceived by us on or before theMonday from which the four weeknotice period starts. If you are thinkingof ending your tenancy contact yourNeighbourhood Manager who will beable to send you a standard noticeform to complete. It is advisable to

37

Passing your tenancy on toothersSuccessionIf you are the tenant and you die, yourtenancy may pass to another closefamily member, such as a spouse orchild, if they have been living with youtwelve months prior to your death andare old enough to take the tenancy.The Association recognises gay andlesbian partners as spouses. This isknown as a succession. The right ofsuccession applies only once.

If you are a joint tenant and yourpartner dies, you will automaticallybecome the sole tenant of theproperty. This counts as a succession.

It is possible we may ask a successorto move out of the home if it is toolarge for their needs or the propertyhas been designed or adapted forsomeone with special needs and thesuccessor does not need this type ofhousing. If this happens we willarrange alternative accommodation.

AssignmentAn assignment is when you transferthe tenancy to someone else. This willhappen if you exchange your tenancywith someone else or in certain othercircumstances provided you requestpermission and we agree. If you wouldlike to assign your tenancy to someoneelse, contact your NeighbourhoodManager who will consider yourrequest. You cannot assign yourtenancy without permission.

Taking in a lodgerYou have the right to take in a lodgerwithout asking for permission. ALodger is someone who normally ‘liveswith the family’ and does not haveexclusive use of part of the house orflat. You may provide some services

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04

05

PayingYour Rent

give us a forwarding address so wesend any mail to you or we can get intouch if we need to. You shouldcontinue to pay your rent during thenotice period.

On the Monday your tenancy ends,you must return your keys to us bymidday. If you do not do this, you maybe charged an additional weeks rentand if we have to change the locksbecause you do not return keys to us,we may re-charge you for the expenseincurred. You should leave your homein a clean and tidy condition. If youleave any unwanted furniture orrubbish behind we may re-charge youfor its removal.

If you leave your property in a goodcondition and are a Gold ServiceMember, you may be entitled toreceive a ‘Golden HandshakePayment’. See the section on GoldService.

AbandonmentIf you appear to have left your homewithout giving us notice or returningthe keys, we will do everything we canto contact you and will investigate todetermine whether you still have aninterest in the property. If ourinvestigation concludes that you haveabandoned the property, we will servea Notice to Quit giving you 4 weeks togive up possession of the property.

If after the expiry date of the Notice,you have not contacted us, we willtake action to repossess the property.

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04

41 How your rent is set

41 Service charges

43 How to pay your rent

44 About your rent statement

44 What to do if you have difficulty in paying your rent

45 About Housing Benefit

45 How to claim Housing Benefit

46 SHELTER CYMRU advice service

46 Joint tenancies

46 How to help us improve this service

IN THIS SECTION How your rent is setSecure TenantsIf your tenancy started before 15thJanuary 1989 you have a SecureTenancy and the rent on your home isdecided by the Rent Officer who isindependent of the Association. Rentsare fixed for a two-year period. Beforeyour rent is changed you will beconsulted by the Rent Officer and ifyour do not agree with the new rent,then you can appeal to the RentAssessment Committee. You have 28days in which to do this. This Committeehas the power to increase/decrease orconfirm the rent. When a new rent isfixed, you will be given 4 weeks’ noticeby the Association of any increase.

Assured TenantsIf your tenancy started after 15January 1989 you have an Assuredtenancy and your rent is set by theAssociation. The level of rents theAssociation can charge is regulated bythe Welsh Assembly Government. Yourrent is reviewed by the Associationevery April and you will be given 4weeks’ notice of any change in your

rent. If you feel that the rent set isunreasonable, you may appeal to theRent Assessment Committee.

We aim to keep rents at a level thatour tenants can afford whilst makingsure that they cover the costs of thebuilding, its management andmaintenance.

The address of the Rent AssessmentCommittee is:1st Floor, West Wing, SouthgateHouse, Wood Street, Cardiff CF1 1JJ

Service chargesYour rent may include a charge forservices that we provide. This caninclude:■ Caretaking or Scheme Co-ordinator

services■ Garden services■ Lighting in communal areas■ Communal television aerials■ Cleaning of communal areas

40

Paying Your Rent

How to pay your rentRent is charged to your account everyMonday and your rent is payable everyMonday in advance for that week.This is a condition of your TenancyAgreement. If you pay rent afterMonday your payment may not showon your account for that week andyour account will show in arrears.

There are several ways of payingyour rent:■ In person at Charter’s offices at

11 Devon Place, NewportDuring office hours, we accept cashor cheque (made payable to ‘Chart e rHousing Association’).

■ By Direct Debit These can be set up on a weekly, 2w e e k l y, 4 weekly or calendar monthlybasis. Forms are available fromyour Customer Account Manager.If you cancel your direct debit pleaseinform your Customer AccountManager immediately and make newarrangements for paying your rent.

■ By Standing Order You can set up a Standing Order topay your rent. Forms are availablefrom your Customer AccountManager.

■ By postWe will accept payments by chequethrough the post only. Please DON O T send cash. Please include yourname, address and rent accountnumber on the back of the cheque.

■ At any location displaying the Paypoint or Payzone signYou can pay by cash or cheque ata number of local shops andgarages that display these signsusing your C h a rter Payment Card .Please check your receipt and keepit in a safe place so that you cancheck your payments against yourrent statement.

■ At any Post Office in the UKYou can use your Charter PaymentC a rd to pay by cash or cheque, madepayable to ‘Post Office Counters’.Please check your receipt beforeyou leave the Post Office and keepit in a safe place so that you cancheck your payments against yourrent statement.

The charges are based on the actualcosts of providing the service. Theservice charges (if applicable) aredetailed at the back of your TenancyAgreement. Service charges arereviewed with your rent.

The Association sets variable servicecharges and although we only reviewthem on a yearly basis, we may haveto make an increase in the middle ofthe year if we receive a sudden incre a s ein costs, for example, an increase inthe electricity being paid to supportlandlord’s lighting. You will be given 4weeks notice of any change in yourservice charges.

If you are unhappy with the level of thes e rvice charge, you can complain to theAssociation, following the complaintsprocedure.

Having your sayIf we plan to make certain amendmentsto your pro p e rty or the scheme in whichyou live we may have to recover thecosts by increasing your service charg e .Where the costs are more than £50

per unit or £1000 per scheme, then wehave to consult you by law. We wouldhave to give you one month’s notice ofour intention to carry out work andgive you any opportunity to respond toour request.

ReimbursementYou have the right to claimreimbursement if you feel that you havenot received a service for which youhave paid a service charge, or you areunhappy with the quality of the serv i c e .Please contact your Customer AccountsManager if you feel you are entitled toa refund on your service charge.

Water chargesWe do not generally collect your waterrates. However, in some ShelteredHousing Schemes, or where there is ametered supply, we do collect rates onbehalf of the water company. Detailsof any water charges will be shown inyour Tenancy Agreement.

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05

you pay your rent and arrears but wecannot accept persistent arrears and ifyou fail to keep to any agreementsmade, we will start legal proceedingsagainst you which could lead to theloss of your home.

Your Customer Account Manager willexplain the legal steps we can take ifyou do not maintain an up to date rentaccount or fail to maintain anagreement made to clear your arrears.

It is important that you seek immediateindependent advice. Community LegalS e rvice Direct 0845 2454245 will pro v i d eyou with telephone advice, or you canfind out where SHELTER CYMRUoperate their local drop-in advicecentres by telephoning 02920 556120.

About Housing Benefit If you receive any benefits or are inreceipt of a low income, you may beentitled to claim housing benefit fromyour local Council to help to pay yourrent. If only part of your rent is paid byHousing Benefit, you will have to makeup the difference yourself.

How to claim Housing BenefitTo claim Housing Benefit you shouldapply to your local Council. YourCustomer Account Manager will beable to help with this. Our SHELTERadvice worker will also be able to giveyou any advice about claiming.

Please remember that it is yourresponsibility to follow up any claim forHousing Benefit and that payment ofrent is your responsibility.

If for any reason your local Councildoes not pay your rent, you will beexpected to pay. It is very importantthat you respond to any letters orenquiries from your Council straightaway. If you have any problems,please contact your Customer AccountManager or SHELTER advice worker.

■ By telephone You can pay over the telephonethrough the Allpay.net IVR callcentre with your debit or credit cardand Charter Payment Card. Ring 0870 243 6040 and follow theonline instructions.

■ Pay online Pay online at w w w. a l l p a y m e n t s . n e t ,following the online instructions.You will need your Charter PaymentCard.

■ In person to your CustomerAccount ManagerYour Customer Account Managercan take rent on behalf of theAssociation if he or she is visitingyou. You will be given a receipt foryour payment.

About your Rent StatementYou will receive a rent statement every3 months. This will show the weeklyrent charged and any payments youhave made. It will also show if yourrent account is in credit or arrears.If your rent is paid to us by HousingBenefit from your Council, this paymentis usually made every 4 weeks in

arrears and your account will show upto 4 weeks in arrears until the paymentis received.

If you have any concerns about yourrent statement, please talk to yourCustomer Account Manager.

What to do if you havedifficulty in paying your rentOne of your main obligations under theterms of your Tenancy Agreement is toensure that your rent is paid on time,even if it is paid by your Council viaHousing Benefit.

Don’t be afraid to tell your customeraccounts manager immediately if youhave difficulty paying your rent. Theywill be understanding and helpful.They will be able to advise you aboutthe possibility of claiming benefits orother ways to get help.

Your Customer Account Manager canalso make an arrangement with you toclear the debt by an affordablepayment plan if you fall into arrears.We will do everything we can to help

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06

Living InYour Home

SHELTER Advice ServiceSHELTER CYMRU, the housing andhomelessness charity, runs an advicep roject at our offices at 11 Devon Place,Newport.

SHELTER can offer FREE, impartialand independent advice on HousingBenefit, welfare benefits and dealingwith rent arrears.

Please do not hesitate to use thisFREE service if you need anyassistance with your benefits or needgeneral debt advice.

The SHELTER adviser is in our officeon Tuesday 12:30 – 3:30pm and onThursday and Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm.The adviser can be contacted on01633 212375.

Appointments may not be necessary.Please call for availability and to makesure the times of the service have notchanged.

Joint tenanciesJoint tenants have equal responsibilityfor rent and any arrears. It is importanttherefore that you are both aware ofyour rent account balance. If you feelyou have no control over the rentpayments or your partner leaves thep ro p e rt y, please contact your CustomerAccount Manager who will be able toadvise you.

Help us improve this serviceIf you think you can help us improvethe way in which we deal with yourrent account or tackle rent arrears,please contact your CustomerAccount Manager who will be able toadvise you about how you caninfluence the service. You can alsocomplete a customer comments formin our reception and place it in thesuggestion box or make a comment orsuggestion in person or on the phoneto any member of staff. Please Readthe Chapter on Customer Involvementin this Handbook for more ways inwhich you can become involved.

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49 Moving into your new home

49 Insuring your belongings

49 Keeping your keys safe

50 Decorating

50 Improvements &

alterations

52 Laying flooring

52 Fencing & hedges

52 Installing satellite dishes,

Aerials or Cable TV

53 Adapting your home if

you have a disability

53 Car parking & car repairs

54 Caravans & trailers

54 Maintaining your garden

54 Rubbish storage &

removal

IN THIS SECTION When you move into your newhome, it is important that you:■ Tell relevant people your new

address.■ Contact your chosen supplier for

gas and electricity. You should takemeter readings on the day youmove in.

■ Arrange an appointment to haveyour heating system commissionedby the Association. Your gas andelectricity supply must be connectedfor this to be carried out. You mustnot use your heating system untilthe checks are carried out and youshould make sure you are providedwith a copy of the Landlord’s GasSafety Certificate.

■ Locate your electricity fuse box,gas mains and stop tap so that youcan quickly shut off the supplies ifthere is a problem.

■ Check that your smoke detector isworking.

■ Let us know about any repairs thatyou think should have been donebefore you moved in.

■ Arrange contents insurance for yourbelongings.

Insuring your belongingsWe are responsible for insuring thestructure of your home and its fixturesand fittings but not your personalbelongings. If a pipe in your homebursts because it freezes in coldweather or a sink or your washingmachine overflows, we are notresponsible for damage caused toyour own or another person’sbelongings. We strongly recommendthat you take out Insurance to coverloss or damage caused to yourpersonal possessions or those inneighbouring properties. Make surethat your insurance policy covers youfor damage caused by fire, flood andfrost and for other damage such asaccidentally broken windows. Ask yourNeighbourhood Manager aboutspecialist insurance policies fortenanted properties.

Keeping your keys safePlease keep your keys safe. We do notkeep any spare keys for you and if youlose your keys, it is your responsibilityto arrange for the locks to be changed.We advise you to keep a spare key

4948

Living In Your Home

55 Keeping pets

55 Running a business from

home

55 Unwanted pests

55 Living in a flat

56 Door entry systems

56 Communal stairs &

landings

or alterations, you will need to contactthe Maintenance Surveyor for your are afirst for permission and advice. We maywant to consult plans and d r a w i n g sprior to written approval being given,and certain alterations or impro v e m e n t smay need planning or building controlapproval from the Council. There maybe fees payable in such cases.

Inspections will always be required fors t ructural works such as the removal ofa wall or the addition of a conserv a t o ry.We will not refuse permission foralterations or improvements unlessthere is a good reason.

If you do not obtain the necessarypermission, you may be required toreinstate the property to its originalcondition on termination of yourtenancy or you may be recharged forany work which is unsafe or which doesnot meet required standards for rentedproperties. You may also find yourselfin breach of your ‘Conditions of Te n a n c y ’and your home may be at risk.

Any works to gas services orappliances must be carried out by aCORGI registered person – always askfor proof, and if in doubt, ask yourMaintenance Surveyor for guidance.

If you are considering the installationof new light fittings, extra wall sockets,garden lights, wiring to sheds or pondfeatures etc., please make sure youemploy a qualified electrician. Ask forproof that they are registered with ‘NIC EIC’. These are the initials of theorganisation with which reputable andqualified electricians will be registered.Again, if in doubt, please check withyour Maintenance Surveyor.

If you wish to install a shower in yourbathroom, contact your MaintenanceSurveyor for advice first.

Take care not to remove important firedoors in your pro p e rt y. This is part i c u l a r l yimportant if you live in a flat. Contactyour Maintenance Surveyor for advicefirst before removing or replacing anydoor.

51

with a trusted relative or friend. Neverhide a key outside your home. Youmust return your keys at the end ofyour tenancy.

If you live in sheltered housing youmay have a special type of door lockwhich should not be changed withoutour permission. Contact your SchemeCo-ordinator or NeighbourhoodManager if you need to change yourlock for any reason.

DecoratingWhen you move into your home, wewill ensure it is in a clean and tidycondition and decorated to anacceptable standard. If the quality ofdecoration is not up to standard, youmay be offered a decoration voucherwhich can be spent in a local DIYstore.

You are able to decorate the inside ofyour home to your own taste, and thisis your responsibility. It is importantthat you make sure this is done to agood standard and that you do not doanything which would make it difficult

for someone else to decorate if youshould leave. For example, you shouldnot put gloss paint, carpet or claddingon walls and avoid very strong coloursthat may be difficult to cover over. If indoubt, please ask for advice. If you donot keep you home decorated to agood standard, you may be chargedfor decoration when you move out oryou may be prevented from transferr i n gor exchanging until you redecorate.

You should not put artex on walls andif you are removing artex from walls orceilings, you should contact yourMaintenance Surveyor for advice first.

Improvements & alterations toyour homeWe want you to enjoy living in yourCharter property, and we recognisethat many people want to ‘personalise’their property to suit their tastes andlifestyles. It is an important part ofmaking it your ‘home’.

We encourage you to makei m p rovements to your home. However,if you are planning any improvements

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Adapting your home if youhave a disabilityIf you have a disability or are less mobileas you have become older, we may beable to help you adapt your home tohelp you retain your independence. Ifyou need small adaptations such as ahandrail or grab-rail, we may be ableto arrange this for you quickly. If youneed larger adaptations, such as awalk in shower, wheelchair ramps or astair lift, we may be able to help get agrant to do this work for you subject toan assessment by an occupationaltherapist.

We can also advise you aboute m e rgency alarm systems which areconnected to a 24 hour local authoritycall centre. These can enable you tosummon help in an emergency or ifyou feel unwell. Please contact yourNeighbourhood Manager for advice onall types of adaptations.

Car parking & car repairsIf you have a drive or parking spaceprovided with your home, please use itfor parking rather than using the road.This will help to keep the highwaysfree and prevent accidents. Wheregeneral parking spaces are provided,these are for the use of all residentsand their visitors. If parked on the roador in a parking space, your vehicleshould be taxed and roadworthyotherwise it may be towed away bythe local Council and disposed of.Please do not carry out major carrepairs at your home as this maycause annoyance to your neighbours.

53

If you are fitting shelving, cupboards orpictures etc, to walls, remember to fillin any holes or cracks if you are leavingyour home. Make sure you know wherethe gas, water pipes etc are embeddedin the wall before knocking nails in.

Laying flooringIf you live in a house or ground floorflat you may lay laminate flooring inyour property provided it is properlyinsulated with acoustic underlay of atleast 2mm thick. This minimises thelevel of noise from walking on laminatefloors which may cause a nuisance toneighbours. The flooring must beproperly laid and finished witha p p ropriate edgings. You are re s p o n s i b l efor lifting and relaying the laminateflooring in case of repairs being re q u i re dto the flooring, pipework etc, beneath.If you live in an above ground flat, weregret that you are not permitted to laylaminate flooring, because of the noisenuisance this can cause to othersliving beneath you.

The flooring in your kitchen andbathroom may be specialist anti-slip

flooring. You should not cover this withanother type of flooring. If you areunsure whether you have this type offlooring, contact your MaintenanceSurveyor for advice.

Fencing & hedgesThere are planning regulations whichrestrict the height of boundary fencesand hedges around your home. Beforeyou consider putting up a fence orallowing a hedge to grow above areasonable height, you should contactyour Maintenance Surveyor for advicefirst.

Installing satellite dishes,aerials or Cable TVYou must ask for permission from ourMaintenance Team before erecting asatellite dish or TV or radio aerial onyour property or installing cable TV. Ifyou live in a flat, it is possible due toplanning laws, that you may not beable to have a satellite dish installed.Some of our properties have a sharedaerial. Your Neighbourhood Managerwill be able to advise you if this is thecase.

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Keeping petsYou can keep small caged animals inyour home without permission but youmust have our written permission tokeep all other animals, including dogsand cats or any potentially dangerousanimal. Permission will not be given forpets to be kept in homes, such as aflat, where there is an access via acommunal area, shared with otherneighbours. You may not be able tokeep a pet where you share a garden.If permission is granted, you will beasked to sign an agreement whichsays that you will look after your petresponsibly. Please remember that wemay withdraw permission if at any timeyour pet annoys your neighbours.

Running a business fromhomeIt is a condition of your tenancyagreement that you should not run abusiness from home without our writtenconsent. We will give permission if thebusiness is appropriate for the size andlocation of your home and we are surethat no nuisance or potential hazardwill be caused to your neighbours.

Unwanted pestsIf you have a problem with rats, mice,squirrels, wasps, bees, fleas or anyothers pests or vermin in your home,you should contact the EnvironmentalHealth Officer at your local Council foradvice and assistance. The Associationis unable to help with the removal ofpests.

Living in a flatLiving in a flat can mean that you arecloser to your neighbours than if youlive in a house and it is inevitable thatyou will hear some noise from adjoininghomes. Please take care not to causeexcessive noise and if you feel that thenoise from your neighbour is

55

Parking caravans & trailersIt is a condition of your tenancyagreement that you should not keep acaravan or trailer on you drive or onthe road outside your house. You shouldnot park caravans or trailers in parkingbays or on estate roads.

Maintaining or improving yourgardenIt is a condition of your tenancyagreement that your gardens are keptin a clean and tidy condition. Mostfront gardens are maintained by ourEstate Maintenance Service for a smallservice charge. For them to cut yourgrass, you should keep your gardenclear of obstructions, such as toys orvehicles.

If you have a communal garden, it isusually the responsibility of our EstatesMaintenance Team to maintain it but ifyou would like to take care of part ofthe garden, please speak to yourNeighbourhood Manager about this.

If you are planning to put a pond inyour garden, ask your Maintenance

Surveyor for advice first. You may beasked to re-fill a pond should youleave your home, as they can bedangerous for young children. If youhave young children yourself, we wouldadvise against putting a pond in.

If you are a keen gardener, ask yourNeighbourhood Manager about ourannual Charter in Bloom GardeningCompetition.

Rubbish storage & removalIf rubbish is not stored properly it canlook unsightly and attract pests andv e rmin. It is your responsibility to disposeof your rubbish in the bin provided andto keep bin areas clean and tidy. Forlarge or bulky items, such as fridgescookers and sofas, telephone yourlocal council for their low cost specialcollection service. Please do not dumpthese items, they can cause a fire hazardor a danger to children. If we discoverthat you have dumped rubbish or bulkyitems we will re c h a rge you for the costsof removing it and you may be subjectto legal action or a fine imposed bythe Environmental Health Department.

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07

Repairs& Maintenance

unreasonable, such as loud music or avery loud television, it is best toapproach them informally in the firstinstance. If the noise continues, youcan approach the Environmental HealthOfficer or our Nuisance PreventionTeam. You can minimise noise bymaking sure that your floors arecarpeted with a good, thick underlay,that you do not use you washingmachine or hoover late at night and thatyou keep your music and television ata reasonable level.

Door entry systemsIf you live in a block of flats you willhave a secure door entry system withan intercom. You will be given keys tothe door. To maintain security foryourself and your neighbours, youshould make sure that the communaldoor is always shut and that you donot let anyone you don’t know thro u g hthe door. The door entry system will beon a timer to allow deliveries such aspapers and milk in the morning. If youand your neighbours do not feel thetimer is set c o rrectly for you, pleasecontact us and we will set it at a timewhich you agree.

Communal stairs & landingsSome stairways and landings in blocksof flats are cleaned by the Association’smobile cleaning service for a smalls e rvice charge. Each stairway is cleanedapproximately every three weeks. Forinformation or comment about thisservice, contact your NeighbourhoodManager.

Please do not store any items such asbikes, prams or rubbish in the communalarea as they could cause a hazard toyour neighbours or block an escaperoute in the event of a fire.

Please contact Customer Services toreport any lighting that is faulty in thecommunal area.

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Reporting a RepairBefore you ring us or call at our officeabout a repair, please identify theproblem using this Section. Our staffhave similar books with the samedrawings, so they can talk the problemthrough with you. Always remember togive us a phone number where youcan be contacted.

You can report a repair in whicheverway suits you■ Phone us:

Repairs Hotline: 01633 678511Out-of-hours emergencies:01633 214222(Calls are handled by a special c o n t rol centre. You should be awarethat your call may be recorded).Gas leaks: 0800 111999(Use a phone outside your home – using one inside could spark an explosion. This number connects you directly to National Grid – Gas).

■ Write to us or visit us:11 Devon Place, Newport, South Wales, NP20 4NP

■ Fax us: 01633 256271

■ E-mail us:repairs@charterhousing.co.uk(Only use e-mail for routine or non-u rgent repairs. Please give a contactphone number.)

■ If you live in shelteredaccommodation, you can reportyour repair to the Scheme Co-ordinator or directly to the RepairsHotline.

You should be aware that:■ we may need to inspect your repair

problem before it can be passed toa contractor

■ outside office hours we will onlyrespond to emergency problems

■ if you have exaggerated theurgency of the problem to get anemergency response, you will becharged for the call-out fee

■ you may be charged for the cost ofrepairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family, or avisitor.

59 Report a repair

60 Our service

62 Our responsibilities

64 Your responsibilities

65 Our response times

67 Service standards

69 The right to repair

70 Basic repairs and your responsibilities:Baths & Basins, Doors & Locks, Drains & Wastes, Electrics, Fences & Gates, Floors & Stairs, Garages, Gutters, Heating, Kitchen Fittings, Pipes & Taps, Roofs & Chimneys, Toilets, Walls & Ceilings, Windows, Cleaning blocked waste, Resetting a trip switch, Condensation

106 Repair and maintenance numbers

IN THIS SECTION

58

Repairs & Maintenance

The text and illustrations in this section have been developed byOmfax Systems Ltd, 21 Causeway, Bicester, OX 26 6AN. Omfaxillustrations must not be reproduced or transmitted in any form orby any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,re c o rding or by any information storage or retrieval system withoutprior written permission from Omfax Ltd.

Win a Prize! If you return yoursatisfaction card with comments aboutyour repair, your name will be enteredinto our monthly draw for a cash prize.A small reward but a real treat!

What repairs are carried out byCharter?We are responsible for the outside ofyour property, the main structure andany fittings and appliances we haveprovided. We are also responsible formaintenance of communal areas. Youare responsible for taking care of theinside of your property and for certainrepairs. See Responsibilities page 64.If you are elderly, infirm or disabledand have no able-bodied adult to helpyou, we may be able to advise youwhat help you can get.

Do I have to pay for any repairs?If you request a repair caused bydamage done by you, a member ofyour family or a visitor, we will normallyexpect you to repair it yourself or payfor it to be done. We will always carryout work to make your home safe, butwe will have to charge you for the cost

of doing so unless the problem is theresult of a break-in or vandalism andyou can supply us with a Police CrimeReport Number (not an IncidentNumber). If we have to charge you, we will let you know how much we aregoing to charge before we carry outthe work.

Can I claim for accidental damage?You are responsible for your ownpossessions, carpets, fittings, etc andfor internal decorations. You are stro n g l yadvised to take out household contentsinsurance. This will enable you to claimfor the cost of accidental damage whichwe are not obliged to do or pay for.We have a low cost scheme you canjoin. Please ask our staff for details.

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07Our service

When you contact usPlease let us know:■ your name, address and phone

number■ details of the item that needs

repairing.

We will inform youWe will discuss the problem with you.We will let you know whether an orderwill be placed immediately with thecontractor or whether an inspection byan Area Surveyor is needed to assessexactly what needs to be done. Insome cases the repair will be passedto an estate caretaker.

If it is an order, we will tell you theresponse time category your repairfalls into and the target date by whichit should be completed. See Responsetimes on page 65.

The repair is recorded andacknowledged The details of your repair will be entere donto our computer system. You willreceive an acknowledgement of yourrepair request by post. This will givean outline of the repair that has beenordered and the target date by whichthe repair should be completed.

AppointmentsWe will discuss when it is convenientfor the contractor to call. We will agreea morning or afternoon for a specificday and the contractor may call younearer the time to say exactly whenyou can expect him or her to arrive.

Satisfaction surveyWe enclose a postage paid ‘satisfaction’c a rd with your repair acknowledgement.After the work has been completedplease let us know what you think aboutthe service by filling in the card andposting it back to us. See Win a Prize!

We are responsible for any communalfacilities including any gardens or openareas. Outside your home we areresponsible for features that wereoriginally provided by us, or werepresent when the association boughtthe property. These will include:■ boundary fences, walls or hedges

where they form a boundary with apublic space

■ in certain circumstances steps, paths and any paved areas

■ brick outhouses and timber sheds.

Joint responsibility for gas safety■ We are responsible for carrying out

an annual boiler service in everyproperty with a gas supply. Youshould let us know if, for anyreason, you have not had such acheck in the last 12 months.

■ You must allow us entry to yourhome to carry out the annualservice. If you do not allow us in,you are in breach of your TenancyAgreement. If necessary we willtake court action to gain access orarrange for the gas supply to yourhome to be cut off. You will beliable for all costs.

■ If your annual service is overduebecause you have not madearrangements with us to do it, wewill only do emergency or healthand safety related work to yoursystem until you allow us to carryout a full service.

■ You must ensure that air vents donot become blocked outside orinside.

What about general maintenance?All our properties are included in arolling programme of painting. Thiscovers the outside of individual homesbased on a 5 year cycle, and internalcommunal areas every 3 years. Wealso have a programme of carrying out‘condition’ surveys to identify repairsneeded to the inside and outside ofeach property. You will be consultedwhen this programme reaches your are a .

What if I need adaptations to myhome?You need to contact your local Counciland ask for an assessment by anoccupational therapist, who willrecommend what changes should bemade. They will also advise you on howto apply for grants to cover the cost ofthe work.

Our responsiblitiesWe are responsible for repairing andmaintaining the structure of theproperty you live in. This includes allthe external parts and any internalfixtures and fittings originally providedby us but not those that are listed as,or we have told you are, yourresponsibility.

Our responsibilities also cover allpipes, wiring, fixtures and fittings forheating, drainage, power and lighting,and any smoke detectors fitted by us.

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Our response timesWhen you report a repair to us weassess the nature of the problem andtell you what response time category itfalls into. The times are measured fromthe date you report the problem to us.■ Emergency: we will respond within

24 hours to remove immediatedanger to people, avoid seriousdamage to the property, to makethe property secure, or to restorefailure of essential services such assanitation, water or electrical supply.We will always make the situationsafe. Sometimes follow up work willneed to be done at a later date.

■ Urgent: we will respond within 5working days for work that needsto be carried out quickly, to overc o m eserious inconvenience to the tenant,or to prevent more damage to theproperty.

■ Routine: we will respond within 20working days for repair problemsinside the home that do not causeparticular inconvenience or dangerto occupants or the public and forgeneral repairs to the outside of the

property, that are unlikely todeteriorate provided they areattended to within a reasonable time.

InspectionsSome repairs will need to be inspectedbefore repair work can be ordered. Youcan ask for the Maintenance Surveyorto visit on a specific morning orafternoon, otherwise you may receivea letter or phone call to say when heor she will be in your area.

If the repair is particularly complicatedor likely to take longer than normal, wemay need to agree on a longer timescalewith the contractor. We will keep youinformed. In some of these cases theMaintenance Surveyor may decide toput the work into a major works orplanned programme already scheduledfor your area.

Your responsibilitiesYou are responsible for certain tasks:■ replacing keys when broken or lost,

or when locked out■ getting broken or cracked glass

replaced■ resetting trip switches■ replacing light bulbs and fluore s c e n t

tubes ■ trying to clear blockages in wastes,

toilets or gullies■ repairing minor cracks or holes in

walls or ceilings■ repairing minor fittings: curtain

tracks, roller blinds, shelves etc.■ replacing toilet seats and lids■ replacing clothes lines or re s t r i n g i n g

rotary driers (unless shared withothers)

■ testing and maintaining any smokedetectors you have fitted

■ taking action to prevent condensation■ adjusting doors when new carpets

are fitted■ fitting bells or additional locks to

doors■ keeping gullies clear of leaves■ replacing plugs and chains on baths,

sinks or basins

■ fitting wastes and supply valves fordishwashers and tumbledriers (if notalready provided)

■ repairing any appliance, fitting,fixture or outside feature you haveinstalled.

You also have certain generalresponsibilities:■ to keep your property clean and in

good decorative order, and yourgarden tidy

■ to allow us access to your home toenable us to do any repair work orcarry out any inspections that arenecessary

■ to take reasonable precautions toprevent damage once a repair faulthas been identified

■ moving any furniture or lifting anyfloor covering you have put downeg carpets, tiles or wood effectflooring to allow repair work to bedone and putting these back afterwork is completed

■ to report any criminal damage orvandalism to the Police and get aPolice Crime Report Number (notan Incident Number).

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Service standardsContractors working in your homemust:■ introduce themselves and show

you identification before enteringyour home

■ explain what they are going to doand how this will affect you, and tokeep you informed about theprogress of the work

■ take care of your property andpossessions, protecting them fromdust and paint

■ keep your home secure at all times■ make sure materials and tools do

not cause danger to you or yourvisitors

■ clear up rubbish and remove it atthe end of each working day

■ make good any damage todecorations caused by repair workin your home

■ make sure essential services areconnected at the end of each dayand when the repair is completed

■ tell you, or a neighbour if you areout, when starting any outsidework.

Contractors are not allowed to:■ smoke in your home without your

consent■ play radios in or near your home.

You should be aware:■ contractors cannot be left alone in

your home or with children onlypresent (under 16). If you leave thehome the contractor will have toleave the property and wait for youto return

■ you should not leave your key hiddensomewhere, or with someone else,for a contractor to pick up and letthemselves into your home

■ in bad weather contractors cannot, for their own safety, work at height, e.g. on ladders or scaffolding, or onthe roof

■ you are expected to allow contractorsto get on with their work by keepingchildren and pets out of their way

■ if any furniture or floor coveringsneed to be moved before repairwork can be done, you must getthis done before contractors startwork. They may be willing to helpbut can accept no responsibility forany damage caused in the process.

How long will it take?When you request a repair, we will putthe work into a response time category(see above). Each response categoryhas a maximum time allowed for thework to be done. If necessary, we willarrange for the work to be inspectedfirst by a Maintenance Surveyor. If arepair is not done within the time givenplease contact us and we willinvestigate the matter. The target datefor completion will be confirmed onthe repair acknowledgement which wesend to you by post. The work will becarried out by a local contractor.

What if I can only be in at certaintimes?When you report a repair let us knowwhat times are convenient for thecontractor or caretaker to call. You canask for a morning or afternoonappointment on a specific day and wewill do our best to arrange this for you.If you find you are unable to keep anappointment you need to contact us toarrange another appointment.

What if I am not in when thecontractor calls?The contractor will leave a card givinga date when he or she will call again. Ifthis is not convenient you should phoneus or the contractor to arrange anotherdate. If you are not at home a secondtime the job will be cancelled and youwill have to report the repair again.

What if it is an emergency?We treat repairs as emergencies if theyare necessary to avoid danger or riskto the health of the occupants, orserious damage to the pro p e rt y. Outsidenormal office hours we only handleemergency repairs. These should bere p o rted on our Out-of-hours Emerg e n c ynumber given at the beginning of thissection. We expect you to re p o rt urg e n tor routine repairs on our Repairs Hotlinenumber during working hours on thenext working day. If you call us outand you are not in or we find the repairis not a genuine emergency, we willcharge you for the contractor's time.

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The Right To RepairAs a Housing Association Tenant youhave the ‘Right to Repair’. This isdesigned to ensure that certain re p a i r s ,known as ‘qualifying repairs’ arecompleted on time. If our contractordoes not complete the repair on time,you can ask us to hire someone else.If the repairs are still not done, you canmake a claim for compensation.

Qualifying repairs are those whichcost less than £250 and include:■ unsafe power or lighting sockets or

electrical fittings■ blocked flues or fires or boilers■ leaking roofs■ toilets that won't flush■ blocked sinks, baths or basins■ leaking or flooding from pipes,

tanks or cisterns■ loose or broken banisters or

handrails

For more information on the Right toRepair, contact your MaintenanceSurveyor

What standard of service can Iexpect?We will respond to repair problems inan efficient and helpful way. All repairsare carried out by contractors we haveselected carefully. The name of thecontractor will be given on your repairsacknowledgement. Our contractorsmust follow certain rules of behaviourwhen working in or around your home,detailed above.

What if the work is not done ontime?We will have put your repair into aresponse time category. See Responsetimes page 65. If the repair is not donewithin that response time let us knowand we will follow it up immediately.

What if I am not satisfied with thequality of work?If the repair was not completed withinthe time allowed or if you are notsatisfied with the work that has beendone or the service provided please letus know. We will investigate allcomplaints thoroughly to make surethat work is done to a good standard

without further delay. If you are notsatisfied with our response to yourcomplaint you should write to theMaintenance Manager or follow ourcomplaints procedure detailed in thishandbook.

Do Charter check up on the qualityof workmanship?We send a postage paid ‘satisfaction’c a rd with your repair acknowledgement.Please fill this in once the repair iscompleted to let us know what youthink of our service and then post itback to us. We run a monthly draw ofall cards returned... you could win acash prize!

We carry out regular quality controlvisits to make sure that our contractorswork to high standards. These visitsare done by picking out completedrepairs on a random basis.

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Baths and BasinsYour responsibilities■ Cleaning baths, sinks and basins

and shower heads.■ Trying to clear blocked wastepipes.

See Handy hints page 100.■ Repairing any items you have

installed yourself, eg shower, extratiles.

■ Replacing plugs and chains onbaths, basins and sinks.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ For water leaks or tap problems,

see Pipes·Taps page 90.■ You should always try to clear any

blocked wastepipes. See Handyhints page 100. Do not use a bath,basin or sink if the wastepipe isblocked; wait until it has beencleared.

■ If a blockage is caused by unusualitems such as toys etc, we will charg eyou if we have to clear it for you.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

■ We cannot guarantee a colourmatch when replacing bathroomfittings.

■ We cannot replace a bath or basinbecause it is stained or chipped.This will only be done if your homeis included in an upgradingprogramme.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: bathroom

fittings loose or broken; wastepipeleaking or blocked; splashback walltiles cracked or broken?

■ If tiles: how many are affected?What size, colour or pattern arethey?

■ If a bath panel: is it the side or theend? What is it made of: plastic,metal or hardboard?

■ If a bath or basin: what is it madeof: plastic, metal or porcelain?

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Doors and LocksYour responsibilities■ Replacing keys or locks if you lose

keys or get locked out.■ Repairing any damage caused by

you, a member of your family or avisitor.

■ Providing any additional locks andlatches and maintaining them oncethey are fitted.

■ Fitting and maintaining doorbellswhere we have not provided one.

■ Adjusting doors when new carpetsare fitted.

Advice■ If the problem has been caused by

vandalism or a break-in you shouldreport the incident to the Policeand get a Crime Report Number(not an Incident Number), otherwisewe will have to charge you for therepair.

■ If you lock yourself out and youneed us to make a forced entry, wewill charge you for the cost ofdoing so and for any related repairwork.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

■ In an emergency, eg you can't lockan external door, we will only beable to make the property safe andsecure. The complete repair will bedone at a later date.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: lock stiff

or not fitting properly into the keep;lock or handle broken; door sticking,ill-fitting or damaged?

■ Which door is it: front, back, orside?

■ What is the door made of: wood,plastic or metal?

■ What type of lock or latch is it:cylinder mortice, cylinder rimnightlatch, mortice lock?

■ Is the property still secure?

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Drains and WastesYour responsibilities■ Trying to clear blocked wastepipes.

See Handy hints page 100.■ Clearing leaves and rubbish from

gullies.■ Clearing blockages in washing

machine or dishwasher outlets.

Advice■ You should always try to clear any

blocked wastepipes. See Handyhints page 100. Do not use thebath, basin or sink if the wastepipeis blocked; wait until it has beencleared.

■ Do not put into toilets products thatdo not break down easily, for examplepaper hand towels or kitchen roll.They easily cause blockages.

■ If a blockage is caused by unusualitems such as nappies or toys etc,we will charge you if we have toclear it for you.

■ We will maintain your kitchen fittingsto a useable standard. When theyreach their expected lifespan wewill include them in a replacementprogramme.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg:

wastepipe blocked or leaking; drainsmelling or blocked; gully blockedor grid missing?

■ If a wastepipe, which is it: bath,basin, sink, shower or toilet? Ismore than one fitting blocked?

■ If the drain is blocked: is itoverflowing?

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ElectricsYour responsibilities■ Resetting trip switches and, if

necessary, turning off the mainssupply. See Handy hints page 102.

■ Replacing light bulbs and fluore s c e n ttubes (except in communal areas).

■ Ensuring that your electricity billhas been paid and that your meterdoes not run out.

■ Testing and replacing batteries insmoke detectors you have installed.

■ Arranging repairs to your ownelectrical appliances.

Advice■ DO NOT TOUCH bare wires and

DO NOT TOUCH sockets orswitches with wet hands.

■ Make sure that you know where thetrip switches are located in yourhome and understand how to resetthem. See Handy hints page 102.

■ To check whether a problem hasbeen caused by a fault in one ofyour appliances try a differentappliance in the socket.

■ If you cause any damage or aproblem is caused by a fault in oneof your appliances we will chargeyou for the cost of calling out acontractor and for any repair work.

■ If water is leaking onto an electricalfitting or a fitting is dangerous, donot touch it. Isolate the circuit byswitching off the trip switch or themain switch. See Handy hints page 102.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: no lights

or power in part of or throughoutthe property; light or light switchnot working; socket loose orbroken?

■ What type of fitting or socket is it?■ Are other buildings affected?■ Are there any other connected

problems?

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07

Fences and GatesYour responsibilities■ Maintaining any fences, walls or

hedges between neighbouringproperties which you or a previoustenant put up. See Advice.

■ Replacing lines and restringing ro t a rydriers (unless shared with others).

■ Maintaining any garden paths,patios, sheds or other outsidefeatures that you or a previoustenant installed.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ If you cause any damage, we will

charge you for the cost of repairwork.

■ If you want to put up your ownfence, for example to increase yourprivacy or to enclose a pet, youmust write to us giving us fulldetails: type of material, where itwill be put up, what height it willbe, etc. You must not go aheadwith the work until we have givenour permission.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: fence

loose or broken; gate sticking; gatecatch missing; path cracked,uneven or damaged.

■ If a fence, what type is it, eg:wooden (what type) or chain link?What length is it?

■ If a gate, what type is it, eg:wooden or metal?

■ If a post, what type is it, eg:wooden, metal or concrete?

■ If a fence, post or gate whatheight is it (approximately)?

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07

Floors and StairsYour responsibilities■ Repairing or renewing floor tiles or

vinyl flooring not originally providedby us.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

■ Lifting any floor coverings you haveput down eg carpets, tiles or woodeffect flooring before we do work tofloors and stairs, and putting theseback after work is completed. SeeAdvice.

Advice■ Contractors may be willing to lift

any floor covering and loosely relayit on your behalf but will accept noresponsibility for any damagecaused to the floor covering in theprocess.

■ If you want to put down your ownwood effect flooring you must writeto us for permission. We will nota g ree to it being used in flats excepton the ground floor, as it causesnoise which affects other flats.

■ We can fit extra handrails to helpdisabled or elderly tenants.

■ If you cause any damage we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: f l o o r b o a rd

or skirting board loose, rotten ordamaged; tread or riser broken;handrail loose or broken; floorcovering lifting or damaged?

■ What type of floor covering is it, eg:floorboards, chipboard, plywood,quarry tiles, plastic tiles, vinylsheeting, or wood block flooring?

■ How many boards or tiles areaffected?

■ Is it in a communal area?

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GaragesYour responsibilities■ Replacing keys or locks to garage

doors if your keys are lost or lockedinside.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ If a problem has been caused by

vandalism you should report theincident to the Police and get aCrime Report Number (not anIncident Number), otherwise we willhave to charge you for the repair.

■ If your garage is separate from yourhome you need to makearrangements for the contractor tofind it and get into it.

■ If you want to put up a shed, lean-to or conservatory, you must writeto the maintenance department forpermission. You need to give us fulldetails of what you are planning.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

We need to know■ If a garage, what type of door is it,

eg: up-and-over, side-hung? Is thecar stuck inside?

■ If a garage roof, what type is it, eg:corrugated metal, cement panel,felt, asphalt or tiles?

■ What is the problem, eg: garagedoor jammed; key lost or stolen;frame damaged; roof damaged?

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GuttersYour responsibilities■ Clearing leaves and rubbish from

gullies.■ Repairing any damage caused by

you, a member of your family, or avisitor.

Advice■ We may need to put up scaffolding

if the repair is above two storeyshigh.

■ In bad weather conditionscontractors cannot work at height,eg on ladders or scaffolding, or onthe roof.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: gutter or

downpipe loose, leaking or blocked;bracket, joint or shoe loose orbroken?

■ Which gutter or downpipe is it:front, back or side?

■ What shape is it: half round, squareor ogee?

■ What is the gutter or downpipemade of: metal or plastic?

■ How many storeys high is thebuilding?

■ Are there any other connectedproblems?

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HeatingYour responsibilities■ If you suspect a gas leak, call

National Grid (Gas) immediately -use a phone OUTSIDE your home- 0800 111999 (using a phoneinside could spark an explosion).

■ Also turn off the gas at the mainsand open windows. Do not smoke,light a match, use a lighter, orswitch anything electrical on or offuntil the problem is fixed.

■ Checking that your heating controls(room thermostat, timer orprogrammer) are set correctly andso using heat eff e c t i v e l y. See A d v i c e .

■ Allowing us into your home once ayear to carry out a boiler service. Ifyou do not do this we will take legalaction to gain access to your home.

Advice■ You will have a timeclock or digital

programmer on your boiler. Thisautomatically turns the heating andhot water on and off at the timesyou set. You can set them to comeon once, twice or stay on all thetime, as you require.

■ During freezing spells, keep somebackground heat on all the time.

■ You will have a room thermostat inc e rtain rooms. This keeps the heatingin that room at a set temperature.Turn the dial so that the arrow ormarker is against the temperaturesetting you want. A comfortableand economic temperature isbetween 15°C and 20°C.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: smell of

gas; central heating not working;radiator leaking or not gettingwarm; no hot water?

■ What type of heating is it: gas,electric, wood or coal?

■ What type of system is it: wall-mounted boiler or a front fire with aback boiler?

■ Have you any other form of heating?■ Are there any other connected

problems?

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Kitchen fittingsYour responsibilities■ Installing washing machines,

dishwashers or tumble driers andproviding wastes and supply pipesfor tumble driers and dishwashers.See Advice.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

■ Repairing any extra units you haveinstalled.

Advice■ If you cause any damage, we will

charge you for the cost of repairwork.

■ We cannot guarantee a colour orstyle match if we have to replacekitchen units or parts of the unit,such as worktop, drawer, or door.

■ If you install either a dishwasher ortumble drier, you are responsiblefor providing any supply and wasteconnections needed for them.

■ We will maintain your kitchenfittings to a useable standard.When they reach the end of theirexpected lifespan we will includethem in a replacement programme.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: wall or

floor unit loose or damaged;worktop loose or broken; cupboarddoor or drawer damaged; cupboarddoor hinge or catch broken?

■ What type of unit is it: wall or floor?■ Are there any other connected

problems?

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Pipes and TapsYour responsibilities■ Taking steps to prevent water in

pipes and taps freezing. See A d v i c e .■ Turning off your water supply at the

main stoptap if a water pipe hasburst, and then turning on all tapsto allow remaining water to flowout. See Advice.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ You should know where the main

stoptap is in order to turn the wateroff in an emergency. Normally it isunder the kitchen sink or near thefront door.

■ If water is leaking onto an electricalfitting, do not touch it. Isolate thecircuit by switching off the tripswitch or the mains switch. SeeHandy hints on page 102.

■ In very cold weather keep heatingon a low setting, even if you are notat home, to prevent pipes fromfreezing.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork. If the damage is caused bywater leaking, you may be able tomake an insurance claim on yourown contents insurance. We canrecommend a reasonable insurancescheme to you. Please ask our stafffor details.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: water

pipe frozen or burst; overflowrunning or broken; tap dripping orfaulty?

■ If water is leaking into yourproperty: is it coming from the flatabove? What is the address?

■ If a tap: what type is it?■ Are there any other connected

problems?

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07

Roofs and ChimneysYour responsibilities■ Putting up television or radio aerials

or satellite dishes on the outside ofthe property. However, you mustget our permission in writing beforeyou do this.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ We may need to put up scaffolding

if the repair is above two storeyshigh.

■ In bad weather conditionscontractors cannot work at height,eg on ladders or scaffolding, or onthe roof.

■ If the roof is leaking and electricalfittings are getting wet, do nottouch them. Isolate the circuit byswitching off the trip switch or themains switch. See Handy hints onpage 102.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: roof

leaking; tiles or slates loose orbroken; chimney pot or cowl fallenor loose; chimney stack crumbling?

■ What type of tiles or slates arethey, eg: plain, ridge, interlocking,hip?

■ How many storeys high is theproperty?

■ Is the chimney shared with anotherproperty? What is the address?

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ToiletsYour responsibilities■ Cleaning toilet pans.■ Trying to clear blocked toilets. See

Handy hints on page 100.■ Replacing toilet seats and lids.■ Repairing any damage caused by

you, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ You should always try to clear any

blockages. See Handy hints onpage 102.

■ If a blockage is caused by unusualitems such as nappies, toys etc, wewill charge you if we have to clear itfor you.

■ Do not put into toilets products thatdo not break down easily, forexample paper hand towels orkitchen roll. They easily causeblockages.

■ We cannot replace a toilet becauseit is stained or chipped. This willonly be done if your home is includedin an upgrading programme.

■ If you cause any damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: toilet

blocked; overflow running; cisternleaking; seat broken; pan crackedor leaking; flush handle broken?

■ What type of cistern is it: standardor close-coupled?

■ What type of handle is it: leverhandle, push down knob or chain?

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Walls and CeilingsYour responsibilities■ Decorating walls and ceilings inside

your home. See Advice.■ Repairing minor cracks or holes in

walls and ceilings.■ Repairing minor fixtures and

fittings: curtain tracks, roller blinds,shelves etc.

■ Putting up television or radio aerialsor satellite dishes on the outside ofthe property. However, you mustget our permission in writing beforeyou do this.

■ Repairing any damage caused byyou, a member of your family or avisitor.

Advice■ Try to keep condensation to a

minimum to prevent damp andmould on the walls or ceiling. SeeHandy hints on page 104 for adviceon controlling condensation.

■ If you cause damage, we willcharge you for the cost of repairwork. If it is caused by waterleaking, you may be able to claimon your contents insurance.

■ In newly built or recently renovatedhomes plaster needs time to fullydry out. Cracks may appear. Theseand other decorative defects will berepaired for the first six months bythe contractor who built the home.You should not carry out additionaldecorating until the end of the sixmonth period.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: wall

plaster loose or crumbling; ceilingplaster bulging; condensation ormould on walls or ceiling?

■ Is there any damage caused bywater leaking: from a burst pipe, aleaking radiator or a leak in theroof?

■ What is the extent of the problem?■ Are there any other connected

problems?

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WindowsYour responsibilities■ Repairing any damage caused by

you, a member of your family or avisitor.

■ Getting broken or cracked glassreplaced unless it was the result ofa criminal action and you have gota Police Crime Report Number.

■ Fitting additional security locks towindows.

Advice■ Windows that have been installed

recently may still be covered by aguarantee.

■ Wherever possible, we will maintainwindows until they reach the end oftheir expected lifespan. We willinclude them in a replacementprogramme.

■ If the problem has been caused byvandalism or a break-in, you shouldreport the incident to the Policeand get a Crime Report Number(not an Incident Number), otherwisewe will have to charge you for therepair.

We need to know■ What is the problem, eg: glass

cracked or broken; frame loose orjammed; stay or fastener broken?

■ What type of frame is it: wooden,plastic or metal?

■ What type of glass is it, eg: plain,obscure, wired cast? Is it doubleglazed?

■ Are there any other connectedproblems?

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Clearing a blocked wasteGeneral advice■ Blockages are usually caused by

the build-up of waste in the trap:fat, tea leaves, hair etc. It is a goodidea to clear wastepipes and trapsat least once a month, preferablywith a suitable product availablefrom DIY stores.

■ The trap is under the fitting (bath,basin or sink). It always holds somewater in it which stops smells comingup the drain. However, waste canbuild up and become stuck in it.

■ If more than one fitting (bath, basinetc) is blocked, the blockage may bein the soil stack or main drain. Thiswill need to be cleared by a plumber.If this is the case, contact us.

What to doYou need:■ bowl, jug or cup, rag or dishcloth,

plunger, rubber gloves.

To unblock a bath, basin or sink:■ bale out most of the water■ hold the rag tightly over the

overflow opening

■ place the plunger over the plughole and pump up and downrapidly

■ after clearing the blockage unscrewthe trap and clean it out

■ thoroughly wash your hands and allequipment after you have finished.

To unblock a toilet:■ if the pan is already full, remove

some of the water into a bucketusing some form of scoop, eg a jugor bowl

■ push the brush or plunger to thebottom of the pan

■ pump it up and down vigorouslyabout 10 times. This creates avacuum and pressure which mayshift the blockage

■ flush the toilet to see whether theblockage has gone

■ you may need to repeat thisprocess several times before thetoilet flushes normally. If there is noimprovement after a couple ofattempts you should contact us

■ thoroughly wash your hands and allequipment after you have finished.

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■ switch the ‘tripped’ switch to theON position

■ plug in the appliances one at a time■ do not use double adaptors when

testing appliances. Test oneappliance per socket, until the tripgoes again.

Resetting a trip switchGeneral advice■ Modern electric circuits are fitted

with circuit breakers called tripswitches. If a fault develops, aswitch is tripped and the circuit isbroken.

■ The trip switches are at theconsumer unit. The consumer unitmay be next to the electricity meter(unless the meter is in an outsidecupboard).

■ Trip switches usually operatebecause:- there are too many fittings or

appliances on a circuit and ithas been overloaded

- an appliance has been misusedor has developed a fault

- a lead to an appliance such as aTV, hair drier, or kettle hasbecome loose or has been badlyconnected

- water has leaked into a circuit- a light bulb has blown.

■ If an appliance has developed afault, leave it unplugged and get aqualified electrician or serviceengineer to check it.

■ Make sure your hands are drywhen you touch electrical fittings.

■ Never touch the electricitycompany's fuse and seals.

What to doTo reset a trip switch:■ open the cover on the consumer

unit to show the trip switches■ check which switches have tripped

to the OFF position■ put these switches back to the ON

position.

If the trip goes again:It is probably being caused by a faultin an appliance. You need to identifywhich circuit is being affected andwhich appliance on that circuit iscausing the problem.

To identify the problem appliance:■ check all the rooms in the house

and note which set of lights orsockets is not working

■ unplug all appliances on thatproblem circuit and switch off theimmersion heater

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CondensationWhat is condensation?■ It starts as moisture that is pro d u c e d

by cooking, washing and using gas.■ This moist air condenses on cool

surfaces such as walls, mir rors,wall tiles and windows, and evensome clothes.

■ When the moist air is warm it risesand often ends up on ceilings andin upstairs rooms. It then formsmould.

Preventing condensationCondensation can occur in any home.You can take steps to prevent it.

Control excess moisture:■ close kitchen and bathroom doors

to prevent steam going into othercolder rooms

■ open kitchen and bathroom windowswhen cooking or washing so thatsteam can escape

■ open some windows in other roomsfor a while each day to allow achange of air

■ do not use bottled gas heaters

■ wipe down surfaces wheremoisture settles to prevent mouldforming

■ do not block air vents■ use your extractor fan or ventilation

unit (if one is fitted). Both fans andventilation units are usually contro l l e dby automatic humidistats thatrespond to the level of moisture inthe air. They are very cheap to run(approx 10p for 60 hourscontinuous use).

Produce less moisture:■ dry clothes outdoors whenever

possible, otherwise use wellventilated rooms

■ cover pans when cooking■ vent any tumble driers to the outside.

Keep your house warm:■ take steps to prevent heat loss■ maintain low background heat.

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For repairs or estatesmaintenance, please contactus on our dedicated repairslines below.

Tel: ■ Repairs (8:30am – 5:00pm):

01633 678511■ Emergency Repairs (out of normal

office hours): 01633 214222■ Estates Maintenance: 01633 480450

e-mail:m a i n t e n a n c e @ c h a rt e rhousing.co.uk web: www.charterhousing.co.uk

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08

Being aGood Neighbour

109 How to be a considerate neighbour

110 What action you can take if your neighbour is anti-social

111 Being realistic and working together

112 Support for witnesses

112 How we deal with drug misuse

112 Abuse, threat or violence towards staff

112 How we deal with hate crime

114 How we deal with harassment

114 Neighbourhood Watch

114 Confidentiality

114 Help us improve this service

IN THIS SECTION The Association wants all itstenants to develop goodrelationships with theirneighbours. It is a condition ofyour tenancy agreement thatyou do not cause nuisance andannoyance to your neighbours.If we do find that you or yourneighbours are causing anuisance, we will investigateand where appropriate, takelegal action to stop thenuisance occurring.

Our intention is to deal firmly but fairlywith anti-social behaviour (ASB), todeter such behaviour and enableothers to act as witnesses. All optionsavailable to deal with ASB will beconsidered, in order to comply withthe 1996 Housing Act and to ensurethe rights of residents to the quietenjoyment of their home.

How to be a considerateneighbourYou can be a good neighbour by:■ Getting to know your neighbour

and agreeing that you will talk toeach other about any problems in areasonable manner.

■ Keeping noise levels as low aspossible, especially when you livein a flat where noise may travelthrough the floor or ceiling toadjoining properties. Keep thevolume of your TV or music systemto a reasonable level and checkwith your neighbours to make surethey are happy with the level ofnoise coming from your home. Donot play music late at night.

■ Informing your neighbours inadvance if you have a party.

■ Keeping your pets under control.For example, make sure your dogdoes not bark when you are outand do not let your dog out on itsown.

■ Carrying out DIY at a reasonablehour.

■ Keeping your garden and anycommunal areas in a clean and tidycondition.

109108

Being A Good Neighbour

■ These investigations may result inlegal remedies such as an injunction,(a Court Order), demotion of tenancyor possession proceedings. Youmay be required to give evidence incourt, either in person or through awritten statement, for these actionsto be successful.

■ Wherever possible, non-legalremedies will be sought such asmediation. Mediation allows youthe opportunity to agree a solutionto the problem being experiencedusing the expertise of a third-partywho will help you through theprocess.

■ We will respond to complaints ofASB received in writing, within 10working days and serious complaints(violence, threats of violence) willbe responded to within oneworking day, and if necessary,immediate legal action can be taken

Being realistic and workingtogetherOur Nuisance Prevention Team is verysuccessful at dealing with Anti-SocialBehaviour. However, it is not a matterfor us as landlord alone but is aresponsibility shared with thoseaffected. Complainants who refuse tobe witnesses and/or who do not wanttheir names disclosed make it difficultfor us to take legal action to protectthem. We have to convince a judgethat legal action is necessary to stopthe nuisance and provide evidence tothe Court to support such action. Thebest evidence is to have witnesses atCourt telling the judge what hashappened. In all our successful caseswe have worked in partnership withthe tenants affected.

Also, complaints about, for example,children playing in the street, bullyingother children etc, may not be suitableissues for us to get involved in. Weexpect people to accept responsibilityas parents for incidents involving theirchildren and to deal with such mattersresponsibly.

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■ Making sure your visitors arerespectful of your neighbours. Youare responsible for the actions ofyour visitors under your tenancyagreement.

■ Driving and parking responsibly inyour community.

■ Accepting that neighbours’ childrenplaying in the street is not itselfanti-social behaviour. Only if thechildren are directly (and knowingly)causing you distress, harassmentor annoyance can their behaviourpossibly be considered as anti-social.

What action can you take ifyour neighbour is being anti-social?■ If you have a complaint about your

neighbour, you should discuss itwith them first, approaching themcalmly and without anger. They maynot know that they are causing anuisance. This often produces thebest results.

■ If your complaint is about a noisenuisance, such as loud music, yourEnvironmental Health Officer from

your local Council may be able tohelp. They have noise monitoringequipment and are able to servelegal notices to stop noise orconfiscate equipment.

■ If you are unable to resolve theproblem yourself and the nuisancecontinues, report the problem toour specialist Nuisance PreventionTeam. Initially complaints will bereferred to the Resolve AssessmentService who will visit you and yourneighbour to discuss your complaintand the range of options availableto resolve it. The ResolveAssessment Service will completetheir procedures within 10 workingdays.

■ Where the nuisance continuesfurther investigations will be carriedout.

■ We will work with you to gatherevidence by asking you to notedetails and timings of the nuisancein a nuisance diary. Whereappropriate, we will ask the policeor other agencies to provideevidence.

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words and behaviour, damage toproperty, graffiti and physical attacks.It may be a one-off incident or it maybe ongoing harassment and/orintimidation.

Charter Housing Association will nottolerate any form of hate crime againstits customers or staff.

If you have been the subject of a hatecrime, speak to a member of staff. Wewill respond in a sensitive way andagree together what action to take. Weare committed to tackling hate crime.If you are a victim, we have a betterchance of helping you if you give usthe information we need to takeaction. You should keep a note of allincidents so we have a record ofeverything that has happened.

You should tell the police if you are thevictim of a hate crime. A hate crime isa criminal offence so the police willinvestigate and offer advice andsupport.

Each case is different so we will tellyou about the options available to youand work jointly with you to help stopthe hate crime.

We will not give information you tell usto anyone else, without first askingyour permission.

We can offer you help and support andalso put you in touch with otherspecialist support groups.

There are a range of actions we cantake against the person or groupcausing the hate crime, e.g., we canissue formal warnings if a tenantbreaks their tenancy agreement, useAcceptable Behaviour Contracts, getan injunction or go to court torepossess the property if thebehaviour is serious. We work withother organisations, such as thepolice, local Community SafetyPartnerships and your local authority,to stop the hate crime.

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Support for witnesses We will give as much support towitnesses or complainants of anti-social behaviour as we can,particularly if they have to attendcourt.

We will talk to complainants, giveadvice and draw up action andsupport plans to include additionalsecurity measures where appropriate.These might include an emergencyalarm, additional lighting orsurveillance cameras.

We will maintain regular contact withwitnesses and complainants and referthem to other support services whereappropriate. We will offer interpreterfacilities where necessary.

How we deal with drugmisuseIf you suspect that your neighbour isusing or dealing drugs you shouldreport this to the local police and theNuisance Prevention Team. We willconsider taking legal action againstany tenant convicted of drug use or

supply from their property. Any crimecan be confidentially reported throughCrime Stoppers on 0800 555111.Where reports lead to a convictionthere is sometimes a reward to beclaimed.

Abuse, threat or violencetowards staffThe Association will not tolerate abuseor violence against staff and willalways consider legal action to preventthis. It is a condition of your tenancythat you are not abusive or violent tostaff. If you display this kind ofbehaviour, we may ban you from ouroffices and refuse to visit you in yourhome or we may take additionalsecurity measures when visiting you.

How we will we deal with hatecrimeA hate crime is a crime committedagainst a person which they believe isbecause of their colour, race, ethnicorigin, nationality, age, disability,gender sexuality or political/religiousbeliefs. A hate crime can take manyforms. It may involve threatening

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09

Moving &Home Ownership Options

How we will deal withharassmentHarassment is where a person believesthey have been verbally or physicallyabused for a specific reason, forexample, because of their race, colour,religion, gender, sexual orientation orage. It can also include attacks onproperty rather than a person.

If we receive a complaint of harassment,we will respond within 24 hours. If youare being harassed, we will respectyour wishes with your consent, involveother agencies where appropriate. Wewill provide additional security at yourhome or if requested, we will try toarrange alternative accommodationwhere possible.

Neighbourhood WatchA good way to work with yourcommunity to tackle crime and ASB isto form a Neighbourhood Watch Gro u p.Contact your Local Crime and Disord e rPolice Officer or your NeighbourhoodManager. You could also log on to theNeighbourhood Watch Web Site atwww.neighbourhoodwatch.uk.com.

ConfidentialityAny information given to us will bestored in accordance with the DataProtection Act 1998.

Help us improve this serviceIf you think you could help us improvethe way we deal with Anti-SocialBehaviour, contact the NuisancePrevention Team who can advise youabout how you can influence theservice. You can also complete acustomer comments form in ourreception and place it in the suggestionbox or make a comment or suggestionin person or on the phone to anymember of staff. We listen to allcomments made by customers. PleaseRead the chapter on CustomerInvolvement in this handbook for moreways in which you can becomeinvolved.

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117 How to register for a transfer

117 How to look for a new home

118 Getting help with the process

118 What if I need to move urgently?

119 What if I want to move to a smaller or larger home?

119 Exchanging your home with another tenant

120 Will an exchange affect my tenancy agreement

120 Moving to another part of the country

121 Help with buying a home

121 Shared ownership

121 Homebuy

122 Help us to improve the service

IN THIS SECTION You may want to move for avariety of reasons. This sectionoutlines the options availablefor people wishing to movefrom their current home withCharter Housing Association.

How to register for a transferAny existing tenant can register tomove to any area where we haveproperties. You will need to fill out anapplication form for Charter by Choice,which is the name the way we let ourhomes. You can also register online atwww.charterbychoice.co.uk. or bytelephoning us and answering a fewbasic questions about you and yourhousehold. You will then receivec o n f i rmation of your registration bandingand your registration date which willbe the date that your current tenancystarted.

There are three priority bands fortransfer applicants. The first is UrgentPriority for those with an urgent reasonto move, the second is Gold ServiceMembers and the third is Non Gold

Service Members. You will becategorised into one of these bandswhen you make an application totransfer. For information on how toapply for Gold Service Membershipsee the Gold Service Section in thishandbook. If you feel you have beenplaced in the wrong band you will beable to appeal and have the decisionreviewed by a panel of Charter staff.

How to look for a new homeTo obtain a new home, you will needto ‘bid’ for any advertised properties inwhich you are interested. All availableproperties are advertised on the website or in the community e.g, at libraries,community centres and Local AuthorityOffices. The Charter Housing receptionat Devon Place has a screen which willenable you to view all the availableproperties. You can also telephone ourHotline on 01633 678525 for a re c o rd e dmessage detailing all available pro p e rt i e s .

Each property has specific criteriaattached. You can place a bid throughthe website or by phoning the Hotline.Bids must be received before the closing

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Options for Moving or Buying a Home

and placed in the urgent priority bandwhich will enable you to transfer morequickly. You should contact yourNeighbourhood Manager to find out ifyou are eligible. They will need to takedetails from you and obtain supportingevidence from other agencies, such asthe police, if appropriate. Priority isgiven in exceptional circumstancesand is limited to 13 weeks YourNeighbourhood Manager will adviseyou of the rules for using a priority card .

What if I want to move to asmaller or larger home?If you are under occupying your homeand do not need to use at least twobedrooms, you may be entitled to apriority card to help you move to asmaller home. If your property is toosmall for you and you need at leasttwo more bedrooms to meet yourfamily’s needs, you may be entitled toa priority card to help you move to alarger home.

Exchanging your home withanother tenantYou have the right to exchange (swap)your home with another Charter tenantor with the tenant of another council orhousing association. If you have aStarter Tenancy you will not have thisright during the first 12 months. Chart e rHousing Association and most otherlandlords have lists of people wantingto swap. You can look at any of thelists to see if anyone has a property inthe area you are looking for and youcan put your name on these lists soother people can contact you.

date. We look at all the bids receivedfor a particular property and then listthem in order of priority categories anddate of registration, discounting anyonewho does not meet the criteria for theproperty. A property will be offered tothe person with the highest priority bandwho has the longest registration date.

Applicants wishing to transfer willreceive priority over people seekingtheir first home with us for propertiesadvertised as ‘preference transfer’.Properties advertised as ‘preferenceh o m e s e e k e r’ are not available to transferapplicants unless no homeseekersapply. We let 20% of our properties totransfer applicants.

It is important to remember that yourrequest to transfer will be refused ifyou have rent arrears, a rechargeabledebt (for court costs or repairs) or ifwe are taking action against you for ab reach of your tenancy agreement.Your property will also need to be of agood decorative standard and in goodrepair before you will be allowed tomove. You will be asked to allow your

home to be inspected b e f o re you transferand you will have to attend an interv i e wto check the details of your applicationbefore a firm offer is made to you.

If you are offered a transfer to anotherhome you may refuse the offer anytime up until the tenancy agreement issigned. You will only be able to refusethree offers of transfer.

Getting help with the processWe aim to make sure everyone has fairand equal access to the Charter ByChoice system. If you feel you needhelp with obtaining a transfer, forexample, if you find it difficult tounderstand the process, or cannotaccess the internet or telephone serv i c eto view properties or make bids, let usknow and we will be able to help you.

What if I need to moveurgently?If you have an urgent reason to move,for example, due to mobility problems,or because you are suffering fromdomestic violence or harassment, youmay be eligible to be awarded priority

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or register online at w w w. m o v e u k . c o m.Once you are re g i s t e red, you can searc hfor properties online or else browsethrough the available properties at anycouncil or housing association office.For advice on moving to another partof the country, please contact theLettings Team.

Help with buying a homeT h e re are a number of home ownershipinitiatives available to help you intohome ownership. If your pro p e rty wasbuilt after 1st April 1997, you may havethe Right to Acquire it with a discountof up to £16,000. There are cert a i ncriteria which apply and not all pro p e rt i e sa re included within the scheme, forexample pro p e rties designed solely foroccupation by the elderly or disableda re exempt. Please contact our Salesand Pro p e rty Team to find out if theRight to Acquire applies to your home.

Shared Ownership Shared Ownership is a part rent, partbuy scheme. We have a small stock ofexisting Shared Ownership propertieswhich are spread across 4 Boroughs.

The scheme allows you to buy a sharein a property e.g 40% by obtaining amortgage or placing a deposit to coverthe share on offer. You would then begranted a lease agreement, and payrent on the share that is owned by us.

We do not buy any new Sharedownership properties. We can onlyoffer a Shared Ownership property tothose on our enquiry list when anexisting shared owner decides to selltheir share in their home. This processis called Lease Assigning.

Shared Owners are able to purchasefurther shares in the property afterliving in the property for one year, butyou do not have to. You may live in theproperty as long as you like withoutowning more than the initial share.

Homebuy Homebuy is a Government backedscheme operated by Registered SocialLandlords throughout Wales. It issupervised by the Welsh AssemblyGovernment.

If you find someone to swap with, bothtenants must fill out exchange formsand wait for permission before moving.Permission will not be unreasonablywithheld, but consent may be delayedor refused if:■ you owe rent arrears■ you have not looked after your home

and it is in a poor state of re p a i r■ the property is larger or smaller

than required ■ the property has adaptations which

will not be required■ you have breached your tenancy

agreement■ possession action has been

commenced

When you exchange, both tenantsmust accept the other property as it isand take responsibility for outstandingrepairs to the home that are the tenant’sown responsibility. Your property willbe inspected before agreement isgiven for you to move and you will begiven a list of any repairs that needdoing by you. You will not normally beallowed to exchange until these repairshave been completed.

Your Neighbourhood Manager will co-ordinate the exchange process foryou. We do have up to 42 days toconfirm if the exchange can go ahead.This is usually done sooner as long aswe have received the relevantinformation from the other landlord.

Will an exchange affect mytenancy agreement?If you have an Assured tenancy andyou exchange with a Council tenantyou will take on their Secure Tenancy.This means that you have additionalrights – for example to take in lodgersand the right to buy. If you exchangewith another Charter tenant yourregistration date for Charter by Choicewill be changed to the date you movedinto your new house.

Moving to another part of thecountryIf you want to move to another part ofthe country, you can register for ascheme called HOMESWAP which is anational mutual exchange schemesupported by the government. Youneed to complete a Homeswap form

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10

CustomerInvolvement

Homebuy aims to help people onlower incomes to become homeowners.It is available to people who c a n n o ta ff o rd to buy a suitable pro p e rt y on theopen market but who have sufficientincome or savings to be able to afford70% of the purchase price. Theremaining 30%, is met through a loanmade available by Fairlake.

The 30% loan is secured as a legalcharge, and would have to be re-paidwhen the property is sold or voluntarypayment can be made after one yearof living in the pro p e rt y. There is no fixedinterest on the loan and the amount tobe repaid will depend on the propertyvalue at the time of re-payment.

There are various Homebuy schemesavailable at different times dependingon the availability of funding. There arealso eligibility criteria to be met. Formore information about Homebuyschemes ask for our information leafletor contact the Sales and PropertyTeam at Fairlake.

Help us to improve the serviceIf you think you could help us improvethe way we let our properties or dealwith exchanges, contact the LettingsTeam who can advise you about howyou can influence the service. We havea Lettings Panel which you are welcometo join. You can also complete acustomer comments form in ourreception and place it in the suggestionbox, or make a suggestion in personor on the phone to a member of staff.We listen to all comments made bycustomers. Please read the section onCustomer Involvement in this handbookfor more ways in which you canbecome involved.

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125 Placing customers at the heart of everything we do

125 Why is it important for you to be involved?

125 What help and support can you expect?

126 Ways to get involved

126 Tell us what you think

IN THIS SECTION Placing customers at theheart of everything we doFor Charter, it is fundamental that ourcustomers have a real influence in thedesign and delivery of our services.We carry out surveys and use regularfeedback from customers to tell uswhat people think of what we do, andwe have a menu of opportunities forour customers to become involved inwhatever way, and at whatever level,suits them.

Our aim is to make sure we listen tocustomers’ views and act upon them,and that we actively create opport u n i t i e sfor people to have their say in a friendlyand supportive environment, so thatwe can make sure that our servicesreflect customer requirements.

Why is it important for you tobe involved?It’s important to Charter that ourcustomers have real influence in thedesign and delivery of our services.That means we need to hear from you.With your input we can provide theservices that you want and need.

What help and support canyou expect?We can support you to get involved by■ paying travel expenses and child

care costs to help you attendmeetings,

■ covering the cost of all postage forthe return of questionnaires,

■ offering rewards and incentives forany time you give us, providingtraining to give you the skills,confidence and knowledge youneed to be involved,

■ helping tenants to organisemeetings, type and print letters orposters, raise funds and keep theiraccounts in ord e r.

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Customer Involvement – Help us to Help You

feedback how you input hasinfluenced our services. Tenants’ Voicemeet regularly and everyone iswelcome. Look out for details ofmeetings in Contact Magazine or onthe website.

Attend Charter SeniorsIf you are over 55 you can join ourCharter Seniors’ Group who meetregularly to socialise and talk aboutissues that affect them. Contact yourNeighbourhood Manager for details.

Join our Customer 100 PanelThis is a group of about 100 tenantswhom we regularly consult aboutchanges to our services or policies.We send questionnaires for completionor conduct quick telephone surveys.There are often rewards such as highstreet vouchers or a prize draw forgetting involved.

Work with us to improve specificservicesIf you have a particular interest in anaspect of our service such as how wedeal with anti-social behaviour,

organise repairs and maintenance, letour properties or manage rent arrears,we have a number of forums set up tolet you have your say about yourexperiences

Speak up at an Area PanelBy the end of 2006 we will have set upan Area Panel in each of our four LocalAuthority Areas. These will enableindividuals to come along and talk toCharter staff about local issues. Watchout for details in Contact Magazine oron our website.

Volunteer to become a Key TenantWe would like to identify ‘key tenants’in each of our communities to act as alocal representative and join us inregular meetings on site to inspect theenvironment and suggest ways inwhich we could improve things. Let usknow if you would like to be thatperson.

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Ways to get involvedOur aim is to offer you a range ofoptions to get involved. You can do asmuch or as little as you like. Theoptions below explain how you canhave your say:

Read our newsletters or log onWe have a number of newsletters.We’ve got Contact Magazine which issent to you three times a year, TheZone, which is for young people, TheBAG, a benefits advice guide and TheWindow, for our older tenants. You canalso get information and makecomments through our website atwww.charterhousing.co.uk.

Tell us what you thinkFrom time to time we send out surveysto our customers. These are a quickand easy way for us to get you viewsand are very important to help us tokeep up to date with what you wantfrom us.

You can also tell us what you think byfilling in one of our tenant satisfactioncards, using our complaints andcompliments procedure, by chatting toa member of staff, giving us a ring,sending us a text or dropping us aline. We make a note of all yourcomments and use them to improveour service to you.

Come along to a Tenants’ VoiceMeetingTenants’ Voice is an independentgroup, chaired and run by tenants,which co-ordinates and supports allcustomer involvement in Charter. Itserves all tenants, encouraginginvolvement, focussing on issues thatdirectly affect customers, relaying yourcomments to Senior Management andthe Board and ensuring that we

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11

GoldService

Ask about joining or forming aTenants’ Association or ResidentGroup.Some of our tenants have cometogether to form a Tenants’ Associationor Residents’ Group for their area, tohave a collective voice about a widerange of issues or just to arrange tripsand events for their community.Contact your Neighbourhood Managerto find out more. We offer start upgrants and some funding to cover therunning costs of Associations, as wellas advice, support and training if youneed it. With our support, manygroups apply for their own funding toorganise events in their community.We work with organised groups oftenants to develop shared objectivesfor improving the environment andservices in your community.

Become a Tenant Board MemberWe welcome tenants who want to joinour Board and ensure that acustomer’s perspective is part ofdecision making at Charter. If youwould like to know more aboutbecoming a Board Member, please

contact your Neighbourhood Managerwho will be able to tell you more.

What do you do if you are interestedin getting involved?Contact your Neighbourhood Managerfor more information.

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130 About Gold Service

130 The criteria for Gold

Service

130 How to join

IN THIS SECTION

How to joinMembership is completely free and it is easy to qualify for Gold Service.Even if you have rent arrears or otherdebts, you can still qualify if you set up and keep to an easy and affordable repayment plan. We cantailor this to meet your circ u m s t a n c e s .Simply complete the application form opposite and send it to usFREEPOST.

Application Form

Name ...........................................................................

Address ......................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Telephone Number .............................................

I wish to apply for Gold ServiceMembership

Signed ........................................................................

Please return to the FREEPOSTaddress on the reverse of this slip (No stamp required).

About Gold ServiceCharter believes that it is extremelyimportant to say ‘thank you’ to thosecustomers who keep to theircontractual obligations as tenants.Charter’s Gold Service is available tothe vast majority of customers whoask very little of us in terms ofmanagement time, and is Charter’sway of recognising and rewarding ourvalued customers. Our rewardspackage provides benefits such asreduced price goods, priority forplanned maintenance upgrades, a‘Golden Handshake’ payment of £150if you leave your home in goodcondition, entry into monthlycompetitions for prizes like roommakeovers, holidays etc, access to a

handyman service and priority forsome transfers. Rewards may changefrom time to time.

Please contact the CustomerAccounts Team for the latest rewardspackage available.

The criteria for Gold Service■ You must have a clear rent account

for six weeks or you must havemaintained a rent arrearsagreement for 12 weeks.

■ You must have no rechargeabledebt or you must be reducing yourrechargeable debt.

■ You must have kept your annualgas servicing up to date.

■ You must have no legal actiontaken against you in the last 12months for a breach of yourtenancy agreement.

■ You, or a member of yourhousehold, must not have acted ina threatening or a violent mannertowards a member of staff.

■ Your property and garden musthave been maintained to areasonable condition.

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Gold Service

Charter HousingAssociation

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UsefulContact Numbers

UK National Drugs HelplineO800 776600www.talktofrank.com

Alcoholics Anonymous National Helpline0845 769 7555www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Relate Relationship Guidance0845 130 4016www.relate.org

The Samaritans0845 790 9090www.samaritans.org.uk

Tenant Participation AdvisoryService (Cymru)02920 237303www.tpascymru.org.uk

Welsh Tenants’ Federation 01685 723922www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk

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Help and Support

Newport City CouncilContact Centre for all enquiries:01633 656656www.newport.gov.uk

Torfaen County Borough CouncilContact Centre for all enquiries: 01495 762200www.torfaen.gov.uk

Monmouthshire County CouncilContact Centre for all enquiries: 01633 644644www.monmouthshire.gov.uk

Caerphilly County Borough CouncilContact Centre for all enquiries: 01495 226622www.caerphilly.gov.uk

Gwent PoliceAll Enquiries: 01633 244999

Crimestoppers 0800 555111

Shelter CymruFree adviceline: 0808 800 4444www.sheltercymru.org.uk

Citizens’ Advice Bureauwww.citizensadvice.org.uk

South East Wales Race EqualityCouncil (SEWREC)All Enquiries: 01633 250006www.sewrec.org.uk

Disability Wales0292 088 7325 www.disabilitywales.org

NHS Direct 0845 4647www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Childline for children and young people0800 1111www.childline.org.uk

NSPCC 24 hour Child Protection Helpline0808 800 5000www.nspcc.org.uk

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Other Useful Contacts