14 October Home Ownership Services Islington Council Highbury House 4-5 Highbury Crescent London N5 1RN

Transcription

1 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Dear Leaseholder Consultation about responsive repairs and maintenance contracts As you may be aware, the council has decided to end its responsive repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services. The contract with Kier will end on 31 July 2014 and we re going to set up an in-house repairs team to carry out repairs and maintenance to our housing stock. Staff in the in-house repairs team will all be employed directly by. By bringing the repairs service into the council we will have more control over the service and this will give us more scope to try to improve it. Initially, the in-house team won't have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs services. For the first three years, some of the repairs will have to be carried out by contractors. Therefore we are proposing to enter into contracts for the following repairs and maintenance services which may affect you as a leaseholder (you pay towards the cost of works carried out to the external, communal and structural parts of your block/estate): 1. General building 2. Roofing and scaffolding 3. Glazing 4. Drainage 5. Electrical 6. Asbestos 7. Asbestos air testing 8. Groundwork By law, we have to consult you about these contracts because they are for more than one year and the cost to each leaseholder could be more than 100 per year. We enclose eight formal consultation notices for each of the trades named above, along with a Frequently Asked Questions document which explains the consultation process and gives more information about the council s proposals. We realise that we re sending you lots of notices but we ve been advised that we shouldn t combine them into one notice. Page 1 of 18

2 You ll see that the notices ask you to submit responses by 15 November You don t have to send us separate responses for each notice you can send us a combined response if you wish on either the proposals as a whole and/or on individual proposals. If you have any queries about existing repairs please contact Housing Direct on If you have any queries about this letter or the consultation, please contact me. Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer If you would like this document in large print, braille, audiotape or another language, please telephone Page 2 of 18

3 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Dear Leaseholder Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of general responsive repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into three long-term agreements with contractors to provide general responsive repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings and estates, and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. The vast majority of responsive repairs are carried out inside tenanted properties, and so these are not recharged to leaseholders. But some repairs relate to the exterior or fabric of the building, to the communal areas, to estate roads and paths, or to communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to the cost of repairs, maintenance or improvements like these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Plumbing, sanitary, drainage and groundwork Concrete and brickwork repairs Fencing and paving repairs and replacements Repairing, maintaining and decorating internal and external communal areas Structural repairs Page 3 of 18

4 Repairing/replacing timber joists Repairing and installing doors and windows and related components Repairing concrete screeds and concrete floors Overhaul and refurbishment work Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs (particularly dealing with workload peaks ), so to ensure service continuity, for the first three years, some of the repairs will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver an increasing proportion of the work directly rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Any observations you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Please note that we are not inviting you to nominate a person/company from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing a responsive repairs and maintenance service. This is because the estimated value of the proposed agreements is at a level where we are legally required to advertise the tendering of the agreements by public notice in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEU). Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 4 of 18

5 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Dear Leaseholder Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive roofing repairs, roofing maintenance and scaffolding services We intend to enter into three long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive roofing repairs, roofing maintenance and scaffolding services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive roofing repairs, roofing maintenance and scaffolding services will include day-today, emergency and routine repairs, also general roof maintenance and roof improvements, and scaffolding to our residential buildings and estates, and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Roof repair/replacement/renewal works including: tiling, felting, asphalt and liquid application associated works Resolving water penetration/leaks to properties and communal areas Temporary roof coverings Pigeon proofing Scaffolding Roof insulation work including maintenance and improvement work Roof guttering work including installation, clearing blockages, repairs Works to roof outlets and associated pipe work Page 5 of 18

6 Asphalt work to walkways/ balconies Replacing roof flashings Cleaning/ clearing roofs Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not be able to provide specialised services such as roofing work and scaffolding so for the first three years, this work will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver any of the work in-house rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing responsive roofing repairs, roofing maintenance and scaffolding services. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 6 of 18

7 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Dear Leaseholder Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive glazing repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into three long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive glazing repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive glazing repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general glazing maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings, estates and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Glazing to communal areas, doors and windows Maintaining, repairing and improving communal glazed units and structures Upgrading communal glazed units i.e. double glazing Emergency and make safe works to communal glazed areas Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Page 7 of 18

8 Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs (particularly dealing with workload peaks ), so to ensure service continuity, for the first three years, some of the repairs will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver an increasing proportion of the work directly rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing a responsive glazing repairs and maintenance service. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 8 of 18

9 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Dear Leaseholder Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive drainage repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into two long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive drainage repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive drainage repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general drainage maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings, estates and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Drainage repairs to communal drains Clearing and emptying drainage runs and gullies including jetting and gully suckers Improving and upgrading drainage systems Emergency drainage works Maintaining existing drainage and associated works Drain testing, for example using CCTV Works to manholes including covers and slabs Works to land drains and soakaways Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Page 9 of 18

10 Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs (particularly dealing with workload peaks ), so to ensure service continuity, for the first three years, some of the repairs will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver an increasing proportion of the work directly rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing a responsive drainage repairs and maintenance service. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 10 of 18

11 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Dear Leaseholder Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive electrical repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into two long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive electrical repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive electrical repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general electrical maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings, estates and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Installing and maintaining lighting in communal areas Maintaining door entry systems Repairing faulty lights on stairs or landings Maintaining digital aerials Renewing and maintaining safe electrical wiring and circuits Repairing/replacing fire, smoke and heat detectors Repairing and renewing faulty estate lighting Replacing/maintaining conduits around buildings Installing, repairing and maintaining communal fuse boards Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Page 11 of 18

12 Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs (particularly dealing with workload peaks ), so to ensure service continuity, for the first three years, some of the repairs will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver an increasing proportion of the work directly rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing a responsive electrical repairs and maintenance service. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 12 of 18

13 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of asbestos air testing services We intend to enter into two long-term agreements with contractors to provide asbestos air testing services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to two years. We will review the agreements after the first year and extend them for a second year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible two-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The asbestos air testing services will include works to our residential buildings and estates, and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Carrying out controlled air tests to communal areas which the council identifies may be contaminated with asbestos. Carrying out controlled air tests to affected and surrounding communal areas following asbestos related works i.e. removal of artex ceiling, removal of panels etc. Reporting on whether affected areas are clear and free of any unwanted asbestos fibres, or if an asbestos deep clean is required. Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Page 13 of 18

14 Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not be able to provide specialised services such as asbestos works so for the first two years, this work will have to be carried out by contractors under longterm agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver any of the work in-house rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing asbestos air testing services. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 14 of 18

15 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive asbestos repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into two long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive asbestos repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to three years. We will review the agreements on a yearly basis and extend them each year for a further year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible three-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive asbestos repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general asbestos-related maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings, estates and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Asbestos management Removing asbestos in communal areas i.e. stripping ceilings and walls in communal hallways etc Patch repairs to communal asbestos areas following damage such as leaks and graffiti Emergency and make safe works to disturbed communal asbestos areas within buildings and estates Clearing away asbestos material in communal areas Improving and upgrading asbestos-related items in communal areas i.e. removing Appleby washers from the communal lighting Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Page 15 of 18

16 Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not be able to provide specialised services such as asbestos works so for the first three years, this work will have to be carried out by contractors under longterm agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver any of the work in-house rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing responsive asbestos repairs and maintenance services. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 16 of 18

17 14 October 2013 Leaseholder Islington Home Ownership Services 4-5 Highbury Crescent T E homeownership@islington.gov.uk W Property reference: / ZZ Notice of intention to enter into long-term agreements for the provision of responsive groundwork repairs and maintenance services We intend to enter into two long-term agreements with contractors to provide responsive groundwork repairs and maintenance services for the council s housing stock. We are required by law to consult you about this. The agreements are intended to start on 1 August 2014 and run for up to two years. We will review the agreements after the first year and extend them for a second year at our discretion. We are consulting you on the full possible two-year term. The agreements will not include a guarantee of minimum levels of work for the contractors. Description of works and services The responsive groundwork repairs and maintenance services will include day-to-day, emergency and routine repairs, also general groundwork maintenance and improvements to our residential buildings, estates and the communal areas and communal services and facilities. As a leaseholder you contribute to these through the block and/or estate repairs element of your annual service charge. Examples of work which may be carried out under the proposed agreements and which leaseholders will have to pay towards are: Structural repairs to communal foundations Installing and repairing bollards on estates Emergency and make safe works to estate grounds Replacing fencing, paving and signs in communal areas Repairs, maintenance and improvements to communal: o kerbs and channels on estate roads and paths o paving for example, concrete, asphalt, flags and brick paving o steps and ramps o handrails and balustrades Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Page 17 of 18

18 Reason for carrying out works The contractors will carry out these works and related services under the proposed agreements in order to help the council meet its obligations under your lease to repair, maintain and improve the structure, common parts and communal services to your building and/or your estate. Reason for entering into the agreements The current repairs and maintenance contract with Kier Support Services will end on 31 July After this, the council s in-house repairs team will carry out repairs to the housing stock. To start with, the in-house team will not have the capacity to carry out all of the repairs (particularly dealing with workload peaks ), nor will it be able to provide some of the more specialised groundwork services, so for the first two years, some of this work will have to be carried out by contractors under long-term agreements. We believe that the agreements will provide value for money and offer a quality service that meets the needs of residents. We will regularly review the agreements and assess whether it is possible to deliver more of the work in-house rather than using contractors. How to make observations about the proposed agreements or nominate a contractor We would welcome any observations you have in relation to the proposed agreements. Also, you may nominate one contractor from whom we should try to obtain an estimate for providing responsive groundwork repairs and maintenance services. Any observations or nomination you would like to make must be made in writing and sent to us at the address below by 15 November 2013, when the consultation period ends: Postal address: Home Ownership Services,,, 4-5 Highbury Crescent,, address: homeownership@islington.gov.uk If you re sending in observations or a nomination, please include Repairs consultation in the subject heading of your letter/ . Yours sincerely Officer name Leasehold Services Officer Page 18 of 18