All about your home Tenant Handbook
Contents
1. All about your home Tenant Handbook All about your home Contents Welcome to Broadland Housing Association 4 How to contact us 5 Customer Charter 6 About your tenancy n Your rent 10 Repairs service 11 Home improvements 12 You and your neighbourhood 13 Finding a new home 14 Help and support 18 Resident involvement 16 Information on meters Gas meters iy Electric meters 18 Water meters 20 Useful information and numbers 21 N Look out for this symbol at the bottom of some pages It means that there s a leaflet available covering the topic in more detail Welcome to Broadland Housing Association This handbook contains everything you need to know to manage your home Customer Services 0303 303 0003 3 All about your home Broadland Housing Association Getting to know us Broadland Housing Association was formed in 1963 by a group of local business people who were committed to providing more affordable housing in Norwich We are committed to serving the needs of our neighbourhoods and strive to provide a caring effective and high quality service that is fair to all and aim to deliver continuous improvement in all our services In October 2008 Meridian East joined Broadland Housing Association Meridian East has been at the forefront of developing specialist support services relating to employment for over 25 years They offer a wide range of services to people who might2. 01603 750222 Dereham Office Opening times 9am 5pm 7 Aldiss Court High Street Dereham NR19 1TS Kings Lynn Office Opening times 9am 5pm St James Lodge Hospital Walk Kings Lynn Norfolk PE30 5RU Lowestoft Office Opening times 9am 5pm 31 Milton Road East Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 1NU Customer Services Tel 0303 303 0003 Lines open 9am 5pm Monday to Friday Email enquiries broadlandhousing org Website www broadlandhousing org Emergency out of hours contact 01732 781974 gal BROADLAND Recycled HOUSING This has been produced using paper manufactured with pulp sourced ae i from carefully managed and renewed forest and is fully recyclable
3. be otherwise disadvantaged from participating in the world of work because of health disability or other similar issues Equality and diversity Broadland Housing Association recognises that people are different and aims to ensure that we treat each individual with dignity and respect As such we are committed to developing an organisational culture which values people from all sections of the community How to Contact us Norwich Head Office Opening times Monday to Thursday 8 30am 6pm Friday 8 30am 5pm Norwich City Football Club Jarrold Stand Carrow Road Norwich NR1 1HU Dereham Office Opening times 9am 5pm 7 Aldiss Court High Street Dereham NR19 1TS Kings Lynn Office Opening times 9am 5pm St James Lodge Hospital Walk Kings Lynn Norfolk PE30 5RU Lowestoft Office Opening times 9am 5pm 31 Milton Road East Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 1NU Customer Services Lines open 9am 5pm Monday to Friday Tel 0303 303 0003 Fax 01603 750222 Email enquiries broadlandhousing org Website www broadlandhousing org Emergency out of hours contact 01732 781974 E Kings Lynn Dereham iE z E Norwich f s Norfolk SEEN Peete aa gt oy lt Lowestoft S A foe Palade as pig q ae v3 Laman Suffolk ai Wea Customer Services 0303 303 0003 5 All about your home Customer Charter The main standards you can expect from us e We will make sure Our services are easily acce
4. involvement at all levels of our business and will work to explore new initiatives so that all residents have the opportunity to be involved in a way which suits them In order to achieve this aim the following objectives have been adopted Provide residents with a range of opportunities to be involved in the activities of Broadland Housing Association so that they can participate in a way most suitable to them To continue to improve the quality and range of information provided to residents and to provide opportunities for residents to be involved in producing this information Ensure all residents have the opportunity to get involved Ensure residents have the support and resources to enable effective involvement Ensure all staff are committed to resident involvement are clear about its importance and are trained and supported to deliver it For information on the opportunities to be involved and how to have your say please see our Resident Involvement leaflet Information on Gas meters Gas meters usually come in two types 1 A quarterly meter A standard meter which just has a row of numbers and an on off lever above the meter Where these standard quarterly meters are fitted the gas is already on and available to use just make sure that the lever above the meter is in the ON position then follow instructions on your central heating boiler to light Instruction manual provided at start
5. need to slot the card token back in the meter to obtain the amount of gas you have paid for Your gas should now be ON just make sure that the lever above the meter is in the ON position then follow instructions on your central heating boiler to light Instruction manual provided at start of tenancy If you have any problems with the gas meter you will need to contact your supplier again If you have any problems lighting your boiler telephone or call into one of our offices Customer Services 0303 303 0003 17 All about your home Information on Electric meters Electric meters usually come in three types One is a standard quarterly meter the other two are pre payment meters where you need to obtain credit first on a card or token key 1 A quarterly meter There are various types some digital and some not but all just have numbers to read The supply is already ON and there is no need to pre pay to obtain power You will need to make a note of the reading the number of units used on the meter and telephone 0845 601 5467 to find out who supplies your electric Make sure you have the postcode of the property and pen and paper to write down the telephone number of the supplier Then you will need to telephone the supplier on the number given to register the electric meter in your name You will then receive a quarterly electric bill for the power you use At this time you have the option to set up a direc
6. of tenancy You will need to make a note of the reading the number of units used on the meter and telephone 0870 608 1524 This is also the number to call to find out who supplies your gas Make sure you have the postcode of the property and pen and paper to write down the telephone number of the supplier Then you will need to telephone the supplier on the number given to register the gas meter in your name You will then receive a quarterly gas bill for the gas you use At this time you have the option to set up a direct debit payment plan to pay for your gas monthly automatically through your bank 2 A pre payment card token or key meter A digital meter with a slot for a card token or key to be inserted and an on off lever above the meter To obtain gas you will first need to telephone 0870 608 1524 to find out who supplies your gas Make sure you have the postcode of the property and pen and paper to write down the telephone number of the supplier Then you will need to telephone the supplier on the number given so that they can register your details and send you out a new card token in the post Once you have received this card token follow the instructions given and then take to your local ALLPAY shop these are most post offices and local shops where they show the ALLPAY sign You can pay any amount 5 upwards and your card token will be credited with the amount you decide to pay Then you
7. pre payment card meter A digital meter with slot for a card to be inserted These are the older type of pre payment meters but still found in a very large number of our properties To obtain electric you will first need to telephone 0845 601 5467 this is the number to call to find out who supplies your electric Make sure you have the postcode of the property and pen and paper to write down the telephone number of the supplier Then you will need to telephone the supplier on the number given so that they can register your details and send you a new card in the post The difference with these card meters and key token meters is that you can ask the supplier at the time you call for the reference number of the card they are posting to you You can just take the number to an ALLPAY outlet and you can buy cards to credit your meter immediately without having to wait for your plastic reference card to arrive through the post Once you have received the plastic reference card just take it to your local ALLPAY shop these are most of the post offices and local shops where they show the ALLPAY sign You can pay any amount 5 upwards You will be given small paper cards to the value you have decided to pay and then you need to slot them in the meter to obtain the amount of electric you have paid for Your electric should now be ON If you are unlucky enough to still not have any power you will need to call y
8. Council 0845 606 6067 Norwich City Council 0844 980 3333 Broadland District Council 01608 431133 North Norfolk District Council 01263 513811 South Norfolk District Council 01508 533633 Waveney District Council 01502 562111 Breckland District Council 01362 656870 Great Yarmouth Borough Council 01493 856100 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council 01553 616200 Forest Heath District Council 01638 719000 St Edmundsbury District Council 01284 763233 Supplier contact numbers Atlantic Electric and Gas 0870 013 2080 British Gas 0845 600 6113 Countrywide Energy 0800 328 0011 EBICo 0845 456 0170 Ecotricity 08000 326 100 EDF Energy 0800 085 0000 E ON 0800 363 363 0800 015 1670 Good Energy 0845 456 1640 Green Energy UK 0845 456 9550 npower 08457 90 60 50 0845 166 3166 Scottish Hydro Electric 0845 300 2141 ScottishPower 0845 2700 700 ScottishPower Manweb 0845 2700 700 Southern Electric 0845 7444 555 0800 117 116 SWALEC 0800 052 5252 Telecom Plus rI 222 VITT Anglian Water 08457 145145 Customer Services 0303 303 0003 21 All about your home Notes Notes 22 Customer Services 0303 303 0003 23 Norwich Head Office Opening times Monday to Thursday 8 30am 6pm Friday 8 30am 5pm Norwich City Football Club Jarrold Stand Carrow Road Norwich NR1 1HU Tel 0303 303 0003 Fax
9. epair by contacting our Customer Service Team on 0303 303 0008 or for any emergency repairs between 5pm and Yam our out of hours service provider Invicta can help you on 01732 781974 Security Protecting your personal information is very important to us each time we take a call we need to ascertain if we are speaking to the right person As you are probably aware most banks and building societies ask for security information when you call them this is to ensure that it is the right person on the end of the phone and confidential information isn t given out to the wrong person Questions you could be asked include e Date of birth e Tenant reference e Postcode e How you pay your rent For more information about reporting repairs priority times for completing repairs tenant responsibilities and our service standards for repairs please refer to the relevant leaflet Customer Services 0303 303 0003 11 All about your home Home Improvements Alterations and improvements to your home Residents who wish to alter or improve their home may do so subject to seeking consent in writing in advance of any works prior to commencing Permission will not be unreasonably withheld but conditions may be imposed relating to the manner in which the works are carried out obtaining building regulations and planning consents use of a suitably qualified contractor etc The tenant will remain responsible for the ongoing ma
10. intenance of any alterations they make If the alteration is likely to become expensive to maintain or may affect future suitability for letting then the tenant may be required to restore the property to its original condition when they leave HOME TWEET HOME WY 12 Right to compensation for improvements You may be entitled to compensation for certain Qualifying Improvements you wish to carry out to your home Please check which improvements are entitled to compensation prior to progressing Conditions will be imposed relating to the manner in which the works are carried out concerning obtaining quotations building regulation approval planning consents and the use of suitably qualified and approved contractors This procedure must be adhered to prior to any works commencing together with written authority from Broadland Housing Association Should you wish for more details please contact the Asset Management or Property Services Department The tenant will remain responsible for the ongoing maintenance of any alterations they make You and your Neighbourhood Being a good neighbour Everyone is entitled to enjoy their home quietly and peacefully You must not cause nuisance or disturb your neighbours You must also make sure that anyone living with you or visiting your home behaves responsibly Here is some helpful advice on being a good neighbour e Keep the volume of televisions radios and m
11. mpensation for improvements e Exchange properties e Have a lodger or sublet e Pass the tenancy on through succession e Exercise the right to acquire Customer Services 0303 303 0003 7 All about your home P P Yj 2g _ Assured tenancy This is the standard tenancy agreement It allows you to stay in your home for as long as you want as long as you keep to the conditions of the agreement Joint tenancies We will grant joint tenancies where possible A joint tenancy is where the tenancy is in two or more names With a joint tenancy all tenants are responsible for all parts of the tenancy for example paying the rent or making sure that visitors do not create any nuisance This means that if one tenant breaks a tenancy condition we can also hold the other tenants responsible Change in circumstances If your or a joint tenant s circumstances change please contact your Neighbourhood Officer or Customer Service Team They will tell you what you need to do to amend the tenancy details This could involve a name change if you get married or divorced or removing a name from the tenancy if one tenant has moved out If a joint tenant leaves the property you must let us know A joint tenant is still responsible for all the tenancy conditions while their name is on the tenancy agreement VV SQ Variation of tenancy conditions The tenancy agreement allows for neces
12. ms and claiming welfare benefits Further information is enclosed in the How to pay your rent leaflet You can choose to pay your rent in the following ways e Direct debit e Standing order e Rent payment card through an allpay swipecard e By cheque at any of our offices e By cash at our head office Carrow Road e Payment over the phone by using a debit or credit card e Payment on line see link on our website www allpay net Difficulties with paying Many of us sometimes have trouble paying bills If they are left the situation often gets worse You may feel that there is no way out of the situation but there is often help available Our staff are trained to offer a supportive and helpful service Always try and contact us to discuss your situation further 10 EI Repairs Service Broadland Housing Association is responsible for most of the repairs within your property There are some repairs that are not the Association s responsibility but are the tenants responsibility and that you will have to carry out and possibly pay for yourself such as tenant neglect or damage deliberately caused by someone in your household or a visitor to your home We may ask for a Surveyor to visit your home to investigate the repair request or any damage caused Should you discover a repair it is important that it is reported to us as soon as possible to prevent further damage being caused You can report a r
13. ome e You are responsible for decorating inside your home e You your household and your visitors must not damage the home you live in e You must keep your garden tidy e You must not do major or persistent car repairs or park an illegal or un roadworthy vehicle on land or roads around your home SS W gt Eee WX N s s Broadland Housing Association s responsibilities A secure and peaceful tenancy Providing the conditions of tenancy are not broken Broadland Housing Association will not interfere with or disturb your peaceful occupation of your home The right for a member of your family to inherit your tenancy Succession rights are a complicated area of housing law and if you want more details please contact us Looking after your home Broadland Housing Association is responsible for keeping your home in good repair This means we carry out repairs that you report and carry out planned improvements to keep your home decent Insurance We are only responsible for insuring the structure of your home against loss or damage as a result of fire and other risks You are not covered for personal belongings Whilst nothing can compensate for the disaster of a fire or burglary insurance can help cover some of the costs Customer Services 0303 303 0003 9 All about your home Your rent Payments This section provides basic information on paying your rent dealing with financial proble
14. options available to you e Mutual Exchange e House Exchange e Part buy Part rent e Choice based letting in certain areas only e Local authority waiting lists in certain areas only These are all explained in full detail in our leaflet Your Housing Options or please contact our Customer Services Team who will talk you through your different options 14 E Help and Support Broadland Housing Association tries to assist all tenants to live in their homes independently Some people may need additional support in order for them to be able to do so and we have a number of ways to help tenants keep their independence and sustain their tenancy Sheltered housing Within our stock there are a number of properties that have additional facilities which allow older persons to receive support and help when required These are part of our supported housing stock If you would like more information on these properties please contact our Customer Service Team Aids and adaptations If you have a disability or are having problems getting around your home Broadland Housing Association may be able to help by providing some aids or adaptations such as grab rails ramps and accessible showers Depending upon the type of aid or adaptation required there are different processes to follow Please refer to the Aids and Adaptations leaflet available from Broadland Housing Association s office reception areas website
15. or by contacting the Broadland Housing Association s Customer Services Department on 0303 303 0003 to request a copy Tenancy support team We have a team that works with you to ensure that tenancies are sustained especially by those who find managing alone difficult There is further information and a self referral form in the Tenancy Support Service leaflet Meridian East training and employment Meridian East part of the Broadland Housing Group has been at the forefront of developing specialist support services relating to employment for over 25 years The cornerstone of our service is the effectiveness with which we can enable people to make progress towards and into employment whatever their starting point may be Meridian East s approach is targeted towards providing specialist services which meet individual needs We recognise that some people may want to get into a job as quickly as possible whilst others wish to take a slower approach in order to gain skills and confidence Please see our selection of leaflets dedicated to help and support for further information Customer Services 0303 303 0003 15 All about your home Resident Involvement Broadland Housing Association is committed to achieving excellence in the delivery of all its services We realise that this can only be achieved through the involvement of our residents Broadland Housing Association supports and encourages resident
16. our supplier again and follow the instruction given Make sure that you regularly check the credit in your meter so that you do not run out of power and your supply switches itself off All these meters have a facility for 5 emergency credit just follow the instruction given by your supplier Customer Services 0303 303 0003 19 All about your home Information on Water meters 6 20 6 8 Some properties have water meters and some do not Usually all newer properties do have meters These meters are placed in various locations in the ground outside your property unless you are in a flat where they may be located somewhere within the communal areas Your scheme caretaker or local Broadland Housing Association surveyor will be able to advise Details of meter location are in your Home User Manual Firstly you will need to call Anglian Water to register the water in your name the number to call is O800 919 155 They will inform you whether or not your property has a water meter If it does you may be asked to read the meter If it does not you will just receive a standard 6 monthly charge for water Whether or not you have a meter your water will be switched ON If you turn on your taps and there is no water please check that the stop tap usually located inside your property is turned on Useful information And numbers Main contact numbers Norfolk County Council 0844 800 8020 Suffolk County
17. sary amendments to be made to the document Broadland Housing Association will notify you if it intends to change any conditions and will explain these changes Broadland Housing Association will consult with tenants over matters which substantially affect any tenant or group of tenants Security of tenure Assured Tenancy We can only require you to leave your home if a court order is obtained We will not request this unless there is a good and specific reason The Court will only grant a Possession Order if it is satisfied with our reason for applying Rights and responsibilities This is a summary of the main rules set out in your tenancy e Your Broadland Housing Association home must be your only home e You should not pass or give your tenancy to anyone else without written consent from Broadland Housing Association e Written consent must be obtained from Broadland Housing Association before you sublet any part of your home e You must not overcrowd your home y Z ll e You must seek permission before having a pet at your home e Your home must not be used for any illegal activity including supplying possessing or selling drugs e You must allow Broadland Housing Association staff or contractors into your home to carry out repairs including servicing gas appliances and other maintenance work e You must seek our written permission before you make any alterations additions or improvements to your h
18. ssible understandable and available at convenient times locations for you e You can make an appointment by telephone in writing or in person to see a member of staff We will be happy to visit you in your home should you wish e We will aim to see you within 3 minutes when you visit our offices e We will provide private rooms for interviews e We will provide you with a range of information and advice on housing related matters in a variety of formats e We will make our offices accessible and we will give the option to provide an interpretation service for those who require it e We aim to answer your telephone call within 18 seconds e We will acknowledge all correspondence within 3 working days and give a full response within 10 working days If we cannot provide a full response within this timescale then we will let you know who is dealing with your letter or email and when you can expect a full reply e You will be treated in a respectful and courteous manner by a named member of staff e We will respond to issues relating to your tenancy such as repairs and anti social behaviour within set timescales About your Tenancy Your tenancy agreement is a legal document It explains your rights and responsibilities and our responsibilities as your landlord We use two types of tenancy agreement an assured tenancy and a starter tenancy Your tenancy agreement will tell you which one you have Star
19. t debit payment plan to pay for your electric monthly automatically through your bank 18 2 A pre payment key or token meter A digital meter with a slot for a token or key to be inserted To obtain electricity you will first need to telephone 0845 601 5467 This is the number to call to find out who supplies your electric Make sure you have the postcode of the property and pen and paper to write down the telephone number of the supplier Then you will need to telephone the supplier on the number given so that they can register your details and send you out a new token or key in the post Once you have received this token or key carefully follow the instructions given and then take to your local ALLPAY shop these are most post offices and local shops where they show the ALLPAY sign You can pay any amount 5 upwards Your token key will be credited with the amount you decide to pay and then you need to slot the token key back in the meter to obtain the amount of electric you have paid for Your electric should now be ON If you are unlucky enough to still not have any power you will need to call your supplier again and follow the instruction given Make sure that you regularly check the credit in your meter so that you do not run Out of power and your supply switches itself off All these meters have a facility for 5 emergency credit just follow the instructions given with your new key or token 3 A
20. ter Tenancy If your tenancy commenced after ist June 2008 it is likely that Broadland Housing Association have granted you a Starter Tenancy Your tenancy is for an initial period of twelve months and during this time you do not have the right to e Purchase your home e Assign the tenancy except by Court Order A starter tenancy can be brought to an end by us serving a notice on you We will usually only do this if you have breached your tenancy agreement although we do not have to prove that you have breached your agreement For example if you have not paid your rent or have caused anti social behaviour We will inform you if we are thinking about bringing your tenancy to an end We will also offer you additional support to help you keep your tenancy You have the right to appeal a decision to bring your tenancy to an end Usually at the end of your twelve month tenancy we will be pleased to grant you a new fully assured non shorthold tenancy with no fixed time limits provided that your starter tenancy has been conducted satisfactorily A fully assured agreement can only be brought to an end by a court order If you need to ask any questions about your tenancy please do not hesitate to contact your Neighbourhood Officer on 0303 303 0003 who will be pleased to help you Assured shorthold tenants do not have certain rights These include not being able to e Make improvements to the property e Claim co
21. usic equipment as low as possible especially late at night or early in the morning e Use washing machines vacuum cleaners and other noisy domestic equipment during the day and not at unsociable hours e Carry out DIY work to your home during reasonable hours e Give us contact details of anyone who has a key to your home so that we can contact them if there is an emergency e Park your vehicle responsibly and respect your neighbours parking and access needs e Be a responsible pet owner If you have a dog make sure it does not bark or whine for long periods of time Please arrange for your dog to not be left alone for long periods of time e Please control your children when they are playing outside your property e If you live in a flat being considerate is even more important as there will be shared walls floors and corridors e Remember please be considerate and treat your neighbours as you would expect to be treated yourself Nuisance Anti Social Behaviour ASB and Harassment As your Landlord we will not hesitate to take action against people who continually cause nuisance to their neighbours We firmly believe that everyone should be able to enjoy their homes and neighbourhood free from harassment and other types of anti social behaviour Please see our ASB leaflet for further information Customer Services 0303 303 0003 13 All about your home Finding a New home There are a number of different
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