Customer service standards

At all times

• We will treat you with respect and courtesy.
• We will send you clear, accurate, up-to-date information.
• We will treat your information confidentially and comply with the Data Protection Act.
• We will provide translation and interpretation services, and offer some documents in other languages and in other formats such as Braille or audio tape.
• We will not discriminate when providing any of our services.

On the phone

• The staff member who answers your call will tell you their name.
• We will arrange to phone you back if we cannot deal with your call straight away.
• If you want to speak to a specific person and they are not available, we will arrange for them to call you back.

When you write or email us

• We will acknowledge your contact within two working days and send a full response within 10 working days.

Information

• We will send you a rent statement every three months.
• We will provide advice and support to residents’ groups.

In all of our maintenance services, we will make sure that the contractors who visit your home

• confirm their identity before entering your home;
• are polite and helpful;
• respect your home; and
• leave the work area clean and tidy.

We will ask you for your views after you have used the maintenance service.

Standards

When you need repairs we’ll deal with it quickly and efficiently:

• We will aim attend to an emergency job within 24 hours, an urgent job within three working days, and a routine job within 10 working days. Take a look at our website for any repairs updates.
• We will consider your personal needs when we prioritize jobs.
• We will aim to complete most jobs on the first visit unless we need to order replacement parts, in which case the contractor will discuss this with you.
• We will offer Saturday morning appointments for minor electrical and plumbing repairs.
• We will carry out inspections on a sample of repairs to check that the contractor is meeting the standard we expect.

Gas servicing standards

• We will arrange to visit your home each year to carry out a gas safety check.
• We will complete the service and safety check on the first visit, unless we have to order replacement parts.
• We will treat your home with respect and leave the work area clean and tidy.

Planned maintenance standards

• We will let you know in good time that we intend to carry out planned improvements to your home.
• We will consult you about the type of work we will do and how we will do it.
• We will let you know when the work will start.

The standards listed below apply to the improvement work we carry out:

• All window replacements will be double-glazed with lockable handles.
• We will consult you and offer you choice on the design, style and colour of your new kitchen
• We will offer you the option of a shower when we improve your bathroom.
• All external doors we fit will meet the ‘Secured by Design’ standard.
• All new smoke detectors we fit will be mains operated.
• New replacement boilers will be energy efficient condensing boilers.
• All properties will have a minimum of 200mm of loft insulation.

Estate management standards

• In all properties with communal areas, the communal areas will be clean and safe.
• We will work in partnership with councils to help ensure the neighbourhoods in which we work are kept clean and safe.
• We will provide regular good quality cleaning services to keep the communal areas clean, tidy and safe.
• We will carry out regular inspections of schemes, which customers are invited and encouraged to attend.
• We will keep residents informed about improvements that are identified and agreed.
• We will deal promptly with fly tipping, abandoned vehicles, hazardous substances and graffiti.
• We will investigate untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles which are left at schemes, and if necessary we will have them removed.
• We will remove graffiti within 24 hours of it being reported.
• We will carry out surveys to assess resident satisfaction with their neighbourhood, aiming for a 90% satisfaction rate.

Security standards

• All communal entrances will have a secure door entry system.
• We will make all residents aware of the importance of scheme security.
• Any perimeter fencing we provide will be secure.
• We will look at installing additional security measures at schemes if there are high levels of anti-social behaviour or criminal activity.
• All external doors and windows will have locks.
• Faults which are a security risk will be repaired as an emergency.

Gardening standards

• We will provide a gardening service that maintains the communal gardens to a good standard.
• Between April and September we aim to visit each scheme every 10 working days.

Communal lighting standards

• External pathways and communal grounds will be adequately lit.
• All communal lights will be repaired as a priority.
• Emergency lighting will be of a high standard.

Car parking standards

• All car parks will have signs to inform customers about parking.
• Car parks will be well maintained and well lit.
• We will investigate the misuse of car parking whenever it is reported to us.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) response standards

• We will listen to your report of ASB and take it seriously.
• We will give you a timescale for responding to your complaint.
• We will investigate all reports and keep you informed about progress.
• We will not reveal your identity without your agreement.
• We will agree any action with you before we take it.
• We will let you know when your complaint has been investigated and tell you what we have done.
• We will use a range of measures to tackle ASB.
• We will work with other agencies including the police to resolve crime and ASB.
• We will use all available legal remedies to deal with more serious cases of ASB.
• We will measure the number of cases we receive and assess resident satisfaction.

Harassment standards 

• We will respond to threats or violence within 24 hours.
• We will keep you up-to-date with how your report is being handled.
• We will advise you about other agencies who may also be able to support you.

Substance misuse standards

• We will work in partnership with police to tackle drug problems.
• We will take action against customers who are convicted of supplying illegal substances.
• We will remove all drug paraphernalia as a matter of urgency.
• We will provide advice to known illegal drug users to help them get assistance or treatment.
• We will work in partnership with the local authority to remove syringes from homes or communal areas.

Standards

• We will offer you different ways to pay your rent so you can choose the one that’s easiest for you.
• We will offer you a benefits check to make sure that you are getting everything you are entitled to.
• We will help you fill in housing benefit application forms if you ask us to.
• We will send you a clear and understandable rent statement every three months.
• We will contact you promptly if you get behind with your rent payments.
• We will be sensitive and supportive if you are having financial difficulties, and work with you to find a manageable way for you to pay off your rent debts.
• We will only take legal action to recover outstanding rent payments as a last resort.
• We will offer a confidential money advice service if you have debt problems.

Standards

• We will offer you a choice of ways to get involved.
• We will always consult you before we make any changes that affect your tenancy, your home or the scheme where you live.
• We will always give you feedback on any decisions that may affect you or consultations that you have taken part in.
• We will provide you with support and training if you wish to be involved so that you are able to play an active role in shaping our services.

Standards

• We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours of receiving it.
• We will explain how we will deal with your complaint.
• We will send you a letter explaining the outcome of your complaint and telling you about your right of appeal if you are not satisfied.
• We will ask for your feedback on how we dealt with your complaint.

How we will review our standards

• Doing spot-checks and regular audits, and asking you for your comments in interviews and with questionnaires.
• Monitoring complaints made about the service and comparing our service against others.
• Using customers who are trained as ‘mystery shoppers’ to test our services.
• We will review our maintenance policy, harassment, rents and service standards every two years.

How we will measure, monitor or demonstrate the standards

• We will measure whether we are meeting our timescales and report this.
• We will seek your feedback and use this to improve our services.
• We will carry out customer satisfaction surveys on our services.