Tenants’ Handbook

Charter Housing Association

Charter Housing
Association
 Translation Service

Welcome to Charter Housing If you need this information in your own language or information
on any of our other services please contact us and we will be
Association. This handbook is your happy to help .
guide to Charter and the services we Welsh
Os oes arnoch angen yr wybodaeth hon, neu wybodaeth am unrhyw un o’n
provide. It will also tell you about your gwasanaethau eraill, yn eich iaith eich hun, cysylltwch â ni a byddwn yn hapus i
helpu.
tenancy and your legal rights. Please
Chinese (Cantonese)
keep your handbook in a safe place
and if you move to another Charter
Arabic
home, please take it with you.

Bengali

Somali
Haddii aad u baahan tahay in aad warbixintan ku hesho luqaddaada gaarka ah
ama aad u baahan tahay warbixin ku saabsan adeeg kastoo kaloo aannu fidinno
fadlan nala soo xiriir si farxad leh ayaannu kuu caawin doonnaaye

Urdu
CONTENTS
Section 01
INTRODUCTION 06
Section 02
CONTACTING US 17
Section 03
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU 19
Section 04
YOUR TENANCY AGREEMENT EXPLAINED 29
Section 05
PAYING YOUR RENT 39
Section 06
LIVING IN YOUR HOME 47
Section 07
REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE 57
Section 08
BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR 107
Section 09
MOVING AND HOME OWNERSHIP OPTIONS 115
Welcome to
Section 10 Charter Housing Association
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT 123
Section 11
GOLD SERVICE 129
Section 12
USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS 133
01
Welcome to
Charter Housing Association

IN THIS SECTION Welcome to Charter Housing About the Seren Group

Association. This handbook is Charter Housing Association is a
member of the Seren Group. The Seren
07 How to use this handbook your guide to Charter and the
Group was formed on 1 July 2004.
services we provide. It will also The Group Members cover the
07 About the Seren Group
tell you about your tenancy and following services:
09 About Charter Housing Association your legal rights. Please keep ■ Seren Group Limited: Central

11 Share membership support services such as Human

your handbook in a safe place
Resources, Information Technology,
11 Equal opportunities and if you move to another Facilities Management and Finance
Charter home, please take it for Group Members.
11 Translation services
with you. ■ Charter Housing Association:
12 Confidentiality Homes and services for
This handbook will be regularly communities across South Wales.
12 Access to information we hold about you
reviewed and from time to time we ■ Fairlake Properties (which
13 Respect for staff may send you updated sections to incorporates Gwent Homes):
replace older versions. Developing our properties for rent
13 Our complaints procedure
and low cost home ownership and
If you have any questions about this managing our assets.
handbook, please contact a member ■ Reach (Supported Living): Care

of our Customer Services Team on and support services for people

01633 212375. with disabilities and other needs.
■ Solas Cymru: Accommodation,
training and support for single
homeless people.

06 07
01
Our purpose and values Our commitment
The Seren Group provides housing, We are committed to being:
support and other services which ■ Straightforward, open and
make a positive contribution to the accountable, keeping our promises
wellbeing of individuals and and willing to learn from others.
communities. Underlying our purpose ■ Keen to promote opportunities for
is a set of key values. growth and new ways of doing
things whilst being prudent and
Our values conscious of the need to plan for
■ Responsibility the longer term. Socially responsible
■ Integrity and encouraging social responsibility
■ Openness in everything we do.
■ Ambition ■ A supporter of social enterprise.
■ Respect ■ A listening and learning
■ Fairness organisation regularly consulting
our customers, staff and
stakeholders.
■ Efficient and effective, continuously
striving to improve our service to
our customers.
■ A good employer, providing
opportunities for personal
development and encouraging
innovation and success.
■ An organisation which values
diversity and promotes Equal
Opportunities in all we do.
08
About Charter Housing families, couples and single people
Association who cannot buy a home of their own
Charter is a Housing Association on the open market.
which provides high quality homes and
associated services. We work with Working in partnership is key to being
people and communities to ensure able to provide high quality homes and
that our work has a positive impact on services to our customers, and we
people’s lives, and that diversity and work with many other organisations to
equality are recognised and catered ensure that we get it right for people.
for. Our customers are at the heart of
everything we do. We are constantly looking for better
and more efficient ways of doing
Charter manages nearly 4000 homes things, and are outward looking,
in 4 local authority areas; Newport, always open to new ideas. We can
Caerphilly, Monmouthshire and and do learn much from others, and in
Torfaen, and we concentrate on turn we are always open to sharing our
providing homes for people in need. experience and knowledge with other
We work with a number of like minded organisations.
organisations to deliver support and
management services to a wide range
of customers including; homeless
households, people with learning
disabilities, people experiencing mental
ill health, people who need support to
manage a tenancy, older people who
need extra care or sheltered housing,
women fleeing domestic violence,
people with autism, sensory impairment,
physical disabilities etc., as well as
09
01
Our overriding aim is to provide real
customer excellence, in an environment
where well trained, approachable staff
treat everyone with respect, and as an
individual, and enable customers to
exercise choice where they can about
what best suits them. We recognise
that what we do can have a major
impact on people’s lives, and we want
to ensure that that impact is positive,
and that our customer’s value the
relationship they have with us.
10
Our Board members
Charter Housing Association has a
Board made up of tenant representatives
and other experienced, committed
individuals who control the affairs of
the Association. The Board consists of
up to 15 members. Board Members
have such responsibilities as setting
the objectives and plans for the
Association, taking key decisions and
approving the budget and accounts.
Election to the Board takes place
annually at the AGM.
Charter encourages tenants to put
themselves forward for Board
Membership and will give training and
support to those who are selected for
membership. If you think you might be
interested in becoming a Board
Member, please contact your
Neighbourhood Manager.
Share membership
Any tenant can apply for share
membership of the Association.
Membership costs £1. Share Members
will receive a copy of the annual report
and an invitation to the AGM. They
have a number of responsibilities
including, the appointment of Board
Members and Auditors and involvement
in changing of the Association’s rules.
Share Membership carries no financial
interest in the company. If you are
interested in applying for Share
Membership, please contact your
Neighbourhood Manager.
Equal opportunities
Charter Housing Association provides
homes and services to a diverse range
of customers with widely differing
requirements. We are committed to
providing high quality services to all of
our customers, and our respect for
diversity is something upon which we
will not compromise. We will enable
fair and equal access to homes,
services and opportunities. We will
treat all people respectfully, equitably
and appropriately according to their
individual needs and preferences.
We will ensure equality for ‘diverse’
groups and individuals, regardless of
race, religion, gender, age, disability or
sexual orientation and for people who
are HIV positive or have AIDS, persons
who have a criminal history that is not
relevant, persons who have mental
health problems, carers, persons with
dependants and others who may face
injustice.
Translation services
We are able to provide a telephone
based translation service for customers
who wish to talk to us in their own
language. We are also able to provide
face to face language and sign
language interpreters. We can provide
certain leaflets and documents in other
languages, in Braille, large print or on
tape by request. Our offices are
equipped with a hearing loop system
and we have a portable system for
using in customer’s homes.
01
Confidentiality
The information we are given and hold
on our files and computer systems is
confidential. We will not give out any
information about you to another
person or agency except in the
following circumstances:
■ To Housing Benefit Departments
and the DSS to help resolve your
housing benefit claims or if we
discover any tenant is involved in
benefit fraud.
■ To the police if they formerly
request it to help detect a serious
crime (or to resolve anti-social
behaviour).
■ To anyone you nominate to us in
writing who you wish to deal with
your affairs.
■ Where you have signed a
declaration to give us permission to
disclose your personal information
to another agency.
12
Access to information we hold
about you
All tenants and applicants to Charter
Housing can ask to see information
about them that we keep in our files
and on our computer system. If you
wish to see the information that we
keep about you, please put your
request in writing. We have up to 40
days to comply with your request but
will try to deal with it more quickly. If
you require any copies of information
from your file, we may charge you up
to £10 to cover costs.
Respect for staff
We have a very good relationship with
the majority of our customers. However,
there are a small number of occasions
when a customer may be abusive or
threatening to staff. If one of our
customers behaves in this way, or we
feel that there is a potential risk to staff
when dealing with a customer, we may
place special conditions upon the way
in which we deal with them in future.
For example, we will visit them in
pairs, or only interview at our offices. If
this happens, we will write to any
customer explaining why we are doing
this. Any customer abusing or
threatening staff is in breach of their
tenancy conditions and may be
subject to legal action including
proceedings to repossess their home.
Our complaints procedure
Our commitment to you
Charter aims to provide the highest
possible standards of service to our
customers. The standard you can
expect are explained in the ‘Tenants
Guarantee’ copies of which are
available upon request. We recognise,
however, that there may be occasions
when you will not be happy with the
service you receive or a decision we
have made. To be able to deal
effectively with your dissatisfaction, we
have a Complaints Procedure. We will
always treat your complaint seriously
and investigate it as quickly as possible.
We will also view your complaint
positively, and will learn from any
mistakes that we make to ensure that
our service is continually improved.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of
dissatisfaction about the standard of
service, action, or lack of action by
Charter, its members of staff or
contractors employed to do work on
Charter’s behalf.
01
Who can complain?
A complaint can be made by an
individual, a group of people or an
organisation personally affected by an
action or failure to act by Charter. A
complainant can allow a representative
to make a complaint on their behalf.
How can I complain?
If your complaint is of a general
nature, we will usually try to resolve it
as soon as possible on an informal
basis. However, if you wish to make a
formal complaint then you can complain
to us in writing. Alternatively, you can
telephone us and ask to make a verbal
complaint. If you explain the nature of
your complaint to our Customer
Services staff, then they will be able to
put you in touch with the relevant
person to deal with your complaint.
If you make a verbal complaint, then
your complaint will be recorded on our
standard complaint form by a member
of staff.
14
What if my complaint is about racial
harassment or other discriminatory
harassment?
We take complaints of harassment
against, or by, our tenants or staff ver y
seriously. We have a ‘Racial Harassment’
policy which outlines what we will do
about a report of racial harassment
involving our tenants. If you feel that
we have not dealt with a report of
harassment properly through this
procedure, or you believe that you
have been discriminated against by
Charter or members of our staff, then
you can complain to us and we will
deal with your complaint as outlined in
this section.
What will happen next?
Your complaint will be recorded on our
database and given a reference
number. We will acknowledge your
complaint in writing within three
working days, and we will tell you who
is dealing with your complaint.
We will investigate your complaint
within seven working days, and
provide you with a written explanation
of the details of our investigation.
If we are unable to provide you with a
full response within this time, we will
write to you and tell you why we need
more time, and give you a revised date
for a full response to your complaint.
If your complaint is complex and likely
to take some time to resolve, we will
explain why and keep you informed of
progress at two weekly intervals until
the full response can be provided, e.g.
if we need to involve a third party.
What if my complaint is justified?
If you have complained about a delay
in carrying out repairs, and there is no
good reason why this has happened,
we will make a set payment of £25. If
we do not respond to a letter or verbal
communication from you within ten
working days, we will make a set
payment of £5. If our staff arrange an
appointment with you and fail to keep
it without informing you in advance,
we will make a set payment of £20. If
we have done something else wrong,
we will apologise and do all that we
can to put things right.
01
What if I am still not happy?
If you remain dissatisfied with our
response to your complaint, then you
can request that your complaint be
passed on to a more senior officer,
who will usually be at Assistant
Director or Director level. You must do
this within 28 days of our initial
response. You will be advised in
writing who your complaint has been
passed to, and will be given a date by
which you should receive a response
which will be within seven working
days.
What if I am still not happy with the
Director’s response?
If you remain unhappy with the
outcome of our investigation into your
complaint, then you can complain
further, within 28 days of our second
stage response, to a small panel
comprising of representatives of the
Association’s Board of Management.
Where the issue also involves other
companies within the Seren Group, or
is about the Corporate Director, then
the Group Chief Executive will sit on
the panel. You will be able to appeal in
16
writing, or appear before the Board in
person, to explain why you are
dissatisfied with our response to your
complaint so far and what you want us
to do.
The Panel will do their utmost to
consider your complaint within twenty
working days and will notify you of
their decision, in writing, following their
meeting, within seven working days.
Is there anyone else I can complain
to if I am still not happy?
If you are still not satisfied after your
appeal to the Board, you have the
right to take your complaint to the
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales,
1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae, Pencoed, Contacting
Bridgend CF35 5LJ.
Tele: 01656 641150. They have a
separate booklet available which gives
Charter Housing Association
details of the procedure they follow.
The Ombudsman will usually, but not
always, have expected you to have
02
followed your complaint through the
process outlined above.
Contacting Us
Our reception is open between
8:30am and 5:00pm Monday to
Friday (closes at 4:30pm on
Friday). Our Offices are situated
in Devon Place, Newport.
Charter Housing
FREEPOST CF2448, 11 Devon Place
Newport, South Wales, NP20 4NP
Tel: 01633 212375 (general enquiries)
Tel: 01633 678511 (repairs)
Fax: 01633 245930
Please use our general number for
most enquiries, however, you may use
the following telephone numbers for
specific enquiries. If you are not sure,
then phone Customer Services.
■ Customer Services: 01633 212375
■ Emergency Repairs (out of normal
office hours): 01633 214 222
■ Neighbourhood Team: 01633 678539
■ Nuisance Prevention Team:
01633 678552
■ Customer Accounts Team:
01633 678507
■ Lettings Team: 01633 678538
■ Estates Maintenance: 01633 480450
18
■ The Sales & Property Team (for
home ownership options):
01633 233876
■ Charter By Choice Properties
Hotline: 01633 678525
e-mail: contact@charterhousing.co.uk
maintenance@charterhousing.co.uk (for
repairs)
CustomerServicesTeam@charterhousing
.co.uk (for general enquiries)
web: www.charterhousing.co.uk
The Seren Group
Exchange House, The Old Post Office
High Street, Newport, NP20 1AA
Tel: 01633 679911
Fax: 01633 258509
e-mail: contact@seren-group.co.uk
web: www.seren-group.co.uk Our Commitment
Group Member contact numbers:
■ Fairlake Properties Limited:
To you, our Tenants
01633 679977
web: www.fairlake-properties.co.uk
■ REACH (Supported Living)
03
Limited: 01633 679899
web: www.reach-support.co.uk
■ Solas Cymru: 01633 664045
web: www.solas-cymru.co.uk
Our Commitment To You
Customer Services Team
IN THIS SECTION
Charter Housing is continually striving
to deliver customer excellence. We
21 Customer Services Team firmly believe that you, our customers,
21 Customer Accounts Team are central to everything that we do.
21 Neighbourhood Team All enquiries are initially handled by our
Customer Service Advisors. They
21 Nuisance Prevention Team
primarily deal with requests for repairs,
22 Lettings Team housing advice, information on rent
payment and the provision of initial
22 Maintenance Team
anti-social behaviour advice. They aim,
22 Estates Maintenance Team where possible, to deal with your
query on the spot.
22 Community Initiatives Team
22 Our service standards More complex or specialist queries are
dealt with by our teams of experts. We
will ensure that you are put in touch
with the right person for your particular
query.
Customer Accounts Team
Responsible for collecting the rental
charge, Customer Accounts Managers
provide or signpost a range of services
concerning your rent account and
general money matters. Whether
checking your balance, finding the
most convenient way to pay,
20
demystifying the benefit system or
working with you if you get behind
with your rental payments, the
Customer Accounts Team will be able
to help.
Neighbourhood Team
Striving to deliver an excellent estate
management service, Neighbourhood
Managers work to ensure that the
neighbourhoods in which we operate
are places where people want to live.
The team can help you with a wide
range of queries including tenancy
information, customer involvement,
exchanges, urgent reasons to move
and the environmental appearance of
the place where you live.
Nuisance Prevention Team
Specialising in resolving anti-social
behaviour, this team provides a
number of services, including Resolve
Assessment Service, an early
intervention neighbour dispute service;
Outreach Support, a service
supporting both complainants and
perpetrators of anti-social behaviour
and an Enforcement Service; ensuring
21
03
proven cases of anti-social behaviour
are dealt with swiftly and firmly.
Lettings Team
Responsible for administering ‘Charter
by Choice’, the Lettings Team ensure
that any vacancies are advertised and
let according to the Lettings Policy.
Maintenance Team
Ensuring that Customer Focused
Maintenance is a reality, this team
check the quality of repairs completed,
organise bigger repair items and co-
ordinate the delivery of the planned
maintenance programme, annual gas
servicing and external painting
programme.
Estates Maintenance Team
Providing a grass cutting & estate
maintenance service, this team work
to ensure that the areas in which we
operate are environmentally attractive.
Community Initiatives Team
Aiming to ensure that the neighbour-
hoods in which we operate are places
where people wish to live, this team
22
get involved in a range of projects and
activities geared towards community
involvement.
To ensure that you are clear about
what you can expect from us we have
a number of service standards. More
information on these standards can be
found within the information leaflet,
‘Our commitment to you.’
Our service standards
General standards you should
expect to receive:
■ We will provide services that are
accessible to all.
■ We will be honest and fair in
dealing with our customers.
■ We will keep our promises.
■ We will seek the views of
customers and learn from them.
■ We will deal with complaints openly
and fairly and learn from them.
■ We will keep our appointments and
when we can’t we will contact you
to let you know why.
■ Staff will be trained to provide high
quality advice about the services
we provide and associated services
provided by other agencies.
■ We will provide our service leaflets,
tenancy agreement and tenants
handbook in Braille, large print and
on audio CD on request.
■ We will ensure that customers have
access to a translation service.
The service you should expect to
receive when visiting our office:
■ You will walk into a reception area
that is accessible, clean,
presentable and pleasant to use at
all times.
■ We will greet you in a polite,
friendly and welcoming manner.
■ You will be seen within 5 minutes of
your arrival and a member of staff
will assess what service you need.
■ You will have access to service
information that is accurate and up
to date.
■ You will have access to a child
friendly play area.
■ You will be offered a private
interview room.
The service you should expect to
receive when contacting us:
■ We aim to answer you phone call
within 20 seconds. Where we fail to
achieve this you will be given the
option of leaving a message and
we will return your call within 90
working minutes.
■ Where we take a message for you,
we will call you back within 24
hours.
■ Your letters will be responded to
within 10 working days.
■ Your emails will be responded to
within 5 working days.
■ We will give our name when we
answer your phone call.
23
03
What to do if you are unhappy with
one of our services:
You can make a complaint by
following our Complaints Procedure
which is outlined in Section 1 of this
Handbook.
What you can do if you would like to
make a comment or suggestion
about one of our services:
■ You can fill in a comment/suggestion
card and drop it into the suggestion
box in our reception area.
■ You can submit your comment/
suggestion online.
■ You can telephone us and we will
complete a comment/suggestion
card on your behalf.
24
In addition to our general standards,
each of our service areas offers a
number of further commitments.
Customer Accounts
When managing your rent account:
■ We will send you a statement four
times a year.
■ We will offer a wide variety of
payment methods
■ We will provide help with filling out
housing benefit claims on request.
■ We will give you general advice on
benefits, debts and money
management if you want us to.
■ We will inform you where you can
get independent advice.
■ We will give you four weeks notice
in writing of any changes to the
amount of rent or service charge
you have to pay.
If you fall into rent arrears we will:
■ Contact you to make an
arrangement for repayment of your
debt.
■ Make a repayment arrangement
that we believe you can afford.
■ Record all agreements made with
you.
Lettings
■ Application forms will be registered
and acknowledged within 10
working days.
■ Priority cards will be issued where
agreed, the next working day after
receipt of necessary supporting
documentation.
Anti-social behaviour
When you report a case of nuisance,
harassment or anti-social behaviour
to us we will:
■ Respect your confidentiality. We
won’t reveal your identity to anyone
unless you say we can.
■ In cases of harassment we will
respond within 24 hours.
■ In other cases, with your consent,
we will refer you to Resolve
Assessment Service.
■ Use the full range of legal and non
legal remedies to assist in resolving
anti-social behaviour.
■ Keep you informed with what we
are doing by letter, by phone or by
visiting you.
■ Explain what support we and other
agencies can give you.
■ Work with other agencies to resolve
issues.
■ Give you clear information on what
you need to do to assist in
resolving problems that you are
experiencing.
■ Tell you if we are not able to take
action and advise you of the
reasons why.
25
03
Where you are referred to the
Resolve Assessment Service we will:
■ Complete the case from referral to
closure letter within 10 working days.
■ Identify the issues of concern to all
those involved.
■ Outline the options available to
address issues raised.
■ Agree with you the option that you
wish to take.
■ Confirm the details of the visit and
what will happen next in writing to
you.
Tenancy Management – when
dealing with your tenancy we will:
■ Provide you with a tenancy
agreement setting out your rights
and responsibilities as a tenant and
Charters responsibilities as a
Landlord.
■ If you apply to exchange (swap)
homes with another tenant we will
give you our decision in writing
within 42 days. If we turn down
your request we will explain why.
■ If you apply to sublet, or to let
someone else have part of your
home, we aim to give you our
decision in writing within 28 days.
26
■ If you apply to use your home for a
purpose other than as your only or
main home, such as for business
purposes, we aim to give you our
decision in writing within 14 days.
We will not unreasonably withhold
our permission. If we do turn down
your request, we will explain why.
■ If you apply to make a change to
your tenancy we will give you a
decision in writing within 14 days.
■ When we are told that a tenant has
broken any term of the tenancy
agreement, we will investigate and
take appropriate action. This could
include enforcement action.
■ We will consult you about any
housing management matters
which substantially affect your
tenancy and where you live. We will
take your wishes into account when
making a decision.
■ We will provide a variety of ways for
you to influence the services that
we provide.
We are committed to maintaining
the appearance of the areas in
which we have homes.
We will:
■ Inspect every estate at least twice a
year.
■ Remove racist or offensive graffiti
within 24 hours of it being reported
to us.
■ Respond within 24 hours to reports
of abandoned properties and make
sure the property is safe and
secure.
■ Investigate and respond within 5
working days to reports of
abandoned vehicles.
■ Investigate and respond within 5
working days to reports of rubbish.
■ Respond within 24 hours where
rubbish or other hazards represent
a danger to residents.
■ Work in partnership with others,
including the police to reduce crime
and make communities safer.
Estates Maintenance
Where the Estates Maintenance
Service is provided, we will:
■ Visit your estate at least fortnightly
during the summer season (mid-
March to mid-October), with at
least a monthly visit during the
winter season.
■ Cut the grass to your front garden
and communal open spaces, if this
is necessary (i.e. if the grass has
grown sufficiently since the last
visit).
■ Regularly trim shrubs planted by
Charter in front gardens and
communal spaces to maintain a
tidy appearance.
■ Clear litter and other rubbish that is
not clearly any one resident’s
responsibility or that does not
require specialist removal (i.e. not
large domestic items such as
fridges, or materials containing
dangerous substances such as
asbestos). We will report the
presence of ‘non collectable’ items
to the relevant Neighbourhood
Manager.
27
03
■ Trim grass edges, unless those
edges abut gravel paths or
driveways (this is for health and
safety reasons).
■ Inspect communal pathways,
fences, lighting and will report any
defects found to the relevant
department.
■ Maintain steep banks as far as
possible, within safety guidelines.
■ Undertake the planting up of the
■ Provide and install hanging baskets
beds at the sheltered schemes
at sheltered schemes, where agreed
during the appropriate season
in advance with residents and
where agreed in advance with
incorporated into the service charge,
residents and incorporated into the
but watering of such baskets will
service charge, and maintain such
be the warden/residents’ own
bedding until the end of the season,
responsibility between our regular
when plants will be removed.
visits. Baskets will be removed at the
end of the season i.e. September/
Your Tenancy
■
October.
Carry out regular sample surveys of
Agreement Explained
customers to check satisfaction
with service.
■ Respond to complaints about the

04
service within 48 hours of the initial
complaint, and thereafter in
accordance with Charter’s
complaints policy.

28
Your Tenancy Agreement Explained

IN THIS SECTION Your tenancy agreement is a What is a Starter Tenancy

legal contract between you All new tenants of the Association are
issued with a Starter Tenancy for the
31 About your Tenancy Agreement and us. It sets out our and your
first 12 months. Starter Tenants are not
rights and responsibilities. entitled to the full rights of an Assured
31 What is a starter tenancy
When you sign your tenancy Tenant. You do not have the right to:
32 What is a assured tenancy agreement you agree to abide ■ Take in Lodgers.
■ Sublet any part of the premises.
33 What is a secure tenancy by the conditions of the
■ Make improvements, alterations or
33 Security of tenure tenancy agreement. The additions to the premises.
agreement protects your rights ■ Assign the tenancy (this means you
34 The Tenants’ Guarantee
as a tenant. It is important that will not be able to exchange).
34 Joint tenancies you keep it in a safe place.
We will allow Assignment of the tenancy
35 Relationship breakdown
Your tenancy agreement contains in certain specific circumstances
35 Domestic violence information about the type of tenancy where it is ordered by the Court.
36 Passing your tenancy on to others you hold, when your tenancy starts
and your rent and service charges.
36 Taking in a lodger
37 Subletting part of your home If you are unclear about the type of
tenancy you hold and its associated
37 How to end your tenancy rights, contact your Neighbourhood
38 Abandonment Manager.

30 31
04
This type of tenancy provides a 12
month trial period during which we
monitor you to make sure you abide
by the conditions of tenancy. If you
break the conditions of your tenancy
agreement in that time for example, by
causing a nuisance to neighbours or
by not paying your rent, and we have
done all we can to try and resolve the
issue without success, we can serve a
Section 21 notice.
This notice will give you 2 months to
leave the property. You will have the
right to appeal against this notice to a
panel of three Board Members, either
in writing or in person. You will be
given clear guidance about the review
process when the notice is served.
The notice will only be withdrawn if we
have not followed the correct
procedure.
Following service of the notice and if
any appeal is unsuccessful, if you do
not leave the property within two
months, we have the right to ask the
Court for a possession order. The
Association has an automatic right to a
32
possession order as long as we can
show that we have followed the
procedure correctly.
If you do not break the terms of the
tenancy agreement within the 12
month period, your tenancy will
automatically revert to an Assured
Tenancy. You will then become entitled
to the extra rights that this type of
tenancy brings.
What is an Assured Tenancy?
All tenancies issued after 15th January
1989 are Assured Tenancies (unless
they are issued as starter tenancies –
see above). An assured tenancy gives
you the right to remain in your home
as long as you want to unless you
break the terms of your tenancy
agreement. If you do break the terms
of the agreement, we may serve a
notice seeking possession and take
you to court to gain possession of
your property. The grounds on which
we can do this are explained in your
tenancy agreement.
As an Assured Tenant your rent will be
set by us but it will be affordable to
those on a low income. Certain eligible
tenants will have the ‘Right to Acquire’.
You will find more information on this
in the section on Moving Options.
There is a right for one succession to a
spouse or other qualifying person.
Succession is explained below.
What is a Secure Tenancy?
If you were given your tenancy before
15th January 1989 you will have a
secure tenancy. As a secure tenant,
you have the ‘Right to Acquire’ your
property and certain tenants may have
the ‘Right to Buy’. You also have the
Right to Repair and the Right to
Exchange. These Rights are explained
in other sections of the handbook.
Your rent will be set and reviewed by
the Rent Officer Service. There is a
right for one succession to a spouse,
co-habitee or a family member,
provided they meet the criteria.
Succession is explained below.
Security of tenure for Secure
and Assured Tenants
Security of Tenure means that we can
only make you move out of your home
if we are given a Possession Order by
the Court. Before we can go to Court,
we must give you 4 weeks notice by
servicing a ‘Notice Seeking Possession’.
The Notice will state on which grounds
and under which Housing Act the
notice has been issued.
If you receive a Notice Seeking
Possession, you will be given a
chance to comply with the conditions
of tenancy, for example by:
■ Paying off any arrears
■ Stop causing nuisance and
annoyance to neighbours
If you do comply with the terms and
conditions of tenancy, no further
action will be taken. If you fail to
33
04
comply with the terms and conditions
of your tenancy agreement, we can
ask the Court for a Possession Order
and you could lose your home.
The Tenants’ Guarantee
This is issued by the Welsh Assembly
Government and contains safeguards
for Assured Tenants. The Tenants’
Guarantee required the Association to
inform tenants of its obligations and
also the way in which it deals with
certain issues. You will receive a copy
of the Guarantee when you sign your
tenancy agreement.
Joint tenancies
Joint tenants are jointly responsible for
keeping to the terms of the tenancy
agreement. If one joint tenant leaves
the home, they continue to be
responsible. For example, if the
remaining person did not pay the rent,
both tenants would be subject to legal
action that could be taken as a result.
Leaving the home does not end your
interest in the tenancy.
34
A joint tenancy can be ended by one
or both parties giving four weeks
notice in writing. If you are left in the
home after your joint tenant leaves and
ends the tenancy, we will consider
granting you the tenancy in your sole
name but it is not an automatic right.
In making a decision we will consider
the conduct of the tenancy and
whether the size of the home is
suitable for your needs.
If your joint tenant has left and not
ended the tenancy we are not able to
consider putting the tenancy into your
sole name without written notice from
the other tenant.
If you are a sole tenant and would like
to become a joint tenant with someone
who lives with you, you should put
your request in writing to your
Neighbourhood Manager who will
advise you of the implications. It may
not be in your best interests to do this.
We will not unreasonably withhold
consent, but we will consider whether
the person who wishes to be a joint
tenant owes us any money or whether
there has been a previous succession support or find you alternative
to the tenancy. We will also consider accommodation if that’s what you want.
the length of time you have lived If you have to leave your home because
together which should be over 12 of domestic violence and your partner
months. If you ask for a joint tenancy remains, you should speak to your
to be created on marriage, we will ask Neighbourhood Manager before taking
to see a copy of your marriage any action to end the tenancy. You
certificate. should consult a solicitor who may be
able to get an injunction to protect you.
Relationship breakdown For advice you can telephone the
If you are joint tenants who are married National Domestic Violence Helpline
and your relationship breaks down, on 0808 2000247 or Women’s Aid on
you should make sure that the tenancy 0808 8010800.
is resolved by your solicitor as part of
the divorce proceedings. If you are
remaining in the home, you can apply
for a property adjustment order to put
the tenancy into your sole name. You
may also be able to get a sole tenancy
transferred into your name if you
remain in the home and your partner
leaves.
Domestic violence
If you are suffering from domestic
violence, you should speak in
confidence to a member of staff. We
can help you by contacting specialist
agencies who will give you advice and
35
04
Passing your tenancy on to
others
Succession
If you are the tenant and you die, your
tenancy may pass to another close
family member, such as a spouse or
child, if they have been living with you
twelve months prior to your death and
are old enough to take the tenancy.
The Association recognises gay and
lesbian partners as spouses. This is
known as a succession. The right of
succession applies only once.
If you are a joint tenant and your
partner dies, you will automatically
become the sole tenant of the
property. This counts as a succession.
36
It is possible we may ask a successor
to move out of the home if it is too
large for their needs or the property
has been designed or adapted for
someone with special needs and the
successor does not need this type of
housing. If this happens we will
arrange alternative accommodation.
Assignment
An assignment is when you transfer
the tenancy to someone else. This will
happen if you exchange your tenancy
with someone else or in certain other
circumstances provided you request
permission and we agree. If you would
like to assign your tenancy to someone
else, contact your Neighbourhood
Manager who will consider your
request. You cannot assign your
tenancy without permission.
Taking in a lodger
You have the right to take in a lodger
without asking for permission. A
Lodger is someone who normally ‘lives
with the family’ and does not have
exclusive use of part of the house or
flat. You may provide some services
like laundry. If you take in a lodger you home and move out yourself you will
should notify us with the name and lose your security of tenure and we
age of the person so we can make could ask the Court to evict you and
sure that your property does not the person living in your home form
become overcrowded. You should also the property.
remember that taking in a lodger may
alter your entitlement to Housing
Benefit. You should seek advice from
the Local Authority Housing Benefit
Department.
Sub-letting part of your home
You have the right to sub-let part of
your home to another person but you
must ask The Association for permission
first. We will not withhold permission
provided your request is reasonable
and there is no over crowding created.
The person to whom you sub-let How to end your tenancy
becomes a sub-tenant and he or she To end your tenancy you must give us
should have their own room and will four weeks notice in writing. Your
look after themselves. You do not have notice must run from a Monday and be
the right to sub-let part of your home if received by us on or before the
you are a Starter Tenant. Please Monday from which the four week
contact your Neighbourhood Manager notice period starts. If you are thinking
for all enquiries about sub-letting. of ending your tenancy contact your
Neighbourhood Manager who will be
You are only able to sub-let part of able to send you a standard notice
your home. If you sub-let all of your form to complete. It is advisable to
37
04
give us a forwarding address so we Abandonment
send any mail to you or we can get in If you appear to have left your home
touch if we need to. You should without giving us notice or returning
continue to pay your rent during the the keys, we will do everything we can
notice period. to contact you and will investigate to
determine whether you still have an
On the Monday your tenancy ends, interest in the property. If our
you must return your keys to us by investigation concludes that you have
midday. If you do not do this, you may abandoned the property, we will serve
be charged an additional weeks rent a Notice to Quit giving you 4 weeks to
and if we have to change the locks give up possession of the property.
because you do not return keys to us,
we may re-charge you for the expense If after the expiry date of the Notice,
incurred. You should leave your home you have not contacted us, we will
in a clean and tidy condition. If you take action to repossess the property.
leave any unwanted furniture or
rubbish behind we may re-charge you
for its removal.
Paying
If you leave your property in a good
condition and are a Gold Service
Member, you may be entitled to
Your Rent
receive a ‘Golden Handshake
Payment’. See the section on Gold
Service.

38
05
Paying Your Rent

How your rent is set rent. If you feel that the rent set is
IN THIS SECTION unreasonable, you may appeal to the
Secure Tenants
If your tenancy started before 15th Rent Assessment Committee.
41 How your rent is set January 1989 you have a Secure
41 Service charges Tenancy and the rent on your home is We aim to keep rents at a level that
decided by the Rent Officer who is our tenants can afford whilst making
43 How to pay your rent independent of the Association. Rents sure that they cover the costs of the
are fixed for a two-year period. Before building, its management and
44 About your rent statement
your rent is changed you will be maintenance.
44 What to do if you have difficulty in paying your rent consulted by the Rent Officer and if
your do not agree with the new rent, The address of the Rent Assessment
45 About Housing Benefit
then you can appeal to the Rent Committee is:
45 How to claim Housing Benefit Assessment Committee. You have 28 1st Floor, West Wing, Southgate
days in which to do this. This Committee House, Wood Street, Cardiff CF1 1JJ
46 SHELTER CYMRU advice service
has the power to increase/decrease or
46 Joint tenancies confirm the rent. When a new rent is Service charges
fixed, you will be given 4 weeks’ notice Your rent may include a charge for
46 How to help us improve this service services that we provide. This can
by the Association of any increase.
include:
Assured Tenants ■ Caretaking or Scheme Co-ordinator

If your tenancy started after 15 services

January 1989 you have an Assured ■ Garden services

tenancy and your rent is set by the ■ Lighting in communal areas

Association. The level of rents the ■ Communal television aerials

Association can charge is regulated by ■ Cleaning of communal areas

the Welsh Assembly Government. Your

rent is reviewed by the Association
every April and you will be given 4
weeks’ notice of any change in your

40
05
The charges are based on the actual
costs of providing the service. The
service charges (if applicable) are
detailed at the back of your Tenancy
Agreement. Service charges are
reviewed with your rent.
The Association sets variable service
charges and although we only review
them on a yearly basis, we may have
to make an increase in the middle of
the year if we receive a sudden increase
in costs, for example, an increase in
the electricity being paid to support
landlord’s lighting. You will be given 4
weeks notice of any change in your
service charges.
If you are unhappy with the level of the
service charge, you can complain to the
Association, following the complaints
procedure.
Having your say
If we plan to make certain amendments
to your property or the scheme in which
you live we may have to recover the
costs by increasing your service charge.
Where the costs are more than £50
42
per unit or £1000 per scheme, then we
have to consult you by law. We would
have to give you one month’s notice of
our intention to carry out work and
give you any opportunity to respond to
our request.
Reimbursement
You have the right to claim
reimbursement if you feel that you have
not received a service for which you
have paid a service charge, or you are
unhappy with the quality of the service.
Please contact your Customer Accounts
Manager if you feel you are entitled to
a refund on your service charge.
Water charges
We do not generally collect your water
rates. However, in some Sheltered
Housing Schemes, or where there is a
metered supply, we do collect rates on
behalf of the water company. Details
of any water charges will be shown in
your Tenancy Agreement.
How to pay your rent
Rent is charged to your account every
Monday and your rent is payable every
Monday in advance for that week.
This is a condition of your Tenancy
Agreement. If you pay rent after
Monday your payment may not show
on your account for that week and
your account will show in arrears.
There are several ways of paying
your rent:
■ In person at Charter ’s offices at
11 Devon Place, Newpor t
During office hours, we accept cash
or cheque (made payable to ‘Charter
Housing Association’).
■ By Direct Debit
These can be set up on a weekly, 2
weekly, 4 weekly or calendar monthly
basis. Forms are available from
your Customer Account Manager.
If you cancel your direct debit please
inform your Customer Account
Manager immediately and make new
arrangements for paying your rent.
■ By Standing Order
You can set up a Standing Order to
pay your rent. Forms are available
from your Customer Account
Manager.
■ By post
We will accept payments by cheque
through the post only. Please DO
NOT send cash. Please include your
name, address and rent account
number on the back of the cheque.
■ At any location displaying the
Paypoint or Payzone sign
You can pay by cash or cheque at
a number of local shops and
garages that display these signs
using your Charter Payment Card.
Please check your receipt and keep
it in a safe place so that you can
check your payments against your
rent statement.
■ At any Post Office in the UK
You can use your Charter Payment
Card to pay by cash or cheque, made
payable to ‘Post Office Counters’.
Please check your receipt before
you leave the Post Office and keep
it in a safe place so that you can
check your payments against your
rent statement.
05
■ By telephone
You can pay over the telephone
through the Allpay.net IVR call
centre with your debit or credit card
and Charter Payment Card. Ring
0870 243 6040 and follow the
online instructions.
■ Pay online
Pay online at www.allpayments.net,
following the online instructions.
You will need your Charter Payment
Card.
■ In person to your Customer
Account Manager
Your Customer Account Manager
can take rent on behalf of the
Association if he or she is visiting
you. You will be given a receipt for
your payment.
About your Rent Statement
You will receive a rent statement every
3 months. This will show the weekly
rent charged and any payments you
have made. It will also show if your
rent account is in credit or arrears.
If your rent is paid to us by Housing
Benefit from your Council, this payment
is usually made every 4 weeks in
44
arrears and your account will show up
to 4 weeks in arrears until the payment
is received.
If you have any concerns about your
rent statement, please talk to your
Customer Account Manager.
What to do if you have
difficulty in paying your rent
One of your main obligations under the
terms of your Tenancy Agreement is to
ensure that your rent is paid on time,
even if it is paid by your Council via
Housing Benefit.
Don’t be afraid to tell your customer
accounts manager immediately if you
have difficulty paying your rent. They
will be understanding and helpful.
They will be able to advise you about
the possibility of claiming benefits or
other ways to get help.
Your Customer Account Manager can
also make an arrangement with you to
clear the debt by an affordable
payment plan if you fall into arrears.
We will do everything we can to help
you pay your rent and arrears but we
cannot accept persistent arrears and if
you fail to keep to any agreements
made, we will start legal proceedings
against you which could lead to the
loss of your home.
Your Customer Account Manager will
explain the legal steps we can take if
you do not maintain an up to date rent
account or fail to maintain an
agreement made to clear your arrears.
It is important that you seek immediate
independent advice. Community Legal
Service Direct 0845 2454245 will provide
you with telephone advice, or you can
find out where SHELTER CYMRU
operate their local drop-in advice
centres by telephoning 02920 556120.
About Housing Benefit
If you receive any benefits or are in
receipt of a low income, you may be
entitled to claim housing benefit from
your local Council to help to pay your
rent. If only part of your rent is paid by
Housing Benefit, you will have to make
up the difference yourself.
How to claim Housing Benefit
To claim Housing Benefit you should
apply to your local Council. Your
Customer Account Manager will be
able to help with this. Our SHELTER
advice worker will also be able to give
you any advice about claiming.
Please remember that it is your
responsibility to follow up any claim for
Housing Benefit and that payment of
rent is your responsibility.
If for any reason your local Council
does not pay your rent, you will be
expected to pay. It is very important
that you respond to any letters or
enquiries from your Council straight
away. If you have any problems,
please contact your Customer Account
Manager or SHELTER advice worker.
05
SHELTER Advice Service
SHELTER CYMRU, the housing and
homelessness charity, runs an advice
project at our offices at 11 Devon Place,
Newport.
SHELTER can offer FREE, impartial
and independent advice on Housing
Benefit, welfare benefits and dealing
with rent arrears.
Please do not hesitate to use this
FREE service if you need any
assistance with your benefits or need
general debt advice.
The SHELTER adviser is in our office
on Tuesday 12:30 – 3:30pm and on
Thursday and Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm.
The adviser can be contacted on
01633 212375.
Appointments may not be necessary.
Please call for availability and to make
sure the times of the service have not
changed.
46
Joint tenancies
Joint tenants have equal responsibility
for rent and any arrears. It is important
therefore that you are both aware of
your rent account balance. If you feel
you have no control over the rent
payments or your partner leaves the
property, please contact your Customer
Account Manager who will be able to
advise you.
Help us improve this service
If you think you can help us improve
the way in which we deal with your
rent account or tackle rent arrears,
please contact your Customer
Account Manager who will be able to
advise you about how you can
influence the service. You can also Living In
complete a customer comments form
in our reception and place it in the
suggestion box or make a comment or
Your Home
suggestion in person or on the phone
to any member of staff. Please Read
06
the Chapter on Customer Involvement
in this Handbook for more ways in
which you can become involved.
Living In Your Home

IN THIS SECTION When you move into your new Insuring your belongings
home, it is important that you: We are responsible for insuring the
■ Tell relevant people your new structure of your home and its fixtures
49 Moving into your new home 55 Keeping pets and fittings but not your personal
address.
49 Insuring your belongings 55 Running a business from ■ Contact your chosen supplier for belongings. If a pipe in your home
gas and electricity. You should take bursts because it freezes in cold
49 Keeping your keys safe home weather or a sink or your washing
meter readings on the day you
50 Decorating 55 Unwanted pests move in. machine overflows, we are not
■ Arrange an appointment to have responsible for damage caused to
50 Improvements & 55 Living in a flat your heating system commissioned your own or another person’s
alterations 56 Door entry systems by the Association. Your gas and belongings. We strongly recommend
electricity supply must be connected that you take out Insurance to cover
52 Laying flooring 56 Communal stairs & for this to be carried out. You must loss or damage caused to your
not use your heating system until personal possessions or those in
52 Fencing & hedges landings
the checks are carried out and you neighbouring properties. Make sure
52 Installing satellite dishes, should make sure you are provided that your insurance policy covers you
with a copy of the Landlord’s Gas for damage caused by fire, flood and
Aerials or Cable TV
Safety Certificate. frost and for other damage such as
53 Adapting your home if ■ Locate your electricity fuse box, accidentally broken windows. Ask your
gas mains and stop tap so that you Neighbourhood Manager about
you have a disability specialist insurance policies for
can quickly shut off the supplies if
53 Car parking & car repairs there is a problem. tenanted properties.
■ Check that your smoke detector is
54 Caravans & trailers Keeping your keys safe
working.
54 Maintaining your garden ■ Let us know about any repairs that Please keep your keys safe. We do not
you think should have been done keep any spare keys for you and if you
54 Rubbish storage & lose your keys, it is your responsibility
before you moved in.
removal ■ Arrange contents insurance for your to arrange for the locks to be changed.
belongings. We advise you to keep a spare key

48 49
06
with a trusted relative or friend. Never
hide a key outside your home. You
must return your keys at the end of
your tenancy.
If you live in sheltered housing you
may have a special type of door lock
which should not be changed without
our permission. Contact your Scheme
Co-ordinator or Neighbourhood
Manager if you need to change your
lock for any reason.
Decorating
When you move into your home, we
will ensure it is in a clean and tidy
condition and decorated to an
acceptable standard. If the quality of
decoration is not up to standard, you
may be offered a decoration voucher
which can be spent in a local DIY
store.
You are able to decorate the inside of
your home to your own taste, and this
is your responsibility. It is important
that you make sure this is done to a
good standard and that you do not do
anything which would make it difficult
50
for someone else to decorate if you
should leave. For example, you should
not put gloss paint, carpet or cladding
on walls and avoid very strong colours
that may be difficult to cover over. If in
doubt, please ask for advice. If you do
not keep you home decorated to a
good standard, you may be charged
for decoration when you move out or
you may be prevented from transferring
or exchanging until you redecorate.
You should not put artex on walls and
if you are removing artex from walls or
ceilings, you should contact your
Maintenance Surveyor for advice first.
Improvements & alterations to
your home
We want you to enjoy living in your
Charter property, and we recognise
that many people want to ‘personalise’
their property to suit their tastes and
lifestyles. It is an important part of
making it your ‘home’.
We encourage you to make
improvements to your home. However,
if you are planning any improvements
or alterations, you will need to contact
the Maintenance Surveyor for your area
first for permission and advice. We may
want to consult plans and drawings
prior to written approval being given,
and certain alterations or improvements
may need planning or building control
approval from the Council. There may
be fees payable in such cases.
Inspections will always be required for
structural works such as the removal of
a wall or the addition of a conservatory.
We will not refuse permission for
alterations or improvements unless
there is a good reason.
If you do not obtain the necessary
permission, you may be required to
reinstate the property to its original
condition on termination of your
tenancy or you may be recharged for
any work which is unsafe or which does
not meet required standards for rented
properties. You may also find yourself
in breach of your ‘Conditions of Tenancy’
and your home may be at risk.
Any works to gas services or
appliances must be carried out by a
CORGI registered person – always ask
for proof, and if in doubt, ask your
Maintenance Surveyor for guidance.
If you are considering the installation
of new light fittings, extra wall sockets,
garden lights, wiring to sheds or pond
features etc., please make sure you
employ a qualified electrician. Ask for
proof that they are registered with
‘NIC EIC’. These are the initials of the
organisation with which reputable and
qualified electricians will be registered.
Again, if in doubt, please check with
your Maintenance Surveyor.
If you wish to install a shower in your
bathroom, contact your Maintenance
Surveyor for advice first.
Take care not to remove important fire
doors in your property. This is particularly
important if you live in a flat. Contact
your Maintenance Surveyor for advice
first before removing or replacing any
door.
51
06
If you are fitting shelving, cupboards or
pictures etc, to walls, remember to fill
in any holes or cracks if you are leaving
your home. Make sure you know where
the gas, water pipes etc are embedded
in the wall before knocking nails in.
Laying flooring
If you live in a house or ground floor
flat you may lay laminate flooring in
your property provided it is properly
insulated with acoustic underlay of at
least 2mm thick. This minimises the
level of noise from walking on laminate
floors which may cause a nuisance to
neighbours. The flooring must be
properly laid and finished with
appropriate edgings. You are responsible
for lifting and relaying the laminate
flooring in case of repairs being required
to the flooring, pipework etc, beneath.
If you live in an above ground flat, we
regret that you are not permitted to lay
laminate flooring, because of the noise
nuisance this can cause to others
living beneath you.
The flooring in your kitchen and
bathroom may be specialist anti-slip
52
flooring. You should not cover this with
another type of flooring. If you are
unsure whether you have this type of
flooring, contact your Maintenance
Surveyor for advice.
Fencing & hedges
There are planning regulations which
restrict the height of boundary fences
and hedges around your home. Before
you consider putting up a fence or
allowing a hedge to grow above a
reasonable height, you should contact
your Maintenance Surveyor for advice
first.
Installing satellite dishes,
aerials or Cable TV
You must ask for permission from our
Maintenance Team before erecting a
satellite dish or TV or radio aerial on
your property or installing cable TV. If
you live in a flat, it is possible due to
planning laws, that you may not be
able to have a satellite dish installed.
Some of our properties have a shared
aerial. Your Neighbourhood Manager
will be able to advise you if this is the
case.
Adapting your home if you
have a disability
If you have a disability or are less mobile
as you have become older, we may be
able to help you adapt your home to
help you retain your independence. If
you need small adaptations such as a
handrail or grab-rail, we may be able
to arrange this for you quickly. If you
need larger adaptations, such as a
walk in shower, wheelchair ramps or a
stair lift, we may be able to help get a
grant to do this work for you subject to
an assessment by an occupational
therapist.
We can also advise you about
emergency alarm systems which are
connected to a 24 hour local authority
call centre. These can enable you to
summon help in an emergency or if
you feel unwell. Please contact your
Neighbourhood Manager for advice on
all types of adaptations.
Car parking & car repairs
If you have a drive or parking space
provided with your home, please use it
for parking rather than using the road.
This will help to keep the highways
free and prevent accidents. Where
general parking spaces are provided,
these are for the use of all residents
and their visitors. If parked on the road
or in a parking space, your vehicle
should be taxed and roadworthy
otherwise it may be towed away by
the local Council and disposed of.
Please do not carry out major car
repairs at your home as this may
cause annoyance to your neighbours.
53
06
Parking caravans & trailers
It is a condition of your tenancy
agreement that you should not keep a
caravan or trailer on you drive or on
the road outside your house. You should
not park caravans or trailers in parking
bays or on estate roads.
Maintaining or improving your
garden
It is a condition of your tenancy
agreement that your gardens are kept
in a clean and tidy condition. Most
front gardens are maintained by our
Estate Maintenance Service for a small
service charge. For them to cut your
grass, you should keep your garden
clear of obstructions, such as toys or
vehicles.
If you have a communal garden, it is
usually the responsibility of our Estates
Maintenance Team to maintain it but if
you would like to take care of part of
the garden, please speak to your
Neighbourhood Manager about this.
If you are planning to put a pond in
your garden, ask your Maintenance
54
Surveyor for advice first. You may be
asked to re-fill a pond should you
leave your home, as they can be
dangerous for young children. If you
have young children yourself, we would
advise against putting a pond in.
If you are a keen gardener, ask your
Neighbourhood Manager about our
annual Charter in Bloom Gardening
Competition.
Rubbish storage & removal
If rubbish is not stored properly it can
look unsightly and attract pests and
vermin. It is your responsibility to dispose
of your rubbish in the bin provided and
to keep bin areas clean and tidy. For
large or bulky items, such as fridges
cookers and sofas, telephone your
local council for their low cost special
collection service. Please do not dump
these items, they can cause a fire hazard
or a danger to children. If we discover
that you have dumped rubbish or bulky
items we will recharge you for the costs
of removing it and you may be subject
to legal action or a fine imposed by
the Environmental Health Department.
Keeping pets
You can keep small caged animals in
your home without permission but you
must have our written permission to
keep all other animals, including dogs
and cats or any potentially dangerous
animal. Permission will not be given for
pets to be kept in homes, such as a
flat, where there is an access via a
communal area, shared with other
neighbours. You may not be able to
keep a pet where you share a garden.
If permission is granted, you will be
asked to sign an agreement which
says that you will look after your pet
responsibly. Please remember that we
may withdraw permission if at any time
your pet annoys your neighbours.
Running a business from
home
It is a condition of your tenancy
agreement that you should not run a
business from home without our written
consent. We will give permission if the
business is appropriate for the size and
location of your home and we are sure
that no nuisance or potential hazard
will be caused to your neighbours.
Unwanted pests
If you have a problem with rats, mice,
squirrels, wasps, bees, fleas or any
others pests or vermin in your home,
you should contact the Environmental
Health Officer at your local Council for
advice and assistance. The Association
is unable to help with the removal of
pests.
Living in a flat
Living in a flat can mean that you are
closer to your neighbours than if you
live in a house and it is inevitable that
you will hear some noise from adjoining
homes. Please take care not to cause
excessive noise and if you feel that the
noise from your neighbour is
55
06
unreasonable, such as loud music or a
very loud television, it is best to
approach them informally in the first
instance. If the noise continues, you
can approach the Environmental Health
Officer or our Nuisance Prevention
Team. You can minimise noise by
making sure that your floors are
carpeted with a good, thick underlay,
that you do not use you washing
machine or hoover late at night and that
you keep your music and television at
a reasonable level.
Door entry systems
If you live in a block of flats you will
have a secure door entry system with
an intercom. You will be given keys to
the door. To maintain security for
yourself and your neighbours, you
should make sure that the communal
door is always shut and that you do
not let anyone you don’t know through
the door. The door entry system will be
on a timer to allow deliveries such as
Communal stairs & landings
Some stairways and landings in blocks
of flats are cleaned by the Association’s
mobile cleaning service for a small
service charge. Each stairway is cleaned
approximately every three weeks. For
information or comment about this
service, contact your Neighbourhood
Manager.
Please do not store any items such as
bikes, prams or rubbish in the communal
area as they could cause a hazard to
your neighbours or block an escape
route in the event of a fire.
Please contact Customer Services to
report any lighting that is faulty in the
communal area. Repairs
& Maintenance

07
papers and milk in the morning. If you
and your neighbours do not feel the
timer is set correctly for you, please
contact us and we will set it at a time
which you agree.
56
Repairs & Maintenance

Reporting a Repair E-mail us:

IN THIS SECTION ■
repairs@charterhousing.co.uk
Before you ring us or call at our office
about a repair, please identify the (Only use e-mail for routine or non-
59 Report a repair problem using this Section. Our staff urgent repairs. Please give a contact
60 Our service have similar books with the same phone number.)
drawings, so they can talk the problem ■ If you live in sheltered
62 Our responsibilities through with you. Always remember to accommodation, you can report
give us a phone number where you your repair to the Scheme Co-
64 Your responsibilities
can be contacted. ordinator or directly to the Repairs
65 Our response times Hotline.
67 Service standards You can report a repair in whichever
way suits you You should be aware that:
69 The right to repair ■ Phone us: ■ we may need to inspect your repair

Repairs Hotline: 01633 678511 problem before it can be passed to

70 Basic repairs and your responsibilities:
Out-of-hours emergencies: a contractor
Baths & Basins, Doors & Locks, Drains & Wastes, Electrics,
01633 214222 ■ outside office hours we will only
Fences & Gates, Floors & Stairs, Garages, Gutters, Heating, respond to emergency problems
(Calls are handled by a special
Kitchen Fittings, Pipes & Taps, Roofs & Chimneys, Toilets, control centre. You should be aware ■ if you have exaggerated the
Walls & Ceilings, Windows, Cleaning blocked waste, that your call may be recorded). urgency of the problem to get an
Resetting a trip switch, Condensation Gas leaks: 0800 111999 emergency response, you will be
(Use a phone outside your home – charged for the call-out fee
106 Repair and maintenance numbers
using one inside could spark an ■ you may be charged for the cost of

explosion. This number connects repairing any damage caused by

you directly to National Grid – Gas). you, a member of your family, or a
The text and illustrations in this section have been developed by ■ Write to us or visit us: visitor.
Omfax Systems Ltd, 21 Causeway, Bicester, OX 26 6AN. Omfax
illustrations must not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or 11 Devon Place, Newport, South
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, Wales, NP20 4NP
recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without
■ Fax us: 01633 256271
prior written permission from Omfax Ltd.

58
07
Our service
When you contact us
Please let us know:
■ your name, address and phone
number
■ details of the item that needs
repairing.
We will inform you
We will discuss the problem with you.
We will let you know whether an order
will be placed immediately with the
contractor or whether an inspection by
an Area Surveyor is needed to assess
exactly what needs to be done. In
some cases the repair will be passed
to an estate caretaker.
If it is an order, we will tell you the
response time category your repair
falls into and the target date by which
it should be completed. See Response
times on page 65.
60
The repair is recorded and
acknowledged
The details of your repair will be entered
onto our computer system. You will
receive an acknowledgement of your
repair request by post. This will give
an outline of the repair that has been
ordered and the target date by which
the repair should be completed.
Appointments
We will discuss when it is convenient
for the contractor to call. We will agree
a morning or afternoon for a specific
day and the contractor may call you
nearer the time to say exactly when
you can expect him or her to arrive.
Satisfaction survey
We enclose a postage paid ‘satisfaction’
card with your repair acknowledgement.
After the work has been completed
please let us know what you think about
the service by filling in the card and
posting it back to us. See Win a Prize!
Win a Prize! If you return your
satisfaction card with comments about
your repair, your name will be entered
into our monthly draw for a cash prize.
A small reward but a real treat!
What repairs are carried out by
Charter?
We are responsible for the outside of
your property, the main structure and
any fittings and appliances we have
provided. We are also responsible for
maintenance of communal areas. You
are responsible for taking care of the
inside of your property and for certain
repairs. See Responsibilities page 64.
If you are elderly, infirm or disabled
and have no able-bodied adult to help
you, we may be able to advise you
what help you can get.
Do I have to pay for any repairs?
If you request a repair caused by
damage done by you, a member of
your family or a visitor, we will normally
expect you to repair it yourself or pay
for it to be done. We will always carry
out work to make your home safe, but
we will have to charge you for the cost
of doing so unless the problem is the
result of a break-in or vandalism and
you can supply us with a Police Crime
Report Number (not an Incident
Number). If we have to charge you,
we will let you know how much we are
going to charge before we carry out
the work.
Can I claim for accidental damage?
You are responsible for your own
possessions, carpets, fittings, etc and
for internal decorations. You are strongly
advised to take out household contents
insurance. This will enable you to claim
for the cost of accidental damage which
we are not obliged to do or pay for.
We have a low cost scheme you can
join. Please ask our staff for details.
07
What about general maintenance?
All our properties are included in a
rolling programme of painting. This
covers the outside of individual homes
based on a 5 year cycle, and internal
communal areas every 3 years. We
also have a programme of carrying out
‘condition’ surveys to identify repairs
needed to the inside and outside of
each property. You will be consulted
when this programme reaches your area.
What if I need adaptations to my
home?
You need to contact your local Council
and ask for an assessment by an
occupational therapist, who will
recommend what changes should be
made. They will also advise you on how
to apply for grants to cover the cost of
the work.
62
We are responsible for any communal Joint responsibility for gas safety
facilities including any gardens or open ■ We are responsible for carrying out
areas. Outside your home we are an annual boiler service in every
responsible for features that were property with a gas supply. You
originally provided by us, or were should let us know if, for any
present when the association bought reason, you have not had such a
the property. These will include: check in the last 12 months.
■ boundary fences, walls or hedges ■ You must allow us entry to your
where they form a boundary with a home to carry out the annual
public space service. If you do not allow us in,
■ in certain circumstances steps, you are in breach of your Tenancy
paths and any paved areas Agreement. If necessary we will
■ brick outhouses and timber sheds. take court action to gain access or
arrange for the gas supply to your
Our responsiblities home to be cut off. You will be
We are responsible for repairing and liable for all costs.
maintaining the structure of the ■ If your annual service is overdue
property you live in. This includes all because you have not made
the external parts and any internal arrangements with us to do it, we
fixtures and fittings originally provided will only do emergency or health
by us but not those that are listed as, and safety related work to your
or we have told you are, your system until you allow us to carry
responsibility. out a full service.
■ You must ensure that air vents do
Our responsibilities also cover all not become blocked outside or
pipes, wiring, fixtures and fittings for inside.
heating, drainage, power and lighting,
and any smoke detectors fitted by us.
07
Your responsibilities
You are responsible for certain tasks:
■ replacing keys when broken or lost,
or when locked out
■ getting broken or cracked glass
replaced
■ resetting trip switches
■ replacing light bulbs and fluorescent
tubes
■ trying to clear blockages in wastes,
toilets or gullies
■ repairing minor cracks or holes in
walls or ceilings
■ repairing minor fittings: curtain
tracks, roller blinds, shelves etc.
■ replacing toilet seats and lids
■ replacing clothes lines or restringing
rotary driers (unless shared with
others)
■ testing and maintaining any smoke
detectors you have fitted
■ taking action to prevent condensation
■ adjusting doors when new carpets
are fitted
■ fitting bells or additional locks to
doors
■ keeping gullies clear of leaves
■ replacing plugs and chains on baths,
sinks or basins
64
■ fitting wastes and supply valves for
dishwashers and tumbledriers (if not
already provided)
■ repairing any appliance, fitting,
fixture or outside feature you have
installed.
You also have certain general
responsibilities:
■ to keep your property clean and in
good decorative order, and your
garden tidy
■ to allow us access to your home to
enable us to do any repair work or
carry out any inspections that are
necessary
■ to take reasonable precautions to
prevent damage once a repair fault
has been identified
■ moving any furniture or lifting any
floor covering you have put down
eg carpets, tiles or wood effect
flooring to allow repair work to be
done and putting these back after
work is completed
■ to report any criminal damage or
vandalism to the Police and get a
Police Crime Report Number (not
an Incident Number).
Our response times
When you report a repair to us we
assess the nature of the problem and
tell you what response time category it
falls into. The times are measured from
the date you report the problem to us.
■ Emergency: we will respond within
24 hours to remove immediate
danger to people, avoid serious
damage to the property, to make
the property secure, or to restore
failure of essential services such as
sanitation, water or electrical supply.
We will always make the situation
safe. Sometimes follow up work will
need to be done at a later date.
■ Urgent: we will respond within 5
working days for work that needs
to be carried out quickly, to overcome
serious inconvenience to the tenant,
or to prevent more damage to the
property.
■ Routine: we will respond within 20
working days for repair problems
inside the home that do not cause
particular inconvenience or danger
to occupants or the public and for
general repairs to the outside of the
property, that are unlikely to
deteriorate provided they are
attended to within a reasonable time.
Inspections
Some repairs will need to be inspected
before repair work can be ordered. You
can ask for the Maintenance Surveyor
to visit on a specific morning or
afternoon, otherwise you may receive
a letter or phone call to say when he
or she will be in your area.
If the repair is particularly complicated
or likely to take longer than normal, we
may need to agree on a longer timescale
with the contractor. We will keep you
informed. In some of these cases the
Maintenance Surveyor may decide to
put the work into a major works or
planned programme already scheduled
for your area.
07
How long will it take?
When you request a repair, we will put
the work into a response time category
(see above). Each response category
has a maximum time allowed for the
work to be done. If necessary, we will
arrange for the work to be inspected
first by a Maintenance Surveyor. If a
repair is not done within the time given
please contact us and we will
investigate the matter. The target date
for completion will be confirmed on
the repair acknowledgement which we
send to you by post. The work will be
carried out by a local contractor.
What if I can only be in at certain
times?
When you report a repair let us know
what times are convenient for the
contractor or caretaker to call. You can
ask for a morning or afternoon
appointment on a specific day and we
will do our best to arrange this for you.
If you find you are unable to keep an
appointment you need to contact us to
arrange another appointment.
66
What if I am not in when the
contractor calls?
The contractor will leave a card giving
a date when he or she will call again. If
this is not convenient you should phone
us or the contractor to arrange another
date. If you are not at home a second
time the job will be cancelled and you
will have to report the repair again.
What if it is an emergency?
We treat repairs as emergencies if they
are necessary to avoid danger or risk
to the health of the occupants, or
serious damage to the property. Outside
normal office hours we only handle
emergency repairs. These should be
reported on our Out-of-hours Emergency
number given at the beginning of this
section. We expect you to report urgent
or routine repairs on our Repairs Hotline
number during working hours on the
next working day. If you call us out
and you are not in or we find the repair
is not a genuine emergency, we will
charge you for the contractor's time.
Service standards
Contractors working in your home
must:
■ introduce themselves and show
you identification before entering
your home
■ explain what they are going to do
and how this will affect you, and to
keep you informed about the
progress of the work
■ take care of your property and
possessions, protecting them from
dust and paint
■ keep your home secure at all times
■ make sure materials and tools do
not cause danger to you or your
visitors
■ clear up rubbish and remove it at
the end of each working day
■ make good any damage to
decorations caused by repair work
in your home
■ make sure essential services are
connected at the end of each day
and when the repair is completed
■ tell you, or a neighbour if you are
out, when starting any outside
work.
Contractors are not allowed to:
■ smoke in your home without your
consent
■ play radios in or near your home.
You should be aware:
■ contractors cannot be left alone in
your home or with children only
present (under 16). If you leave the
home the contractor will have to
leave the property and wait for you
to return
■ you should not leave your key hidden
somewhere, or with someone else,
for a contractor to pick up and let
themselves into your home
■ in bad weather contractors cannot,
for their own safety, work at height,
e.g. on ladders or scaffolding, or on
the roof
■ you are expected to allow contractors
to get on with their work by keeping
children and pets out of their way
■ if any furniture or floor coverings
need to be moved before repair
work can be done, you must get
this done before contractors start
work. They may be willing to help
but can accept no responsibility for
any damage caused in the process.
07
What standard of service can I
expect?
We will respond to repair problems in
an efficient and helpful way. All repairs
are carried out by contractors we have
selected carefully. The name of the
contractor will be given on your repairs
acknowledgement. Our contractors
must follow certain rules of behaviour
when working in or around your home,
detailed above.
What if the work is not done on
time?
We will have put your repair into a
response time category. See Response
times page 65. If the repair is not done
within that response time let us know
and we will follow it up immediately.
What if I am not satisfied with the
quality of work?
If the repair was not completed within
the time allowed or if you are not
satisfied with the work that has been
done or the service provided please let
us know. We will investigate all
complaints thoroughly to make sure
that work is done to a good standard
68
without further delay. If you are not
satisfied with our response to your
complaint you should write to the
Maintenance Manager or follow our
complaints procedure detailed in this
handbook.
Do Charter check up on the quality
of workmanship?
We send a postage paid ‘satisfaction’
card with your repair acknowledgement.
Please fill this in once the repair is
completed to let us know what you
think of our service and then post it
back to us. We run a monthly draw of
all cards returned... you could win a
cash prize!
We carry out regular quality control
visits to make sure that our contractors
work to high standards. These visits
are done by picking out completed
repairs on a random basis.
The Right To Repair
As a Housing Association Tenant you
have the ‘Right to Repair’. This is
designed to ensure that certain repairs,
known as ‘qualifying repairs’ are
completed on time. If our contractor
does not complete the repair on time,
you can ask us to hire someone else.
If the repairs are still not done, you can
make a claim for compensation.
Qualifying repairs are those which
cost less than £250 and include:
■ unsafe power or lighting sockets or
electrical fittings
■ blocked flues or fires or boilers
■ leaking roofs
■ toilets that won't flush
■ blocked sinks, baths or basins
■ leaking or flooding from pipes,
tanks or cisterns
■ loose or broken banisters or
handrails
For more information on the Right to
Repair, contact your Maintenance
Surveyor
07
Baths and Basins
Your responsibilities
■ Cleaning baths, sinks and basins
and shower heads.
■ Trying to clear blocked wastepipes.
See Handy hints page 100.
■ Repairing any items you have
installed yourself, eg shower, extra
tiles.
■ Replacing plugs and chains on
baths, basins and sinks.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family or a
visitor.
Advice
■ For water leaks or tap problems,
see Pipes·Taps page 90.
■ You should always try to clear any
blocked wastepipes. See Handy
hints page 100. Do not use a bath,
basin or sink if the wastepipe is
blocked; wait until it has been
cleared.
■ If a blockage is caused by unusual
items such as toys etc, we will charge
you if we have to clear it for you.
70
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.
■ We cannot guarantee a colour
match when replacing bathroom
fittings.
■ We cannot replace a bath or basin
because it is stained or chipped.
This will only be done if your home
is included in an upgrading
programme.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: bathroom
fittings loose or broken; wastepipe
leaking or blocked; splashback wall
tiles cracked or broken?
■ If tiles: how many are affected?
What size, colour or pattern are
they?
■ If a bath panel: is it the side or the
end? What is it made of: plastic,
metal or hardboard?
■ If a bath or basin: what is it made
of: plastic, metal or porcelain?
07
Doors and Locks
Your responsibilities
■ Replacing keys or locks if you lose
keys or get locked out.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family or a
visitor.
■ Providing any additional locks and
latches and maintaining them once
they are fitted.
■ Fitting and maintaining doorbells
where we have not provided one.
■ Adjusting doors when new carpets
are fitted.
Advice
■ If the problem has been caused by
vandalism or a break-in you should
report the incident to the Police
and get a Crime Report Number
(not an Incident Number), otherwise
we will have to charge you for the
repair.
■ If you lock yourself out and you
need us to make a forced entry, we
will charge you for the cost of
doing so and for any related repair
work.
72
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.
■ In an emergency, eg you can't lock
an external door, we will only be
able to make the property safe and
secure. The complete repair will be
done at a later date.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: lock stiff
or not fitting properly into the keep;
lock or handle broken; door sticking,
ill-fitting or damaged?
■ Which door is it: front, back, or
side?
■ What is the door made of: wood,
plastic or metal?
■ What type of lock or latch is it:
cylinder mortice, cylinder rim
nightlatch, mortice lock?
■ Is the property still secure?
07
Drains and Wastes We need to know
Your responsibilities ■ What is the problem, eg:

■ Trying to clear blocked wastepipes. wastepipe blocked or leaking; drain

See Handy hints page 100. smelling or blocked; gully blocked
■ Clearing leaves and rubbish from or grid missing?
gullies. ■ If a wastepipe, which is it: bath,

■ Clearing blockages in washing basin, sink, shower or toilet? Is

machine or dishwasher outlets. more than one fitting blocked?
■ If the drain is blocked: is it

Advice overflowing?
■ You should always try to clear any
blocked wastepipes. See Handy
hints page 100. Do not use the
bath, basin or sink if the wastepipe
is blocked; wait until it has been
cleared.
■ Do not put into toilets products that
do not break down easily, for example
paper hand towels or kitchen roll.
They easily cause blockages.
■ If a blockage is caused by unusual
items such as nappies or toys etc,
we will charge you if we have to
clear it for you.
■ We will maintain your kitchen fittings
to a useable standard. When they
reach their expected lifespan we
will include them in a replacement
programme.

74
07
Electrics
Your responsibilities
■ Resetting trip switches and, if
necessary, turning off the mains
supply. See Handy hints page 102.
■ Replacing light bulbs and fluorescent
tubes (except in communal areas).
■ Ensuring that your electricity bill
has been paid and that your meter
does not run out.
■ Testing and replacing batteries in
smoke detectors you have installed.
■ Arranging repairs to your own
electrical appliances.
Advice
■ DO NOT TOUCH bare wires and
DO NOT TOUCH sockets or
switches with wet hands.
■ Make sure that you know where the
trip switches are located in your
home and understand how to reset
them. See Handy hints page 102.
■ To check whether a problem has
been caused by a fault in one of
your appliances try a different
appliance in the socket.
76
■ If you cause any damage or a
problem is caused by a fault in one
of your appliances we will charge
you for the cost of calling out a
contractor and for any repair work.
■ If water is leaking onto an electrical
fitting or a fitting is dangerous, do
not touch it. Isolate the circuit by
switching off the trip switch or the
main switch. See Handy hints
page 102.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: no lights
or power in part of or throughout
the property; light or light switch
not working; socket loose or
broken?
■ What type of fitting or socket is it?
■ Are other buildings affected?
■ Are there any other connected
problems?
07
Fences and Gates We need to know
Your responsibilities ■ What is the problem, eg: fence

■ Maintaining any fences, walls or loose or broken; gate sticking; gate

hedges between neighbouring catch missing; path cracked,
properties which you or a previous uneven or damaged.
tenant put up. See Advice. ■ If a fence, what type is it, eg:

■ Replacing lines and restringing rotary wooden (what type) or chain link?
driers (unless shared with others). What length is it?
■ Maintaining any garden paths, ■ If a gate, what type is it, eg:

patios, sheds or other outside wooden or metal?

features that you or a previous ■ If a post, what type is it, eg:

tenant installed. wooden, metal or concrete?

■ Repairing any damage caused by ■ If a fence, post or gate what

you, a member of your family or a height is it (approximately)?

visitor.

Advice
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.
■ If you want to put up your own
fence, for example to increase your
privacy or to enclose a pet, you
must write to us giving us full
details: type of material, where it
will be put up, what height it will
be, etc. You must not go ahead
with the work until we have given
our permission.

78
07
Floors and Stairs
Your responsibilities
■ Repairing or renewing floor tiles or
vinyl flooring not originally provided
by us.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family or a
visitor.
■ Lifting any floor coverings you have
put down eg carpets, tiles or wood
effect flooring before we do work to
floors and stairs, and putting these
back after work is completed. See
Advice.
Advice
■ Contractors may be willing to lift
any floor covering and loosely relay
it on your behalf but will accept no
responsibility for any damage
caused to the floor covering in the
process.
■ If you want to put down your own
wood effect flooring you must write
to us for permission. We will not
agree to it being used in flats except
on the ground floor, as it causes
noise which affects other flats.
80
■ We can fit extra handrails to help
disabled or elderly tenants.
■ If you cause any damage we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: floorboard
or skirting board loose, rotten or
damaged; tread or riser broken;
handrail loose or broken; floor
covering lifting or damaged?
■ What type of floor covering is it, eg:
floorboards, chipboard, plywood,
quarry tiles, plastic tiles, vinyl
sheeting, or wood block flooring?
■ How many boards or tiles are
affected?
■ Is it in a communal area?
07
Garages We need to know
Your responsibilities ■ If a garage, what type of door is it,

■ Replacing keys or locks to garage eg: up-and-over, side-hung? Is the

doors if your keys are lost or locked car stuck inside?
inside. ■ If a garage roof, what type is it, eg:

■ Repairing any damage caused by corrugated metal, cement panel,

you, a member of your family or a felt, asphalt or tiles?
visitor. ■ What is the problem, eg: garage
door jammed; key lost or stolen;
Advice frame damaged; roof damaged?
■ If a problem has been caused by
vandalism you should report the
incident to the Police and get a
Crime Report Number (not an
Incident Number), otherwise we will
have to charge you for the repair.
■ If your garage is separate from your
home you need to make
arrangements for the contractor to
find it and get into it.
■ If you want to put up a shed, lean-
to or conservatory, you must write
to the maintenance department for
permission. You need to give us full
details of what you are planning.
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.

82
07
Gutters
Your responsibilities
■ Clearing leaves and rubbish from
gullies.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family, or a
visitor.
Advice
■ We may need to put up scaffolding
if the repair is above two storeys
high.
■ In bad weather conditions
contractors cannot work at height,
eg on ladders or scaffolding, or on
the roof.
84
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: gutter or
downpipe loose, leaking or blocked;
bracket, joint or shoe loose or
broken?
■ Which gutter or downpipe is it:
front, back or side?
■ What shape is it: half round, square
or ogee?
■ What is the gutter or downpipe
made of: metal or plastic?
■ How many storeys high is the
building?
■ Are there any other connected
problems?
07
Heating
Your responsibilities
■ If you suspect a gas leak, call
National Grid (Gas) immediately -
use a phone OUTSIDE your home
- 0800 111999 (using a phone
inside could spark an explosion).
■ Also turn off the gas at the mains
and open windows. Do not smoke,
light a match, use a lighter, or
switch anything electrical on or off
until the problem is fixed.
■ Checking that your heating controls
(room thermostat, timer or
programmer) are set correctly and
so using heat effectively. See Advice.
■ Allowing us into your home once a
year to carry out a boiler service. If
you do not do this we will take legal
action to gain access to your home.
Advice
■ You will have a timeclock or digital
programmer on your boiler. This
automatically turns the heating and
hot water on and off at the times
you set. You can set them to come
on once, twice or stay on all the
time, as you require.
86
■ During freezing spells, keep some
background heat on all the time.
■ You will have a room thermostat in
certain rooms. This keeps the heating
in that room at a set temperature.
Turn the dial so that the arrow or
marker is against the temperature
setting you want. A comfortable
and economic temperature is
between 15°C and 20°C.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: smell of
gas; central heating not working;
radiator leaking or not getting
warm; no hot water?
■ What type of heating is it: gas,
electric, wood or coal?
■ What type of system is it: wall-
mounted boiler or a front fire with a
back boiler?
■ Have you any other form of heating?
■ Are there any other connected
problems?
07
Kitchen fittings
Your responsibilities
■ Installing washing machines,
dishwashers or tumble driers and
providing wastes and supply pipes
for tumble driers and dishwashers.
See Advice.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
■ We will maintain your kitchen
fittings to a useable standard.
When they reach the end of their
expected lifespan we will include
them in a replacement programme.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: wall or

you, a member of your family or a floor unit loose or damaged;

visitor. worktop loose or broken; cupboard
■ Repairing any extra units you have door or drawer damaged; cupboard
installed. door hinge or catch broken?
■ What type of unit is it: wall or floor?

Advice ■ Are there any other connected

■ If you cause any damage, we will problems?

charge you for the cost of repair
work.
■ We cannot guarantee a colour or
style match if we have to replace
kitchen units or parts of the unit,
such as worktop, drawer, or door.
■ If you install either a dishwasher or
tumble drier, you are responsible
for providing any supply and waste
connections needed for them.

88
07
Pipes and Taps
Your responsibilities
■ Taking steps to prevent water in
pipes and taps freezing. See Advice.
■ Turning off your water supply at the
main stoptap if a water pipe has
burst, and then turning on all taps
to allow remaining water to flow
out. See Advice.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family or a
visitor.
Advice
■ You should know where the main
stoptap is in order to turn the water
off in an emergency. Normally it is
under the kitchen sink or near the
front door.
■ If water is leaking onto an electrical
fitting, do not touch it. Isolate the
circuit by switching off the trip
switch or the mains switch. See
Handy hints on page 102.
■ In very cold weather keep heating
on a low setting, even if you are not
at home, to prevent pipes from
freezing.
90
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work. If the damage is caused by
water leaking, you may be able to
make an insurance claim on your
own contents insurance. We can
recommend a reasonable insurance
scheme to you. Please ask our staff
for details.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: water
pipe frozen or burst; overflow
running or broken; tap dripping or
faulty?
■ If water is leaking into your
property: is it coming from the flat
above? What is the address?
■ If a tap: what type is it?
■ Are there any other connected
problems?
07
Roofs and Chimneys We need to know
Your responsibilities ■ What is the problem, eg: roof

■ Putting up television or radio aerials leaking; tiles or slates loose or

or satellite dishes on the outside of broken; chimney pot or cowl fallen
the property. However, you must or loose; chimney stack crumbling?
get our permission in writing before ■ What type of tiles or slates are

you do this. they, eg: plain, ridge, interlocking,

■ Repairing any damage caused by hip?
you, a member of your family or a ■ How many storeys high is the

visitor. property?
■ Is the chimney shared with another

Advice property? What is the address?

■ We may need to put up scaffolding
if the repair is above two storeys
high.
■ In bad weather conditions
contractors cannot work at height,
eg on ladders or scaffolding, or on
the roof.
■ If the roof is leaking and electrical
fittings are getting wet, do not
touch them. Isolate the circuit by
switching off the trip switch or the
mains switch. See Handy hints on
page 102.
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.

92
07
Toilets
Your responsibilities
■ Cleaning toilet pans.
■ Trying to clear blocked toilets. See
Handy hints on page 100.
■ Replacing toilet seats and lids.
■ If you cause any damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: toilet

■ Repairing any damage caused by blocked; overflow running; cistern

you, a member of your family or a leaking; seat broken; pan cracked
visitor. or leaking; flush handle broken?
■ What type of cistern is it: standard

Advice or close-coupled?
■ You should always try to clear any ■ What type of handle is it: lever

blockages. See Handy hints on handle, push down knob or chain?

page 102.
■ If a blockage is caused by unusual
items such as nappies, toys etc, we
will charge you if we have to clear it
for you.
■ Do not put into toilets products that
do not break down easily, for
example paper hand towels or
kitchen roll. They easily cause
blockages.
■ We cannot replace a toilet because
it is stained or chipped. This will
only be done if your home is included
in an upgrading programme.

94
07
Walls and Ceilings
Your responsibilities
■ Decorating walls and ceilings inside
your home. See Advice.
■ Repairing minor cracks or holes in
walls and ceilings.
■ Repairing minor fixtures and
fittings: curtain tracks, roller blinds,
shelves etc.
■ Putting up television or radio aerials
or satellite dishes on the outside of
the property. However, you must
get our permission in writing before
you do this.
■ Repairing any damage caused by
you, a member of your family or a
visitor.
Advice
■ Try to keep condensation to a
minimum to prevent damp and
mould on the walls or ceiling. See
Handy hints on page 104 for advice
on controlling condensation.
■ If you cause damage, we will
charge you for the cost of repair
work. If it is caused by water
leaking, you may be able to claim
on your contents insurance.
96
■ In newly built or recently renovated
homes plaster needs time to fully
dry out. Cracks may appear. These
and other decorative defects will be
repaired for the first six months by
the contractor who built the home.
You should not carry out additional
decorating until the end of the six
month period.
We need to know
■ What is the problem, eg: wall
plaster loose or crumbling; ceiling
plaster bulging; condensation or
mould on walls or ceiling?
■ Is there any damage caused by
water leaking: from a burst pipe, a
leaking radiator or a leak in the
roof?
■ What is the extent of the problem?
■ Are there any other connected
problems?
07
Windows We need to know
Your responsibilities ■ What is the problem, eg: glass

■ Repairing any damage caused by cracked or broken; frame loose or

you, a member of your family or a jammed; stay or fastener broken?
visitor. ■ What type of frame is it: wooden,

■ Getting broken or cracked glass plastic or metal?

replaced unless it was the result of ■ What type of glass is it, eg: plain,

a criminal action and you have got obscure, wired cast? Is it double
a Police Crime Report Number. glazed?
■ Fitting additional security locks to ■ Are there any other connected

windows. problems?

Advice
■ Windows that have been installed
recently may still be covered by a
guarantee.
■ Wherever possible, we will maintain
windows until they reach the end of
their expected lifespan. We will
include them in a replacement
programme.
■ If the problem has been caused by
vandalism or a break-in, you should
report the incident to the Police
and get a Crime Report Number
(not an Incident Number), otherwise
we will have to charge you for the
repair.

98
07
Clearing a blocked waste
General advice
■ Blockages are usually caused by
the build-up of waste in the trap:
fat, tea leaves, hair etc. It is a good
idea to clear wastepipes and traps
at least once a month, preferably
with a suitable product available
from DIY stores.
■ The trap is under the fitting (bath,
basin or sink). It always holds some
water in it which stops smells coming
up the drain. However, waste can
build up and become stuck in it.
■ If more than one fitting (bath, basin
etc) is blocked, the blockage may be
in the soil stack or main drain. This
will need to be cleared by a plumber.
If this is the case, contact us.
What to do
You need:
■ bowl, jug or cup, rag or dishcloth,
plunger, rubber gloves.
To unblock a bath, basin or sink:
■ bale out most of the water
■ hold the rag tightly over the
overflow opening
100
■ place the plunger over the plug
hole and pump up and down
rapidly
■ after clearing the blockage unscrew
the trap and clean it out
■ thoroughly wash your hands and all
equipment after you have finished.
To unblock a toilet:
■ if the pan is already full, remove
some of the water into a bucket
using some form of scoop, eg a jug
or bowl
■ push the brush or plunger to the
bottom of the pan
■ pump it up and down vigorously
about 10 times. This creates a
vacuum and pressure which may
shift the blockage
■ flush the toilet to see whether the
blockage has gone
■ you may need to repeat this
process several times before the
toilet flushes normally. If there is no
improvement after a couple of
attempts you should contact us
■ thoroughly wash your hands and all
equipment after you have finished.
07
Resetting a trip switch
General advice
■ Modern electric circuits are fitted
with circuit breakers called trip
switches. If a fault develops, a
switch is tripped and the circuit is
broken.
■ The trip switches are at the
consumer unit. The consumer unit
may be next to the electricity meter
(unless the meter is in an outside
cupboard).
■ Trip switches usually operate
because:
- there are too many fittings or
appliances on a circuit and it
has been overloaded
- an appliance has been misused
or has developed a fault
- a lead to an appliance such as a
TV, hair drier, or kettle has
become loose or has been badly
connected
- water has leaked into a circuit
- a light bulb has blown.
■ If an appliance has developed a
fault, leave it unplugged and get a
qualified electrician or service
engineer to check it.
102
■ Make sure your hands are dry ■ switch the ‘tripped’ switch to the
when you touch electrical fittings. ON position
■ Never touch the electricity ■ plug in the appliances one at a time
company's fuse and seals. ■ do not use double adaptors when
testing appliances. Test one
What to do appliance per socket, until the trip
To reset a trip switch: goes again.
■ open the cover on the consumer
unit to show the trip switches
■ check which switches have tripped
to the OFF position
■ put these switches back to the ON
position.
If the trip goes again:
It is probably being caused by a fault
in an appliance. You need to identify
which circuit is being affected and
which appliance on that circuit is
causing the problem.
To identify the problem appliance:
■ check all the rooms in the house
and note which set of lights or
sockets is not working
■ unplug all appliances on that
problem circuit and switch off the
immersion heater
07
Condensation
What is condensation?
■ It starts as moisture that is produced
by cooking, washing and using gas.
■ This moist air condenses on cool
surfaces such as walls, mir rors,
wall tiles and windows, and even
some clothes.
■ When the moist air is warm it rises
and often ends up on ceilings and
in upstairs rooms. It then forms
mould.
Preventing condensation
Condensation can occur in any home.
You can take steps to prevent it.
Control excess moisture:
■ close kitchen and bathroom doors
to prevent steam going into other
colder rooms
■ open kitchen and bathroom windows
when cooking or washing so that
steam can escape
■ open some windows in other rooms
for a while each day to allow a
change of air
■ do not use bottled gas heaters
104
■ wipe down surfaces where
moisture settles to prevent mould
forming
■ do not block air vents
■ use your extractor fan or ventilation
unit (if one is fitted). Both fans and
ventilation units are usually controlled
by automatic humidistats that
respond to the level of moisture in
the air. They are very cheap to run
(approx 10p for 60 hours
continuous use).
Produce less moisture:
■ dry clothes outdoors whenever
possible, otherwise use well
ventilated rooms
■ cover pans when cooking
■ vent any tumble driers to the outside.
Keep your house warm:
■ take steps to prevent heat loss
■ maintain low background heat.
07
For repairs or estates
maintenance, please contact
us on our dedicated repairs
lines below.

Tel:
■ Repairs (8:30am – 5:00pm):
01633 678511
■ Emergency Repairs (out of normal
office hours): 01633 214222
■ Estates Maintenance: 01633 480450

e-mail:
maintenance@charterhousing.co.uk
web: www.charterhousing.co.uk

Being a
Good Neighbour

106
08
Being A Good Neighbour

IN THIS SECTION The Association wants all its How to be a considerate

tenants to develop good neighbour
You can be a good neighbour by:
109 How to be a considerate neighbour relationships with their
■ Getting to know your neighbour
neighbours. It is a condition of and agreeing that you will talk to
110 What action you can take if your neighbour is anti-social
your tenancy agreement that each other about any problems in a
111 Being realistic and working together you do not cause nuisance and reasonable manner.
■ Keeping noise levels as low as
112 Support for witnesses annoyance to your neighbours.
possible, especially when you live
112 How we deal with drug misuse If we do find that you or your in a flat where noise may travel
neighbours are causing a through the floor or ceiling to
112 Abuse, threat or violence towards staff
nuisance, we will investigate adjoining properties. Keep the
112 How we deal with hate crime and where appropriate, take volume of your TV or music system
to a reasonable level and check
114 How we deal with harassment legal action to stop the with your neighbours to make sure
114 Neighbourhood Watch nuisance occurring. they are happy with the level of
noise coming from your home. Do
114 Confidentiality Our intention is to deal firmly but fairly not play music late at night.
114 Help us improve this service with anti-social behaviour (ASB), to ■ Informing your neighbours in
deter such behaviour and enable advance if you have a party.
others to act as witnesses. All options ■ Keeping your pets under control.
available to deal with ASB will be For example, make sure your dog
considered, in order to comply with does not bark when you are out
the 1996 Housing Act and to ensure and do not let your dog out on its
the rights of residents to the quiet own.
enjoyment of their home. ■ Carrying out DIY at a reasonable
hour.
■ Keeping your garden and any
communal areas in a clean and tidy
condition.
108 109
08
■ Making sure your visitors are
respectful of your neighbours. You
are responsible for the actions of
your visitors under your tenancy
agreement.
■ Driving and parking responsibly in
your community.
■ Accepting that neighbours’ children
playing in the street is not itself
anti-social behaviour. Only if the
children are directly (and knowingly)
causing you distress, harassment
or annoyance can their behaviour
possibly be considered as anti-
social.
What action can you take if
your neighbour is being anti-
social?
■ If you have a complaint about your
neighbour, you should discuss it
with them first, approaching them
calmly and without anger. They may
not know that they are causing a
nuisance. This often produces the
best results.
■ If your complaint is about a noise
nuisance, such as loud music, your
Environmental Health Officer from
110
your local Council may be able to
help. They have noise monitoring
equipment and are able to serve
legal notices to stop noise or
confiscate equipment.
■ If you are unable to resolve the
problem yourself and the nuisance
continues, report the problem to
our specialist Nuisance Prevention
Team. Initially complaints will be
referred to the Resolve Assessment
Service who will visit you and your
neighbour to discuss your complaint
and the range of options available
to resolve it. The Resolve
Assessment Service will complete
their procedures within 10 working
days.
■ Where the nuisance continues
further investigations will be carried
out.
■ We will work with you to gather
evidence by asking you to note
details and timings of the nuisance
in a nuisance diary. Where
appropriate, we will ask the police
or other agencies to provide
evidence.
■ These investigations may result in
legal remedies such as an injunction,
(a Court Order), demotion of tenancy
or possession proceedings. You
may be required to give evidence in
court, either in person or through a
written statement, for these actions
to be successful.
■ Wherever possible, non-legal
remedies will be sought such as
mediation. Mediation allows you
the opportunity to agree a solution
to the problem being experienced
using the expertise of a third-party
who will help you through the
process.
■ We will respond to complaints of
ASB received in writing, within 10
working days and serious complaints
(violence, threats of violence) will
be responded to within one
working day, and if necessary,
immediate legal action can be taken
Being realistic and working
together
Our Nuisance Prevention Team is very
successful at dealing with Anti-Social
Behaviour. However, it is not a matter
for us as landlord alone but is a
responsibility shared with those
affected. Complainants who refuse to
be witnesses and/or who do not want
their names disclosed make it difficult
for us to take legal action to protect
them. We have to convince a judge
that legal action is necessary to stop
the nuisance and provide evidence to
the Court to support such action. The
best evidence is to have witnesses at
Court telling the judge what has
happened. In all our successful cases
we have worked in partnership with
the tenants affected.
Also, complaints about, for example,
children playing in the street, bullying
other children etc, may not be suitable
issues for us to get involved in. We
expect people to accept responsibility
as parents for incidents involving their
children and to deal with such matters
responsibly.
111
08
Support for witnesses
We will give as much support to
witnesses or complainants of anti-
social behaviour as we can,
particularly if they have to attend
court.
We will talk to complainants, give
advice and draw up action and
support plans to include additional
security measures where appropriate.
These might include an emergency
alarm, additional lighting or
surveillance cameras.
We will maintain regular contact with
witnesses and complainants and refer
them to other support services where
appropriate. We will offer interpreter
facilities where necessary.
How we deal with drug
misuse
If you suspect that your neighbour is
using or dealing drugs you should
report this to the local police and the
Nuisance Prevention Team. We will
consider taking legal action against
any tenant convicted of drug use or
112
supply from their property. Any crime
can be confidentially reported through
Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111.
Where reports lead to a conviction
there is sometimes a reward to be
claimed.
Abuse, threat or violence
towards staff
The Association will not tolerate abuse
or violence against staff and will
always consider legal action to prevent
this. It is a condition of your tenancy
that you are not abusive or violent to
staff. If you display this kind of
behaviour, we may ban you from our
offices and refuse to visit you in your
home or we may take additional
security measures when visiting you.
How we will we deal with hate
crime
A hate crime is a crime committed
against a person which they believe is
because of their colour, race, ethnic
origin, nationality, age, disability,
gender sexuality or political/religious
beliefs. A hate crime can take many
forms. It may involve threatening
words and behaviour, damage to
property, graffiti and physical attacks.
It may be a one-off incident or it may
be ongoing harassment and/or
intimidation.
Charter Housing Association will not
tolerate any form of hate crime against
its customers or staff.
If you have been the subject of a hate
crime, speak to a member of staff. We
will respond in a sensitive way and
agree together what action to take. We
are committed to tackling hate crime.
If you are a victim, we have a better
chance of helping you if you give us
the information we need to take
action. You should keep a note of all
incidents so we have a record of
everything that has happened.
You should tell the police if you are the
victim of a hate crime. A hate crime is
a criminal offence so the police will
investigate and offer advice and
support.
Each case is different so we will tell
you about the options available to you
and work jointly with you to help stop
the hate crime.
We will not give information you tell us
to anyone else, without first asking
your permission.
We can offer you help and support and
also put you in touch with other
specialist support groups.
There are a range of actions we can
take against the person or group
causing the hate crime, e.g., we can
issue formal warnings if a tenant
breaks their tenancy agreement, use
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, get
an injunction or go to court to
repossess the property if the
behaviour is serious. We work with
other organisations, such as the
police, local Community Safety
Partnerships and your local authority,
to stop the hate crime.
113
08
How we will deal with
harassment
Harassment is where a person believes
they have been verbally or physically
abused for a specific reason, for
example, because of their race, colour,
religion, gender, sexual orientation or
age. It can also include attacks on
property rather than a person.
If we receive a complaint of harassment,
we will respond within 24 hours. If you
are being harassed, we will respect
your wishes with your consent, involve
other agencies where appropriate. We
will provide additional security at your
home or if requested, we will try to
arrange alternative accommodation
where possible.
Neighbourhood Watch
A good way to work with your
community to tackle crime and ASB is
to form a Neighbourhood Watch Group.
Contact your Local Crime and Disorder
Police Officer or your Neighbourhood
Manager. You could also log on to the
Neighbourhood Watch Web Site at
www.neighbourhoodwatch.uk.com.
114
Confidentiality
Any information given to us will be
stored in accordance with the Data
Protection Act 1998.
Help us improve this service
If you think you could help us improve
the way we deal with Anti-Social
Behaviour, contact the Nuisance
Prevention Team who can advise you
about how you can influence the
service. You can also complete a
customer comments form in our
reception and place it in the suggestion
box or make a comment or suggestion
in person or on the phone to any
member of staff. We listen to all
comments made by customers. Please
Read the chapter on Customer Moving &
Involvement in this handbook for more
ways in which you can become
involved.
Home Ownership Options
09
Options for Moving or
Buying a Home

You may want to move for a Service Members. You will be

IN THIS SECTION categorised into one of these bands
variety of reasons. This section
when you make an application to
117 How to register for a transfer outlines the options available transfer. For information on how to
for people wishing to move apply for Gold Service Membership
117 How to look for a new home
from their current home with see the Gold Service Section in this
118 Getting help with the process Charter Housing Association. handbook. If you feel you have been
placed in the wrong band you will be
118 What if I need to move urgently?
How to register for a transfer able to appeal and have the decision
119 What if I want to move to a smaller or larger home? Any existing tenant can register to reviewed by a panel of Charter staff.
119 Exchanging your home with another tenant move to any area where we have
properties. You will need to fill out an How to look for a new home
120 Will an exchange affect my tenancy agreement application form for Charter by Choice, To obtain a new home, you will need
which is the name the way we let our to ‘bid’ for any advertised properties in
120 Moving to another part of the country
homes. You can also register online at which you are interested. All available
121 Help with buying a home www.charterbychoice.co.uk. or by properties are advertised on the web
telephoning us and answering a few site or in the community e.g, at libraries,
121 Shared ownership community centres and Local Authority
basic questions about you and your
121 Homebuy household. You will then receive Offices. The Charter Housing reception
confirmation of your registration banding at Devon Place has a screen which will
122 Help us to improve the service enable you to view all the available
and your registration date which will
be the date that your current tenancy properties. You can also telephone our
started. Hotline on 01633 678525 for a recorded
message detailing all available properties.
There are three priority bands for
transfer applicants. The first is Urgent Each property has specific criteria
Priority for those with an urgent reason attached. You can place a bid through
to move, the second is Gold Service the website or by phoning the Hotline.
Members and the third is Non Gold Bids must be received before the closing

116
09
date. We look at all the bids received
for a particular property and then list
them in order of priority categories and
date of registration, discounting anyone
who does not meet the criteria for the
property. A property will be offered to
the person with the highest priority band
who has the longest registration date.
Applicants wishing to transfer will
receive priority over people seeking
their first home with us for properties
advertised as ‘preference transfer’.
Properties advertised as ‘preference
homeseeker’ are not available to transfer
applicants unless no homeseekers
apply. We let 20% of our properties to
transfer applicants.
It is important to remember that your
request to transfer will be refused if
you have rent arrears, a rechargeable
debt (for court costs or repairs) or if
we are taking action against you for a
breach of your tenancy agreement.
Your property will also need to be of a
good decorative standard and in good
repair before you will be allowed to
move. You will be asked to allow your
118
home to be inspected before you transfer
and you will have to attend an interview
to check the details of your application
before a firm offer is made to you.
If you are offered a transfer to another
home you may refuse the offer any
time up until the tenancy agreement is
signed. You will only be able to refuse
three offers of transfer.
Getting help with the process
We aim to make sure everyone has fair
and equal access to the Charter By
Choice system. If you feel you need
help with obtaining a transfer, for
example, if you find it difficult to
understand the process, or cannot
access the internet or telephone service
to view properties or make bids, let us
know and we will be able to help you.
What if I need to move
urgently?
If you have an urgent reason to move,
for example, due to mobility problems,
or because you are suffering from
domestic violence or harassment, you
may be eligible to be awarded priority
and placed in the urgent priority band
which will enable you to transfer more
quickly. You should contact your
Neighbourhood Manager to find out if
you are eligible. They will need to take
details from you and obtain supporting
evidence from other agencies, such as
the police, if appropriate. Priority is
given in exceptional circumstances
and is limited to 13 weeks Your
Neighbourhood Manager will advise
you of the rules for using a priority card.
What if I want to move to a
smaller or larger home?
If you are under occupying your home
and do not need to use at least two
bedrooms, you may be entitled to a
priority card to help you move to a
smaller home. If your property is too
small for you and you need at least
two more bedrooms to meet your
family’s needs, you may be entitled to
a priority card to help you move to a
larger home.
Exchanging your home with
another tenant
You have the right to exchange (swap)
your home with another Charter tenant
or with the tenant of another council or
housing association. If you have a
Starter Tenancy you will not have this
right during the first 12 months. Charter
Housing Association and most other
landlords have lists of people wanting
to swap. You can look at any of the
lists to see if anyone has a property in
the area you are looking for and you
can put your name on these lists so
other people can contact you.
09
If you find someone to swap with, both
tenants must fill out exchange forms
and wait for permission before moving.
Permission will not be unreasonably
withheld, but consent may be delayed
or refused if:
■ you owe rent arrears
■ you have not looked after your home
and it is in a poor state of repair
■ the property is larger or smaller
than required
■ the property has adaptations which
will not be required
■ you have breached your tenancy
agreement
■ possession action has been
commenced
When you exchange, both tenants
must accept the other property as it is
and take responsibility for outstanding
repairs to the home that are the tenant’s
own responsibility. Your property will
be inspected before agreement is
given for you to move and you will be
given a list of any repairs that need
doing by you. You will not normally be
allowed to exchange until these repairs
have been completed.
120
Your Neighbourhood Manager will co-
ordinate the exchange process for
you. We do have up to 42 days to
confirm if the exchange can go ahead.
This is usually done sooner as long as
we have received the relevant
information from the other landlord.
Will an exchange affect my
tenancy agreement?
If you have an Assured tenancy and
you exchange with a Council tenant
you will take on their Secure Tenancy.
This means that you have additional
rights – for example to take in lodgers
and the right to buy. If you exchange
with another Charter tenant your
registration date for Charter by Choice
will be changed to the date you moved
into your new house.
Moving to another part of the
country
If you want to move to another part of
the country, you can register for a
scheme called HOMESWAP which is a
national mutual exchange scheme
supported by the government. You
need to complete a Homeswap form
or register online at www.moveuk.com.
Once you are registered, you can search
for properties online or else browse
through the available properties at any
council or housing association office.
For advice on moving to another part
of the country, please contact the
Lettings Team.
Help with buying a home
There are a number of home ownership
initiatives available to help you into
home ownership. If your property was
built after 1st April 1997, you may have
the Right to Acquire it with a discount
of up to £16,000. There are certain
criteria which apply and not all properties
are included within the scheme, for
example properties designed solely for
occupation by the elderly or disabled
are exempt. Please contact our Sales
and Property Team to find out if the
Right to Acquire applies to your home.
Shared Ownership
Shared Ownership is a part rent, part
buy scheme. We have a small stock of
existing Shared Ownership properties
which are spread across 4 Boroughs.
The scheme allows you to buy a share
in a property e.g 40% by obtaining a
mortgage or placing a deposit to cover
the share on offer. You would then be
granted a lease agreement, and pay
rent on the share that is owned by us.
We do not buy any new Shared
ownership properties. We can only
offer a Shared Ownership property to
those on our enquiry list when an
existing shared owner decides to sell
their share in their home. This process
is called Lease Assigning.
Shared Owners are able to purchase
further shares in the property after
living in the property for one year, but
you do not have to. You may live in the
property as long as you like without
owning more than the initial share.
Homebuy
Homebuy is a Government backed
scheme operated by Registered Social
Landlords throughout Wales. It is
supervised by the Welsh Assembly
Government.
09
Homebuy aims to help people on
lower incomes to become homeowners.
It is available to people who cannot
afford to buy a suitable property on the
open market but who have sufficient
income or savings to be able to afford
70% of the purchase price. The
remaining 30%, is met through a loan
made available by Fairlake.
The 30% loan is secured as a legal
charge, and would have to be re-paid
when the property is sold or voluntary
payment can be made after one year
of living in the property. There is no fixed
interest on the loan and the amount to
be repaid will depend on the property
value at the time of re-payment.
There are various Homebuy schemes
available at different times depending
on the availability of funding. There are
also eligibility criteria to be met. For
more information about Homebuy
schemes ask for our information leaflet
or contact the Sales and Property
Team at Fairlake.
122
Help us to improve the service
If you think you could help us improve
the way we let our properties or deal
with exchanges, contact the Lettings
Team who can advise you about how
you can influence the service. We have
a Lettings Panel which you are welcome
to join. You can also complete a
customer comments form in our
reception and place it in the suggestion
box, or make a suggestion in person
or on the phone to a member of staff.
We listen to all comments made by
customers. Please read the section on
Customer Involvement in this handbook
for more ways in which you can
become involved.
Customer
Involvement
10
Customer Involvement –
Help us to Help You

IN THIS SECTION Placing customers at the What help and support can
heart of everything we do you expect?
For Charter, it is fundamental that our We can support you to get involved by
125 Placing customers at the heart of everything we do customers have a real influence in the ■ paying travel expenses and child

125 Why is it important for you to be involved? design and delivery of our services. care costs to help you attend
We carry out surveys and use regular meetings,
125 What help and support can you expect? feedback from customers to tell us ■ covering the cost of all postage for

126 Ways to get involved what people think of what we do, and
we have a menu of opportunities for
126 Tell us what you think our customers to become involved in
whatever way, and at whatever level,
suits them.
Our aim is to make sure we listen to
customers’ views and act upon them,
and that we actively create opportunities
for people to have their say in a friendly
and supportive environment, so that
we can make sure that our services
reflect customer requirements.
the return of questionnaires,
■ offering rewards and incentives for
any time you give us, providing
training to give you the skills,
confidence and knowledge you
need to be involved,
■ helping tenants to organise
meetings, type and print letters or
posters, raise funds and keep their
accounts in order.

Why is it important for you to

be involved?
It’s important to Charter that our
customers have real influence in the
design and delivery of our services.
That means we need to hear from you.
With your input we can provide the
services that you want and need.

124 125
10
Ways to get involved
Our aim is to offer you a range of
options to get involved. You can do as
much or as little as you like. The
options below explain how you can
have your say:
Read our newsletters or log on
We have a number of newsletters.
We’ve got Contact Magazine which is
sent to you three times a year, The
Zone, which is for young people, The
BAG, a benefits advice guide and The
Window, for our older tenants. You can
also get information and make
comments through our website at
www.charterhousing.co.uk.
126
Tell us what you think
From time to time we send out surveys
to our customers. These are a quick
and easy way for us to get you views
and are very important to help us to
keep up to date with what you want
from us.
You can also tell us what you think by
filling in one of our tenant satisfaction
cards, using our complaints and
compliments procedure, by chatting to
a member of staff, giving us a ring,
sending us a text or dropping us a
line. We make a note of all your
comments and use them to improve
our service to you.
Come along to a Tenants’ Voice
Meeting
Tenants’ Voice is an independent
group, chaired and run by tenants,
which co-ordinates and supports all
customer involvement in Charter. It
serves all tenants, encouraging
involvement, focussing on issues that
directly affect customers, relaying your
comments to Senior Management and
the Board and ensuring that we
feedback how you input has
influenced our services. Tenants’ Voice
meet regularly and everyone is
welcome. Look out for details of
meetings in Contact Magazine or on
the website.
Attend Charter Seniors
If you are over 55 you can join our
Charter Seniors’ Group who meet
regularly to socialise and talk about
issues that affect them. Contact your
Neighbourhood Manager for details.
Join our Customer 100 Panel
This is a group of about 100 tenants
whom we regularly consult about
changes to our services or policies.
We send questionnaires for completion
or conduct quick telephone surveys.
There are often rewards such as high
street vouchers or a prize draw for
getting involved.
Work with us to improve specific
services
If you have a particular interest in an
aspect of our service such as how we
deal with anti-social behaviour,
organise repairs and maintenance, let
our properties or manage rent arrears,
we have a number of forums set up to
let you have your say about your
experiences
Speak up at an Area Panel
By the end of 2006 we will have set up
an Area Panel in each of our four Local
Authority Areas. These will enable
individuals to come along and talk to
Charter staff about local issues. Watch
out for details in Contact Magazine or
on our website.
Volunteer to become a Key Tenant
We would like to identify ‘key tenants’
in each of our communities to act as a
local representative and join us in
regular meetings on site to inspect the
environment and suggest ways in
which we could improve things. Let us
know if you would like to be that
person.
127
10
Ask about joining or forming a contact your Neighbourhood Manager
Tenants’ Association or Resident who will be able to tell you more.
Group.
Some of our tenants have come What do you do if you are interested
together to form a Tenants’ Association in getting involved?
or Residents’ Group for their area, to Contact your Neighbourhood Manager
have a collective voice about a wide for more information.
range of issues or just to arrange trips
and events for their community.
Contact your Neighbourhood Manager
to find out more. We offer start up
grants and some funding to cover the
running costs of Associations, as well
as advice, support and training if you
need it. With our support, many
groups apply for their own funding to
organise events in their community.
We work with organised groups of
tenants to develop shared objectives Gold
for improving the environment and
services in your community. Service
Become a Tenant Board Member
We welcome tenants who want to join
our Board and ensure that a

11
customer’s perspective is part of
decision making at Charter. If you
would like to know more about
becoming a Board Member, please

128
Gold Service
IN THIS SECTION
130 About Gold Service
130 The criteria for Gold
Service
130 How to join
About Gold Service
Charter believes that it is extremely
important to say ‘thank you’ to those
customers who keep to their
contractual obligations as tenants.
Charter’s Gold Service is available to
the vast majority of customers who
ask very little of us in terms of
management time, and is Charter’s
way of recognising and rewarding our
valued customers. Our rewards
package provides benefits such as
reduced price goods, priority for
planned maintenance upgrades, a
‘Golden Handshake’ payment of £150
if you leave your home in good
condition, entry into monthly
competitions for prizes like room
makeovers, holidays etc, access to a
130
handyman service and priority for
some transfers. Rewards may change
from time to time.
Please contact the Customer
Accounts Team for the latest rewards
package available.
The criteria for Gold Service
■ You must have a clear rent account
for six weeks or you must have
maintained a rent arrears
agreement for 12 weeks.
■ You must have no rechargeable
debt or you must be reducing your
rechargeable debt.
You must have kept your annual
■
gas servicing up to date.
You must have no legal action
■
taken against you in the last 12
months for a breach of your
tenancy agreement.
You, or a member of your
■
household, must not have acted in
a threatening or a violent manner
towards a member of staff.
■ Your property and garden must
have been maintained to a
reasonable condition.
How to join
Membership is completely free and
it is easy to qualify for Gold Service.
Even if you have rent arrears or other
debts, you can still qualify if you set
up and keep to an easy and
affordable repayment plan. We can
tailor this to meet your circumstances.
Simply complete the application
form opposite and send it to us
FREEPOST.
Application Form
Name ...........................................................................
Address ......................................................................
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
Telephone Number .............................................
I wish to apply for Gold Service
Membership
Signed ........................................................................
Please return to the FREEPOST
address on the reverse of this slip
(No stamp required).
Charter Housing
Association
Useful
Contact Numbers

12
Other Useful Contacts

Help and Support Shelter Cymru UK National Drugs Helpline

Free adviceline: 0808 800 4444 O800 776600
Newport City Council www.sheltercymru.org.uk www.talktofrank.com
Contact Centre for all enquiries:
01633 656656 Citizens’ Advice Bureau Alcoholics Anonymous
www.newport.gov.uk www.citizensadvice.org.uk National Helpline
0845 769 7555
Torfaen County Borough Council South East Wales Race Equality www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
Contact Centre for all enquiries: Council (SEWREC)
01495 762200 All Enquiries: 01633 250006 Relate Relationship Guidance
www.torfaen.gov.uk www.sewrec.org.uk 0845 130 4016
www.relate.org
Monmouthshire County Council Disability Wales
Contact Centre for all enquiries: 0292 088 7325 The Samaritans
01633 644644 www.disabilitywales.org 0845 790 9090
www.monmouthshire.gov.uk www.samaritans.org.uk
NHS Direct
Caerphilly County Borough Council 0845 4647 Tenant Participation Advisory
Contact Centre for all enquiries: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk Service (Cymru)
01495 226622 02920 237303
www.caerphilly.gov.uk Childline www.tpascymru.org.uk
for children and young people
Gwent Police 0800 1111 Welsh Tenants’ Federation
All Enquiries: 01633 244999 www.childline.org.uk 01685 723922
www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk
Crimestoppers NSPCC
0800 555111 24 hour Child Protection Helpline
0808 800 5000
www.nspcc.org.uk

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