Tenants Handbook - Antonine Housing Association

Tenants Handbook
1
Introduction
The Association has taken
the opportunity to update its
Tenants Handbook to reflect
the numerous changes that
have taken place over recent
times.
The purpose of the Handbook
is to provide you with practical
advice on a range of issues about
your tenancy and information on
the services that you can expect
to receive from the Association.
The Handbook contains
information on the Complaints
Handling Procedure developed
by the Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman and also details
of the Scottish Social Housing
Charter that was introduced in
April 2012.
Contact us
Office address:
3 Cowgate, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow,
G66 1HW
The office opening hours are:
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
9:00am–5:00pm
Wednesdays 10:00am–5:00pm
(Closed until 10.00 for Staff training)
Fridays 9:00am–4:30pm
The Office closes 12:30–1:30
for lunch
Tel: 0141 578 0260
Fax: 0141 578 0150
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.antonine.org.uk
If there is any information that
you would like to know that is not
contained within the Handbook
please do not hesitate to contact
the office where staff will be
happy to be of assistance.
2
Contents
About Antonine Housing Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Your Tenancy Agreement
• Your rent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
• Housing benefit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
• Your right to buy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• Ending your tenancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• Applying for a transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
• Applying for a mutual exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
• Respect for others. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Our Service Standards
• Customer care policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Scottish Social Housing Charter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Repairs and maintenance
• Division of repair responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
•Right to repair scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
• Repair response times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Our Complaints Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3
About Antonine
Housing Association
Antonine Housing Association
is a Registered Social Landlord
providing affordable housing
within the East Dunbartonshire
and North Lanarkshire council
areas. The Association is
Registered with the Scottish
Housing Regulator which
monitors the performance of
all social landlords in Scotland
and it can take action to assist
individual associations meet
their legal obligations where
this is necessary.
Antonine is a non profit
distributing organisation and it
registered as a Scottish Charity in
January 2008.
The Associations principal source
of income is from the rents
for the properties and it is this
income which goes towards the
management and maintenance
of the houses, meeting the
costs of mortgage payments
to our lenders and the ongoing
improvement of the housing
stock.
Membership of the Association
costs just £1.00 and is available
to all of our tenants.
Being a member of the
Association means that tenants
are entitled to attend and vote at
the Association’s Annual General
Meeting. Members also have
the right to be elected onto the
Management Committee and
become involved in making the
decisions about their homes and
the areas in which they live.
It is the Management Committee
that is responsible for the overall
control and decision making of
the organisation and staff apply
those decisions.
Members of the Management
Committee are volunteers and
received no payment or benefit
through being members of the
Committee other than travelling
expenses and having the
opportunity to attend training
courses which is beneficial both
to the individual member and the
Association.
North Lanarkshire and East
Dunbartonshire Councils may
also nominate a Member of their
council to sit on the Associations
Management Committee.
4
Your Tenancy
Agreement
The Scottish Secure Tenancy
Agreement that you have
signed is a legal document that
sets out the Associations
responsibilities to you as a
landlord and your
responsibilities to the
Association as a tenant.
The matters covered within your
Tenancy Agreement include;
•Thedateyourtenancy started.
•Therentforthepropertyat
that time.
Your Rent
Rents increase once a year on
the 28 March and you will be
given 28 days notice of the
increase.
Yourrentisdueonthe28thof
each month and is payable
monthly in advance.
If it is more suitable for you to
pay your rent either weekly or
fortnightly this can be agreed
with your Housing Officer who
will be able to calculate the
amount that you should pay.
The Association recognises that
sometimes people experience
money problems that can be
temporary or may be more long
•Yourrepairresponsibilities.
term. If you think that you might
•Yourrightsasatenantofthe have difficulties paying your rent
you should immediately contact
Association.
your Housing Officer who will be
able to agree with you an
•Informationaboutrepairs,
affordable and reasonable
alterations, subletting and
arrangement for payment of your
lodgers.
rent.
•Groundsonwhichthe The Housing Officer will also be
Association can recover the
able to put you in contact with
property.
other agencies that might be able
to help including the Citizens
•Howtoendyourtenancy.
Advice Bureau & Welfare Benefits
adviser.
•TheAssociationsrepair responsibilities.
5
Your Tenancy
Agreement
You can pay your rent in any of
the following ways;
Housing Benefit
• By standing order – a standing order can be set up to pay your rent direct from your bank account each month. Forms to enable you to do this are available from the office.
The Association encourages
all tenants who think they
may be entitled to Housing
Benefit to make a claim to
their local Housing Benefit
office in either East
Dunbartonshire or North
Lanarkshire.
• Girobank – you can make payment at any post office using the card which you were given when your tenancy began.
• Paying at the office.
• Debit Card – (there may be small charge when making a payment in this way but you will be advised of this before the payment is processed.)
If you receive Housing Benefit
you should always complete and
return any Review Form that you
receive from the Council to make
sure that you are receiving the
correct amount of Housing
Benefit.
Any delay in returning that form
could lead to your claim being
cancelled leaving you responsible
for payment of the full rent.
The Association’s staff are able to
give advice and guidance on
Housing Benefit matters and can
also help to complete the claim
form on request.
6
Your Tenancy
Agreement
Right to Buy
At the start of your tenancy
we provided you with details
about whether you have the
right to buy your home and if
so on what terms.
If you were a former Scottish
Homes tenant who transferred in
February 2000 to Antonine and
continue to live in that home you
have the right to buy in your
current home under the same
terms and conditions as
previously.
Ending your
Tenancy
You can end your tenancy by
giving the Association 28
days notice in writing.
The Association will send you a
Termination of Tenancy form
which should be completed by the
tenant, or tenants if a joint
tenancy, and returned to the office.
Before you leave the house a
member of the Association’s staff
will visit you at home to carry out
an inspection of the property and
If you became a tenant of the
discuss with you any repairs that
Association after February 2000
need to be carried out to bring it
different conditions apply so if
up to a reasonable standard. You
you want information on your
will be charged for any work that
right to buy your home you should
needs to be carried out which is
contact the office and staff will
not due to fair wear and tear.
be able to provide you with the
information you require.
When you leave the house you
must ensure that all of your
You should refer to your Tenancy
belongings are removed as you
Agreement when you want to
will be charged if the Association
check the detailed terms and
has to arrange for the clearance
conditions of your tenancy.
of any items that are left within
Alternatively you can make
the property.
enquiries at the office if you want
more detailed information about
You must return all keys to the
the terms of your Tenancy
property on or before the date on
Agreement.
7
Your Tenancy
Agreement
which the tenancy ends. If the
keys are not returned on time
you will be responsible for the
payment of the rent up to and
including the date on which the
keys are received by the
Association.
Applying for a
transfer
If you wish to apply for a
transfer to another house or
flat you should contact the
office and complete a transfer
application form.
Applying for a
Mutual Exchange
You have the right to apply to
exchange houses with
another tenant of the
Association, a local authority
tenant or a tenant of another
Registered Social landlord.
The Association will not
unreasonably withhold approval
to any such request to exchange
although consent to the
exchange is required from both
landlords.
Once your application has been
received your housing needs will
be assessed in accordance with
the Associations Allocations
Policy.
More information on the
Allocations Policy can be obtained
from the office.
8
Your Tenancy
Agreement
Respect for
others
Antonine Housing Association
has a commitment to ensuring
that all of our tenants are
able to live in a safe, secure
environment. Enjoyment of
your home is dependent on
all tenants keeping to the
terms of their Tenancy
Agreement and respecting
the rights of their neighbours’
to the quiet, peaceful
enjoyment of their homes.
As a tenant you must;
• Keep your home in good condition.
anyone living with you. If you wish to keep more than one domestic pet or another type of animal, you must get written permission from the Association. Domestic pet means a dog, a cat, a fish or a rodent (such as a hamster or gerbil).
• Respect the rights of your neighbours’ to live without nuisance, annoyance or harassment.
• As tenant it is your responsibility to ensure that those living with you and any visitors to your home do not harass or act in an anti-social manner towards any person living in the neighbourhood.
• Anti-social means causing or likely to cause alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any You must dispose of your person or causing damage to household refuse properly the property. Anti social and keep your garden, behaviour can range from backcourt and close or excessive noise or music in, or landing clean and tidy
in the vicinity of, your home • Get written consent from the to vandalism of the Associations property and Association before you or anyone living with you keeps verbal abuse to other residents.
a domestic pet. You will be responsible for the behaviour of any pet owned by you or • Take good care of your surroundings;
9
Our Service
Standards
Customer care
policy
Antonine Housing Association
is committed to providing a
high standard of customer
care, to maximise customer
satisfaction, whether those
customers are tenants,
prospective tenants, staff,
owner occupiers, contractors,
other organisations or
members of the public.
The following states the levels of
service that customers can
expect from the Association.
Staff will:
• always give their name, be respectful, polite and helpful
Offices will:
• be safe, clean and friendly
• have opening times clearly displayed
• have interview rooms or private spaces available so that customers can discuss personal or confidential matters in private.
• be accessible to people with disabilities so far as is reasonably practical in compliance with the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
• have up to date information regarding our services and other related subjects available.
• listen and respond appropriately and sensitively to customer needs
• always carry identity cards outside the office and show them before entering a customer’s home.
• Be well prepared for meetings and have all the relevant information and/or records available.
10
Our Service
Standards
Customers who visit our
offices will:
• Be acknowledged on arrival and greeted by an identified member of staff.
• Be given private interviews subject to the availability of rooms and staff and the nature of their enquiry.
• Not be kept waiting for longer than 5 minutes without being attended to and will be seen at the agreed time if calling in to keep an appointment.
• When a house visit is carried out, our staff will always treat customers homes with respect and have due regard to their privacy. If Officers visit a customer’s home without a prearranged appointment they will explain the nature of the visits and check that it is convenient to the customer before entering the property.
• If an Officer visits a customer’s house and no one is at home, a calling card will be left stating who called, the time of the call and details on Appointments:
how to contact the Officer. • Customers may request Officers will never enter an appointments with a specific occupied property unless at member of staff and can the express invitation of the expect a mutually convenient customer or in the event of appointment to be made an emergency.
within 5 working days of their • Staff members will take file request.
notes of appointments and • If a member of staff is unable meetings to ensure that to attend a pre arranged there is an accurate record of appointment the customer the matters discussed and will be notified as soon as the action that was agreed at possible. If Antonine is unable that time. Whenever possible, to make contact with the the customer should customer another officer will countersign any notes of the cover the appointment.
meeting to confirm that it is a fair description of the content
of the interview.
11
Our Service
Standards
Communications.
• All telephone calls will be answered within 8 rings.
another language, audio or large print.
Out of hours service.
• As far as possible staff members will deal with all enquiries they receive whether in relation to their specific role or not.
• When the office is closed an answer phone service will be in operation.
Letters and emails.
• Messages left on the answer phone service will be responded to within one • When messages are taken from a customer the relevant working day of the message officer will return the calls as being left.
far as possible that day, or, if • Antonine Housing this is not possible, within 24 Association has hours, or on their next arrangements in place to working day.
provide an emergency repairs • Customers can expect to receive a response to all correspondence within 5 working days and by first class post.
service outwith normal office hours. Contact details are recorded on the answer phone which is available outwith office opening hours.
Communication needs.
• If a reply is likely to take longer the customer will be advised of this and the reason for the delay.
• Arrangements will be made for providing appropriate assistance to customers with visual or hearing impairments.
• Letters and emails will be clear, informative and written in plain English and will cover each matter raised by the customer.
• Where customers have difficulty in communicating in English arrangements can be made to provide a translating or interpreting service to enable customers to fully express their needs and enable the Association to meet their requirements.
• Translations will be provided upon request in an appropriate format e.g. 12
Our Service
Standards
Information and
Consultation
Antonine Housing Association
will consult and involve tenants
and other service users when
making decisions on matters that
affect the delivery of our
services. We will provide clear and
concise information and
explanations for any changes in
the way we work.
Complaints
The Association will always try to
get things right first time.
However from time to time things
may go wrong. The Association
will always investigate problems
and try to resolve them to the
complete satisfaction of the
service user.
If however a customer feels that
a complaint has not been resolved
satisfactorily they may make a
formal complaint under the
Associations Complaints Policy
details of which can be found
within this Handbook.
What we expect
from our
customers
Antonine Housing Association
expects our customers to be
polite and courteous to its staff
and to accept that we are doing
our best to help them.
However if any customer while in
the office acts in an inappropriate
manner whether persistently rude
or aggressive, insulting or abusive
to our staff they risk being asked
to leave the office. If any
customer is verbally abusive and
speaking in an unreasonable
manner when phoning the office
they will be advised that unless
they are prepared to discuss their
issue in a reasonable manner the
conversation will be terminated.
In addition the local Police will be
notified if any threats are made
against the Associations staff,
agents or contractors and legal
proceedings may follow.
Complaints will be accepted by
telephone, letter, fax or email and
in person.
13
Our Service
Standards
Confidentiality
All interview and personal
information will be treated in
accordance with Antonine
Housing Associations Data
Protection Policy.
Implementation
All staff are aware of the
contents of this Policy and receive
appropriate training in order to
provide consistently high
standards to customers.
Monitoring &
Review
Antonine Housing Association
will seek to monitor the
effectiveness of this Policy
through continuous assessment
and feedback from our service
users.
14
The Scottish Social
Housing Charter
The Scottish Social Housing
Charter came into effect at
1st April 2012 and applies for
the next 5 years to 2017.
The aim of the Charter is to
improve the quality and value of
the services that social landlords
like Antonine provide and to
support the Scottish
Governments aim of creating a
safer and stronger Scotland.
The Charter will achieve this by:
•Statingclearlywhattenants
and other customers can
expect from social landlords,
and helping them to hold
landlords to account.
•FocusingtheeffortsofSocial
landlords on achieving
outcomes that matter to their
customers;
•Establishingabasisforthe
ScottishHousingRegulator
to assess and report on how
well landlords are performing.
This assessment will enable
theRegulator,social
landlords, tenants and other
customers to identify areas
of strong performance and
areas needing improvement.
A copy of the complete Charter
can be obtained upon request to
the Associations office.
The Charter has seven sections
and more detail on each is
provided below;
The Customer/
Landlord
relationship
Social Landlords perform all
aspects of their housing services
so that:
•Everytenantandother customer has their individual
needs recognised, is treated
fairly and with respect, and
receives fair access to
housing and housing services.
Social Landlords manage their
businesses so that:
•Tenantsandothercustomers
find it easy to communicate
with their landlords and get
the information they need
about their landlord, how and
why it makes decisions and
the services it provides.
•Tenantsandothercustomers
find it easy to participate in
and influence their landlord’s
decision at a level they feel
comfortable with.
15
The Scottish Social
Housing Charter
Housing Quality
and Maintenance
Access to Housing
and Support
Social Landlords manage their
businesses so that:
Social Landlords work together to
ensure that:
• Tenants homes as a minimum meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by April 2015 and continue to meet it thereafter, and when they are allocated, are always clean, tidy and in a good state of repair.
• People looking for housing get information that helps them make informed choices and decisions about the range of housing options available to them.
• Tenants homes are well maintained, with repairs and improvements carried out when required, and tenants are given reasonable choices about when work is done.
Neighbourhood
& Community
Social Landlords, working in
partnership with other agencies,
help to ensure that:
• People at risk of losing their homes get advice on preventing homelessness.
Social Landlords ensure that;
• People looking for housing find it easy to apply for the widest choice of social housing available and get the information they need on how the landlord allocates homes and their prospects of being housed.
• Tenants get the information they need on how to obtain support to remain in their • Tenants and other customers home; and ensure suitable live in well maintained support is available, including neighbourhoods’ where they services provided directly by feel safe.
the landlord and by other organisations.
16
The Scottish Social
Housing Charter
Getting good
value from rents
and service
charges
Social Landlords manage all
aspects of their businesses so
that:
• Tenants, owners and other customers receive services that provide continually improving value for the rent and other charges they pay.
Social Landlords set rents and
service charges in consultation
with their tenants and other
customers so that;
• A balance is struck between the level of services provided, the cost of the services and how far current and prospective tenants and other customers can afford them.
• Tenants get clear information on how rent and other money is spent, including any details of individual items of expenditure above thresholds agreed between landlords and tenants.
17
Repairs &
Maintenance
Who is responsible for repairs?
The Association is responsible for carrying out repairs to most
items in your home but you are responsible for some minor
repairs/replacements and internal decoration.
The following table shows those repairs that are the responsibility of
the landlord and those which should be carried out by the tenant.
Item
AHATenant
Exception
Back Boiler
•
Balconies
•
Banisters (internal)
•
Bathroom Suites •
Bin Shelters
•
Brick Work
•
Ceilings
•
Chimney Stacks (pots & cowls etc)
•
Cisterns
•
Clothes Poles
•
Communal Entry to Flats
•
Controlled Entry System
•
Decoration (internal)
•
Door Bell
•
Doors to Common Areas
•
Doors & fittings (external)
•
Unless installed by tenant
Doors (internal)
•
Unless installed by tenant
Down Pipes (rain & soil)
•
Drainage Pipes (internal & external)
•
Driveways
•
Unless installed by tenant
(whb, bath wc pan, seat & cistern)
Unless installed by tenant
Unless adopted by AHA
18
Repairs &
Maintenance
Item
AHATenant
Drying Areas
•
Electric Heating (storage) •
Exception
Electrical wiring, sockets, •
switches, pendants,
extractor fans etc:
Unless installed/
changed by tenant
Electrical Consumer Unit (fuse box) •
Facia & Soffit Boards
•
Fences & Gates (where fitted by AHA) •
Floorboards (including chipboard)
•
Foundations
•
Garages •
Garden Huts
•
Gas Central Heating System
& Radiators
•
Gas Piping
•
Incoming supply to property
Glass (single & double glazed)
•
Unless installed by tenant
Gutters
•
Handrails (external fitted by AHA)
•
Hatch to Loft Space
•
Unless installed by tenant
Immersion Water Heater & Hot water Cylinder
•
Unless installed by tenant
Key Replacements
•
Kitchen Units, Work Tops & Sink
•
Lamps (light bulbs)
•
Outhouse
•
Overflow Pipes
•
Painting (external)
•
Painting (communal areas)
•
Parking Areas •
Unless adopted by AHA
Unless installed by tenant
Unless installed by tenant
(storage of garden equipment)
Unless carried out by tenant
(hard landscape & lock ups)
19
Repairs &
Maintenance
Item
Paths to main access
AHATenant
•
(garden & footpaths belonging to AHA) Plaster & Plasterboard
•
Plugs & Chains (sinks)
•
Porches
•
Pulleys
•
Exception
Unless adopted by the
local authority
Unless adopted by AHA
•
Retaining Walls (where adopted by AHA)
Roof Tiles, Slates & Sky Lights
•
Rotary Clothe Dryers
•
Roughcast
•
Shower & Shower Units •
Unless fitted by AHA
(only medical adaptations by AHA)
Skirting Boards
•
Smoke Detectors
•
Stairs (communal & internal)
•
Stair Lighting
•
Steps (external around property)
•
Storage Tanks (water)
•
Taps (washers etc)
•
TV Aerials
•
•
Unless fitted by tenant
Unless fitted by tenant
(only communal system & outlets)
Window Frames, cills, & fittings
20
Repairs &
Maintenance
Reporting Repairs
All repairs should be reported
to the Association as soon as
possible.
You can report a repair by;
• Writing to the Association
• By telephone
• Visiting the office
• Or by Email
Response Times
• Structural damage to the property
• Extensive water penetration within the property due to burst/leaking tank
The Association provides an out
of hour’s service for emergency
repairs.
Should the emergency service be
used for a non-emergency repair
the Association will recover the
excess cost associated with that
repair from the tenant.
There are three categories of
repair each of which has a different
response time. Every repair is
categorized as emergency, urgent
or routine and examples of these
different types of repair is noted
below.
Urgent Repairs
Emergency
Repairs
The Association will endeavour to
complete all urgent jobs within 3
working days of receiving the repair.
Urgent repairs are of a lesser
priority than emergencies but
need quick attention to prevent
further deterioration and damage
to the property or discomfort to
the tenant.
These are serious faults which
could be a danger to the health
and safety of people nearby or a
risk of significant damage to the
property itself.
Examples of emergency repairs
would be;
• Complete power failure
21
Repairs &
Maintenance
Routine Repairs
Routine jobs are those minor day
to day repairs that cause minor
inconvenience. Our aim is to
complete these jobs within 10
working days of receiving the
repair.
On occasion it may not be
possible to achieve these
timescales perhaps because the
repair needs to be inspected first
by the Maintenance Officer or
because a particular component
needs to be specially ordered
perhaps double glazed window
units or a door that has to be
measured before it can be
ordered.
Special
Circumstances
Where it appears that the
timescale cannot be achieved you
will be informed of the reasons
for this and given an indicative
timescale within which the repair/
replacement will be carried out.
Rechargeable
Repairs
Accidents do happen but you
should know that if damage is
caused to the Association’s
property due to misuse or neglect
by yourself, a member of your
family or a visitor to your home,
you will be charged for the costs
of all necessary repairs.
Planned
maintenance
As well as carrying out the day to
day repairs detailed above the
Association also has a planned
maintenance programme which
includes annual inspection of
heating systems and regular
cleaning of gutters and
downpipes.
Major repairs
The Association has a 30 year
programme for major repairs
required to the housing stock.
Major repairs are carried out
where particular components,
such as windows, heating
systems, doors, kitchen units have
reached the end of their lifespan
and need to be replaced.
The Association has its housing
stock regularly surveyed by an
independent surveyor to identify
future works required to the
housing stock and that
information is fed into the 30
year programme.
22
Repairs &
Maintenance
Alterations
More detail on how any
compensation is calculated can be
obtained on request from the
Associations office.
You have the right to carry out
alterations to your home but
must receive the written
permission of the Association
before any work is carried out.
The Association may refuse, grant
or apply conditions to requests to
carry out alterations but
permission will not be
The Association insures the
unreasonably withheld.
structure of your home but this
does not include your household
contents, personal belongings or
the internal decoration of your
home.
Under the Housing (Scotland) Act The Association strongly
2001, you may be eligible for
encourages all tenants to have
compensation from the
household contents insurance
Association when you leave your and can provide tenants with
home for certain improvements
details of an affordable insurance
that you made to your home. To
scheme.
apply for compensation you
should write to the Association
no later than 21 days after your
tenancy has ended with details of
the costs of all the improvements,
when approval was given for the
alteration and the date the work
was completed.
Household
Contents
Insurance
Compensation for
Improvements
On receipt of that information the
Association will inspect the
alteration and if the works qualify
for compensation a payment will
be made.
23
Repairs &
Maintenance
Right to Repair Scheme
Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, Scottish Secure
tenants and short Scottish secure tenants are legally entitled
to have small urgent repairs carried out within given timescales.
If our contractor does not attend to the repair within the time limit set,
you have the right to:
• Instruct another contractor from the Association’s list of approved contractors to carry out the work
• Receive compensation from the Association
The Right to Repair scheme covers certain repairs up to the value of
£350. These repairs and the timescales for completion are shown in
the table below.
The deadline is the number of working days following date of notification or
inspection within which the repair should be completed.
Defect
Deadline
(Working days following date of notification or inspection)
Blocked flue to open fire or boiler
1
Blocked or leaking foul drains, soil stacks or toilet pans where there is no other toilet in the house
1
Blocked sink or bath drain
1
Loss of electrical power 1
Partial loss of electric power 3
Insecure external window, door or lock 1
Unsafe access path or step 1
Significant leaks or flooding from water or heating pipes, tanks, cisterns
1
Loss or partial loss of gas supply 1
Loss or partial loss of space or water heating where no alternative is available
1
24
Repairs &
Maintenance
Defect
Deadline
(Working days following date of notification or inspection)
Toilet not flushing where there is no other toilet in the house 1
Unsafe power or lighting socket or electrical fitting 1
Loss of water supply 1
Partial loss of water supply 3
Loose or detached banister or hand rail 3
Unsafe timber flooring or stair treads 3
Mechanical extractor in interior kitchen or bathroom not working 7
The Right to Repair does not apply if access has not been available or
there are exceptional circumstances that we have no control over and
make it impossible to do the repair within the maximum time..
25
Our Complaints
Procedure
Antonine Housing Association •failuretoprovideaservice
is committed to providing
•ourstandardofservice
high-quality customer services.
•dissatisfactionwithourpolicy
We value complaints and use •treatmentbyorattitudeofa
information from them to
member of staff
help us improve our services.
If something goes wrong or you
are dissatisfied with our services,
please tell us.
This section of the Handbook
describes our complaints
procedure and how to make a
complaint. It tells you about our
service standards and what you
can expect from us.
What is a
complaint?
We regard a complaint as any
expression of dissatisfaction
about our action or lack of action,
or about the standard of service
provided by us or on our behalf.
What can I
complain about?
Youcancomplainaboutthings
like:
•delaysinrespondingtoyour
enquiries and requests
•ourfailuretofollowproper
procedure.
Yourcomplaintmayinvolvemore
than one of our services or be
about someone working on our
behalf.
What can’t I
complain about?
There are some things we can’t
deal with through our complaints
procedure. These include:
•aroutinefirst-timerequest
for a service, for example
reporting a problem that
needs to be repaired or initial
action on anti social
behaviour
•requestsforcompensation
•ourpoliciesandprocedures
that have a separate right of
appeal, for example, if you are
dissatisfied with the level of
priority you have been given
when applying for a house,
you may have the right to
appeal against the decision
26
Our Complaints
Procedure
complaints if you make them
• issues that are in court or have already been heard by a quickly and directly to the
Association. So please talk to a
court or a tribunal
member of our staff about your
• an attempt to reopen a complaint. They can then try to
previously concluded resolve any problems on the spot.
complaint or to have a complaint reconsidered where we have already given our final decision following a stage 2 investigation. If you are still not satisfied, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for an independent review of the complaint. If other procedures or rights of appeal can help you resolve your concerns we will give information and advice to help you.
Who can complain?
Anyone can make a complaint to
us, including the representative of
someone who is dissatisfied with
our service. Please also read the
section ‘Getting help to make
your complaint’.
How do I complain?
You can complain in person at our
office, by phone, in writing, email
or by using our complaints form.
It is easier for us to resolve
When complaining, tell us:
• your full name and address
• as much as you can about the complaint
• what has gone wrong
• how you want us to resolve the matter
How long do I
have to make a
complaint?
Normally, you must make your
complaint within six months of:
• the event you want to complain about, or
• finding out that you have a reason to complain, but no longer than 12 months after the event itself. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.
27
Our Complaints
Procedure
Contact details
Office address:
3 Cowgate Kirkintilloch G66 1HW
Telephone: 0141 578 0260
Email: [email protected]
What happens
when I have
complained?
We will always tell you who is
dealing with your complaint. Our
complaints procedure has two
stages:
Stage one: frontline
resolution
We aim to resolve complaints
quickly and close to where we
provided the service.
This could mean an on-the-spot
apology and explanation if
something has clearly gone
wrong, and immediate action to
resolve the problem.
We will give you our decision at
stage 1 in five working days or
less, unless there are exceptional
circumstances.
ask for your complaint to be
investigated further through
stage 2. You may choose to do
this immediately or sometime
after you get our initial response.
We can help you with making this
request.
Stage two: investigation
Stage 2 deals with two types of
complaint: those that have not
been resolved at stage 1 and
those that are complex and
require detailed investigation.
When using stage 2 we will:
acknowledge receipt of your
complaint within three working
days discuss your complaint with
you to understand why you
remain dissatisfied and what
outcome you are looking for
give you a full response to the
complaint as soon as possible and
within 20 working days. If our
investigation will take longer than
20 working days, we will tell you.
We will agree revised time limits
with you and keep you updated
on progress.
If we can’t resolve your complaint
at this stage, we will explain why.
If you are still dissatisfied you can
28
Our Complaints
Procedure
What if I’m still
dissatisfied?
After we have fully investigated,
if you are still dissatisfied with
our decision or the way we dealt
with your complaint, you can ask
the Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it.
The SPSO cannot normally look
at:
• a complaint that has not completed our complaints procedure (so please make sure it has done so before contacting the SPSO)
Website www.spso.org.uk
Mobile site http://m.spso.org.uk
Text phone 0790 049 4372
Reporting a
Significant
Performance Failure
to the Scottish
Housing Regulator
The Scottish Housing
Regulator (SHR) can consider
issues raised with them
about ‘significant
performance failures’.
• events that happened, or that
you became aware of, more than a year ago
• a matter that has been or is being considered in court.
You can contact the SPSO:
in person SPSO
4 Melville Street,
Edinburgh, EH3 7NS
by post
SPSO
Freepost EH641
Edinburgh
EH3 0BR
Freephone 0800 377 7330
Online contact
www.spso.org.uk/contact-us
A significant performance failure
is defined by the SHR as
something that a landlord does or
fails to do that puts the interests
of its tenants at risk, and which
the landlord has not resolved.
This is something that is a systemic
problem that does, or could,
affect all of a landlord’s tenants. If
you are affected by a problem like
this, you should first report it to
us. If you have told us about it but
we have not resolved it, you can
report it directly to the SHR.
A complaint between an
individual tenant and a landlord is
not a significant performance
29
Our Complaints
Procedure
failure. Significant performance
failures are not, therefore, dealt
with through this complaints
handling procedure. You can ask
us for more information about
significant performance failures.
The SHR also has more
information on their website:
www.scottishhousingregulator.
gov.uk
Or you can phone them on:
0141 271 3810
Getting help to make
your complaint
We understand that you may be
unable, or reluctant, to make a
complaint yourself. We accept
complaints from the representative
of a person who is dissatisfied
with our service. We can take
complaints from a friend, relative
or an advocate, if you have given
them your consent to complain
for you.
Scottish Independent Advocacy
Alliance
Tel: 0131 260 5380
Fax: 0131 260 5381
Website: www.siaa.org.uk
Citizens Advice Scotland
Website: www.cas.org.uk Or
check your phone book for your
local bureau.
We are committed to making our
service easy to use for all
members of the community. In
line with our statutory equalities
duties, we will always ensure that
reasonable adjustments are made
to help customers access and use
our services. If you have trouble
putting your complaint in writing
please tell us.
We can also give you this leaflet
in other languages and formats
(such as large print, audio and
Braille).
You can find out about advocates
in your area by contacting the
Scottish Independent Advocacy
Alliance or Citizens Advice
Bureau.
30
Our Complaints
Procedure
Quick guide to
our complaints
procedure
Complaints procedure
You can make your complaint in
person, by phone, by email or in
writing. We have a two-stage
complaints procedure. We will
always try to deal with your
complaint quickly. But if it is clear
that the matter will need a
detailed investigation, we will tell
you and keep you updated on our
progress.
Stage 1: frontline resolution
decision as soon as possible. This
will be after no more than 20
working days unless there is
clearly a good reason for needing
more time.
The Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman
If, after receiving our final
decision on your complaint, you
remain dissatisfied with our
decision or the way we handled
your complaint, you can ask the
SPSO to consider it.
We will tell you how to do this
when we send you our final
decision.
We will always try to resolve
your complaint quickly, within
five working days if we can. If
you are dissatisfied with our
response, you can ask us to
consider your complaint at stage 2.
Stage 2: investigation
We will look at your complaint at
this stage if you are dissatisfied
with our response at stage 1.
We also look at some complaints
immediately at this stage, if it is
clear that they are complex or
need detailed investigation.
We will acknowledge your
complaint within three working
days. We will give you our
31
3 Cowgate, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow G66 1HW
Tel: 0141 578 0260 Fax: 0141 578 0150
Email: [email protected]
32