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TENANT APPROVED DOCUMENT

Inside this issueChanges to our repair service

Let us know what you think

Your vote matters

Time to test

Making a complaint

Housing Footprint awarded.

Latest news for council tenants in Tendring

Tendring ReportsIssue 2 2015

www.tendringdc.gov.uk

We have recently made some changes to our repairs service.These include:

Reviewing and updating of your repair responsibilities to make sure that our service is fair to all tenants

We have agreed with tenant representatives that you will now be responsible for the following repairs:

z Replacing sink and bath plugs

z Replacing or repairing toilet seats

If you phone us to report a repair, our Customer Support staff will now ask you more questions about the repair that is needed.

This will help us to identify exactly what the problem is and aim to put it right first time.Don’t forget, you can also request repairs on line at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/

housing or email us at HousingRepairs@tendringdc.gov.uk If you send us an email to report a repair, it would be helpful if you could attach a photo showing the repair that is needed. This will help us to identify what’s required and get this sorted for you as soon as possible

If you haven’t got a copy of our Repairs Handbook, which features easy to use diagrams and clear explanations of the most common repair problems, please contact us at

housing.services@tendringdc.gov.uk or by phoning 01255 686490

Changes to our repairs service

Let us know what you think When you have received a service from us, like a repair to your home, we will give or send you a short questionnaire to complete. This gives you the opportunity to tell us how satisfi ed you were with various aspects of the service we provided.

Your comments are very important to us as they help us to monitor the service we provide and identify any areas for improvement. They also provide an opportunity for us to resolve any problems as soon as possible.

Whenever you receive one of these surveys from us, please take a couple of minutes to complete and return this to us. All of the Repairs Questionnaires and Gas Safety Check and Service Questionnaires that we receive will be entered into a quarterly prize draw.

Heating adviceNow that Autumn is with us, here is some advice for those of you with gas central heating systems and radiators.Radiators can trap air, which stops them from getting hot. As air in a radiator will rise to the highest point, this forms a pocket stopping the hot water from getting to that part and this means that they will be less effi cient in warming your room.

If your radiators are warm at the bottom but cold at the top, then the air will need to be released and this is known as bleeding a radiator. If this happens, please contact us on 01255 686477 or email HousingRepairs@tendringdc.gov.uk

You should not try to bled any radiators yourself as many heating systems are now pressurised and they will need to be re-pressurised once the air has been released.

Please use the box below to

make any other comments about

the planned maintenance or

improvement works that have

been carried out.

Name .....................................................

Address .................................................

........................................................

.......

........................................................

.......

........................................................

.......

Date .......................................................

Thank you for taking the time

to complete this questionnaire.

Please return it to us in the envelope

provided. There is no need to pay

postage as this has already been paid.

Planned maintenance

and improvements

questionnaire

CDS 96300 / 03 / 2013

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Planned maintenance

and improvements

Please use the box below to make any other comments about the service we provided in

connection with your new home.

Name .....................................................Address .................................................

..............................................................................................................................

...............................................................Date .......................................................

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.

Please return it to us in the envelope

provided. There is no need to pay postage as this has already been paid.

New tenancy questionnaire CDS 96300 / 03 / 2013

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New tenancy questionnaire

Please use the box below to

make any other comments about

the gas safety check and service

carried out in your home.

Name .....................................................

Address .................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

Date .......................................................

Thank you for taking the time

to complete this questionnaire.

Please return it to us in the envelope

provided. There is no need to pay

postage as this has already been paid. Job No:

CDS 96300 / 03 / 2013

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Gas safety check and service

questionnaire

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Although whether or not someone votes is matter of personal choice, registering to vote is a legal requirement and anyone who doesn’t respond to requests for information could be at risk of the new £80 fine. Throughout August 2015, the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer issued forms to all residential properties in the district, asking recipients to provide details of who lives at their address.

Appearing on the electoral register, (also referred to as the “voters’ roll”), not only gives you a voice at national and local elections but if you apply for credit, will enable your name and address details to be checked against these records.

People often make the mistake of believing that paying Council Tax or being in receipt of Council benefits automatically registers them but this is not the case. A specific application to register must be received in order for someone to be registered.

If you receive a letter requesting further information about who lives in your household or which is inviting you personally to make an application to register, please respond as soon as possible to avoid being issued with further

letters and personal visits from our Electoral Registration canvassers.

Tendring District Council (TDC) are encouraging all tenants who are not currently registered to vote, to get in touch with the Council’s Electoral Services team on 01255 686566 or apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote .

The online application to register takes under 5 minutes to complete and this facility is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You will need to provide your National Insurance Number with your application as this information will be used to verify your identity.

If you do not have internet access or would prefer not to apply online, you can also apply over the telephone by contacting Electoral Services or by completing an Individual Registration Form, which can be requested by emailing elections@tendringdc.gov.uk or calling us on 01255 686566.

Your vote matters so make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to make your voice heard at future elections. Further details about the registration system can be found at www.gov.uk/yourvotematters

Don’t just sit there – get involvedWould you like to have your say about the housing services we provide?Do you have ideas about how we can improve?If so, we are always looking for new people to take part in one of the tenant involvement opportunities that we have. These vary in the amount and type of commitment required from you but you could make a real difference and change the way that we do things.

To find out more, please email tenant.involvement@tendringdc.gov.uk or phone 01255 686490

If a fire breaks out in your homeGet out, stay out and call 999www.gov.uk/firekills

TIME TO TEST You are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in your home if you have no working smoke alarmWhy not test your smoke alarms on the first of every month? Then you know that they are working and you can tick it off your ‘to do’ list – before it’s too late.

Over 200 people in England die each year in fires in their homes. These are often caused by smoking materials, cooking accidents, candles and faulty electrical appliances – especially heaters – and wiring.

Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home

Test them on the 1st of every month

Plan your escape route and make sure everyone knows it

Put cigarettes out – right out – and never smoke in bed

Take extra care in the kitchen and never leave cooking unattended

Make a bedtime check last thing at night to reduce fire risks – eg unplug heaters

Never try to tackle a fire yourself

These simple steps can reduce the risk of fire and keep everyone safer:

If a fire breaks out in your homeGet out, stay out and call 999www.gov.uk/firekills

TIME TO TEST You are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in your home if you have no working smoke alarmWhy not test your smoke alarms on the first of every month? Then you know that they are working and you can tick it off your ‘to do’ list – before it’s too late.

Over 200 people in England die each year in fires in their homes. These are often caused by smoking materials, cooking accidents, candles and faulty electrical appliances – especially heaters – and wiring.

Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home

Test them on the 1st of every month

Plan your escape route and make sure everyone knows it

Put cigarettes out – right out – and never smoke in bed

Take extra care in the kitchen and never leave cooking unattended

Make a bedtime check last thing at night to reduce fire risks – eg unplug heaters

Never try to tackle a fire yourself

These simple steps can reduce the risk of fire and keep everyone safer:

Test your smoke alarms on the 1st of every month

We aim to provide good quality and efficient services but recognise that mistakes and delays can occur. If you think that we have done something wrong or failed to do something, you should initially contact the officer you have been dealing with and explain the issue to them. If you are still dissatisfied, then please follow the advice below:

Making a complaint

What can I complain about?A complaint must be about something specific, such as one of the following:✓ the standard of service provided ✓ failure to provide an agreed service✓ failure to respond to a request for a

service✓ we have exceeded our powers✓ the attitude or conduct of a member of

staff has been unacceptable✓ we have not followed an agreed

procedure✓ maladministration (ie delay, muddle, bias

or confusion)

What can I not complain about?This procedure does not cover:✗ requests for a service✗ requests for information or an

explanation of policy or practice✗ matters for which there is an existing

right of appeal or legal remedy✗ complaints about Councillors✗ complaints made more than 6

months after the events complained about (unless there are exceptional circumstances)

Step 1 Initial Formal Complaint: If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the member of staff you have been dealing with, you should complete all of the questions on our Complaints Form and return this to us. An acknowledgement will be sent to you within 3 working days and a full response sent within 15 working days.

Step 2 Review by Chief Executive or someone appointed to act on his behalf If you are not satisfied with the outcome of step 1, you can write to the Chief Executive and ask him to review your complaint. This should be sent in within 28 days of the response provided under step 1. Again, an acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days and a full response within 20 working days.

Step 3 Review by designated person or Housing Ombudsman: Complaints from council tenants about the Council as a landlord should be referred to a “designated person” (locally a MP or local councillor). They will either help to resolve the complaint, refer it to the Housing Ombudsman or they can decide not to do either of these things. You can only approach the Housing Ombudsman direct if more than 8 weeks have passed since stage 3 of TDC’s internal complaints procedure was completed.

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Need to contact us?You can do this by:Telephoning:01255 686464 for rent account enquiries01255 686468 for rent arrears enquiries01255 686455 for right to buy enquiries01255 686488 to report anti social behaviour or other nuisance complaints01255 686477 to report a repair during working hours01255 222022 to report emergency repairs only outside of normal working hours01255 686466 for Housing Register or allocation enquiries01255 686436 for enquiries about special needs housing or adaptations

Emailing:housing.services@tendringdc.gov.uk for general enquiriesHousingRepairs@tendringdc.gov.uk to report any non urgent repairs that are needed to your homeHousingASB@tendringdc.gov.uk to report any incidents of anti social behaviour or nuisancetenant.involvement@tendringdc.gov.uk to find out more about getting involved in our services

Writing to:Life Opportunities (Housing) Tendring District Council Town Hall, Station Road Clacton on Sea, Essex CO15 1SE

Visiting:Housing Reception at the Town Hall in Clacton between 9am and 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4.45pm on Fridays

OR

For rent account or arrears enquiries ONLY

88-90 Pier Avenue, Clacton

Housing Footprint Awarded for Eighth Year Running

We have recently received the Bronze

Housing Footprint for the eigth year running. This award is part of the RSPCA’s Community Animal Welfare Footprints and it aims to encourage housing providers to take positive steps to encourage and ensure responsible pet ownership in the properties they manage. To retain this accolade we had to demonstrate that our policy relating to pets contained clearly defined advice, giving details of the owner’s responsibilities, as well as a definition of which species of animal and how many of each are allowed. We also had to demonstrate that we have clear procedures for managing complaints and con-cerns about animal nuisance, welfare, health or cruelty issues.

For further information about keeping pets in council properties, please visit our website www.tendringdc.gov.uk or phone 01255 686488