Compensation 22\2 22/2/08 4:55 pm Page 2 Compensation

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1 Compensation

2 Raven Housing Trust aims to provide excellent housing and services. We publish the standards you can expect to receive in the Customer Charter but sometimes things can go wrong. When this happens you should let us know and we will try to put it right as soon as possible and occasionally we will pay compensation. We will consider offering compensation to recognise loss, inconvenience, hardship or distress as a result of our failure to deliver a service. This leaflet explains when you may be entitled to compensation and how to claim it. You do not need to make a complaint in order to claim compensation, but all compensation given will be recorded, together with the details of what went wrong, to make sure that we learn from these situations and improve how we deliver services. As well as situations where we choose to offer compensation there are a number of situations in which we have to give compensation to residents by law, these are listed under Payments you are entitled to. DISCRETIONARY COMPENSATION PAYMENTS Our compensation policy sets out details of a range of payments that may be made at our discretion these are listed below. Payments when we carry out major works to your home When we refurbish your home or carry out other required works you may not be able to use all of your home during the works for example if we replace your kitchen. You will benefit from the work carried out to improve your home, but sometimes it may be appropriate for us to offer you a discretionary payment, some examples are given: 2

3 If you are unable to use part of the property for a period of time (for more than 72 hours) a refund of part of your rent may be appropriate If you have to move temporarily from your home while work is carried out we will offer help with moving costs and out of pocket expenses If your electricity has been used to carry out works such as drying out a property using dehumidifiers or industrial heaters we will make a contribution towards the costs. Decorating Allowance You may be entitled to decorating vouchers when you first move into your home, if under our lettings standards the home needs decorating. Details of the standards you should expect are given in a leaflet called The standards to expect in your new home. You may also be offered decorating vouchers if a repair damages your decorations. Service charges When we fail to provide a service for which you pay a service charge you may be entitled to receive a refund directly related to the amount paid for this service. COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE FAILURES/JUSTIFIED COMPLAINTS It is sometimes appropriate for us to offer compensation to a tenant where redress needs to go beyond an apology or an acknowledgement of a procedural fault. Compensation will only be paid to the tenant or tenants of a property. 3

4 Simple service failures Where you have told us about a mistake we have made or a service standard that we have not met and we fail to sort out the situation quickly, front-line staff at their discretion, may offer you a small goodwill payment of up to Neighbourhood Managers, the Customer Services Manager, Resident Involvement Manager and Asset Manager are able to offer goodwill payments of up to 100 where the consequences of the error were more serious. All goodwill payments will be recorded together with what went wrong and this log will be used to help us improve the service we provide. If things do go wrong please feel free to ask for a goodwill payment, if the person you speak to does not feel it is appropriate to offer this payment, you can still apply for compensation in writing as described below. More serious complaints or service failures Our policy is that compensation will be offered: When a resident has suffered a loss as a result of the action or inaction of Raven or one of its contractors/agents Where there has been a serious breakdown in service provision by us or one of our agents which results in the resident suffering serious inconvenience, hardship or distress. We hope that it will be rare that residents need to seek this higher level of compensation as it would mean something serious had gone wrong. 4

5 If you feel you are entitled to this type of compensation you may make a claim without making a complaint or during the complaints process. You are likely to be asked to provide evidence of the loss you have suffered. We will record all requests for compensation to ensure that we learn about where the service failed and can make changes to ensure that others do not suffer from the same difficulties. PAYMENTS YOU ARE ENTITLED TO By law, we must make the following payments: Home Loss Payments If you have been our tenant for more than 12 months and have had to give up your home permanently (for example for redevelopment or refurbishment purposes) you will be entitled to receive a one off payment. The level of payment is set by the Government. Compensation for Improvements If you have made improvements to your home you may have a right to compensation when your tenancy ends. In order to be able to claim compensation you must have: Received written permission before the works started The improvement must be a qualifying improvement as shown in the list Put in a claim either within 28 days prior to the end of the tenancy or within 14 days of the date the tenancy ends. 5

6 Qualifying Improvements Bath or shower Wash basin Toilet Kitchen sink Storage cupboards in bathroom or kitchen Work surfaces for food preparation Space or water heating Thermostatic radiator valves Insulation of pipes, water tanks or cylinders Loft insulation Cavity wall insulation Draught proofing external doors and windows Double glazing, secondary glazing or other window replacement Rewiring or provision of power and lighting or other electrical fittings (including smoke detectors) Security measures (excluding burglar alarm systems) The amount of compensation is calculated according to a formula set by law. The amount of compensation you will receive reduces as the improvement gets older. 6

7 The Right to Repair You may be entitled to compensation when we have taken more than twice the standard agreed timescale to carry out an eligible repair and you have reminded us the repair is needed. To qualify for compensation the repair will need to be: Our responsibility Affect your heath, security and safety Cost less than 250 to carry out Remain incomplete after being reported twice Under this scheme you are entitled to 10, plus 2 a day for every full day the repair remains uncompleted, to a maximum of 50. You will not be entitled to compensation if we have had difficulty getting into to your home to carry out the repair. RESIDENTS WHO OWE MONEY TO RAVEN If you owe money to us, any compensation payment will be used to clear this debt before monies are paid to you. HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION Compensation claims should be put in writing. This helps us to collect relevant information to deal with your claim quickly and efficiently. There is a form you can use at the end of this leaflet, or you can write in your own words. If you need help filling out the form please ask our customer services staff to help you. You will also be able to get help with this at your local Citizens Advice Bureau the addresses and telephone numbers are in your Tenants Handbook. 7

8 You will need to have details of the date(s) that the problem occurred and it s helpful if you tell us as much information as possible about what happened. You must sign your claim and you should send your claim to the Customer Services Manager. HOW TO APPEAL If we refuse your claim for compensation you can appeal using the complaints procedure. There are leaflets that explain how the complaints procedure works in all our reception areas and we will send you a copy of this leaflet if you ask for it. CUSTOMER CHARTER We have a Customer Charter, a document listing the standards of service you can expect from us. The Customer Charter is available from all our offices. 8

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10 An audio version of this leaflet is available on request and we can provide it in large print and in other languages. Please let us know what you need. French Portuguese Arabic Bengali Cantonese Hindi Urdu Raven Housing Trust Raven House, 29 Linkfield Lane, Redhill RH1 1SS Telephone Raven Housing Trust Limited is a charitable Industrial and Provident Society, registration no R, and is registered as a social landlord with the Housing Corporation, registration no. L4334.

11 COMPENSATION FORM Reference Number (for office use only) Contact details Name Daytime phone number Address Evening phone number Mobile phone number Postcode address Please tell us what you believe went wrong: (It is helpful if you give us as much detail as possible and include the dates that these things happened)

12 Please tell us why you feel you should be entitled to compensation: Is there anything else you feel we should know about your situation to help us make a decision? Signed: Date: Name in block capitals: Please return this form to the Customer Services Manager at Raven Housing Trust, Raven House, 29 Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1SS. Or you can your claim to us at csadministrators@ravenht.org.uk or send us your claim via our website at