Our offer to you | Your Tenancy | St Vincent's Housing Association Ltd

This is our offer to you.....we will update you on how we are doing each year in the Annual Report.

You told us this was vitally important. We will:-

Take all details of anti-social behaviour complaints as soon as you report them and refer them to the relevant staff member and adopt a multi-agency approach to seek a resolution
Act upon emergency reports of anti-social behaviour within one working day
Acknowledge non-emergency reports of nuisance within 1 working day
Take appropriate action against perpetrators of anti-social behaviour and provide support to
victims
Monitor your satisfaction on all cases reported and seek to constantly improve the service

You told us it is important to provide new homes and services within your community. We will:

Offer different types of homes to meet different needs.
Collect feedback from you about the types of new homes and services needed
Measure customer satisfaction with new homes
Work with our Local Authority partners to help meet housing needs
Involve tenants in our Development and Sustainability Committee
Work to reduce fuel poverty by building properties which incorporate the latest Energy Saving/ Renewable Energy Technology

As well as community interest and safety, you want us to maintain your homes to a high standard and make improvements. We will:

Ensure the gas appliances in your home are safe through annual checks and your home is as energy efficient as possible
Plan a programme of improvements that meets at least the Decent Homes Standard
Tell you when to expect any improvements to your home eg a new kitchen
Provide help and advice with adaptations, including access to our Handyperson service
Provide choice when we are making improvements

You told us you always want someone to respond to your query or get back to you. We will:

Answer phone calls to our Metropolitan House office within 20 seconds and provide an out-of-hours emergency call service
Aim to deal with a query about the service at the first point of contact, but if we cannot answer your query there and then, we will let you know exactly when to expect a response and by whom.
Respond to letters within 5 working days
Acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and respond in full within 10 working days
Respond to all housing applications within 10 working days

You want to see more staff in your local area. We will:

Visit you at home upon your request – we will always provide ID when we or any of our contractors visit you
Hold on-going scheme events and activities in your area
Carry out scheme surgery audits every three months in your area to ensure we can deal with issues such as health and safety hazards, graffiti, vandalism etc
Carry out a tenancy check with you once every two years
Contact new tenants within six weeks of the start of the tenancy
Organise a know your neighbour event for newly built homes

You want us to take a local interest in your community. We will:

Support local residents through groups, meetings, events and activities to meet the needs and
requests of the community
Work with local agencies and partners to improve neighbourhoods and quality of life
Profile our customers to help tailor our services to meet their needs.
Work with our partners to offer a tailored lettings service which offers choice and meets local need
Support tenants to access our Tenants Choice Fund to improve your area or scheme

You expect us to deal with any repairs you report in a timely manner. We will:

Respond to repair requests within the following timescales:-
- Emergency – 24 hours
- Urgent – 5 working days or before
- Routine – 28 working days or before
Provide you with an appointment at your convenience when you report the repair
including evenings and weekends
Provide a 24 hours emergency repairs service, 365 days per year
Aim to carry out the repair on the first visit
Ensure our contractors provide a high quality service
Provide a responsive Handyperson service for vulnerable and older customers and to all at an affordable rate
Measure your satisfaction and involve customers in monitoring contractor performance

You told us you want to have a say in the management of your homes. We will:

You want us to communicate effectively with you, and in ways that are appropriate for you. We will:

Send you an informative and helpful newsletter and up to date rent account statements every 3
months, plus ad-hoc information as appropriate
Keep our website up to date with information you tell us is useful (www.svha.co.uk)
Text you with repair appointments if you prefer
Always introduce ourselves and treat enquiries professionally, confidentiality and honestly and
respect diversity.
Respond to all requests for information in another language, Braille, CD and large print within 10 working days

We will:

Provide support for independent living
Provide advice and support on welfare rights, money, training and employment
Focus on providing our customers with excellent homes and a first class service
Listen to what you tell us is important and use your compliments, complaints and comments to
improve our services and provide feedback on this.
Where possible provide access to a Choice Based Lettings scheme
Provide ‘free of charge’ access to HomeSwapper Service, for tenants who would like to participate in a Mutual Exchange Service
Develop an under occupation policy to assist tenants to downsize if they wish.
Ensure value for money is at the heart of our service
Ensure an effective and accountable governance structure is in place
Ensure St Vincent’s is financially viable
Meet the Government’s guidelines regarding rent setting
Offer appropriate security of tenure