The Tenancy Agreement - Repairs and Maintenance

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2 Contents Keeping in touch How we work If we don t meet your expectations Your tenancy agreement Repairs and maintenance Living in your home and neighbourhood Your rent We will make sure any information we produce is easy to understand. We can arrange for information to be translated into a variety of languages, to be put in Braille or large print or recorded on audiotape. Interpreters can be provided for meetings or telephone calls. If you require any part of this document to be translated or presented in a different format, please let us know. Translation service

3 Welcome Welcome to your new home. We hope you settle in quickly and feel at home very soon. This handbook will help you do this by telling you about the services we provide and your rights and responsibilities. You ll find sections about the way we work, the way your tenancy works and anything that s expected of you while you re living in your home - from moving in, to enjoying your home, to what happens if you d like to move out. We aim to provide the best service possible for all of our customers. By working together we can help make sure you love your home and the neighbourhood you live in. To help us do this, every customer has a named Customer Service Partner dedicated to looking after customers in your area. If you have any questions you can t find the answer to in your handbook, your Customer Service Partner will be happy to help. Your Customer Service Partner is: Name Mobile number You can also contact your Customer Service Partner by calling us on

4 Keeping in touch 1

5 Keeping in touch We have a range of ways you can contact us when you have any enquiries we can help with. Our website Visit us online at Through your TV! Find us on looking local through your digital TV or download the mobile phone app. Our Quick Code is 4485 and you can learn more about using looking local by visiting Look out for our magazine and newsletters We work with customers to ensure our quarterly magazine, Homelife, is a great read. The magazine and local newsletters are a simple and cost - effective way of letting you know about important changes or advice. us Your Customer Service Partner may have given you an address to get in touch with them directly. You can also Home Group at homegroup@homegroup.org.uk In person Your Customer Service Partner is often out and about in your area and welcomes the chance to speak to customers. If you spot them when they re out and about please say hello. They ll also be happy to come and visit you if there s anything you d like to talk about. On the phone Call our customer service centre on to be put in touch with your Customer Service Partner, report a repair, make a payment, or for any other enquiries we may be able to help you with. Our customer service centre is open Monday-Friday, 7am-8pm and Saturday, 8am-12 noon. Calls are charged at local rate. Write to us The main office nearest to you is: Our registered head office is: Home Group 2 Gosforth Park Way Gosforth Business Park Newcastle NE12 8ET

6 How we work 2

7 How we work We always aim to provide the best possible experience to you. Our customer promise and customer service standards set out what we aim to do for you. Our customer promise A decent home A home which meets the Home Standard. Value for money Clear understanding of cost of service and ability to scrutinise and influence budgetary spend. A safe place to live Ensure customers understand and comply with their tenancy agreements including tackling anti-social behaviour. A choice of products and services Help with how to obtain other services. Reliable services Good and quick repairs service. Good complaints service. One stop shop for enquiries. Clear information and opportunities to influence Clear accessible information through a number of dedicated channels. Various ways to get involved. People who care Do what you say you ll do.

8 Customer service standards We will: provide you with a convenient appointment time for repairs respond to emergency requests within six hours answer the telephone within 30 seconds respond to complaints, letters and s within five working days issue a customer newsletter four times a year tackle anti-social behaviour quickly and effectively work with you to improve your neighbourhood provide a range of accessible opportunities for you to get involved in improving our services. Colleagues will: be prompt and helpful in all their communications with you have access to up to date information and listen to your needs display identity cards or name badges at all times answer your call, letter, or face-to-face enquiry effectively, sensitively and within a timescale that meets your requirements offer appointments for home visits. Offices open to the public will: be accessible to all display signs so it is clearly identifiable display opening hours clearly and work with customers to meet their needs to access offices outside standard working hours display useful information about available services and making complaints provide a pleasant environment for visiting customers with space for private discussion if required. Performance standards are set and monitored in all areas of service delivery including: repairs and maintenance rent or service charge management allocations and lettings tackling anti-social behaviour making complaints.

9 Our values Our colleagues are: Accountable Caring Commercial Energised Our strategy Housing with Care Housing with Care is our strategy which sets out the next stages of our mission to help our customers and clients to open doors to new opportunities and healthy lives. We believe that the main ways that we can help our customers and clients to open doors are through: Improving the quality of their housing through the provision of reliable and fit for purpose housing and housing services; Improving their access to affordable housing by increasing the supply of housing through building more homes; and Providing accommodation-based interventions which support aspects of their mental and physical health or welfare. Together we will work as one Home Group to deliver Housing with Care. We will know we have succeeded when: Customers and clients tell us what matters most to them and trust us to deliver our promise. We are commercially aware and building a financially stronger Home. Our colleagues work together to fulfil our mission and deliver Housing with Care. You can read more about our strategy at housingwithcare

10 Equality and diversity We recognise that customers are individuals and have different needs. We aim to deliver an excellent customer service and this means listening to and understanding your needs and ensuring equal access to our homes and services. We will treat you with respect, equally and fairly. We will promote best practice in all areas of equality and diversity and will contribute to the elimination of discrimination and take steps to redress its negative effects. We want to make sure that our services reflect the diversity of the communities we work in. Please let us know if you feel that any of our policies are unfair. We want you to have a strong voice in what we do and will provide opportunities for you to get involved in a way which suits you best. We value the diversity of our colleagues and we will make sure they are equipped with the skills to deliver on our promises. Together, we use our talent and experiences to make a real difference to our customers and clients and the neighbourhoods in which we work. We openly communicate in a clear and effective way to become a more inclusive organisation. We ensure that equality and diversity is everyone s responsibility. Please contact your Customer Service Partner if you would like a copy of our equality and diversity policy, strategy or action plan. To achieve this we ensure that: We challenge discrimination, address disadvantage and take positive action. Through the committed leadership of our Board and Executive equality and diversity is an integral part of our business. We appreciate, value and understand our customers and clients needs and through involving you, we improve our services.

11 Getting involved Involving our customers is at the heart of everything we do. We use your feedback to help improve our services which means you really can make a difference. Our customer promise sets out the service you can expect from us. We want you to get involved to monitor our performance against our customer promise making sure we do what we say we re going to do. Your views are important to us, and if there s a service that needs improving we ll listen to your ideas and do what we can to improve it. Involving you gives us a better understanding of how we re doing, what you need now and what you may need in the future. Working together Our customer board members and customer panel monitor our performance and scrutinise our services to ensure we re delivering our customer promise. We understand that our customers have busy lives so we offer a variety of ways for you to get involved including: Online community Chat online to other customers about what matters to you most, and share your experience of being a Home Group customer. Keep It Short and Simple Group (KISS) - KISS groups help us by making sure our communications are clear, relevant and easy to understand. Neighbourhood walkabouts Customers and Home Group colleagues regularly walk your neighbourhood to maintain standards and seek improvements. Tenants and residents associations These are local groups who meet to discuss issues and come up with ideas to improve their local community. Neighbourhood viewpoint teams Groups of customers who monitor and scrutinise our performance, and develop locally tailored services. Regional viewpoint teams Customers from across the region who scrutinise regional performance and influence service improvements. Staff recruitment Help us to find the right person for the job by supporting us with the recruitment of new colleagues. Tenant inspectors Customers talking to other customers, auditing, investigating and assessing areas of specific service delivery. National Customer Panel This panel meets regularly to influence strategy and policy and make sure customers voices are heard by Home Group. Customer Board Member - We have a customer on the Home Group Board. They have full voting rights and bring a customer perspective to the Board ensuring the needs of customers are always on the agenda. Together Team - Customers have developed and co-facilitated Involvement Works! training to colleagues across the business.

12 We will provide support, training and assistance to anybody who d like to get involved. Customers tell us that when they get involved they benefit in many ways, including the chance to: meet other people understand other people s problems really influence the quality of your community know your neighbours better get the best value for your rent provide the best environment for your family learn new skills and develop existing ones feel that you are making a real difference learn more about Home Group and the wide and interesting work we do. We appreciate that customers give up their time to help improve our services and we have a customer expenses policy to ensure you re not out of pocket while doing so. Please visit getinvolved to find out more, or get in touch with your Customer Service Partner.

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14 What if we don t meet your expectations If you ve had a poor experience of our services we want to hear from you so we can put it right. We take complaints very seriously. Your views will help us to improve the service we provide to all of our customers. Please let us know by talking to us, writing, ing or contacting us through our website. What should you let us know about? We welcome your feedback on all aspects of the service we provide. This includes: treatment you have had from a colleague or one of our contractors our policies, for example how we let our properties or recover unpaid rent our repairs service conditions and services on your estate. Further information about making a complaint is available from your Customer Service Partner or our customer service centre. problem. You can do this on the phone, in writing or ask us to visit you. We will keep you up to date with the progress of the investigation and will aim to provide a response within five working days. You can appeal against our decision if you are not happy with the response. We will then ask another manager or director to thoroughly review your complaint. We will aim to provide you with a response within five working days. If the previous stages have not resolved the problem, you may request a final review by a complaints panel. Housing Ombudsman Service You can ask the independent Housing Ombudsman to investigate your complaint if you are still dissatisfied. The Ombudsman will usually want to know that you have been through every stage of our complaints procedure before they will get involved. Ask your Customer Service Partner for a form for the Ombudsman or contact them directly at: Making a complaint Discuss the problem with the colleague who was dealing with your request. This may be one of our Customer Service Advisors or your Customer Service Partner. They can usually sort out your problem quickly and efficiently. If you re still unhappy, our colleagues can raise a complaint on your behalf to be investigated by a local manager. We will ask you to tell us what is wrong and what you would like done to sort out the Housing Ombudsman Service 81 Aldwych London WC2B 4HN T: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk Independent help and advice You can get independent help and advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau, Housing Advice Centre, MP or local councillor.

15 4 Your tenancy agreement

16 Your tenancy agreement Your tenancy agreement is the legal document that sets out the details of the agreement between you (the tenant) and us (the landlord). It includes: the services you can expect from us your rights as a tenant your responsibilities. It is a very important document so make sure you keep it in a safe and secure place. If we ever need to change any of the details in your agreement, we will ask you what you think of the changes before we make them and, in the case of assured tenants, obtain your written consent (excluding changes to rent and service charges). Further information about consultation and involvement is given in the Getting Involved section. Joint tenancies If more than one person has signed the tenancy agreement, this is called a joint tenancy. Joint tenants have equal rights over the tenancy and equal responsibilities. For example, joint tenants are both responsible for paying the rent and any arrears. If one tenant fails to pay the rent and then moves out, the other tenant is still responsible for the arrears. Any debt recovery action, such as a County Court order, can still be taken against both tenants. Contact your Customer Service Partner if you would like to change your tenancy into a joint tenancy. We will need written consent from you and your partner. You may also need to prove that you have been living together for at least a year. We will not refuse permission unreasonably, however it is at our discretion in each case and for example, won t be given if there are rent arrears. Assured and secure tenancies If you live in your property as your main home and keep to the conditions of your tenancy agreement and pay your rent, you can keep your tenancy for as long as you like. If you do not keep to your tenancy agreement or you live in another property, we have to follow legal steps before we can end your tenancy. In many cases, we must first serve a Notice of Seeking Possession. However, in some cases, we can begin legal action by serving a Notice to Quit. We may do this if, for example, you have abandoned your property or are sub-letting the whole of your property (i.e. you move out and let someone else live there). A Notice of Seeking Possession will state why we want possession of your home and give a date after which we can start court proceedings. The reasons we can use are laid down in law and include (but are not limited to): not paying your rent breaking a condition of your tenancy agreement causing nuisance or annoyance to people in the area harassing other people, including our colleagues

17 using the property for illegal or immoral purposes giving false information to get your tenancy in the first place. Sometimes you may need to move out so that we can carry out major repairs to the property. You may qualify for disturbance or home loss allowances in these circumstances. If your home is specially designed for someone who has a disability but they no longer live there, we may ask you to move. In these cases we will offer you another home to live in. If you refuse to move, the court will decide if it is reasonable to make you do so. Starter tenancies A starter tenancy is like a trial or probationary tenancy. You have most of the rights of an assured tenant, but we can end the tenancy without having to attend a court hearing. We would only do this if you break the terms of your tenancy agreement - some examples of the reasons why are above, under the assured tenancy section. Provided you keep to the terms of your tenancy agreement, it will be converted to a full assured tenancy after 12 months. As a starter tenant, you do not have the right to exchange your property with someone else. We use starter tenancies to help deal with and prevent anti-social behaviour. We issue them to new tenants in any area where we decide it is appropriate. If you are already a Home Group customer, you cannot be given a starter tenancy. Fixed term tenancies From early 2013 we offer fixed term tenancies in some areas. These will be for new customers only and will last for a minimum of five years, provided that you keep to the terms of the agreement. At the end of the five years, we may ask you to leave if your circumstances have changed and a smaller home would be more appropriate for your household. You would receive appropriate notice if this was our decision. We are currently working on the details of these tenancies. Equitable tenancies If you are aged 16 or 17 when you move into your new home, we will give you an agreement especially for people under 18. This is because you cannot legally have a tenancy until you are 18. Your tenancy is therefore held in trust until you reach 18, when you will then be given whichever tenancy agreement is in use in your area (eg assured, five year fixed term or starter leading on to assured). Lodgers and sub-letting You may not sub-let the whole of your property. This means that you cannot move out and let someone else live there in your place. You must get Home Group s consent before sub-letting a part of your home or taking in a lodger. Please ask your Customer Service Partner. We will not refuse consent unless we have a good reason.

18 We need to know about any change in the circumstances of your household so we can keep our records up to date. We can also advise you of any effect it could have on your housing benefit claim; sometimes, rent from a lodger may reduce the amount you get. However after April 2013, the rules on housing benefit will change and you may lose money if you have a spare room. The rent from taking in a lodger could help to make up for any reduced housing benefit. Please speak to your Customer Service Partner for further information. You will be held responsible for any nuisance that your lodger or sub-tenant causes. If your tenancy ends and you leave the property you must make sure that the lodger leaves too. We will not be responsible for housing your lodger. Giving your tenancy to someone else You may not give your tenancy to anyone else unless: there is an order from the court following divorce or separation proceedings, or we approve a mutual exchange or swap. You must never sell your tenancy to anyone else. You may have the right to assign (ie sign over) your tenancy to someone who lives with you, such as a husband, wife, civil partner or member of your family. You will need our written permission before you can do this. In some cases the other person must have been living with you for a minimum of the previous 12 months. What happens to your tenancy if you die? If there is a joint tenancy then the surviving tenant will retain their existing rights, by taking on the whole tenancy. In a sole tenancy there is a right for somebody else to succeed to your tenancy. Only one succession of a tenancy is allowed. A joint tenant taking on the whole tenancy when the other tenant dies is called survivorship and counts as one succession. We may need to consider whether the size of property still meets the needs of your family. If you take on a tenancy after the tenant has died and the property is too big for your household, we may ask you to move to a smaller property. Contact your Customer Service Partner for more details. In line with our commitment to equality and diversity we will treat applications from heterosexual, lesbian and gay couples in exactly the same way.

19 Buying your home Many Home Group customers are not able to buy their homes. However, there are two schemes which may apply to those who can, the Right to Buy and the Right to Acquire. Contact your Customer Service Partner to find out if either applies to your home. The Right to Buy is part of some tenancy agreements. It means you can buy your home from us at a discounted price compared to the market value. You might have the Right to Buy if you have a secure tenancy. This will usually be the case if your home was owned and managed by a local council when your tenancy started, but is now owned and managed by us. Also, if your tenancy with us started before 15 January 1989, you may have the Right to Buy. If your home was built or substantially improved after April 1997, you may have the Right to Acquire. This depends on: the type of property where it is the type of funding used to pay for it when it was built. The scheme offers a grant to help with buying your home. Keeping information about you safe Your information is always kept safe, secure and confidential. We will not tell anyone else this information unless there are very good reasons for doing so, for example because we have a legal duty to do so or we want to prevent fraud. You have the right to inspect information that we hold about you. We will not be able to show you information provided in confidence to us or on topics that we consider would be harmful to disclose. You can make an appointment to look at your file at your local office. If you think the information is incorrect, it can be changed or a record of your disagreement made. Other rights These are explained in other parts of the handbook: your right to exchange or swap your home your right to carry out improvements your right to repairs and maintenance.

20 Your responsibilities Living in your home You will only keep your tenancy if you live in the property as your only or main home. If we find that you have abandoned or moved out of the property, we will take steps to end your tenancy and let the property to someone else. You must not get your tenancy by making a false statement. Sometimes you may need to leave your home for a while, for example to go into hospital. You should always let us know: where you will be how long you will be away who will be looking after your home how the rent will be paid. You must pay your rent, any water rates and service charges on time. For more details see your tenancy agreement. Paying your rent You are responsible for paying your rent in full and on time. If you have any queries about your rent or think you may have difficulty paying on time, please contact your Customer Service Partner. Harassment Home Group condemns harassment and will take the strongest possible action against anyone causing it. We define harassment as the deliberate interference with the peace, comfort or safety of any persons on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, gender reassignment or any other identified factor. Actions that might be defined as harassment include: verbal abuse threatening or intimidating behaviour arson or attempted arson graffiti damage to property physical abuse or assault. Your tenancy agreement forbids harassment in any form. We will take action where necessary. If you feel you are being harassed, please contact your Customer Service Partner immediately. Further information on harassment is given in the section Living in your home and neighbourhood. Nuisance Nuisance covers many types of behaviour that can disturb your enjoyment of your home. This can include excessive noise, problems with pets and accumulating rubbish. Your tenancy agreement states that you, members of your household and visitors must not do anything likely to cause nuisance to other people in the area. If you are experiencing nuisance, please contact your Customer Service Partner. Further information on nuisance is given in the section Living in your home and neighbourhood.

21 Domestic violence The term domestic violence refers to abuse suffered in a home environment. It can include: threat of or physical violence emotional abuse sexual abuse excessive financial controls social isolation any behaviour that feels like bullying. The law allows us to apply to court to end the tenancy of a person who has used or threatened violence that has made his or her partner leave home. Further information is given in the section Living in your home and neighbourhood. Other responsibilities You must also: pay your rent on time use your home for residential purposes only keep your home in good condition. not use your home for any illegal or immoral purpose not engage in any criminal activities allow us to access your home when required, for example to complete gas servicing. Support services If you are in need of support to help you sustain your home, please contact your Customer Service Partner who will be able to advise you and can help make referrals to local independent support services.

22 Repairs and maintenance 5

23 Repairs and maintenance The upkeep and repair of your home is the shared responsibility of you, the customer, and Home Group, the landlord. By working together we can ensure your home is maintained to the highest possible standard. This section sets out the repairs that you are responsible for, the repairs that we are responsible for and the repairs service that you can expect from us. Reporting a repair If we are responsible for a repair it is best to report it quickly. You can report non-urgent repairs: - online at - through looking local on your digital TV or mobile phone app (see www. homegroup.org.uk/lookinglocal for more information on how to do this) - by phone on Our customer service centre is open Monday Friday, 7am 8pm and Saturday, 8am 12noon. Emergency repairs should always be reported by phone to our customer service centre and can be reported at any time. check all flues, chimneys, appliances and gas piping in your home. The engineer will give you a copy of the Landlord s Gas Safety Certificate as evidence that the work has been carried out. Please keep this in a safe place and you ll be contacted when your next service is due. If you end your tenancy, leave the certificate for the next customer. If you have not had a gas service in the past 12 months please contact us immediately on This inspection is compulsory and vitally important for your safety. You will be given reasonable notice and will need to ensure they can get access to your home to carry out the inspection. If you fail to comply you will ultimately put your tenancy at risk. We will take legal action to gain access and legal costs will be claimed against you. If necessary we will also take out possession proceedings. Access for other reasons There may be other health and safety reasons that we need to access your home to inspect or carry out work. We will always give you reasonable notice if we, or our contractors, need to access your home. Gas appliances By law, Home Group must inspect gas appliances in your home every 12 months. We carry this out as part of our service to you. Our contractors engineers who carry out this work are registered with the Gas Safe Register. During the service we will

24 Your repairs responsibilities Your rent includes payment towards the cost of most repair and maintenance work, however you also have some responsibilities for keeping your home maintained to a reasonable standard. This includes being responsible for some minor repairs, examples of which are listed below. Please note that you are also responsible for repairing anything damaged through wear and tear, misuse or neglect by you, your family or visitors. Where you are unable to carry out the repairs yourself you can ask someone else with the suitable ability, skill, knowledge and experience to properly carry out the repair to do the work. You are responsible for ensuring the work is carried out safely and to a good standard. If the work is not carried out to a good standard then you could be liable to pay the cost of any subsequent work that Home Group has to carry out. Door furniture Fitting or repairing door bells (unless we fitted it or there is a door entry system) Door-number plates Replacing door locks and keys if you lose your keys Fitting or repairing door security chains (unless we fitted it) Any door locks that you have fitted Replacing broken glass in doors or screens (unless caused by criminal damage) Windows Cleaning windows (except for communal areas) Replacing broken glass in windows (unless caused by criminal damage) Window locks that you have fitted Property maintenance Redecorating inside your home and keeping the decoration in good condition Fitting or repairing curtain rails Filling minor internal cracks in plaster Floor coverings e.g. carpets and vinyl (unless we have written to you) Preventing and cleaning away mould and mildew caused by condensation Repair and maintenance of any fixtures not fitted by us, including bathroom and kitchen tiles and kitchen units Upkeep of anything that belongs to you, for example furniture Trimming doors so the carpet will fit Heating Maintenance of any central heating system not fitted by us Bleeding radiators (to get rid of air bubbles that prevent the radiator from working properly)

25 Electrics Fitting or repairing TV aerials or satellite dishes (unless covered by your service charge) Replacing light bulbs Replacing or repairing striplights tubes and starters (unless we have provided them) Repair and maintenance of any appliances that belong to you or which you have installed eg washing machine, cooker, shower We will carry out a gas safety check for gas cookers every 12 months but you will have to arrange and pay for any repairs Repairing any damage caused by your appliances, for example washing machine floods Checking and changing the battery in a battery powered smoke detector Maintaining smoke alarms that have not been fitted by Home Group Garden Keeping your garden and any shared areas clean and tidy Repair and maintenance of sheds Repair and maintenance of timber garages Repairs and maintenance of washing rotary dryers or water storage butts Plumbing Plugs and chains in baths, basins and sinks Clearing blockages to bath, sinks and basins caused by misuse Any repairs to showers unless provided with the property Keeping drains clean

26 Our repairs responsibilities Broadly it is our responsibility to carry out most repairs to the outside of your home, the main structure and communal areas. We also cover standard fittings, such as kitchens and bathrooms, that we have provided within your home. We will also carry out tests of gas heating appliances and the gas pipework every 12 months. Bathroom fixtures and fittings Bath Showers provided with the property Toilet Washbasin Taps Tiles fitted by us Central heating Chimney and flue Chimney sweeping Coal bunker if you have solid-fuel heating Electric storage system Electric warm-air system Fireplace tiles Gas-fired system with radiators Gas-fired warm-air system Solid-fuel system Door furniture Door bells fitted by us Door entry systems Door chains fitted by us Replacing glass in doors and screens caused by criminal damage Internal doors Handles and latches to internal doors All locks fitted by us External doors Kitchen Electric cookers provided by us Cooker socket Kitchen units fitted by us Sink bowl and drainer Tiled splash-back fitted by us Plumbing Domestic cold-water supply Downpipes (rain and soil) Drains Gutters Hot-water supply Washing machine fittings where the appliance was provided by us

27 Structural and external Ceilings Damp-proof course Floors Outside woodwork Skirting boards Stairs (internal) Steps to entrances Walls Outside decoration this will be monitored and done approximately every five years. Electrical Striplights (tubes and starters) fitted by us Fuses in circuit breakers and fused spurs Wall sockets Fuse boxes Electrical wiring Windows Frames and fittings Window locks fitted by us Garden Clothes line posts Posts and wires that are boundaries (in Home Group s ownership) Fences between gardens (in Home Group s ownership) Footpaths Gates Brick and concrete sheds provided by us

28 Reporting a repair to the customer service centre As well as taking your name, address and a telephone number where we, or our contractors, can reach you our advisors will ask you a number of security questions to confirm your identity such as your date of birth or tenancy number. They will then ask you some questions to help them diagnose the repair. Please have as much information available as possible about the problem to help us make sure we respond correctly. If a window has been broken or you have been the victim of some other act of vandalism we will also need a crime reference number. You will need to report the damage to the police even if they do not intend to investigate the crime. Our insurance requires us to have a crime reference number whenever we repair damage caused by vandalism or other criminal activities. The police will only issue a reference number to the victim of the crime (you). Once the problem has been diagnosed our advisors will arrange an appointment with you for one of our contractors to come out to complete the repair. We want to provide repair appointments at times that are convenient for you and will offer you a morning or afternoon appointment between the hours of 8am and 5pm. If you need to reschedule your appointment please contact the customer service centre at the first opportunity and a new appointment will be issued. Repairs appointments On the day of the appointment, the contractor will contact you to confirm that they are on their way to the appointment. Our repairs contractors will be polite and show consideration and respect. They will carry identification, including the Home Group logo, contractor logo, their name and photograph and must show this when visiting your home. If you have reported a repair and are unsure if the person who attends is legitimate please contact the customer service centre. We operate a right first time system for repairs. Where possible we complete the repair at the first visit. Where this is not possible, we will keep you informed about when you can expect the repair to be completed. If you are out when the operative calls, they will leave a card and the job will be cancelled on their system. You should ring the customer service centre on to rearrange the appointment. Operatives will endeavour to inform you of what the repair has entailed and will leave the work area clean and tidy when they have finished.

29 Repairs standards We seek to carry out repairs to a high standard and monitor our contractors and manage the service to ensure value for money and delivery of a high quality service. The materials, products and all work undertaken is in line with good building practice. We work to meet all legal requirements and relevant safety standards. We are always keen to hear your views about our repairs service so please let us know what you think of our performance by filling in our feedback form on our website. Repair waiting times When you call the customer service centre the urgency of your repair will be assessed by our advisor. Repair requests are put into three categories. Each one has a timescale in which the work must be carried out. These are: Emergency repairs: within six hours Urgent repairs: within five calendar days Routine repairs: within 14 calendar days Emergency repairs Emergencies are problems that present immediate risks to your safety, security or health, or could lead to serious damage to the property. These risks could also affect your family, your visitors or anyone else in your building. Examples include: serious water leaks electrical faults major structural damage blocked toilet (if there is only one in your home) no heating in winter. We will attend and carry out any initial repairs and make sure your home is safe within six hours. It may take longer to fully repair the problem. For example, a broken window will be boarded up to make it secure, however new glass may have to be ordered so re-glazing would be done later. This follow-up work will be carried out within urgent or routine repairs timescales as appropriate. Urgent repairs Urgent repairs are those which, if not completed within five calendar days may cause a risk to a your health, safety or welfare, or could cause serious damage to the property. Some examples of urgent repairs include: partial loss of electricity partial loss of water supply leaking roof loss of water or space heating in summer tap that cannot be turned

30 Routine repairs Routine repairs include less serious repairs which do not affect health, safety or welfare, and will not cause any more problems to the property. For example: guttering kitchen cupboard repairs non-urgent glazing plaster work. Right to Repair compensation You can claim compensation from us if we take an unreasonable amount of time to complete a repair which is defined as a qualifying repair by the government. If your repair is not carried out within the target time, you should contact the customer service centre. If the work is not carried out within the second target time, you may qualify for compensation. Works covered by the Right to Repair are generally small scale jobs which do not require any planning or special materials. If you want further information about when you can claim Right to Repair compensation please contact your Customer Service Partner. What happens if you carry out a repair that is my responsibility? We will recharge you for repairs that we carry out which are your responsibility. Generally, we will not carry out repairs that are your responsibility unless you have paid for the cost of the work in advance. When you report the repair, we will tell you, where possible, that it is a rechargeable repair and will advise you how much it will cost for us to do the work. You can decide to do the work yourself if it is a minor repair or arrange for and pay a competent tradesperson to do it on your behalf. Alternatively you can pay us to do the repair. All repair work must be completed to Home Group standards and comply with any relevant legislation. For example electrical and gas repairs have regulations that require work to be completed by a skilled and competent tradesperson and you must therefore not attempt these repairs yourself as you may put yourself and others in danger. Before you engage any contractor to do works on the electrical or gas installations in your home you must tell us what it is that you intend to do and who is doing the work on your behalf and get our approval. If you report an emergency repair that involves a risk to health and safety, we will do the repair. If the repair is your responsibility, we will still charge you for the work. When your tenancy ends you must ensure that any repair work you are responsible for is done before you leave. If you leave your home, garden or garage in a state of disrepair or leave behind any belongings or rubbish, we will rectify the situation and charge you for the work.

31 Adaptations for people with disabilities We want you to be able to enjoy your home and live comfortably. If you find it difficult to access parts of your home, we can help to make things easier for you. You may benefit from a small aid, such as a handrail to help you to climb steps or stairs, or you may need a bigger adaptation such as a stairlift. We re able to provide some aids and adaptations for you or, where this is not possible due to the cost or specialist nature of the equipment, we ll signpost you to other organisations that are able to help. To apply for an adaptation to your home you can download an application form from our website or contact your Customer Service Partner, who will also be able to assist with filling out the application. Please return your application form to your Customer Service Partner. When we receive your form we will visit you to agree what work needs to be done. You may need to support your application with a report from your doctor or occupational therapist. It is possible for you to carry out your own adaptations and pay for them yourself, however you must ask for our permission to do this. We will always agree to any reasonable requests for you to do this, however we will need to consider planning and other regulations. include putting in new central heating systems, kitchens and bathrooms. Wherever we can, we will give you a choice on items such as the colour of kitchen units and wall coverings. Your tenancy agreement includes your right to make improvements to your home with our permission. We have to make sure that any work on our property is done by professionally qualified people and to a good standard. Please tell us what improvements you want to make and get our written permission before the work starts. We will not withhold permission unreasonably and we may wish to inspect the work when it is finished. You are responsible for maintenance (and any repairs required) arising from improvements you make to your property. If you get our permission you may be able to claim compensation from us if you leave the improvement behind when your tenancy ends. For further details, contact your Customer Service Partner. Improving your home We may carry out major improvements to your home in addition to the normal repairs service. This is called the Decent Homes Standard programme and can

32 Home contents insurance Customers often think Home Group insures their furniture, belongings and decorations against fire, theft, vandalism or water damage such as burst pipes. This is not the case. We only insure our buildings and any contents that we provide, for example, the central heating system. We advise all customers to take out some kind of home contents insurance. Home contents insurance should cover you against: burglaries damage caused to your belongings in a fire or other accident damage caused to other people s property, for example your washing machine flooding a flat below you. You can also insure your belongings against accidental damage. You can arrange household contents insurance by making your own arrangements or through our low-cost and simple scheme with Royal and Sun Alliance. Further information is available on our website or by calling your local Customer Service Partner.

33 Living in your home and neighbourhood 6

34 Living in your home and neighbourhood Most of our customers are thoughtful neighbours and would never want to cause a nuisance to those living nearby. However it s important to know what your responsibilities are and what help is available if you ever experience difficulties in your community. Remember that you re responsible for the behaviour of your pets, friends, family and visitors to your home. Anti-social behaviour We re committed to working with partner agencies to deal with antisocial behaviour. Working together with you we can improve the quality of life for all customers and create safer neighbourhoods. We aim to work closely with you and other organisations to make sure the right action is taken at the right time. Anti-social behaviour covers a wide range of actions, from minor disputes between neighbours to severe nuisance, harassment and domestic violence. Activities that make up anti-social behaviour include: illegal and immoral behaviour alcohol related, drug dealing and misuse, prostitution nuisance graffiti, litter, noise nuisance, gardens, car problems violence or harassment assault, domestic violence or abuse, racial harassment, sexual harassment youth nuisance abuse, gangs, noise. A leaflet outlining our policies and procedures is available from your Customer Service Partner. Your tenancy agreement is a contract between Home Group and you. It grants rights and responsibilities on both sides. You have the right to live peacefully in your home, however you also have a responsibility to ensure that you, your family or visitors do not cause nuisance or harassment.

35 What to do if you experience anti-social behaviour Ask yourself if your neighbour just has a different lifestyle. Their behaviour may not be unreasonable. If you feel comfortable, you could talk to your neighbour directly. This often settles problems at an early stage. You can report the behaviour to your Customer Service Partner. We will agree with you the action that can be taken. This may include things that you will need to do, for example taking part in mediation, keeping a nuisance diary or being prepared to act as a witness if legal action is required. What you can expect from us We will offer a range of support and advice to try to resolve your complaint. This may include: allocating a specific person to manage your case arranging a visit (if needed) with you within one week for general cases and one working day for serious cases of harassment or violence giving you an incident diary advising you of your rights and responsibilities involving you in the development of an action plan carrying out regular reviews with you of action taken referral to a mediation service. Action We work with partner agencies to address all forms of anti-social behaviour in a sensitive yet robust way. We ensure that what we do is appropriate and proportionate to the incident. There are a range of actions that can be taken if someone has committed antisocial behaviour. These include: verbal and written warnings Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs) Parenting Agreements and Orders injunctions demotion of tenancy possession proceedings.

36 Pets If you would like to keep a pet, you must ask permission from us. You can usually keep two uncaged domestic pets if you live in a house or ground floor flat with a self-contained garden. You will not usually be able to keep a cat or dog if you do not have a garden, however there may be exceptions to this, for example guide dogs. Please contact your Customer Service Partner for more information. Pests, vermin and infestations Infestations of pests like ants, wasps or mice can be a common problem. If you have a pest problem you should contact the Environmental Health department of your local council. They will be able to put you in touch with a pest control expert who can properly deal with the problem. You will usually have to pay for this service. We will not normally deal with the infestation for you. We will repair any structural damage caused by pests and vermin or do work needed to stop pests getting into your home. For example, if mice get into your home through gaps in the walls, we can block these up. However, we cannot start the repair work until a pest control expert has dealt with the infestation. Rubbish and waste disposal Please dispose of your rubbish properly. All rubbish must be placed in the containers, bins or recycling boxes provided by the local council. Rubbish should not be dumped in your garden or communal area. Contact your local council if you need to dispose of any furniture or white goods like a washing machine or fridge freezer. They will tell you what you need to do to get the items taken away. There may be a small charge for this. You should contact your local council to check arrangements for disposing of rubbish. They will be able to tell you what days you should put your rubbish out, where to place it and any recycling arrangements that are in place.

37 Parking Car parking is often restricted. On most estates, parking is not allocated, unless your home has its own driveway. In some areas we have to restrict the number of vehicles you and your household can park on an estate. You have no guarantee of a parking space unless one is specifically detailed in your tenancy agreement. Please ask your Customer Service Partner if you are unsure about parking arrangements in your area. Please do not park commercial and heavy trade vehicles, caravans or boats on your estate/scheme, either in a parking area or on the roads. You may carry out minor repairs to a vehicle whilst it is parked on our property. We will remove vehicles if they appear abandoned, un-roadworthy or unsafe. In extreme cases, where parked or abandoned cars cause a nuisance, we will work with the local council and the police or take our own legal action against the person responsible. This could lead to this person losing their vehicle or even their home. Neighbourhood agreements We work with you to agree how neighbourhood services should be provided and what you want to see in your neighbourhood. Your Customer Service Partner will be happy to meet with customers to draw up a neighbourhood agreement. A neighbourhood agreement will usually cover the following issues: services provided by the local customer service team minimum neighbourhood standards additional services that may be needed in the neighbourhood priorities for improvement in the neighbourhood expectations of residents behaviour how the agreement will be monitored and reviewed locally.