TENANT HANDBOOK Fairoak Housing Association Page 1
Welcome Welcome to Fairoak Housing Association On behalf of everyone at Fairoak Housing Association I would like to present the following information that we hope will assist you in understanding the work that we do and how we can support you in obtaining or maintaining your new home. It is our hope that you find this tenant handbook useful and informative. Its purpose is to provide information about Fairoak Housing Association and guidance on your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or shared owner. If after reading this document there remain unanswered questions please contact any member of the Fairoak team who will be happy to help. Alex Wolfenden Director Version 2/2009 Page 2
Welcome to the Fairoak Housing Association TENANT HANDBOOK This booklet has been designed to give you some background information on being a tenant with Fairoak Housing Association. The subjects we have covered in this booklet are listed below: Welcome Who is Fairoak Housing Association? How do I contact Fairoak? How do I make a complaint? Your tenancy agreement Moving In Your Home Taking part Repairs Rent Moving on Useful contacts Page 3
Who is Fairoak Housing Association? Fairoak Housing Association was formed in 1990 and is a charitable Society registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act (28173R) and is a Registered Social Landlord (L4535) The purpose of the Association is to provide safe, affordable and suitably adapted accommodation to meet the needs, desires and promote independence for people with learning difficulties. Our principles: We aim to increase opportunities for our customers to live in accommodation of their choice. We continuously monitor the satisfaction of our customers ensuring that the service we provide meets their expectations. We will maintain equality and diversity throughout our business. We continuously review polices and procedures to ensure that our high standards are maintained. We measure the performance of the Association against recognised quality standards and ensure that we comply with our obligations, contractual arrangements and legislative requirements. We will ensure that all property owned or managed by the Association is kept in good repair. We will engage people with the development and management of their own homes, assist customers to maintain their tenancies and promote social inclusion. We will take a positive approach to complaints and recommendations linking these to quality improvement plans. We will work in partnership with all our stakeholders to plan and deliver housing services that meet local needs. Page 4
How Do I Contact Fairoak? If you have any questions or concerns at all please contact a member of the team at Fairoak Housing Association who will be happy to discuss these questions with you. Please contact us on: TEL: 01539 720082 FAX: 01539 729752 EMAIL: WEBSITE: enquiries@fairoakhousing.co.uk www.fairoakhousing.co.uk WRITE: Fairoak Housing Association 35 Wattsfield Lane, Kendal Cumbria LA9 5HF Page 5
Meet the Team BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN - John Handley ALEX WOLFENDEN DIRECTOR CLIVE WIGLEY CONSULTANT The Housing Team HOUSING OFFICER AUDREY WILKINSON FINANCE OFFICER SAM WILLIAMS HOUSING OFFICER Page 6
How Do I Make A Complaint? Fairoak Housing Association is committed to continuous development and improvement. Comments, compliments and complaints received can form part of this process and are therefore seen as a positive contribution to the work of the Association. All complaints will be treated in confidence ensuring that privacy is respected and that the Association is fair and consistent in its approach. Making a Complaint A complaint may be made either in writing, in person, or by phone or email contact to: The Housing Director Fairoak Housing Association 35 Wattsfield Lane Kendal Cumbria LA9 5HF Tel: 01539 720082 Fax: 01539 729752 enquiries@fairoakhousing.co.uk All complaints will be acknowledged upon receipt. The acknowledgement will give an indication of how long the investigation is likely to take and when a further reply will be sent. When a conclusion is reached the person who made the complaint will be notified in writing. Comments and compliments can also be made through the website customer area. You will need to log on using: User Name Password customer fairoakrules Page 7
Your Tenancy Agreement It is important that your tenancy agreement is kept in a safe place. In this section we have tried to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Please contact a member of the Fairoak Team if you have any other questions about your tenancy. What is a tenancy agreement? The tenancy agreement is a legal document which is a contract between you and Fairoak Housing Association. It sets out your rights and responsibilities as a tenant and the rights and responsibilities of Fairoak as your landlord. When you accepted your tenancy agreement you agreed to all the rules set out in that agreement. Does everyone have the same type of tenancy? No. Some tenants have assured tenancies and some tenants have assured short hold tenancies depending on which property they live in. The front page of your tenancy agreement will tell you which you have. What things do I have to pay for? There are lots of things you will have to pay for including rent, gas and electricity bills, water bills, insurance for your own belongings, telephone and mobile phone bills if you have them. You may also need to pay council tax and for a TV license. There are other things you will need money for including food, clothes and toiletries, activities and holidays. Can I get help to pay the rent? Paying the rent is very important. If you do not pay the rent you could lose your home. Some people can get help from the government to pay their rent. This is called Housing Benefit. You have to complete a claim form to get Housing Benefit so you must do this as soon as you decide to move in. Fairoak staff will be happy to help you make a claim for housing benefit. Can I pass my tenancy on to someone else? No. Your tenancy is only for the people named on it. You cannot pass it on to someone else. You cannot let anyone else live at your address without the permission of Fairoak. You must never charge rent to anyone for staying at your house or take in a lodger. Page 8
What will Fairoak do if I do not keep to the terms of my tenancy agreement? If you break the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement or any acceptable behaviour contract or the house rules we will contact you to tell you that you need to resolve this problem. We may ask to meet with you to discuss the problem and we will ask you to resolve the situation within a specific time-frame. If you continue to break the rules of your tenancy we may take legal action against you. This could mean that we get a court order requiring you to stick to the rules of your tenancy or it may mean that we ask you to leave your home. Moving In We hope everything goes smoothly for you when you move into your new home. Your support worker and the team at Fairoak can help you with any arrangements that need to be made; for example by helping you to write letters or make phone calls. Here is a list of some of the things which you will need to do when you move into your new home. Fill in the boxes below to help you let the suppliers of services know that you are the new tenant. You may need to give them a meter reading. Type of Supply Supplier Name Telephone Number Gas My meter Reading Completed Electricity Water Telephone My Notes Page 9
You must inform some other people that you have moved and tell them what your new address is. We have given you a list of some of these people. Fill in the boxes below to help you keep track of the people you need to speak to: Person I need to tell: How to contact them Completed Council Tax Housing Benefit Other benefit departments Doctors Dentist TV Licence Bank/Building Society TV Licensing Barton House Bristol BS98 1TL Telephone: 0117 937 7500 Social Worker Employer Library Family and Friends Mail Redirection Page 10
Your Home Electricity If all the power in your home goes off first check the main fuse box or circuit breakers to make sure they are all on. Sometimes a faulty light bulb can trip a fuse. If you need help please contact Fairoak. Your fuse box is located Gas If your home has a gas fire or gas boiler, then Fairoak Housing will arrange to have these serviced at least once every twelve months by a trained and qualified gas fitter. We will contact you when the service is due and arrange a convenient appointment to carry out the service. They may need to turn off the gas to carry out the service and so this means you will have no heating or cooking facilities, if your cooker is gas, for up to 45 minutes. During the service, the engineer will clean the fire or boiler, check all seals, check that the flue is not blocked and check that the appliance is working safely & efficiently. When the service is finished the engineer will complete a certificate, called a CP12, to confirm that your fire and boiler are safe. If they find any faults or repairs, we will arrange to carry them out quickly, often when the contractor is there. It is important that you let the engineer into your home to carry out the service. As your Landlord we have a duty to make sure that the gas appliances we ve supplied are safe. Faulty gas appliances or blocked flues are very dangerous and have been known to make people ill or even kill them. If you needed to turn off the gas to your home in an emergency: Your gas stop cock is located Water Your water stop tap is located In the even of a burst pipe: 1. Turn off the water supply at the stop cock. 2. Turn on all the taps to drain the system 3. Find out where the leak is coming from if you can 4. Contact Fairoak and report the leak Page 11
Heating and Hot Water Make sure that you know how your heating and hot water systems work. You will be given instructions but if you are not sure ask a member of the Fairoak team. You should try and leave the heating on timer of this is available to you as this will cost less in heating bills Ventilation Your home needs adequate ventilation and can be well ventilated without causing a draught: Keep a small window slightly open when someone is in the room. Ventilate kitchens and bathrooms using extractor fans at all times where they are fitted for you. Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes and avoid overloading them, as this stops the air circulating. Where possible, position wardrobes and furniture against internal walls. If your windows have been recently renewed, open the trickle vents provided. If you find a problem please report it to a member of the Fairoak team. Keys Always keep your keys safe. If you loose your keys and the door to your house has to be forced you will be charged for the damage. Make sure any spare keys are kept in a safe place. Do not write your address on your keys. Insurance You should have the contents of your home adequately insured. We recommend that you insure your own belongs against fire, theft, flooding and accidental damage. Insurance is less expensive than having to replace all of your belongings. If you would like help in finding insurance please contact a member of the Fairoak team. Security Try to follow our simple steps to keep your home secure: Close all your windows when you go out Lock your entrance door Never leave keys hidden outside your house Always check the identity of people visiting your home before you let them in. If you are going away make sure you cancel any newspapers or milk that are delivered and try to put a light on a timer switch. If you will be away for a while let a member of the Fairoak team or your support staff know. Page 12
If you would like more help about keeping your home secure please contact a member of staff who will help arrange for a Crime Prevention Officer from the local police to give you some advice. Smoke Alarms Your home has been fitted with a smoke alarm to give you a warning if fire breaks out. The smoke alarms are sometimes connected to the main fire alarm. You should NEVER: Try to disconnect the alarm or remove its battery Paint over it Move it Delay replacing an old battery If your alarm is separate from a fire alarm and it has a red test button you should test it regularly. If you would like help with this please contact a member of the Fairoak team. Fire Fires can start and spread very quickly. Internal doors, door closers and fire extinguishers help to stop fires from spreading. You must NOT: Remove doors or door closers Prop open fire doors Remove fire extinguishers or fire blankets If a fire does start you must: Leave the building as quickly as possible Close all doors and windows behind if possible to stop flames and smoke spreading Call 999 and ask for the Fire Brigade Tell them the full address of your home Warn any neighbours if possible and let Fairoak know NEVER go back inside the building until the Fire Brigade have told you it is safe You should make sure you are aware of the fire safety instructions for your building. Page 13
Condensation Moisture is produced in all homes by breathing, cooking and washing. An average household produces 21 pints of water vapour every day. Condensation frequently happens in warm, wet rooms like kitchens and bathrooms. It can be seen on windows as steaming up or patches of dampness. Small amounts of condensation can be found in most homes however it should still be dealt with as it can lead to mould growth in the home. If you have condensation you can: Increase the temperature slightly in that room. If condensation forms on windows wipe it off Use draft excluders where possible Open windows where possible to improve ventilation. Do not block air vents Try not to put furniture in front of radiators Try to dry your clothes outside on a washing line If you dry clothes indoors make sure a window is open for ventilation Never use portable gas heaters Open the window in the bathroom after taking a bath or shower If you have an extractor fan in your kitchen or bathroom you must use it. Always use pan lids when cooking Make sure tumble driers are vented to the outside If you find any evidence of mould growth you must inform a member of the Fairoak team as soon as possible. Energy Saving and Cost Cutting Tips There are lots of ways you can save money on your household bills and help the environment. Here are just a few ways: Heating - Turn the central heating thermostat down by just 1 degree. You will not notice much difference. Lighting - Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Open curtains or blinds to make the most of natural light during the daytime and switch to using energy saving bulbs. Page 14
Electrical Appliances - Avoid leaving electrical items like TV s, microwaves or stereos on stand by when it is not necessary. Don t leave the fridge or freezer door open for longer than it takes to get something out or put something in. Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it working efficiently. Laundry - Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine but if that is not possible use the half load or economy setting. Try to use a low temperature because most washing powders work just as well at low temperatures. Try to hang your washing outside to dry rather than using the tumble drier. If this is not possible make sure you have used the spin cycle on the washing machine first so you don t put wet clothes into the drier. Cooking - Choose the right size pan for the food you are cooking and use the lid so that the heat remains in the pan. Only boil as much water in the kettle as you need to make that cup of tea! Taking Part Fairoak Housing Association aims to involve all our customers in the management of their homes because we believe this helps people gain more independence and it helps the community thrive. We always welcome your comments, compliments and complaints because it helps us to improve the service we provide to all our customers. You can keep up to date with what s happening through our newsletters, website and our social events. The website has a copy of all the past newsletters and details of new events we are planning plus a customer survey and repairs reporting option. Go to: www.fairoakhousing.co.uk You will need to log on using: User Name customer Password fairoakrules If you would like to take part in any way at all then please speak to a member of the Fairoak team. Page 15
Being a Good Neighbour We hope that you will be a good neighbour and that your neighbours are good in return. Follow our simple steps to help you be a good neighbour: Keep the noise down make sure your music or TV sound is not too loud especially late at night. Behave well make sure that you and your visitors do not disturb your neighbours and behave respectfully towards them Clean & tidy don t leave your rubbish lying around. Make sure that refuse areas are kept tidy and that you do not make a mess in any communal areas like laundries. Look out for each other help out your neighbours if and when you can they will soon become your friends! If you do have a problem with neighbours, noise, harassment or anti-social behaviour contact us IMMEDIATELY. We take this very seriously and will deal with the problem as quickly as possible. Repairs Fairoak Housing Association has an obligation to keep your home in good repair but we also expect you to take care of your home and let us know if there is a problem. How to report a repair If you need to report to us that a repair is necessary you can do this in any of the following ways: Telephone us in the office on 01539 720082 Fax a Repair Request Form to us on 01539 729752 Email us at enquiries@fairoakhousing.co.uk Fill in a form on-line. Go to www.fairoakhousing.co.uk and log on to the customer area to complete the on line form. Write to us at 35 Wattsfield Lane, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 5HF Ask your support worker to report the repair Page 16
When you report a repair please remember to tell us: Your name and full address Your contact telephone number Information about what is wrong and what part of your home is affected Information on how and when it happened Information on when you could give us access to your home for our staff and contractor to inspect the problem Our Response Times We always aim to complete repairs as soon as possible and to a high standard. We have set out below how we usually intend to respond to your repairs requests: EMERGENCY Emergency repairs are those which cause an immediate risk to safety, security, health or the building. These types of repairs are: A burst water pipe which cannot be stopped by turning off the water at the stop tap Total failure of the electricity supply Major structural damage A blocked drain or toilet if you only have one in your home We aim to respond to these types of repairs within 24 hours. URGENT Urgent repairs are those which are likely to cause damage or difficulties if they are left unattended. We aim to complete these types of repairs within one week. Leaking roof Toilet not flushing Leaking radiators Page 17
ROUTINE Routine repairs are less serious and can wait without causing major damage or inconvenience. We aim to complete routine repairs within 28 days. These are things like: Dripping gutters Repairs to internal doors Repairs to a cupboard Planned Work or Adaptations As well as carrying our repairs we plan larger projects such as external or internal decoration or renewing kitchens, bathrooms or heating systems. If you ask for a repair and it is expected to be included in one of these larger projects you may have to wait until that project starts. This means we can make sure the work is completed to our agreed standards and can often help us achieve better value for money. We may also be able to assist you in adapting your home if you need to. This could be adding a simple handrail or fitting a stair lift. We will help in applying for any grants that you may be entitled to help pay for these adaptations and we will help to arrange and carry out the work. Rent As Fairoak Housing Association is a non-profit taking organisation we aim to set our rents to cover our costs but which people on benefits can still afford. We change our rents in April of each year and we will write to give you at least one month s notice of the change in rent. We will also send you a rent statement at least every six months however you may request an up to date statement from us at any time if you wish. As well as your rent you will pay a service charge this covers the costs of the services we provide. Things like: Gardening Cleaning areas that you share with your neighbours Providing an alarm or door access system Providing a fire alarm and fire fighting equipment Page 18
It is your responsibility to make sure that your rent is paid. However we can help you by: Helping you claim for Housing Benefit Arranging for your Housing Benefit to be paid directly to us Helping you set up a direct debit or standing order to pay your personal contribution If you think you might have a problem paying your rent please contact us IMMEDIATELY. We can help by: Chasing up outstanding Housing Benefit claims Asking for claims to be backdated if appropriate Help you to make an appeal against a Housing Benefit decision Help you get advice from Citizens Advice Bureau or Welfare Rights Negotiating an arrangement to pay any outstanding monies by instalments. If your circumstances change at all you must tell us IMMEDIATELY. You must also inform the Housing benefit department; however we can help you to do this if you wish. Moving On We would like customers to have a home that best meets their needs, however, if you want to move on from your current home we will try to help you. You may want to move because: You are living in a house with support and you would like to move on to something more independent You are living in shared housing and would like a home of your own You would like to consider shared ownership Your situation has changed and you now need a smaller or larger home Whatever the reason might be Fairoak might be able to help you by: Arranging a transfer to another Fairoak property which better suits your needs Helping you find another housing association or local council with a home which better suits your needs Assisting you to buy your own home through our shared ownership scheme Contact a member of the Fairoak team to discuss what you would like to do. Page 19
Moving Out Before you can move out you must give Fairoak four weeks notice in writing this is written in your tenancy agreement. During this period you will be contacted by a member of the Fairoak team to arrange an inspection of your home to make sure that it has been looked after in a satisfactory way and that it is going to be left in a condition that is suitable for the next tenant. This includes the home being cleaned. You must return all keys for your home to Fairoak on the day you leave. You will need to contact various people to advise them that you are moving. You will need to give the utilities companies a final meter reading; however a member of the Fairoak team will be able to help you with this if you wish. You should leave a forwarding address with Fairoak so that we can send on any post, etc that still arrives at your old home. Useful Contacts Citizens Advice Bureau Myddleton House 115 123 Pentonville Road London N1 9LZ Directgov This site includes a section for people with a disability explaining the services and benefits available Disability Rights Commission Freephone 08457 622 633 Housing Options Independent Housing Ombudsman Norman House, 105 109 The Strand London WC2A 0AA www.adviceguide.org.uk 0870 126 4061 www.direct.gov.uk/en/disabledpeople www.drc-gb.org www.housingoptions.org.uk www.ihos.org.uk 020 7836 3930 Page 20
MENCAP 123 Golden Lane London EC1Y 0RT National Housing Federation Lion Court 25 Procter Street London WC1V 6NY Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) 5 th Floor Trafford House Chester Road Manchester M32 0RS Welfare Benefits Website to help you calculate what you might be entitled to Careline A national counselling service offering support to people on any issue Incontrol InControl exists to create a new welfare system in which everyone is in control of their lives as full citizens. This includes self directed support for people with a disability. Ouch The BBC s disability website www.mencap.org.uk Learning Disability Helpline 0808 808 1111 www.housing.org.uk 020 7067 1010 www.tpas.org.uk 0161 745 7903 www.welfarewizard.co.uk www.ferret.co.uk www.carelineuk.org 0845 122 8622 www.incontrol.org.uk In Control support line: 0156 482 1650 www.bbc.co.uk/ouch Able A disability lifestyle magazine www.ablemagazine.co.uk Page 21