Keyworkeraccommodationhandbook

How to contact us

Head officePilgrim House, High Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 9XYPhone: 0300 303 2500Email: info@swan.org.uk

Colchester

Accommodation Office2 Gasgoine House, Charter Way, Turner Road, Colchester CO4 5JLPhone: 01206 747508

Broomfield

Accommodation Office2 Hazel House, Woodlands Way, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7THPhone: 01245 442192

Oldchurch (Romford)

Accommodation OfficeCarrock Court, Union Road, Romford, Essex RM7 0GPPhone: 01277 314360

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WelcomeWelcome to the NHS KeyWorkerHandbook. This handbook is aguide to our services and providesinformation about youraccommodation.

We have divided this handbook intoclear sections, which tell you what youcan expect from us and what weexpect from you. The handbook alsoincludes contact details and importantinformation about your home.

If you need to talk to us please get intouch, our phone numbers and fulladdresses are shown on the insidefront cover. You can also contact usthrough our website atwww.swan.org.uk.

We hope that you enjoy living at your home.

The NHS Team

Repairs and maintenance ...........................page 2

Rent .............................................page 7

Customer care .......................page 10

Resident involvement ........page 15

Your tenancy...........................page 17

Repairs andmaintenance

1How to report a repair

You can report a repair to us by:

• Visiting your local office (see insidefront cover)

• Phoning us on Broomfield 01245 442192Colchester 01206 747508Oldchurch 01277 314360

If we are responsible for the repair wewill put it into one of the following fourcategories

Immediate - these repairs are to makeyour home safe. They will be carriedout within four hours

Emergency - these are repairs suchas when you have lost the use of a hotwater system. They will be carried outwithin 24 hours

Urgent - these repairs include whentaps, valves or stopcocks are notworking properly. They will becompleted within five working days

Routine - these repairs include thingslike fixing kitchen units, bath panelsand fencing panels. They will becarried out within 20 working days.

If you have an emergency outsideoffice hours, phone:

Broomfield 01245 442192Colchester 01206 747508Oldchurch 01277 314360

Our out of hours team will try andcorrect any emergency and will makesure that your home is left safe.However, they might not be able tocomplete the full repair until the nextday.

2Emergency repairs

These repairs include work carriedout after an immediate repairsneeded as a result of things suchas:

• Flooding• Having no electricity• Dangerous wiring and lack of

lighting• Making your home secure (for

example, after a break in)• A broken heating system (only

during the winter)

3Urgent repairs

Urgent repairs include:

• Replacing missing roof tiles• Repairing faulty guttering• Stopping minor leaks and water

overflows• Broken heating systems (March to

November only)

We aim to deal with all urgent repairswithin five working days.

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4Routinerepairs

Routine Repairs include:

• Repairing electrical sockets• Mending minor roofs leaks• Repairing floors, doors and windows

We aim to deal with routine repairswithin 20 working days.

5Who does the repair?

Minor repairs will be carried out by theon site Maintenance Officer. Largerrepairs, or repairs to electrical andheating systems will be carried out byour partnering contractor, Axis.

All maintenance staff will:

• Carry and show you their ID card• Be happy to wait while you

phone and check who they are(contact you Accommodation Office

• Respect you and your belongings• Be polite• Clean up at the end of the day

They will not:

• Use or move your belongingswithout asking you first

• Smoke in your home• Use your toilet or sink without

asking you first• Use your phone

• Leave materials in your home orareas you share with yourneighbours

• Eat or drink in your home• Enter your home when the only

people there are under 16

If you are not satisfied with the way acontractor behaves in your home,please contact your AccommodationOffice (see page)

6Rechargeable repairs

If a repair at your home is needed as aresult of something you have or havenot done, then we may recharge youfor this repair.

Things you may be charged forinclude:

• Blocked drains• Blocked sinks• Damage to any furniture, fixtures

and fittings• Damage caused by forced entry.

7GasBy law we must carry out a gas safetytest every 12 months.

Our responsibilities are to:

• Make an appointment with you forthe test

• Be flexible when agreeing theappointment time

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• Give you a gas safety certificateafter the test

• Carry out any other work to makesure that the boiler remains safe touse

You must:

• Let us in on the day we said thatwe’d carry out the test

• Make other arrangements with us ifthe appointment is a problem for you

• Keep the area around the boiler freefrom clutter so the test can be donequickly

• Keep a copy of the gas safetycertificate in your home

8Portable appliance testing

We will test all of the electricalappliances that we have provided inyour home once per year. We will writeand tell you when we want to do this.

9Planned work and largescale repairs

We aim to decorate your home everyseven years. We will also regularlyservice and replace parts of your homebefore they wear out. This is calledplanned work.

Sometimes, we have to carry outlarge-scale repairs to homes orestates. When this happens, we willtalk to you at least eight weeks beforethe work starts.

At least three weeks before thework begins, we will tell you:

• The type of work we will be doing• The contractor who will be doing the

work• How long the work will take• Who you can talk to if you have any

questions

10AppointmentsIf our partnering contractor, Axis,breaks an appointment with you, letthem know as soon as possible. Youmight be able to get compensation.

Please let them know if you cannotkeep an appointment.

Appointments with Axis can be madeat any time between 8am and 8pm onweekdays and between 8am and 2pmon Saturdays.

11SatisfactionWhen you have a repair done, we willask you if you were happy with thework. For routine repairs, we mayphone you or visit you to assess thequality of the work. For planned work,we will visit to check the work and willalso leave a questionnaire for you tosend back to us. By giving us yourfeedback we can improve the repairsservice where necessary.

What to do if you smell gas:

• Do not smoke, strike matches, lighta lighter or turn electrical switcheson or off

• Turn off the gas supply at the meter• Open doors and windows• Put out any flames• Report the leak by calling

0800 111 999

What to do if your electricity doesn’t work:

• Check your trip switches on themain fuse board

• If all the trip switches are on, checkwith your neighbours. If they don’thave any electricity either, contactthe electricity company or theAccommodation Office

• If all the trip switches are on, butyour neighbours have electricity,contact the Accommodation Office

• If a trip switch is off, turn off the lastappliance you used before theelectricity went off. Reset the tripswitch on the main fuse board. Ifyour electricity comes back on, it’sprobably a faulty appliance

• If your electricity still won’t come on,contact the Accommodation Office

What to do if you have a seriouswater leak:

• Turn off the water at the stop cock.It’s usually under the kitchen sink orin the airing cupboard

• Open all your taps to drain the watersystem

• Turn off the gas fired central heating• If the water is pouring through the

ceiling, don’t turn the ceiling lightson in that room

• Phone us and report the leak

What to do if you are going away inthe winter or for longer than amonth:

• Leaving the heating on very low if itis the winter. Otherwise turn the gasoff

• Make sure that we have details ofwho we can contact in anemergency

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Rent

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1How to payyour rent

You can pay your rent in a numberof different ways.

By payroll

If you live at our Colchester schemeand work for the Hospital Trust we willtake your rent from your salary

By Direct Debit

A Direct Debit is a payment we takedirect from your bank account. DirectDebits are taken on the 1st workingday of the month.

By phone

To pay over the phone by debit orcredit card please call you localAccommodation Office

At a local office

You can pay your rent by cheque,debit or credit card at any of ouroffices. We will give you a receipt foryour payment.

By post

You can send a cheque by post.When you send your cheque, give usyour name and address. Please postyour cheque to your localAccommodation Office. We will giveyou a receipt for your payment.

2Your rent account

We will keep you informed if youowe us any money, by:

• Sending you a rent statement• Giving you one months’ notice in

writing if we decide to change yourrent

We know you might sometimes haveproblems paying your rent. If you do,let us know as soon as possible so wecan try and help you.

3Support and advice

If you think you’re entitled tohousing benefit to help you payyour rent, or want advice onmanaging your money, we can:

• Talk to you in private, at anaccommodation office, housingsurgery or at your home

• Give you support so that you canget the benefits you’re entitled to

• Put you in touch with otherorganisations that will give youindependent advice on managingyour money and dealing with debits

• Agree a reasonable paymentarrangement for you to clear anyrent you owe us

• Take no further action while youkeep to this payment arrangement

If you are having difficulty paying yourrent, please speak to us as soon asyou can. Don’t ignore our letters,phone calls or visits. We want to helpyou and can give advice.

4Housing benefits

If you are on a low income, you maybe entitled to housing benefit that maypay all or part of your rent.

You will not get this automatically, evenif you are on other benefits. You mustapply for housing benefit separately.

You should make your claim as soonas possible. If your situation changesafter your claim, you must tell yourlocal authority’s housing benefitdepartment.

Do not forget that you must pay anypart of your rent that is not covered byhousing benefit.

Your accommodation officer and ourwelfare benefits officers can giveadvice on and help with applying forhousing benefit and other benefits.See the section on the WelfareBenefits Team below.

5If you don’t pay your rent

If you do not pay your rent and ignoreour letters, phone calls and visits, wemay have to take court action againstyou.

We don’t want to evict anyone, but ifyou don’t pay your rent and don’t tryand sort out the problem with us thenwe will have no option but seek toevict you from your home.

If you have problems paying yourrent, you can talk to:

• Us (phone your accommodationofficer or welfare benefits officer)

• Your local citizens advice bureau• Your local council’s housing advice

centre

6Welfare Benefits Team

We set up this team to give you moneyadvice and help you claim benefits youmay be entitled to. If you are worriedabout debt, they can suggest ways foryou to deal with it.

The Welfare Benefits Team can:

• Help you to claim state benefits andagree a payment arrangement withyou to help you bring your rentpayments up to date.

You can speak to a member of theteam by phoning 0300 303 2500

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Customer care

1Our customer carecommitments to you

• We will always be polite and friendly• We will keep all information about

you confidential• We will provide the same level of

service to you, wherever you live• We will treat all customers fairly,

according to their needs• We will welcome your views and

comments about how we canimprove our services

When you contact us we will:

• Answer the phone within 20seconds, clearly stating who isspeaking

• Arrange to visit you at home if youask us to

• Respond to your letters or e-mailswithin 10 working days of receivingthem

• Offer the use of Language Line ifyour first language is not English

• Provide documents in large print ifnecessary

When you visit us we will:

• Display the opening times of ouroffices, as well as an emergencyout-of hours phone number

• Make sure our reception areas areclean and tidy and have a variety ofinformation available for you

• See you within five minutes of theagreed appointment time

• Tell you how long you will have towait if you don’t have anappointment, or offer you anappointment in the future

• Provide an interview room for themeeting, if one is available

If we visit your home we will:

• Show you ID• Behave professionally and respect

your home at all times• Be on time and if we are delayed,

call you and let you know when wewill arrive

2Our equality commitments

We know our communities are madeup of people from differentbackgrounds and with different needs.We aim to take this into account whendeveloping and delivering our services.

• We will identify and seek to removeany problems that could preventsome people from having equalaccess to our services.

• We will provide interpretation andtranslation services and informationin large print, braille or audio, if youneed them

• We will treat everyone fairly,regardless of their age, race, sex,disability, sexuality or religion

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• We will be sensitive about religiousor cultural dates when arranginghome visits

• We will take action to combatharassment and encourage you toreport any discrimination in yourneighbourhood

• We will make sure that all of our staffare trained on issues relating toequality

If you feel that you have been treatedunfairly, or are experiencingharassment please contact us.

3ComplaintsWe will do our best to give you a goodservice, but sometimes things do gowrong. If you are not happy with anyservice that we have provided, pleasetell us. This helps us make ourservices better.

You may want to make a complaintif you think we have:

• Failed to provide a service• Provided a poor standard of service• Teated you unfairly or• Failed to follow our own policies or

procedures

Complaints about noisy neighbours aredifferent. Please see page 17 forinformation about how to complaintabout a noisy neighbour.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in anumber of ways:

• In person - You can talk to us inperson at one of our offices

• By phone - You can phone ourCustomer Feedback Co-ordinatoron 01277 314 341

• In writing - Send us your comments by letter or by using the form in our Complaints andCompliments leaflet. Please write to:

Pilgrim House,Billericay, Essex CM12 9XY

• Email - You can e-mail us atinvolvement@swan.org.uk

• Website - you can fill out our onlineform at www.swan.org.uk

Once you have made a complaintwe will

• Acknowledge your complaint withinthree working days

• Aim to settle your complaint withinten working days

If we cannot give you a full responsewithin ten working days, we will tell youwhy and will keep you informed of theprocess.

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Our Complaints Procedure:

Stage one

We will make a note of your complaintand pass it to the relevant manager forthem to investigate and settle. Theywill discuss the problem with you andask you how you would like us to dealwith the matter. Whenever possible, wewill settle your complaint immediately.At the very least we will send you aresponse within ten working days.

If you are not happy with themanager’s response, you can takeyour complaint to stage two.

Stage two

Phone the Customer Feedback Co-ordinator on 01277 314341 to ask foryou complaint to be reviewed by oneof our directors. The director will lookat how the problem has beenmanaged and decide whether there ismore we can do. The director will thensend you a full response within 10working days.

If you are still not happy, you can takeyour complaint to stage three.

Stage three

Contact the Customer Feedback Co-ordinator and ask them to arrange fora special appeals panel to review yourcase. This panel will include at leastone member of our board ofmanagement and unless you do notwant them to hear your complaint, atleast one Swan tenant or leaseholderfrom a different area.

We will set the date within ten workingdays for the panel hearing to be held.You will be able to meet the panel andtell them why you are still unhappy.We will send you a full response withinfive working days of this hearing. Thiswill be our final response to yourcomplaint.

Taking your complaint further

If you are still unhappy after stagethree of out complaints procedure, youcan contact the Housing OmbudsmanService at the following address:

The Independent HousingOmbudsman81 Aldwych London WC2B 4HNTel: 0207 421 3800

The Ombudsman will normally onlydeal with your case if you havefollowed all the stages of our complaintprocedure first.

Our Service standards for dealing withcomplaints

If we get anything wrong, we will:

• Send you a response within ouragreed target

• Apologise and explain whathappened

• Aim to put the matter right as soonas possible and learn from ourmistake

• Keep you informed at all times• Let you know if you are entitled to

compensation

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• Tell you about any improvementsthat you make as a result of yourcomplaint

• Ask you how well you think wehandled your complaint.

4 Compliments

You can pay us a compliment in anumber of ways:

• In person - You can talk to us inperson at one of the offices

• By phone - You can phone ourCustomer Feedback Co-ordinatoron 01277 314 341

• In writing - Send us your commentsby letter or by using the form in ourcomplaints and compliments leaflet.Please write to:

• Pilgrim houseBillericayEssexCM12 9XY

• Email - You can email us atinvolvement@swan.org.uk

• Website - You can fill in our onlineform at www.swan.org.uk

5CompensationIf our level of service drops below thestandards we have set ourselves, wemay offer you compensation. We havea compensation policy which aims toexplain your rights and whatcompensation you may be entitled towhen we have delivered a service toan unsatisfactory level.

If you think you may be entitled tocompensation, or you want moreinformation, please:

• Talk to a member of staff, either onthe phone or face to face

• Write to us• Send us an email• Contact us through our website

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ResidentInvolvement

What you think about your home andour services is important to us. Wewant to make sure we consider yourviews when we make decisions

To help you get involved we will:

• Support residents’ who want toform residents’ groups and run themeffectively

• Send residents’ at least twonewsletters a year

• Hold monthly evening surgeries soyou can come and see us todiscuss any issues relating to yourhome

• Conduct an annual survey andpublish the results

• Give financial help for communityprojects and activities led byresidents’

If you would like to know more aboutgetting involved please contact yourlocal accommodation team.

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Your Tenancy

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1Your responsibilitiesListed below are your responsibilities inyour home and your community.There are also a series of helpful tipsfor saving money, maintaining yourhome and who to call if you’re havingproblems with your neighbours orbeing harassed.

2Your responsibilities in your home

Living in your home

• You must not give your home toanyone else

• If you are going away for more thanone month, please tell us

• If you want to run a business fromyour home, you must get ourpermission first

• If you are convicted of doingsomething illegal in or around yourhome, you may lose your tenancy

• You must pay your rent and othercharges when due

• You must not cause a nuisance orannoyance to others living or visitingthe area

• If you are convicted of an illegal actyou may lose your tenancy

• You must not make anyimprovements, alterations oradditions to your home withoutobtaining our permission

Domestic Violence

We take domestic violence veryseriously. If you or your partner isforced to leave your home because ofviolence, we may go to court to takeback your home.

If your partner is being violent towardsyou, talk to your accommodationofficer.

Maintaining your home

You must do the following:

• Keep the inside of your home in agood and clean condition

• Pay to repair any damage causedby you or anyone living or visitingyou

• Report any repairs to us as quicklyas possible

• Keep your garden (if you have one)in a tidy condition

How to avoid fires

• Don’t leave chip pans on the cookerwhen you’re out of the room

• Don’t overload sockets with toomany plugs

• Keep matches where childrencannot reach them

Top Maintenance tips• Do not put hot fat or tea leaves

down the sink or drain• Don’t block toilets by putting nappies

or sanitary towels down them• Use a drain unblocker from time to

time to keep drain clear• Remember you must let us service

and maintain your boiler every year.It may save you money and your life

• Do not put wet wipes or cleaningwipes down the toilet, as they cancause blockages

Our staff

Our staff are trained to be helpful andpolite at all times. If you have acomplaint about our staff or one of ourservices, please see page 9 for detailsof how to complain. We will nottolerate threatening behaviour, orattacks on our staff. If you behave inthis way, we may apply for a courtorder against you and you may looseyour home.

You must let us into your home so wecan carry out repairs and inspections,or service equipment. Wheneverpossible we will give you at least 24hours’ notice. If there is a leak, wemay need to enter your home. If thereis an emergency and we cannotcontact you, we may have to forceentry into your home.

Pests

If you have any problems with pests,for example cockroaches or rats,please contact your localAccommodation Team.

Insurance

We are responsible for insuring yourhome and any of our contents. Youare responsible for insuring yourbelongings against loss, theft ordamage.

Any damage caused by contractorsshould be covered by the contractor’sinsurance.

Car Parking

Car parking spaces are limited andparking cannot be guaranteed. Topark in one of the communal car parksyou must have a valid permit. Permitscan be obtained from yourAccommodation Office.

If you park without a permit you mayget a parking ticket for which a fine willhave to be paid.

Bicycles

Bicycles must not be kept incommunal hallways, stairwells orentrances. Bicycle storage is availableat all schemes, for more informationplease contact your AccommodationOffice.

Making your home secure

• Lock your windows and doorswhenever you go out

• Don’t allow anyone into your homewithout seeing proof of ID

• If you see or hear anythingsuspicious, phone the police

• If you live in a flat, don’t let anyoneyou don’t know into the building

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Pets

You are not allowed to keep pets inyour home without our writtenpermission.

How to cut your bills

You can do the following to saveenergy:

• Switch lights off when you leave theroom

• Keep doors shut to keep heat in• Close your curtains in the evening• Set thermostats a little lower, and

turn down your water temperature

You can do the following to savewater:

• Take showers instead of baths• Do not leave the tap running when

you clean your teeth• Make sure taps are properly

turned off

Anti-Social Behaviour

You are responsible for the behaviourof those living with or visiting you(including children). We will investigateall complaints of Anti-Social Behaviourand will take appropriate action if thecomplaints can be evidenced. Thismay result in you losing the right to livein your home.

Anti-Social Behaviour can include:

• Loud music or noise from radios orTV’s, especially at night

• Blocking shared hallways• Thoughtless parking• Abusive behaviour to neighbours

If you experience Anti-SocialBehaviour you should:

• If a neighbour is causing a nuisance,you should talk to them

• If that doesn’t work, phone youraccommodation officer

If you have a problem with noise, youcan also contact you local council’senvironmental health department.

Maintenance checklist

In your home, you should knowwhere to find the following:

• Your water stopcock, in case thereis a leak.

• Your gas and electricity meters• Your gas stopcock• Your fuse box

Remember to keep a torch handy.

3Your tenancy agreement

Your tenancy agreement is a legalcontract between you, the tenant, andus, the landlord. The agreement setsout your and our rights andresponsibilities. It is an importantdocument so make sure you keep it ina safe place.

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Assured shorthold tenancies

These tenancies usually last for aminimum of six months and are usuallygiven to people living in a property thatis linked to their job.

Assured shorthold tenanciesautomatically extend to periodicassured tenancies at the end of thefirst six months, the same terms andconditions apply.

Moving out

You can end your tenancy at any timeby giving us one months notice inwriting. If you move out without givingwritten notice then you will be chargedrent for one month after the keys havebeen returned or when we take legalpossession.

Transferring home

If your circumstances change and youwant to move to a different homewithin Swan’s NHS keyworkeraccommodation please contact youraccommodation officer. There will be asmall administrative charge if youmove within the first six months of yourtenancy.

There is no right of transfer fromSwan’s NHS keyworkeraccommodation to Swan’s generalneeds accommodation.

We can end your tenancy by givingyou two months written notice. Wecannot evict you unless we have acourt order.

We would normally only get a courtorder to end your tenancy in thefollowing circumstances.• If you owe us rent• If you stop living in the property• If you have lived in the property for

more than six months and we needit for someone else

We will also seek to end your tenancyif you or someone living with you has:

• Damaged or neglected your home• Harassed or caused a nuisance to

your neighbours• Been convicted of using your home

for an illegal purpose such as drugdealing

• Been violent to someone living with you

• Been running a business from yourhome without our permission

• Not let us into your home to carryout an annual gas safety test

Licence agreements

If you are staying with us for 28 daysor less you will be issued with a licenceagreement. Licence agreements areless formal than tenancy agreementsand we may ask you to change youraccommodation or terminate theagreement at any time.

Accommodation charges for licenceagreements are subject to VAT.

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Inventories

When you sign your tenancy or licenceagreement you will be issued with aninventory. The inventory lists all itemsprovided in your home. It is importantthat you complete the inventory, notingany damaged or missing items andreturn it to your accommodation officer.

If you move out and you have notcompleted and returned your inventoryyou may be charged for damaged ormissing items

4Services

Cleaning

You are responsible for keeping yourhome/room clean and tidy.

Housekeeping staff clean thecommunal areas of sharedaccommodation (shared kitchens,bathrooms, corridors) once a week.The housekeepers will not do yourwashing up. Please make sure thatyou take your rubbish and recycling tothe refuse area.

A room cleaning service for sharedaccommodation is available, a chargeis levied for this service, please contactyour accommodation office for furtherdetails.

Linen

Bed linen is provided in sharedaccommodation at the start of eachtenancy agreement. A linen service isavailable for shared accommodation, acharge is levied for this service, pleasecontact your accommodation office forfurther details.

Grounds

You are responsible for any privategarden that you may have with yourhome. We are responsible for allcommunal grounds.

If you are unable to manage yourgarden then a grounds maintenanceservice is available, a charge is leviedfor this service, please contact youraccommodation office for furtherdetails.

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www.swan.org.uk

Speaking your languageIf you would like someone to explain anything in this document,please call us on 0300 303 2500