We look after your home in a number of different ways. We carry out:
- repairs you have drawn our attention to by calling the Repairs Help Desk;
- maintenance work to help prevent problems before they happen; and
- major improvements to bring your home up to decent modern standards.
Maintenance work
This can also referred to as 'programmed repairs' or 'planned maintenance'. These repairs will be carried out to a number of properties at the same time, for example, a roofing scheme or painting programme where we will replace all the roofs or paint on all the properties, house by house.
Maintenance programmes will include window replacements, rewiring, new boilers, and roofing replacements, for example. We will also do other maintenance work at regular intervals such as servicing your heating system, checking your electrics and painting the outside woodwork of your home every five to seven years.
Improvement work
Improvement schemes usually include a range of things to make homes more comfortable and attractive such as new kitchens and bathrooms, heating and insulation. Many homes need improvements to bring them up to decent modern standards.
Who decides?
We need to consider carefully which areas need work and whether spending would be a good investment. It is vital that we don't waste money in areas where people don't want to live.
We ask tenants to help us make these big decisions. Tenant groups talk to local housing staff about what they think the money should be spent on. These local suggestions help Councillors, Housing staff and Tenant Groups such as TRACC draw up lists of possible schemes.
If your area is chosen for a programme or scheme your local tenants group will have an input into plans. You will be able to have your say in public meetings or stakeholder events, surveys or home visits. You will be kept informed about work that will be done to your home.
If you want to put forward your area for a maintenance or improvement scheme, contact your local tenants group or local housing team.
Your involvement
Local people should be involved and informed in all three key stages as follows.
Planning
Tenants groups can talk to housing staff about what local homes need. This is an important period for tenants groups to influence the plans for their area.
Work on site
There will usually be an open day where people who will be working in the area meet local people and answer any questions. Everyone in the area gets a letter telling them what will be done and when.
If the schemes include tenants' choices such as kitchen units, someone will visit you to look at all choices. Once work starts you will get a regular home visit to check you are satisfied with progress and sort out any problems.
After the work is finished
We will send local people a questionnaire asking you what you think of the work and the way it was done. We will use this feedback to improve our future performance and the performance of the builder who did the work.
