Newsletter - April 2010
Shirley's Surgery
If you want to feed back to the association but do not want to talk to staff members now
you can. Shirley Whitley Arawak Walton’s Tenant Board member has kindly agreed to hold a surgery in the office.
Shirley will be available most Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays in the afternoon in the meeting rooms opposite the reception. Shirley’s Surgeries will be confidential and give you the opportunity to discuss any aspect of your relationship with the association with a fellow tenant.
Shirley will raise queries with the relevant staff members or give you advice. She will be available most weeks but you are advised to call before setting off just in case.
Introducing Dean!
We often find that when contacting a tenant we are unaware of something that acts as a barrier to us providing what they need. This could be the inability to speak the same language or us not being aware that you have a disability that we can help you with.
In January we employed an Assistant Community Researcher to build a profile of all our tenants to ensure that we provide the right service for you. His name is Dean Preston and he might have already been in touch as many of you have already filled in the forms and returned them. If you have not already done this please help us by returning them in the freepost envelopes. Dean will also be available to carryout surveys over the telephone if you ring the officer and will also be contacting you by phone or through home visits to collect the information.
All information is handled in line with data protection guidelines and treated with complete confidentiality.
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Tenants Quality Panel January Meeting
The meeting considered the outcome of the survey on community responsibilities and were encouraged that other tenants felt confident enough to take an active role in fighting crime and anti social behaviour in their neighbourhoods. They urged the association to continue to work jointly in areas with support services to give residents confidence. They urged residents to get involved in the annual estate inspections that they are all invited to encourage a sense of community and a collective approach.
The January Meeting decided that the postal surveys for 2010 will include Illegal
subletting, supported housing, value for money and to consider running the community responsibilities survey for all tenants. The group reviewed the new rent arrears policy and reaffirmed they view that the rent arrears policy needed to be fair to those people who regularly paid their rent by being tough on those who fail to pay their rent. At the same time the group were clear that the association should do everything in their power to support people who fall into arrears and only use eviction as a last resort. The group also encouraged all tenants to get ahead with their rent and encouraged the association to get tenants to meet the obligations of their tenancy agreement and pay rent in advance.
The quality panel is always looking for new members and if you think you can make acontribution get in touch with Shirley in the office.
Late Night Opening results
When you report a repair to our Customer Advice team they always ask the contractor to call you before attending to make an appointment.
Once an appointment has been made the contractor then arranges their time to fit in the work. If an appointment is made but has to be cancelled it can cost the association money if you leave it too late to cancel.
We would like to inform all our tenants that if you need to cancel a repairs appointment of any description you will need to inform the office no later than 5pm the day before your appointment. Doing this will save un-necessary cancellation fees and prevent the Association having to implement re-charges to the tenant.
Repair Appointments
Following the final surveillance visit under the old Charter Mark criteria, we are pleased to announce that we maintained the Standard and we are now down to one partial non-compliance from two non-compliances last year.
However, the criteria and assessment methodology changes from 2011 onwards. As a result, our assessor carried out a pre-assessment of the evidence we put forward for the new criteria. We decided to concentrate on getting it right for just one of the criterion, rather tackle all five. It was with some trepidation and then relief that we were informed that our evidence satisfied all criterion one, with only one exception. So we know we are on the right track!
We have also been informed that the newly re-titled Customer Excellence Standard is recognised as a valuable indicator of excellent customer service by the Audit Commission. So 2010 is going to be a busy year collating the evidence we need to meet the 5 new criteria to achieve the Standard. It’s good to know that we are already 1/5th of the way there!
Community Responsibilities
In a busy urban area we are all faced with difficult decisions about how we engage with other people in our community. This comes into sharp focus when a problem arises and you have to decide where the lines of responsibilities are draw and how much responsibility you take. We wanted to understand how you felt about these issues and completed a postal survey at the end of the year to test your perceptions. Here are some of the results.
For a full analysis of the survey contact us
Asset Management Strategy
Thanks to all the tenants who returned the annual wish list. All requests were followed up with inspections and tenants were told the outcomes. The wish list along with all our other analysis has been analysed to create the asset management strategy for the association that was agreed by the board in December. This is now on the policies and procedures section of the website
Did you know we have staff who can help with translation?
Kola Akande - Yoruba (1 of 3 main languages of Nigeria)
Abdul Sharif - Fluent Swahili, Basic Arabic
Sam Chen - Basic French, Basic Russian, Basic Sign language
Bindu Mistry - Gujarati, Basic French
Kevin Opara - Igbo (1 of 3 main languages of Nigeria)
Victim Support
Your home could benefit from some FREE basic security improvements funded by the Home Office. The Manchester Home Security Project aims to help make your home more secure. It’s run by Victim Support, in partnership with Timpson Locksmiths.
Please check the list below, and if your home is missing any of the equipment, give us a call to find out more about what we can offer you.
- 5 lever locks on your front and back door
- Yale type lock
- Window locks
- Door viewer (spy hole) and chain
We will agree what work needs to be done, and you will be contacted by a qualified locksmith. They will make an appointment to come to your home and carry out the work. If you think your home would benefit from this free project, please contact your local Victim Support Branch on 0845 456 8800
Income Management Review
Changes have been introduced as a result of the Review that took place towards the end of 2009. Tenants were represented on the review group and the quality panel discussed the issues and considered the results of a postal survey on the matter. The key changes are:
- New Rent Arrears Policy and Procedure
- Every tenant to have a named contact
- More communication by phone and in person
- More support on debt management provided to tenants
- New Policy for Tenant Recharges
- Use an external debt collection agency to pursue former tenant arrears.
To see the full Rent Arrears Policy go to the policies and procedures section of the web
site. If you are interested in taking part in a review contact us
Trek India
Adventurous People wanted to Trek India in aid of three fantastic UK Children’s charities!
On 3rd – 13th November 2010, a group of adventure seekers will be flying off to North Eastern India in aid of three fantastic charities, Theodora Children’s Trust, Bolton Lads and Girls Club and MedEquip4Kids.
The challenge will see our Budding explorers setting off on an amazing trek along the foothills of the Indian Himalayas! During this fantastic 10 day adventure the participants will witness truly memorable sites and experience the many cultures of India. Our trekkers will get a chance to visit the incomparable Taj Mahal, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World! We will also have the honour of celebrating Diwali, India’s largest national festival, known as the festival of lights!
The Trek India Team is calling on people from around the UK to fasten their trekking boots and join this once-in-a-lifetime event. If you have ever wanted to challenge yourself, see the world and experience something remarkable, here is you chance and for the best possible reasons.
To take part in this fantastic challenge, participants will need to pay a registration fee of just £249, and then pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship for the three charities benefiting from this challenge – Theodora Children’s Trust, Bolton Lads and Girls Club and MedEquip4Kids. All travel, accommodation, refreshments, guides and medical support are included. Full fitness training to prepare for the challenge and fundraising support will be provided through professional event organisers, Global Adventure Challenges.
Places are extremely limited. Further information regarding the event can be found at www.trekindiachallenge.co.uk or by calling 0800 840 5109. Alternatively interested parties can email bookings@trekindiachallenge.co.uk
Arawak Walton Performance
As always we like to keep our residents informed about how we are performing. See for yourself below.
| Feb 10 | Jan 10 | Dec 09 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voids % (no. of properties) |
0.92% (8) |
0.35% (3) |
0.35% (3) |
| Rent arrears (as a % of weekly rent receivable) |
6.28% |
6.73% |
6.55% |
| Repairs Completion Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency | 100% |
99.37% |
100% |
| Urgent | 96.43% |
96.43% |
96.34% |
| Routine | 97.72% |
97,82% |
97.45% |
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