(A trading name of The Riverside Group Ltd) Tenants Handbook · Moving Out . Ending your tenancy . Whilst for most people a decision to move is a positive choice, for some people

IMPACT HOUSING (A trading name of The Riverside Group Ltd)

Tenants Handbook

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Contents 1, Welcome to Impact .................................................. 03

2, About Impact ......................................................... 04

3, Moving into your new home .................................. 07

4, Rents and Service Charges ..................................... 10

5, How to pay your rent ............................................... 13

6, Welfare Reform ........................................................ 15

7, Repairs and Maintenance ...................................... 16

8, Property Top Tips ................................................... 24

9, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) ................................... 29

10, Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions .......... 33

11, Having Your Say - Getting Involved ...................... 36

12, Other Impact Services .......................................... 40

13, Transfers and mutual exchanges ...................... 43

14, Moving Out .......................................................... 45

15, Policies and Procedures - Our Standards .............. 47

16, Other Useful Information ........................................ 48

17, How to contact us ................................................... 51

18, Tenancy Fraud ...................................................... 54

19, Emergencies ......................................................... 55

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Welcome This handbook gives information about the Impact Housing which is a trading

name of The Riverside Group Ltd (TRGL), the services we provide, and your rights and responsibilities as one of our tenants. Your tenancy agreement covers the legal terms and conditions of your tenancy. The handbook is intended to supplement your agreement, giving you additional information to assist you in managing your tenancy.

We hope that you find the information and guidance in the handbook helpful. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us. If you have any views or suggestions for improving our services we would be very keen to hear from you.

THIS HANDBOOK IS AVAILABLE IN OTHER FORMATS INCLUDING BRAILLE, THE SPOKEN WORD, LARGE TEXT

AND OTHER LANGUAGES. IF YOU NEED ANOTHER FORMAT PLEASE ASK AND WE WILL PROVIDE A COPY AS

YOU REQUIRE

Section 1 Tenant’s Handbook

to Impact

Section 2

About Impact Impact Housing is a brand name of The Riverside Group. We refer through this document to Impact or Impact Housing, however your tenancy agreement is with The Riverside Group Ltd (TRGL). Impact Housing Association was a Registered Provider until 31st March 2020, when through a Transfer became part of TRGL. We have retained the Impact brand and local staff, offices and arrangements remain as set out in this document until full integration. Riverside are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing and the Financial Conduct Authority. Although not a registered charity we are a not for profit, community benefit organisation working to charitable objectives. Our main objective is to provide good quality housing that meets the needs of our customers at an affordable cost. We also want to ensure that our tenants can maintain successful tenancies, and have a good quality of life with the opportunities to meet their particular needs and aspirations.

There are a number of different parts to our work:

Housing We currently provide just over 2900 homes including supported housing, most of these in Cumbria but there are also a small number in North Lancashire. Most homes are for rent but we also provide housing for sale, including shared ownership, shared equity and leasehold accommodation. We provide a range of different types of housing including houses for families, houses and flats for smaller households, bungalows and flats for older people including extra care housing, accommodation for people with mobility problems and supported housing for people with specific needs. Our housing is let to people in many different circumstances, but generally to people who cannot afford other options.

Most of our housing is currently let through Cumbria Choice, a choice based lettings scheme managed in partnership with a number of other local housing associations. We also advertise some properties with local estate agents, local employers and via social media. In Lancashire we have a nominations agreement for our housing with the local council.

Our housing is managed by locally based teams working from our Hubs. These services include a Repairs and Maintenance Team (Property Services) which manages repairs and improvements to our housing, and an Income Management Team that manages rent collection and includes a Money Advice service, Money Matters.

Our Neighbourhood team is a key contact for tenants. Each Neighbourhood Officer manages between 500 - 700 properties.. Officers work in their local communities providing a personal and accessible service dealing with lettings, anti-social behaviour, tenant and resident involvement, tenancy matters and neighbourhood services. The work includes the development of local offers and neighbourhood plans in those communities where we have a large number of properties and a wider role.

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Development Riverside are building new affordable homes again to meet the needs of local communities. Together we want to build 50 to 60 new homes each year to start with, plus two extra care schemes which Impact will manage.

Community Services We provide a wide range of services, activities and social enterprises that support local communities and build the opportunities available to you and your wider community. As well as local furniture stores providing good quality, affordable furniture, we provide, or have links to services, that assist people with finding work. This includes providing training and skills development opportunities, provide advice and assistance with improving health and well- being and assist with developing/supporting local community activities and services.

Our sub committee We are managed by a Group Board with a local sub-committee managing the former Impact stock.

The committee meets on a regular basis. Its main role is to ensure that Impact stock is well managed, financially sound and working to meet its stated Corporate Plan and the Pledges from Riverside.


Section 2

Other information We have offices open to the public around the county. Our main locations are: • Nook Street, Workington, Cumbria • The Oval Centre, Salterbeck, Workington • Centre 47, Carlisle • Eden Rural Foyer, Penrith • South Lakes Foyer, Kendal

There is a staff presence at all of these offices with some not open to the public, with reception services at The Oval Centre (full-time) and C47

Full addresses and contact details are given on the back cover of this handbook. Opening hours can be viewed on our website: www.impacthousing.org.uk

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http://www.impacthousing.org.uk/


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Moving into your new home What you can expect from your new home We want to ensure that your new home is in a good state of repair and meets our lettable standard. This standard which is set for all empty properties, can be viewed on our website and is available on request.

Any repairs required are usually carried out before you move in, but sometimes repairs may be done afterwards. You will be advised before moving in of any repairs still to be done.

Homes with gas heating or hot water supply will receive a Gas Safety Certificate. You will be provided with a copy of this certificate. You will also be provided with an Energy Performance Certificate and an electrical installation certificate confirming that the electrical system has been tested and certified as safe.

Things to check When moving in, please make yourself aware of the following:

• The location of your heating controls and how to use these controls

• Where the circuit breaker/fuse box is located

• How to check and replace fuses when necessary or how to re-set the circuit breaker

• Where your gas, electricity and water meters are (if applicable)

• How to turn off your main gas supply (if applicable)

• How to turn off your water supply at the main stopcock

Your Neighbourhood Officer will advise/assist on the above. This handbook also contains further information in the Property Top Tips section.

Furnishings and decoration Most of our properties are let unfurnished. Occasionally some carpets may be provided and a very small number of properties are let partially furnished. Any furniture provided is normally charged through the rent. Details of the furniture, and the charge for it, will be set out in the tenancy agreement.

If you need assistance with furnishing your home, please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer. We have three furniture stores providing affordable new and used furniture and currently new tenants receive a voucher for £30 towards the cost of any furniture purchased from these stores. In some areas loan finance is available from a local credit union to assist with purchasing furniture from the stores.

In some circumstances i.e. where the internal decoration does not meet the required standard, a decoration voucher may be provided. You will be informed during your tenancy offer whether you qualify for a voucher.

Section 3

Keys When you become a tenant you will be given a set of keys for your home. We do not keep spare keys and if you lose your keys and a repair has to be undertaken to gain access, you will be charged for the repair. We therefore recommend that you keep a spare set with a relative or close friend.

Home Contents Insurance We insure your home against fire or storm damage to its structure and against any injury to you or damage to your property caused by our negligence.

We do not insure any house contents unless they were supplied by us and remain our property

It is most important that you arrange insurance to cover your belongings and house contents against any losses due to fire, theft, flood or damage.

The cost of such a policy is low considering the cost of replacing all your possessions. We can help with a good low cost insurer. If you would like to know more, please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer.

Pets Many people enjoy the company of pets but remember that your neighbours might not find your pet as charming as you do!

If you want to keep a pet, you must obtain written permission from us. Permission should be requested from your Neighbourhood Officer.

Pets are not permitted at schemes with a communal entrance and we do not allow dangerous pets. There are also limits on the number of pets that you may keep.

If you are allowed to keep a pet then you must keep your pet under control at all times so that they do not cause a nuisance.

Further information on our approach to pets is given in our Pets Policy available to view on our website, or on request.

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I’ve moved in - who do I need to tell? There are certain organisations who need to know when you move into your new home. These are:

• Your gas, electricity and water companies if applicable

• Your council for Council Tax and any Housing Benefit queries

• Department for Work and Pensions (if you currently claim benefits)

You should also notify:

• The Royal Mail, to re-direct any post

• The Passport Office

• The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) if you have a driving licence

• Your doctor

• Schools/nurseries, if you have children at school or nursery

• Your employer (if applicable)

Assistance to help with your tenancy As part of the tenancy offer we will discuss with you any particular needs that you have and how we can assist you with those needs. These needs might include:

• Mobility problems and a need for aids and adaptations

• Financial support/advice e.g. budget management, maximising your income

• Accessing a particular service for support

• Assistance finding work and gaining new skills

• Assistance setting up the home e.g. furnishings

Within 8 weeks of your tenancy starting your Neighbourhood Officer will meet with you to check that you are managing your tenancy and to discuss any issues/problems that you may be experiencing.

Section 4

Rents and Service Charges The Rent for Your Home The rents charged for our properties are our main source of income, funding repairs and maintenance, loan repayments and management and other costs. Details of how the rental income is spent is published each year in the Annual Report to Tenants. Homes England which regulates Registered Providers of Social Housing has regulatory standards for associations, including a rent standard, and most of the rents charged by us have to comply with this standard.

There are 3 main categories of rent charged on our general needs properties:

1. Social rents: These rents have been set using a standard government formula for housing association rents. This formula took account of local property prices and income levels to determine a ‘target rent’ which housing associations were required to achieve (originally by 2012). Although the same requirements for target rents no longer exist, most Impact rents have been set at or close to these target rents (the government allowed a 5% tolerance on these rents i.e. rents could be set at levels up to 5% above the target rent).

2. Affordable rents: These are rents set at 80% of the local market rent e.g. if the market rent for a property is £130 then the affordable rent would be set at 80% of this figure (£104). The affordable rent figure includes any service charges that apply to a property. The government introduced affordable rents to enable associations to generate more income and to use this extra income to develop more new homes. Impact currently sets affordable rents on some new properties that have been developed using grant funding from the Homes England and also on some properties that are being re-let, as allowed as part of a development agreement with the Homes England

3. Fair Rents: These are rents set by an independent Rent Officer and which are still paid by a small number of customers who were Impact tenants before 1989 and who have a Fair Rent Tenancy Agreement. Fair rents are reviewed every two years. Impact proposes the new rent which it wishes to see applied and this is then assessed and set by the Rent Officer.

You will be informed at the start of your tenancy which of the above rents is charged, the amount of the rent and the amount and breakdown of any service charges that apply. Your tenancy agreement tells you how the rent on your home is reviewed. All rents except Fair Rents are reviewed annually with changes normally applying from the first Monday in April each year. The amount that rents may change by is set by the government, with a current maximum of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) + 1%.

You will be notified of any changes to your rent (and any service charge where applicable) in a Rent Increase Notice, issued at least 28 days before any change becomes effective

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Tenant’s Handbook

Service Charges If you live in a property that has shared areas (internal and/or external), then Impact might provide services for these areas. These can include garden/grounds maintenance, cleaning of shared hallways/lobbies, lighting and heating of shared areas, door entry phones etc. Where these and other services are provided, then a service charge will be applied to pay for these. The service charge is on top of the rent charged for the property and forms part of the Total Weekly Charge. The details of any charge (each service provided and the individual charge for that service) will be given in your tenancy agreement and also in your annual rent review letter notifying you of the new charge to be applied each April (this letter is sent at least 4 weeks prior to any new charge becoming effective).

Service charges are reviewed annually, except on Fair Rent tenancies where reviews are carried out every two years. We always aim to deliver services as cost effectively as possible, ensuring that charges are minimised but quality maintained. We also aim to ensure that the costs of providing services are as far as possible in line with the charges made/ income received.

Sometimes services may be added or removed. Any decision to add or remove a service will only be taken after consultation with those tenants who would be affected.

Services such as grounds maintenance and cleaning of communal areas are checked on quarterly inspections by Neighbourhood Officers. If at any point you are not happy with the quality of a particular service, please raise this with your Officer who will take action to resolve the problem.

Further details on how Impact sets rents and service charges are given in our Rent Setting Policy which can be viewed on our website or is available on request.

Section 4

Section 5

Rent Payments Keeping your rent payments up to date Paying your rent on time and keeping your account clear of rent arrears is extremely important. Your rent should be a priority payment and if at any time you are having difficulty making the required payments you should speak to us as soon as possible. We will offer all necessary support and advice (see below ‘Struggling to pay your rent’). We do, however, take a firm approach, and any persistent failure to pay, and regular or large rent arrears, will put your tenancy at risk.

General information, including assistance available

Our Income Management Team monitors and manages rent payments. The team follows a procedure based on early intervention, the provision of appropriate support and advice and quick escalation to legal action where early intervention does not resolve the problem.

Rent payments can be made weekly, fortnightly, four weekly or monthly but must be made in advance. When you start your tenancy a payment agreement will be made with you. You will be required to pay one week’s rent before your tenancy start date and to make payments from the first week of your tenancy to keep your account in credit.

Depending on your income and particular circumstances, you may qualify for assistance with your rent payments. This assistance may be housing benefit paid by the local council, or if you are claiming universal credit, the universal credit housing element. Prior to your tenancy starting our Income Management staff will identify any likely entitlement and if required will support you with any claim.

If you do receive help with your rent, either from housing benefit or universal credit housing element, then these payments will be made in arrears i.e. after the rent is due. In order to keep your payments up to date you will be required to make an agreement to put your account into credit. We will make an agreement with you for regular affordable payments to achieve the necessary credit.

Any universal credit housing payments will normally be made directly to you as part of your total universal credit payment. When you receive these payments you must pay the full amount of the rent due, immediately.

Always ensure that your rent is a priority payment and contact us if you are having any difficulties making payments

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How to pay your rent Direct Debit We can set up direct debits over the phone in a few minutes. It’s safe and secure, and gives you the advantage of not having to worry about remembering to pay. You can choose any payment frequency to suit you and payments can start within around 12 working days. Give us a call now to set one up – you just need to have your bank details to hand.

Impact Housing Customer App Our Customer App is now available to download from the Apple App Store, Google Play and Windows Market onto your smartphone or tablet. The app can be used to quickly and securely pay your rent. You can also report repairs, update your information and follow us via Facebook. Further information on the app is given in the Customer Service section (section 17). For any support downloading or using our Customer App please contact our Customer Services Team on 03448 736290 or speak to your Neighbourhood officer.

Phoning Impact Just call us within office hours to make a payment on your debit or credit card - the payment will be credited to your rent account within 24 hours.

Phoning allpay You can make a debit or credit card payment outside of office hours by calling allpay on 0844 557 8321 and following the instructions provided. You’ll need your allpay.net card number (that is the 19 digit number on your rent payment card) so please have this to hand before you start. If you don’t have the number from your payment card then the Income Management can provide you with it – please just give us a call.

Internet You can pay your rent over the internet, using a debit or credit card by visiting: www.allpayments.net

You can also access this site via: www.impacthousing.org.uk

Rent Payment Card You can pay your rent where you see this sign with a swipe/payment card. You should have been sent one of these at the start of your tenancy but if you don’t have one please just call to request one. Please remember, your rent is due every week, a week in advance.

Please remember, you

http://www.allpayments.net/


Section 5

Struggling to pay your rent?

If you are having difficulty paying your rent the first thing to do is contact us and let us know. We are here to help you with any difficulties you may be having. Our Money Matters team provide a completely free and confidential service available to all tenants. By making an appointment with a Money Matters adviser you can get support and advice on a range of issues including budget management, income maximisation and other financial support. The service can also help tenants t to open basic bank accounts, access cheaper home insurance, reduce energy costs and other and join their local Credit Union. Tenants can meet the Money Matters adviser at their local Impact Hub or their own home. If you would like help and advice text ‘moneyhelp’ to 07 968466/07739 325265 or call us on 03448 736290

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Welfare Reform In recent years there have been some very big changes to the welfare benefits system. These have included:

• The introduction of Universal Credit • The bedroom tax • Reductions in the total amount of benefit that claimants can receive (benefits cap) • Changes and reductions to sickness and disability benefits As a result of the changes many tenants will have lost income and had to meet a number of new obligations in order to receive full benefit payments. The changes have, and will be, very challenging for many tenants. If you are being affected by these changes it is very important that you talk to us. We can assist you to manage the changes, including explaining implications and expectations for your rent payments (particularly important if you are moving to universal credit), identifying potential exemptions from changes and other income that you may qualify for, and providing advice and assistance with finding work or any employment issues. We provide regular welfare reform updates on our website, on facebook and via mailings. Please check these updates and contact us if you need further information. If you are experiencing financial hardship as a result of welfare reform we can sometimes provide assistance with a move, and in some instances financial assistance with removal costs. Full details of assistance that might be available are given in the ‘Welfare reform- Impacts approach to under-occupancy’ policy. Our housing staff are always available to discuss any welfare reform issues and our Money Matters service can provide more in-depth advice and support.

Affected by welfare benefit changes - ‘Talk to Us’

Section 7

Repairs & Maintenance We provide a comprehensive repairs service in order to keep our properties in a good state of repair, to modern standards and ensure that we meet all legal and regulatory requirements. The Repairs and Maintenance service deals with four main areas of maintenance work:

• Responsive Repairs

• Void repairs (repairs to empty properties)

• Planned maintenance

• Cyclical Maintenance

1. Responsive Repairs These are repairs you report to us on a day to day basis. We have two categories of repair:

• Emergency: These should be attended within four hours of reporting. Examples of emergency repairs are burst pipes, electrical wiring faults, dangerous or damaged structures e.g. walls, chimneys etc. A repair will be treated as an emergency if there is an immediate and serious health and safety risk.

• General: You will be offered an appointment to complete a general repair. We expect our repairs operative to be able to attend within 21 calendar days of reporting. Examples of these types of repair are broken or damaged fittings such as kitchen units, dripping taps, loose floorboards, draughty doors or windows, cracked/broken wall tiles, damaged wall plaster etc.

We aim to fully complete repairs on the first visit but there will be times when this is not possible e.g. the repair is more complex than expected, a part has to be ordered or it needs to be inspected by a supervisor etc. In these circumstances you should be advised by the contractor when they will return to complete the repair.

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Reporting a repair In order to keep your home in good working order and repair it is important that you tell us of any faults as soon as they occur. A repair can be reported by:

• Using the Customer App – You’ll need the following information to register and use it: o Tenancy Reference Number (find it on your rent statement) o Surname o Date of Birth o Postcode o Provide as much information about the repair as possible so we can diagnose the repair

quickly, you can also send a photo which is really helpful.

Further information on the app is given in the Customer Service section (section 17) of this handbook.

• By telephone – 03448 736290

• Calling into our HUB’s

When you have reported a repair, and if it is our responsibility to carry out, an appointment will be arranged with you. Please make sure you are at home at the agreed time so we can complete your repair, if you miss repair appointments we may need to charge you the call out fee.

Progress on any repair works that you have reported can be checked using the customer app, or by calling the Customer Services Team.

Out of Hours Emergency repairs service We operate an out of hour’s emergency service to deal with your call any time of day or night. If you have an emergency repair outside of normal office hours please call the main number 03448 736290. Your call will be answered by staff from the out of hours call centre who will take details of the repair.

Only contact this service if you have a real emergency, such as a burst pipe or your home is insecure or dangerous for you or your family to stay in.

If the repair is a genuine emergency then a contractor will be instructed to attend. If the repair is not an emergency and can wait until the main Impact office is open you will be advised of this. In some cases a contractor may attend and carry out a temporary repair until an appointment can be arranged to carry out a permanent repair. It is important to note that if the contractor does attend and the repair is not an emergency you will be recharged for the call out.

Section 7

What are my repair responsibilities? As the tenant you must treat your home with care and keep it in good condition. Your tenancy agreement details the repairs Impact will carry out due to normal wear and tear or events outside of your control, but repairs resulting from your negligence or damage caused by you, your family or visitors to your home etc. will be your responsibility.

There are some repairs and maintenance works that we do not do and which are your responsibility. These include:

• Decorating the inside of your property

• Repairs to any fixtures and fittings not owned by Impact

• Repair or fitting of curtain rails

• Repair or fitting of cookers or other white goods you own. You will need to arrange for a qualified engineer to complete this.

• Repairs to any equipment purchased or owned by you

• Plumbing in washing machines, dishwashers

• Replacing fuses, light bulbs, or fluorescent tubes (excluding starter motors)

• Adapting bottom of doors to accommodate carpets

• Putting up washing lines or rotary dryers

• Maintaining gardens (excluding communal gardens)

• Replacing plugs and chains to sinks, wash hand basins and baths

• Replacing showers (unless installed by Impact)

• Fitting or replacing toilet seats (unless there are vulnerability issues)

• Unblocking drains to sinks or baths

• Repairs to broken glass caused by negligence or wilful damage by you or your visitors

• Dealing with pest control such as infestations of rats, mice, ants, though Impact will fill in any holes where the rodents may be getting into the property

• Loss of keys to the property, or being locked out

• Misuse of Impact property

• Installation and Repair of TV Aerials (unless covered by a service charge on a communal supply

In some instances we may need to carry out these repairs and recharge you. If this is the case, the rechargeable repairs procedure will be followed. We will do our best to support you if you are an older or vulnerable tenant.

Our ‘Property Top Tips’ section gives guidance to help maintain your home and to keep your running costs low.

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Rechargeable Repairs Where a repair is required due either to your negligence, or wilful damage, then this will be treated as your responsibility. When a repair is identified as rechargeable (either at the point you report it or when a repair is being inspected or undertaken), then you will be advised of this. You will be informed of the cost of the repair and then normally required to pay this before any repair is instructed by Impact.

In some instances we may give you the option to organise or carry out the repair yourself, but this will depend on the nature of the repair and any health and safety issues. Any repairs carried out by you must be completed by a competent trades person and the relevant certification obtained where necessary. The works will also need to be checked and approved by us. If the works are not deemed satisfactory they will have to be rectified at your cost.

Where a repair is of an emergency nature and presents a health and safety risk then we will instruct the repair and make an agreement for payment.

Should you leave your property and rechargeable repairs are identified, including clearance of the property, then you will still be liable for payment. Failure to pay rechargeable repairs may lead to legal action being taken.

Void Repairs Before an empty property is re-let to a new tenant it is inspected and any required repairs carried out. Repairs on empty properties are carried out to ensure that the property meets the ‘Home Standard that we have set. This standard is provided to all new tenants and can be viewed on our website.

We isolate and cap the gas to the property whilst it is empty and complete a full service of the system and appliances when a new tenant moves in. We also carry out a full inspection of the electrics while the property is empty and any works identified are completed. If you are a new tenant moving into the property you will be given the appropriate certificates and advised on your gas and electric meter use.

Planned Maintenance

In order keep properties in good condition and to modern standards, we undertake an annual programme of planned maintenance works. The planned maintenance programme will typically include major works such as kitchen unit replacements, new central heating boilers, window and external door replacements, bathroom replacements, External decoration, re-wiring and structural works e.g. to roofs, walls etc. Works carried out each year are identified from surveys and inspections and prioritised on the basis of existing condition, age and other factors. The programme is agreed each year in consultation with tenant groups.

If your property is included in the planned programme we will write to you to let you know. We will talk to you about the planned works and give you a choice of fitting e.g. a choice of kitchen units, colour of tiles etc. Each annual planned maintenance programme is published on our website and hard copies are available on request.

Section 7

Property Compliance Some maintenance checks and works are carried out at regular intervals to maintain the safety and condition of your home. This is called Property Compliance it includes (but is not restricted to the following types of works:

• Annual servicing of gas appliances: all gas heating systems and appliances owned by us are checked and serviced every year. More information about this is provided below (Gas Servicing)

• Five yearly checks of mains electrical systems in all properties

• Annual testing of smoke alarms and heat detectors. These are carried out as part of the gas servicing visit or on a separate visit if there is no gas system in a property

• Six monthly servicing of fire alarm and emergency lighting systems: these are installed in schemes and buildings where we have shared hallways. We also carry out monthly testing of these systems

• Inspections of Passenger lifts, Domestic stairlifts, Domestic hoists,

• Legionella checks (if applicable) on an annual basis

Gas Servicing If your home has a gas fire or gas boiler, Impact will arrange to have them serviced at least once every twelve months. It is very important that gas appliances are serviced regularly. If a boiler is not checked regularly it could be faulty and it could kill you and your family – so you must allow us access to complete this important safety check.

A qualified gas engineer will contact you when the service is due and arrange a convenient appointment to carry out the service. If you are not in when the contractor calls, they will leave a card stating a date and time for a further appointment. Please contact the contractor or Impact immediately if you cannot keep this second appointment.

Whilst carrying out this work they will complete an electronic form called Landlords Gas Safety Record (LGSR). A copy of this form will be sent to you in the post within 28 days to provide reassurance that your fire and boiler are safe to use. Another copy is sent to Impact for our records.

You may receive a telephone call from Impact in the month following your gas service to ask if you were satisfied with the service provided. We will investigate any areas you are not happy with and put things right.

Help us to keep you and your family safe

If you fail to allow Impact access on 3 occasions to complete the service then Impact will take legal action to gain entry to your home to carry out these essential works. If this happens you will be charged for the cost of forcing entry and legal costs. We may also charge the gas engineer’s call out costs for any appointments you have missed. Please make sure you are at home at the appointed time to have your gas service carried out.

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Other Repairs and Maintenance Information Adaptations, alterations and improvements If you or a member of your family become ill or have difficulty managing within your home, an adaptation to the property or fixtures and fittings could be helpful. We will consider requests for Minor adaptation works to make it easier for you or your family to stay in your home. Examples of Minor adaptations include: grabrails, overbath showers, lever taps, hoists, ramps, handrails. If you feel the works you require are Major works e.g. replacing external steps with ramps, installation of stair lifts, level access showers, we would advise you arrange a visit from an Occupational Therapist to survey your home and make recommendations on your behalf. The Local Authority can also fund some Major adaptations. If you need advice or information on adaptations please contact us, we’ll be happy to talk to you.

Please note that if an adaptation has been fitted to your home you will normally be responsible for any future repair works we may complete this on your behalf and recharge this to you.

If you want to make alterations to improve your home – such as build an extension, remove a wall or put up a shed, greenhouse or garage – you must get written permission from us first. We won’t refuse permission if we think your plans are safe and reasonable, but we won’t allow any alterations which would make the building dangerous or cause a nuisance to your neighbours.

You must not attach an aerial to any part of the building – except for a TV aerial, and that must be fitted by a qualified person. In many houses it is better to have the TV aerial installed in the loft. If you want a satellite dish fitted you must get Impact’s written permission first.

Section 7

Asbestos Asbestos is a name given to a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals. Due to its strength and fire resistance, asbestos was used in a wide range of building materials and products between the 1930s and mid1980s, and most extensively during the 1960s and 1970s. If your home was built or refurbished during this period, it may contain some form of asbestos. Homes built since 2000 do not contain asbestos in the fabric of the building.

What are we doing about asbestos?

We check and survey all our properties for Asbestos when they are empty or when repairs or planned maintenance take place that might disturb Asbestos Containing Materials.

What are the risks?

The Health and Safety Executive state that “Asbestos is not a risk if it is in good condition and is not disturbed”.

According to Health and Safety Regulations, asbestos materials need to be removed if they are in a poor or damaged condition. If any identified asbestos is in a poor condition and may pose a risk to your future health we will arrange for it to be removed. Where asbestos materials are in good condition and are likely to be undisturbed we will leave it in place and complete regular inspections to check its condition.

Where are asbestos containing materials likely to be found?

• Textured decorative coatings e.g. Artex

• Plastic floor tiles

• Bath panels /W.C. cisterns

• Corrugated cement

• Soffits

• Guttering and down pipes

• Boxing to soil pipes and pipe work

What precautions should you take?

• Do not drill into, nail into, screw into, cut into or damage the asbestos ceiling coating

• Do not dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos

• If you want to carry out any works in your home that may disturb asbestos containing materials you must contact Impact Housing to seek written approval

• If accidental damage does occur, please contact us for advice and information

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Grounds Maintenance Grounds/garden maintenance works are normally carried out at schemes with shared grounds/garden areas. The cost of these works is covered by a service charge made to all tenants with access to the areas.

Maintenance works are carried out over the course of the year, with two visits per month between April and September, and one visit per month between October and March. Works carried out will vary from scheme to scheme but will include:

• All grassed areas cut on each visit during the growing season (April to October), subject to favourable weather

• Maintenance of planting beds

• Litter removal

• Trimming/pruning of shrubs and hedges as necessary (in line with Ecological mitigation measures)

• Removing weed growth, moss etc. from hard standing areas, as necessary

Between visits, tenants at the scheme are responsible for ensuring that the areas remain relatively litter free, that no damage is caused and that belongings are not left in these areas.

We aim to ensure that shared grounds areas are maintained to create pleasant environments that tenants can enjoy. If you are unhappy with any maintenance works, or the condition of an area, please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer.

Pests You are responsible for dealing with wasps, ants, insects, rats and other pests and vermin in your home. The local authority Environmental Health Department offers advice and assistance on how to deal with pest infestations.

Your rights and compensation All Impact tenants have the Right to Repair. This allows you to claim compensation from us if we have failed to carry out certain repairs within a specified time. Under this scheme you may have the right to arrange for another contractor to carry out the repair and a right to a compensation payment.

You also have the right to claim compensation for certain improvements that you make to your home. The compensation can only be paid for improvements such as new kitchens, installing central heating or bathroom suites. A full list of qualifying improvements is available from us and a member of our Property Services Team will be able to tell you if your proposed improvement will qualify for compensation under this scheme. You must always get written permission from us before going ahead with any works.

Section 8

Property Top Tips This section provides you with information and advice that will help you look after your home, prevent problems and reduce costs. Please contact us if you need further advice or information, we’re happy to help.

Frost Precautions

If you are going away for any length of time during cold weather, protect your pipes from frost by turning off the water at the stop cock and draining the system. If you’re unsure what to do or where your stop cock is located please contact us for assistance.

Dampness and Condensation What is condensation?

Every home gets condensation at some time. There is always some moisture in the air, even if you cannot see it. If the air gets colder, it cannot hold all the moisture and tiny drops of water appear. This is condensation. It is quite normal for your windows to mist up in the morning after a cold night. You may also notice it when you have a bath and the mirror and windows mists over.

Condensation occurs mainly during cold weather, whether it is raining or dry. In your home moisture condenses on cold surfaces and in places where there is little movement of air. It forms when warm moist air and steam are produced, during cooking, drying wet clothes and bathing. The warm air comes into contact with a cold surface so look for it in corners, on or near windows, in or behind wardrobes and cupboards. Eventually, if there is a lack of ventilation or heating, black mould will form due to the moisture, often on north-facing walls.

Is dampness always caused by condensation?

Condensation is not the only cause of damp. It can also come from:

• Leaking pipes

• Waste pipes or overflows

• Rain seeping through the roof where a tile or slate is missing

• Water spilling from a blocked gutter

• Water penetrating around window frames

• Rising damp due to a defective damp-proof course (DPC) or because there is no DPC

Rising damp only appears in ground floor rooms and only to a maximum of 1m up a wall. This cause of damp often leaves a ‘tidemark’. If a property has recently had some kind of repair carried out on it, it may be damp because the water used during the work (for example, in plaster) is still drying out. If a home is damp for any of these reasons, it may take weeks of heating and ventilation to dry out. Hiring a dehumidifier will help in the worst cases. If it seems that the damp does not come from any of these causes, it is probably condensation.

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How to avoid condensation These steps will help reduce the condensation in a home.

• Produce less moisture

• Cover pans and do not leave kettles boiling

• Avoid using paraffin and portable bottled gas heaters - these add moisture to the air

• Dry washing outdoors on a line or put it in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open or fan on

• Vent tumble dryers to the outside air

• Keep a small window ajar when someone is in the room

• Ventilate kitchens and bathrooms, using any extractor fans and opening windows during, and for a period after, cooking or bathing

• Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes and avoid overloading them, as this stops the air circulating

• Where possible position wardrobes and furniture against internal walls

• Open the trickle vents on windows if they have them

• Insulate, draught proof and heat the home. Insulation and draught proofing will help keep a home warm and will also cut fuel bills. We can provide further advice and assistance to do this

• Insulate the loft. Remember to draught proof the loft hatch but do not block any ventilation under the eaves

• Keep low background heating for longer as this builds up warmth and is more cost effective

• Keep permanent ventilators open

• Ventilate/air rooms where there is condensation or mould, do not add draught proofing

We have information videos on how to identify, treat and reduce the occurrence of condensation in your home, making it a more comfortable place for you to live.

Section 8

Heating Your Home It is vital to have enough heat to stay warm and comfortable in your home. But fuel is expensive, and gas and electricity bills can seem large. However there are some simple things you can do to stay warm as cheaply as possible:

Get the most heat for your money

Not having enough heat in your home can cause problems, such as burst pipes, condensation on walls which can lead to mould patches. It can also have a serious effect on your health, particularly children and elderly people. Most houses have central heating or room heaters and water heaters. It is best to use the heating system fitted in your home as it will give you more heat for your money than portable heaters or electric fires.

Save Your Fuel, Save Your Money

• Set your heating timer and change it through the year. Set your thermostat so your rooms are just warm enough to be comfortable, but no hotter. If you don’t know how to set the time clock or thermostat on your heating system, ask us to show you

• Don’t leave windows and doors open when the heating is on, except to provide some ventilation when needed (see above tips to avoid condensation)

• Don’t block up ventilators especially in rooms with fires. This can be dangerous because the fire needs air to burn safely

• Don’t put furniture against radiators or hang clothes, towels etc. over them. When the curtains are drawn make certain they are behind the radiator so that the heat goes into the room, not out through the windows. Draw the curtains as soon as it gets dark to help keep the heat in

• A dripping hot tap costs you money. Report it to us for repair. Don’t leave the hot tap running for washing. Fill the bowl or the sink instead

• When boiling a kettle only put in as much water as you need, so you don’t waste electricity heating water you won’t use

• When cooking vegetables turn the heat down to simmer once they have come to the boil. They won’t cook any faster on boil it only makes more steam and wastes fuel

• Defrost your fridge and freezer regularly. An iced up fridge or freezer uses more electricity

• If you have a freezer, keep it as full as possible an empty freezer cost more to run. Empty space can be filled with wrapped newspaper if you are not filling the freezer with food

• Use low energy bulbs when replacing light bulbs. They may cost a little more to start with, but they last longer and cost less to use

• Fit an energy monitor, it’s a simple device that sends information from your meter to a separate display, to give you a rough idea of how much electricity you’re using at any time. You can fit a monitor yourself and you don’t need a Smart meter to have an energy monitor

Energy Switching

You may well have heard people talk about energy switching and you may think it would be too difficult or take a long time to do…it doesn’t and we can help you! It’s quick, easy and could save you a lot of money so please talk to us and we will help you switch and save. Please contact your Neighbourhood Officer for further information and assistance.

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Useful to know Water To ensure the water is safe within your home, please follow these simple steps:

• If your home is fitted with a hot water tank, do not to adjust the temperature setting

• Regularly clean showerheads

Inform Impact Housing promptly if the hot water is not heating properly or there are any other problems with the system so that we can take appropriate action.

Fire If you want to improve fire safety in your home you can contact Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service on 0800 358 4777 and request a ‘Safe and Well’ visit.” As part of this visit Cumbria Fire and Rescue can also arrange to fit smoke detectors free of charge.

If you live in a property with a communal area or an area shared with another tenant such as a hallway then we carry out a fire risk assessment for each of these areas. Actions will be taken to deal with any issues identified from the fire risk assessment. We also test fire alarms and check fire escapes every months and regularly service fire alarms and emergency lighting.

Where your property has an internal communal area, an evacuation procedure will be displayed. It is important that you understand the procedure and follow it in the event of the fire alarm sounding. If you have any concerns relating to fire, please speak to a Neighbourhood Officer. If your situation changes and you can no longer comply with the evacuation procedure in your building then please contact your Neighbourhood Officer.

Gas Gas escapes are very dangerous and you will need to take immediate action. If you smell gas follow these simple steps:

• Turn off the gas supply. The main gas on/ off tap can be found next to your gas meter, or as shown in the Property Information Section

• Open windows and doors

• Do not turn on or off any light switches or electrical equipment (sparks can cause an explosion)

• Do not light any matches

• Ring Northern Gas Network on 0800 111 999

• If you smell gas – DO NOT TAKE RISKS

• Phone Impact to inform us and arrange for your appliances to be checked and supply turned on

Section 8

Electricity If the power goes off check with a neighbour to see if it is a power cut. If it is a power cut switch off all electrical appliances that may have been in use and are not meant to be left unattended, for example:

• cookers and electric fires

• chip pans

• grills

• bar fires

Leave at least one light switched on so you will know when your power is restored. If your central heating system operates with electricity, reset the timer as soon your supply is restored.

If you get an electric shock from any switch or electrical equipment turn the electricity off at the mains switch (check property information for location). Report it to us immediately.

If the problem is with one of the circuits, for example sockets or lighting, then check the fuses or trip switches in the main fuse box. If your home is fitted with an automatic switch off device then follow the instruction in the diagram below to find the fault

A: Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)

Your main electric switch may now incorporate an automatic switch off device called a Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB). If a problem arises which creates a potential shock or fire risk, the RCCB will switch off automatically. If the reason for this is not clear then you should:

1. Switch off all MCB’s (marked B in the drawing)

2. Return the RCCB switch to the ‘on’ position (marked A in the drawing)

3. Switch on each MCB in turn until the RCCB automatically switches off

4. Switch off and unplug any appliance connected to that circuit. If more than one, try to switch the RCCB to the ‘on’ position after disconnecting each appliance. In this way the faulty appliance can be identified

B: Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)

There might also be smaller switches which replace fuses. These are Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB’s). If a circuit is overloaded, or a fault occurs, the MCB protecting that circuit will switch off automatically. If the reason for this is not clear then you should:

1. Put the MCB switch back to the original position. If it will not stay on the:

• Switch off and unplug any appliance on that circuit. If there is more than one, try to return the MCB switch to the ‘on’ position after disconnecting each appliance, so that the one causing the fault can be identified

SHOULD EITHER THE RCCB OR MCB SWITCH NOT RETURN TO THE ‘ON’ POSITION, A FAULT COULD EXIST IN YOUR CIRCUIT, WHICH YOU SHOULD REPORT TO US IMMEDIATELY.

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Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Including hate crime and domestic violence What is Anti-Social Behaviour

Anti- Social behaviour (ASB) covers a range of unacceptable behaviours which prevent residents quietly enjoying their homes or neighbourhoods. Examples include:

• Noise nuisance • Litter and fly tipping • Untidy/unsightly gardens/exterior areas • Nuisance caused by vehicles • Nuisance from pets • Violence or verbal abuse • Criminal behaviour including drug use and drug dealing What is hate crime and harassment

Hate crime is a crime committed against a person or property motivated by an offenders prejudice, discrimination or hatred to someone because of their race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender or disability. Harassment is behaviour that is targeted. It can include verbal abuse or insults, physical attacks or threat of attack.

We treat any hate crime or harassment as serious and unacceptable behaviour and will use all available powers to deal strongly with any occurrences.

Our approach to ASB

We believe everyone has the right to enjoy the peace and quiet of their home. We will:

• Not tolerate anti-social behaviour and will treat all reports of crime and nuisance seriously • We will deal with your report in confidence • We will investigate reports thoroughly, including interviewing other people involved

including any witnesses, and speaking with other organisations, as appropriate • We will investigate with your consent and keep you informed of progress, aiming to

agree what action to take • We will ensure that we use all available powers and tools to deal with incidents quickly

and effectively • If you report anti-social behaviour we will speak to you personally:

- On the same day if the matter is very serious e.g. has involved violence, threats of violence, very serious damage etc.

- Within 24 hours or the next working day if a serious nuisance, or harassment of a less serious nature, including hate incidents not involving violence, threats of violence etc.

- Within 3 working days for less serious nuisance issues such as noise nuisance, litter, nuisance from pets, untidy gardens etc.

Where the matter reported is a dispute, or a relatively minor nuisance issue, we will offer advice but not normally investigate the matter/get formally involved. We will ask you, if it is safe to do so, to talk to your neighbour to find an agreeable solution.

Section 9

Your responsibility As a tenant you are responsible for ensuring that you, other members of your household and any visitors to your property do not behave anti-socially, including committing crime or harassing other people. The 1996 Housing Act states that as a tenant you are responsible for the following people’s behaviour:

• Your own

• Anyone jointly named on your tenancy agreement

• Your children and anyone else living with you

• Anyone visiting you

You should also endeavour to resolve disputes and minor issues with your neighbours, where it is safe to do so. We ask that a common sense approach is taken and that for relatively minor issues you discuss the problem face to face, in a calm non-aggressive manner and with a view to resolving the matter.

Reporting anti-social behaviour & hate crime You can contact us:

• In person, by visiting our offices

• By telephone- 03448 736290

• By e-mail: [email protected]

• By letter

You can also contact your Neighbourhood Officer directly. The contact details for each Officer are given on the website.

On receipt of a report of ASB we will log the details of the incident and the matter will be dealt with by your Neighbourhood Officer.

Outside of normal office hours a third party company manages our out of hour’s response. Call our main office number (03448 736290) and you will be connected to a person who will deal with the matter. If the situation is an emergency then the person taking your call will take any appropriate action (e.g. contact the emergency services, give advice) and contact an Impact manager to speak to you and take any further actions required. If the matter is less serious the call taker will take details and pass on to us to action on the next working day.

Our offices are also Third Party Reporting Centres for Hate Crime. We will log any incident reported, and with your agreement report the matter on to the police.

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What actions can we take? Following investigation of an incident the actions we take to resolve ASB will vary depending on the type and seriousness of the issue but include:

• Referral to a professional mediation service to help everyone reach a satisfactory solution

• Warnings (verbal, written and final written warnings)

• Referral to another agency better able to deal with the matter e.g. the Environmental Health Department or dog warden service at the local council

• Agree an Acceptable Behaviour Contract(ABC) with the perpetrator, in conjunction with the police

• Seek an injunction against a perpetrator

• Seek a demoted tenancy which reduces the perpetrator’s security of tenure

• Seek a possession order to end the perpetrator’s tenancy

• Other legal actions, including seeking criminal prosecutions where a crime has been committed

There may be occasions where we are not able to help resolve your issue and we may decide there is not enough evidence to support the case. If this happens, we will write and let you know.

Domestic Abuse If you are experiencing or witnessing domestic abuse, please contact your Neighbourhood Officer for further advice about agencies that can help.

Section 9

Useful Freephone numbers Emergency services

If you are in need of immediate assistance, call 999

Crimestoppers

If you want to report information about a crime anonymously you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Victim Support The national helpline is available on 0808 168 9111

Further details of our approach to anti-social behaviour are given in our ASB Policy and ASB Procedure documents available on our website and on request.

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Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions Complaints, compliments and suggestions are very important to us providing feedback about our services that we can use to make improvements. This section tells you how to:

• Complain if something has gone wrong

• Compliment an individual or team if something goes particularly well

• Give us your suggestions

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint, including requests for reviews, in any of the following ways:

• In person e.g. at one of our offices/Hub’s

• By telephone on 03448 736290

• By e-mail ([email protected])

• In writing. Any letter of complaint should be addressed to one of our main offices

• On our website

• With the assistance of another organisation

• With the use of facilities and information provided for people including

- People with a disability

- People with reading difficulties

- People whose first language is not English

- People with impaired sight or hearing.

If you feel unable to make a complaint yourself we will accept a complaint from an advocate who you have agreed can act on your behalf. Complaints can also be made anonymously although it is helpful to know who any complaint is from. We will investigate anonymous complaints but this can restrict the investigation and we cannot provide feedback without contact details.

The person receiving your complaint will either deal with it at that point, or refer it to the appropriate person

Section 10

Your complaint will be dealt with as follows Problem Solving

When we get your complaint we will try and sort it out quickly by giving you information or taking any appropriate action to put things right. Where we are able to deal with the matter immediately we will check that you are satisfied with the outcome before signing the matter off.

Step 1 - Investigation

We will try and resolve the problem within 5 working days of receiving a complaint.

This will include a relevant member of staff:

• Contacting you by telephone to introduce themselves and confirm that the complaint has been received.

• Getting more details about the complaint.

• Establishing what you would like to happen

• Trying to resolve the problem and agree with you what will happen next.

If the complaint is too complicated to solve at stage one, or if a course of action cannot be agreed, the complaint will go to stage two.

Once a complaint has been closed at stage one , you have 30 days to come back to us and tell us if you are not happy about what we have done.

If 30 days have passed the complaint will be treated as new complaint.

Stage Two

If a complaint is not resolved at stage one you can ask to move it to stage two.

You need to inform us why you want to move to stage 2 and what you think we should have done to sort out your complaint at stage one.

We will contact you within three working days of receiving your request to move your complaint to stage two.

The complaint will then be investigated.

We aim to contact you within 20 working days to let you know what we have found out and what we will do to resolve your complaint.

This concludes Impact’s complaints procedure, however if you remain dissatisfied you can take your complaint to a Designated Person. This can be an MP, a local Councillor or Impact’s recognised Tenants Panel.

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If you do not wish to refer your complaint to a Designated Person you can wait eight weeks after receiving the final response from Impact and then refer your complaint directly to the Housing Ombudsman Service. This is an independent service set up by the Government to investigate complaints about Housing Associations. The service can be contacted at:

Address: The Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool, L33 7WQ

Tel: 0300 111 3000 Email: [email protected] Website: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/

For more details about Impact’s Complaints procedure please see the ‘Contact Us’ page on the website or telephone the Customer Services Team on 03448 736290.

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http://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/


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Unreasonable demands/behaviour

Very occasionally the actions of complainants who are angry, demanding or persistent may result in unreasonable demands on, or unreasonable behaviour towards, staff. In these circumstances a complaint may not be considered, or may be managed in a different way. Further details are given in the Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy, available to view on our website.

Learning from complaints

Complaints are monitored regularly including the type of complaints received, whether or not the complaint was upheld and actions taken to resolve complaints. We use the information from complaints to review services and consider how they can be improved. Outcomes and learning from complaints are reported in the Annual Report to Tenants.

How to give a Compliment

We really value positive feedback. If an employee or team goes the ‘extra mile’, or impresses you in a big way, please make sure you tell us. All you need to do is let us know who was involved and what happened. We will let the person or team know and use the information as part of wider considerations of our services.

How to make a suggestion

We welcome any suggestions you have to help us make sure our services continually improve. Please use any of the contact methods detailed in this handbook, including suggestion boxes at each of our offices.

Is the information I give confidential?

Any information you give is covered by General Data Protection Regulations . This means we will:

• Keep personal information safe and secure

• Not share it with other organisations without your permission unless the law says we must

• Use it to prevent and detect fraud

Section 11

Having Your Say/ Getting involved What is Tenant Involvement? What you think matters and it is important to us. Tenant involvement is about enabling tenants and residents to give their views and influence and improve services. We aim to offer a wide range of opportunities for involvement so that the broad range of tenants and residents we work with are able to influence the services that they receive from us.

To ensure that you can be involved we are committed to the following:

• Providing opportunities for you to engage to the degree that you choose, including more formal involvement in the development of policies, in decisions about how services are delivered and improved, and in setting organisational priorities

• Supporting the formation and activities of tenant groups. We aim to work closely with any tenant groups and to build constructive relationships

• Providing a range of communication and involvement methods that are appropriate to the different needs of customers

• Enabling tenants to scrutinise our performance and discuss how performance can improve

• Responding in a timely, clear and constructive way to feedback, issues etc

How can you be involved?

There are many different ways to be involved and to give your views, ranging from responding to surveys and requests for information, to membership of formal groups including Impact’s Board and tenant groups. You can also join the Impact Customer Voice which is an on line community of tenants who provide feedback and give us their views on a wide range of issues. You can join this group by emailing [email protected]

1, Providing feedback. There are a number of ways in which you can provide feedback/give your views:

• Speaking directly to a member of staff. Your Neighbourhood Officer, the Tenant Engagement Coordinator or a member of the Customer Service Team, would normally be the first point of contact, but any member of staff will take feedback from you

• In writing to our offices/HUB’s , or to a particular member of staff

• E-Mailing [email protected]

• Via another person/advocate acting on your behalf, including a member of a tenants group

• Using the complaints/compliments/suggestions procedure (see the Complaints/ Compliments/Suggestions section for further details)

• By getting involved in any of the involvement methods, given below

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2, Surveys We routinely carry out satisfaction surveys for key services that we provide including repairs and maintenance, anti-social behaviour and lettings. These surveys may be carried out in a number of ways including by telephone, face book, in person, by e-mail and by post. We regularly monitor these survey results and involve tenants, through formal groups, in discussions about areas for improvement.

We also carry out other surveys on a less routine basis asking for feedback on issues such as the overall quality of services provided, satisfaction with the local neighbourhood, and particular issues or concerns that you may have.

3, Area/scheme walkabouts Your Neighbourhood Officer will visit your street or scheme on a routine basis. The times and dates of each walkabout can be viewed on our website and publicised on our Facebook page. The walkabouts provide an opportunity for you to talk informally to your officer about any issues that you have, whether related to your home or area, or to a wider issue. Issues raised/views given will be recorded and formal feedback provided.

4, Meetings and events From time to time we hold area/scheme meetings and events e.g. roadshows, to give tenants and other residents the opportunity to talk to us and for us to provide information about services and any potential changes. A meeting can be requested at any time.

5, Social Media We have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/impacthousing) and our website that we use to provide information to tenants and which can be used to give feedback or raise an issue etc. We also have a dedicated e-mail address [email protected] that is available for tenants and others to use to communicate views and feedback.

6, Impact Customer Voice Email Group Impact Customer Voice Email Group is how we keep customers up to date with feedback opportunities. As part of Impact Customer Voice Email Group you may be asked for your views on:

• A new policy • A particular service • Changes to our website or Facebook page • A new document (e.g. a leaflet, a brochure, this handbook)

Impact Customer Voice email group is intended for people who want to be involved but don’t have time to attend a meeting. Occasionally interested members from the group may be invited meet as a focus group to consider a particular issue.

For more information please contact us at [email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/impacthousing)


Section 11

7, Impact Customer Voice Locality Groups: There are currently two formal area based groups:

• The Carlisle and East Cumbria Area Rep Group

Allerdale and Copeland Tenant and Residents Group.The purpose of these groups is:

• To be forums for discussions and consultations with tenants and residents around our performance, services, policies, planned changes, local issues and other matters

• Represent the local community

• Discussing local and community issues and working to resolve these

• Delivering activities in the local area for the benefit of the local community

These groups meet regularly (usually every 4-6 weeks) to discuss issues of interest. Staff attend the meetings and will provide formal reports including performance information, updates on services including any proposed changes, and information on any more general issues.

Membership of the groups is open to any tenant or resident living in the area.

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8, Impact’s Committee Impact Sub committee is part of the group’s governing body that sets the organisations key priorities and ensures that the association is well managed and financially sound. Tenants also have the opportunity to apply for places on sub committees or as tenant observers.

If you are interested in becoming involved in any of the above ways we would love to hear from you. Please talk to your Neighbourhood Officer or any member of the Customer Services Team who will be able to discuss the various options (including any further ideas that you might have for involvement), and support you to get involved.

Your views are important and valued, helping us to ensure that we deliver housing and services that meet your needs and aspirations.

Section 12

Other Impact Services and assistance Good housing is essential to a good quality of life but other things are also important. We have always worked as more than a landlord, providing a range of community services and supporting residents to get access to the services that they require. Below are examples of needs that we can help you to meet and the services that we provide.

Meeting your needs We want you to live happily and successfully in your home and recognise that there are sometimes issues/barriers that can make this difficult. Where you are experiencing a particular problem then we can often help you to deal with this.

Examples of the needs that we can assist with include: Employment and training:

• Gaining new skills and qualifications

• Volunteering and work experience opportunities

Digital skills

• Building your IT skills (free programmes of IT skills training on a range of devices, funding to assist with more formal training and IT qualifications, free use of laptops and tablets in our HUB’s, , one to one support in our HUB’s))

Money Advice

• Budget management skills

• Information and support with accessing financial services including bank accounts and credit union accounts and services

• Debt: Referral to other agencies to assist with debt and other financial issues

• Advice to reduce energy and other costs

Health and well-being needs

• Mental health issues

• Mobility problems

• Loneliness/social isolation

The above is not an exhaustive list. Your Neighbourhood Officer will be happy to talk to you about any particular needs that you have and how we can help you to meet these

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Volunteering We run an extensive volunteering programme called ‘Give and Gain’. We run this programme in order to provide opportunities for tenants and residents to:

• Learn new skills and, if applicable, boost employment prospects • Become involved with a new activity or interest, and to meet new people • Be able to support/contribute to the local community Becoming a volunteer has never been easier as we match what you want to do with what we can offer, whether with us, or with another local organisation or group.

How do I volunteer

The first thing to do is to speak to your Neighbourhood Officer, or another member of staff. If after a conversation you are interested in becoming a volunteer we will ask that you complete a short application to let us know what your interests are and what volunteering you might like to do. A member of the Give and Gain team will then contact you to discuss in more detail what opportunities are available. To help you decide what might be right for you , we will give you the opportunity to meet different teams at Impact, or to meet people from other organisations/groups. Once you decide that the right opportunity has been found for you, your volunteering can start.

How much time might I need to give

This will be up to you. You might volunteer for an hour a week (or less), or a couple of days a week (or more). The hours that you volunteer might also vary week to week (we aim to be as flexible as we can be).

What support can we provide

We will ensure that you have a full induction/training programme and a named person who will offer you full support. We will pay you out of pocket expenses, and if you require, opportunities to access training and to develop a portfolio of your experience. If you are looking to move into paid employment, we will provide you with a reference, and you will also be given the opportunity to apply for any vacant posts at Impact before they are advertised externally.

Impact Furniture Stores (IFS) Our main community business is the provision of affordable furniture. We have three furniture stores across Cumbria, in Barrow, Carlisle and Workington , all offering low cost, good quality second hand furniture and white goods. The stores can also supply new furniture. All the stores are open to the general public and help people to furnish their homes sufficiently and affordably.

New tenants receive a voucher towards the cost of purchasing furniture from the stores and we also work in partnership with West Cumbria credit Union to assist in accessing their loan scheme.

All the stores offer a FREE collection service and will recycle good quality, fire resistant, re-usable furniture and household appliances.

The stores also provide a range of volunteering and work experience opportunities. Many volunteers have moved into permanent employment, either with Impact, or with other organisations.

Furniture Store Opening times: Monday- Thursday: 9am to 4.45pm | Fridays: 9am to 4.15pm | Saturdays: 10am to 2pm

Further information about the stores is available on our website and on our Facebook

page.

Section 12

The Oval Centre The Oval Centre is located on Salterbeck in Workington and is a purpose built community centre that also operates as an Impact HUB/Office. The Centre houses a range of facilities that accommodate many different activities including parent and toddler sessions, IT training sessions, employment related support, sports and leisure activities, community group meetings and activities etc. It includes a gym and multi games sports areas which are open to the local community and which host organised exercise sessions appropriate to people of all levels of fitness. The Centre also manages sports pitches on Salterbeck which are available for hire and community use.

Supported Housing Services (Positive Impact) Positive Impact provides accommodation and support designed to assist people to progress successfully to independent living and a positive future. This proactive and tailored approach for each of our customers allows them to achieve independence, including work, training and employment opportunities. Positive Impact services include:

• Young Peoples Services providing over 36 great quality homes across the County for 16-24 year olds , including three Foyers in Whitehaven, Eden and Kendal where young people can live in a safe environment whilst they develop the skills they need to live independently

• The Living Well team provides services for older people in 93 Extra Care Elderly flats located in 3 specialist schemes with purpose built facilities, allowing people to live independently in their own homes with access to care and specialist facilities

• In addition we have a further 160 specialist units for adults with disabilities allowing them to live independently whilst receiving support services in 34 different schemes around Cumbria and North Lancaster

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Transfers & Mutual Exchanges Transfers Whatever the reason you can look to transfer to another property owned by Impact. To do this you will normally need to join the Cumbria Choice scheme and normally have a strong need to move i.e. be in Bands A, B or C.

To join this scheme you will need to complete a Cumbria Choice application form. Forms need to be completed online at www.cumbriachoice.org.uk. (assistance can be provided to complete the form). When you have completed your form your application will be assessed and provided there are no reasons why you would not be allowed to transfer (see below), you will receive a letter telling you that you are registered, a registration number and what priority you have been given for rehousing (your banding).

Cumbria Choice is a Choice Based Lettings Scheme. This means that most vacant Impact homes are advertised on the Cumbria Choice website and also at all local authority and housing organisation offices. Anyone looking for housing is required to view these adverts (properties are advertised weekly) and then bid (express an interest) for a property (up to 3 bids are allowed in any one week). After bids have been received we will prioritise bids, carry out viewings and do pre-tenancy interviews and affordability assessments before making a tenancy offer.

There are some circumstances in which an application to join the register may be refused. These include:

• Owing large rent arrears

• Having caused serious damage to the property

• Having caused serious anti-social behaviour

If you have lived in your existing home for less than 12 months, you can join the register. However you will be given reduced priority and placed in Band E until you have been a tenant in your home for 12 months.

A small number of transfers take place outside of Cumbria Choice. These are known as management transfers. A management transfer will normally be made where there is a very high need to move and where not moving would place the tenant at risk, for example a problem linked to serious anti-social behaviour or a serious medical need.

http://www.cumbriachoice.org.uk/

Section 13

Mutual Exchanges If you need to move home a mutual exchange may be a good option to consider. A mutual exchange is when two or more social housing tenants- be that local authority, housing association or other social – agree to swap homes.

Once you have a ‘secure tenancy’, you may be able to exchange your home with another tenant from Impact, from one of the Cumbria Choice partners, or with a tenant elsewhere in the country. Via Cumbria Choice and its link to the national Homeswapper scheme, you can view properties advertised for exchange in other areas of the country, as well as in Cumbria. Using the Homeswapper scheme to search for properties outside of Cumbria incurs a charge that Impact will pay (i.e. you will have free usage of the scheme). Once you have completed the registration process, you will be sent a registration number in order to search for suitable exchange’s online. If you do not have access to the internet, contact your local HUB/office.

If you see a property that you’re interested in, you can contact the tenant directly using the contact details provided. Similarly, when someone is interested in your property, they can contact you using your preferred contact details.

You and the exchanging tenant should arrange to meet to view each other’s homes. If you would like to proceed with the exchange you must contact your Neighbourhood Officer for approval. If the exchange is agreed, both properties will be withdrawn from the Cumbria Choice website.

IMPORTANT - you must not proceed with any removal arrangements until you have received written consent from Impact Housing. Your landlord can refuse to grant permission for the exchange if, for example:

• You have court or possession orders over your tenancy

• You do not hold a secure tenancy

• The home you want to exchange with is too large or too small for your household’s needs

• Your home has been specifically designed for someone who is disabled and is substantially different from other homes

• You owe rent arrears

Your home and garden must also be in good condition. Unauthorised alterations or damage will need to be remedied prior to approval.

Further details of transfers and mutual exchanges are given in separate policy statements appended to the Cumbria Choice Allocations Policy.

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Moving Out Ending your tenancy Whilst for most people a decision to move is a positive choice, for some people it can be as a result of circumstances rather than choice. When you make a decision to move/end your tenancy we will discuss your reasons for moving and whether there is anything that could be done to enable you to stay in your home. Moving can be costly and we always welcome the opportunity to talk to you about anything that could be done that might mean not having to move.

Giving Notice When you make a firm decision to end your Tenancy, you must give the length of notice specified in your tenancy agreement (for most tenants this is 4 weeks). Following notification of your intent to leave we will arrange a visit to your home as soon as possible and no longer than 5 working days from your contact. Your notice will be confirmed following this visit. Further details of the visit are given below (Pre-Termination Visit).

Your Tenancy does not end until you return the keys for your home to Impact. If you return the keys after the agreed tenancy end date, you will be charged rent up to the time when we receive the keys from you.

Section 46

Requirements before moving: Property condition

Your home must be left in good condition, in good decorative order and state of repair. You should remove all your furniture from the premises and leave the house clean and tidy and clear of all your belongings, including exterior areas. It will be inspected by Impact staff before and after you move. The cost of repairing any damage will be charged to you – this includes having to dispose of any furniture, belongings, rubbish etc. left at the property.

Please contact us if you need assistance with clearing your property, or if you have items of furniture in good condition that you no longer need. Our IFS service can assist with removals and clearances (there is a charge for this service) and will also take good quality furniture that you no longer need and can donate. If you want to enquire about assistance please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer or contact an IFS store directly.

Rent

It is extremely important that prior to moving your rent account is kept up to date and all rent due paid to the end of your tenancy. Large rent arrears could prevent your move and are likely to have implications in other areas e.g. your personal credit rating.

Any arrears left on your account will be vigorously pursued and if not paid are likely to result in legal action being taken, which if successful could result in significant extra costs. If you are struggling with your rent payments prior to leaving (or at any other time), please discuss this as soon as possible with our Income Management Team.

Utilities and Council Tax

You should arrange to have the electricity, gas and water meter read before you leave so you are not charged for any fuel used by the next tenant. You should also pass these readings onto a member of staff at Impact for our records.

You should also contact the Council Tax Department at the Local Council and the Water Company to tell them you are moving and to have your accounts changed to your new address.

Pre-Termination Visit and Viewings When you give us notice that you are moving we will arrange a pre-termination inspection as soon as possible. This means we will call and inspect your house and discuss any tenancy issues (e.g. rent arrears) before you move out. If there is any damage or repairs that are your responsibility, or the property is in poor decorative order, then you will be given the opportunity to put things right before moving out. If you have not carried out any works agreed when you move out then we will get them done and recharge you. You can agree to pay these by instalments, however if you do not pay, we will recover the debt through Court Action.

We aim to re-let properties quickly and so when you have given us notice that you are leaving, we will ask to show prospective new tenants around whilst you are still in the house. We would appreciate it if you would allow this at appropriate times agreed with you.

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Policies and Procedures Our Standards We operate under the guidance of several policies and procedures. These policies are in place to ensure a high quality and consistent services to tenant’s, that meet regulatory and legal requirements and provide good value for money.

We have policies that cover all our key activities. Examples of our main housing policies include:

Lettings Explains how the selection and allocation of tenancies is made.

• Allocate homes to people in need and make best use of the housing available • Take into consideration personal preferences • Treat all housing applicants equally and fairly • Let all our properties quickly to minimise rent loss

Rent Arrears Explains our approach to managing rent and other payments.

• Minimise rent arrears and other debts such as rechargeable arrears • Take a firm but fair approach, with early intervention, frequent and clear communication and

information, and quick and appropriate use of more serious measures e.g. legal action • Provide all appropriate support and advice throughout the process, including

at start of tenancy

Repairs and Maintenance Explains our approach to maintain the housing stock.

• Keep all housing in good repair • Provide an effective responsive service (repairs carried out at convenient times and

completed within set timescales and to the customer’s satisfaction) • Plan effectively for future maintenance • Ensure tenants can access the repair service in an emergency, 24 hours every day of the

year • Provide repairs cost effectively

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Explains our approach to ASB.

• Take all reports of ASB seriously • Respond to reports of ASB quickly and effectively • Keep victims of ASB informed on progress, and provide appropriate support • Use all available tools and powers to resolve ASB • Ensure tenants are clear about their responsibilities

We set standards for all our key services. The full set of standards is available on our website and performance against them is reported periodically on the website and in the Annual Report to Tenants.

All of our organisational policies and procedures are available on request.

Section 16

Other useful information Your Tenancy Agreement Types of tenancy agreement granted We grant a number of different tenancy agreements. The agreement you have been granted will be dependent on a number of factors including whether or not your last tenancy was with Impact and how the development of your home was funded. You will be informed at the point of offer the type of agreement that you are being granted. If you are a new Impact tenant, or have been an Impact tenant for less than 12 months, you will be granted a Starter Tenancy (Assured Shorthold 12 month tenancy). This agreement will be one of the following:

• Starter Tenancy - Affordable Rent • Starter Tenancy - Social Rent • Starter Tenancy - Intermediate Rent The terms of these agreements are very similar. The main difference relates to the way in which the rent has been set and is reviewed. More information on this is given in our Rent Setting Policy which can be viewed on the website, or is available on request.

Starter Tenancy reviews All Starter Tenancies are reviewed after 11 months. If the tenancy has been conducted satisfactorily, the agreement will be converted to an Assured (non-shorthold) periodic tenancy. You will receive a letter confirming that the tenancy has been converted but a new agreement will not be issued. If there are concerns regarding the conduct of the tenancy, then depending on the seriousness of the tenancy breaches, the Starter Tenancy will either be extended for 6 months, or action be started to end the tenancy. If the Starter Tenancy is extended by 6 months, a further review will take place before the expiry of this period and the tenancy either converted, or action started to end the tenancy. You have a right of appeal against any decision not to convert a Starter Tenancy.

Other information If you are already an Impact tenant of 12 months or more and are moving to another home, then you will normally be granted the same tenancy agreement, although this agreement may be a Social Rent, Affordable Rent dependent on the type of rent fixed on the property. Full details of the tenancy agreements granted are given in Impacts Tenure Policy (Guidance section). Further details of Starter Tenancies are given in the Starter Tenancy Policy. Both policies are available on our website and on request.

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Managing Your Tenancy Your tenancy agreement is a contract between you and us and sets out the terms and conditions that you must keep to as a tenant. Our main expectations, as set out in the agreement are:

• You pay the rent due on your home in full and on time, keeping your account clear of rent arrears

• You do not commit anti-social behaviour, cause a nuisance to neighbours or engage in any criminal activity

• You keep your home and any garden /external areas in good condition, not causing any damage to the property and keeping it clean, tidy and in good decorative order

Failure to comply with these requirements, or to the wider terms of your tenancy agreement, will be viewed very seriously and may result in action to end the tenancy. In return we will; • Carry out our repairing obligations as set out in the agreement to keep your home in

good condition • Deliver a comprehensive and high quality housing service • Support you with any problems you are having and help you to have a successful

tenancy

Your Rights Succession - Inheriting a tenancy

In the event of your death, another member of your family may have the right to take over the tenancy. A husband, wife, civil partner (or an individual who lived with you as husband, wife or civil partner) has the legal right to succeed to the tenancy as long as they were living with you at the time of death. Other members of your family who are 18 or older can take over the tenancy in the event of your death, provided that they have been living with you for 12 months before the death and your home is their only main home. This applies to your parents or grandparents, your children, grandchildren, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew or niece. The tenancy can only be passed on/succeeded once. Any potential successor needs to let us know about their claim to a tenancy within one month of the tenant’s death. For family members other than wife, husband or civil partner, documentary evidence such as a government issued document, a statement from a utility company, bank or insurance company etc. will need to be provided to evidence residence at the home for at least the last 12 months. In some circumstances, including unsatisfactory conduct of the tenancy, a home that is too small or too large, a property with any aids and adaptations not required by any successor etc., a request to succeed may be refused. Any decision taken regarding the right to succeed will take account of any vulnerabilities, for example due to age, physical disability, mental health problems, learning difficulties etc., and we may allow a succession to succeed where otherwise it would not. A joint tenant- someone who shares a tenancy with another person- can take over as the sole tenant in the event of the other person’s death or that person giving up their part of the tenancy. Further details on succession rights are given in our Discretionary Succession Rights Policy.

Section 16

Lodgers and Sub-Letting

A lodger is a person who shares part of your home and who is classed as being part of your family.

A Sub-Tenant, unlike a lodger, is someone who has an agreement to live in part of your home.

Before taking in a lodger, or sub-letting any part of your home you will need to get written permission from us. You will need to tell us the name, age and sex of the intended lodger and which room they will occupy. A member of staff will contact you to discuss your request.

Remember… You are not allowed to give an Assured or Secure Sub Tenancy on part of your home. Taking in a lodger or Sub Tenant may affect any Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Allowance- ask your Neighbourhood Officer for further information.

The Right to Acquire

The Right to Acquire is a scheme giving eligible Tenants of Registered Social Landlords such as Impact, the legal right to buy the home they currently rent.

Because most of our housing is in areas where it would be very difficult to replace, our Board has made the decision that we will only allow our tenants to buy their property if we are required to do so by the government.

To qualify for the scheme a property must have been built or purchased by Impact, and funded by a grant from the Housing Corporation (now Homes and Communities Agency), or a local authority, on or after 1st April 1997. This is subject to certain conditions.

A property transferred from a local authority to a registered social landlord on or after 1st April 1997 will also qualify for the scheme.

If the registered social landlord does not own the freehold of the property, then the freeholder must also be a public sector landlord for the property to qualify.

The following conditions apply to qualify for the scheme:

• You can apply to buy your housing association home if you’ve had a public sector landlord for 3 year

• The property must be self- contained and not shared accommodation and must be your only main home

If you are interested in acquiring your property and believe you are eligible, please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer or another member of staff.

The Right to Buy

Some Impact tenants who live in homes transferred from the ownership of the local authority and who were living in their homes at the time of transfer, may qualify for the Right to Buy scheme. This scheme allows you to buy your home at a discount, the amount of this discount depending on how long you have been a tenant. To qualify you must have been a tenant for at least five years. Although there are government plans to extend the right to buy, at the moment this scheme only applies to some tenants living on Salterbeck (those in properties that transferred from the local authority and who were tenants at the time of transfer).

Further details of the scheme are available from your Neighbourhood Officer or other members of staff.

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Customer Service How to contact us, Meeting your Communication Needs and the Customer App

As a tenant and customer you are at the heart of what we do and we aim to deliver high quality services that are of value to you. This includes delivering excellent customer service and working to a ‘customer is key’ commitment. Through this commitment we aim to ensure that;

• Our services are easy to contact and use

• We treat all customers with fairness and respect

• We are polite, friendly and helpful

• We offer services that are flexible and appropriate to the different needs of our customers

• We deal with enquiries and deliver services efficiently, effectively and to your satisfaction

If at any time you are not satisfied with our customer service, please let us know and we will do what we can to improve the situation.

How to contact us: We provide a range of contact options:

In person or in writing:

The addresses of our Offices/Community HUB’S are given at the end of this handbook.

By telephone:

03448 736290

Your call will be answered by a member of our Customer Service team who will aim to deal with your enquiry at the point of your call or will direct you to the correct person to do this.

By text:

Text: 07946 336 336

By e-mail:

Email: [email protected]


Section 17

Other contact methods: You can also contact us using the following methods:

• Our website: www.impacthousing.org.uk. Some direct communication can be made via the website which also gives the full range of contact details

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/impacthousing

• Calling, texting or e- mailing your Neighbourhood Officer directly. The contact details for each Officer are given on the website

In addition to the above, our staff, and particularly our Neighbourhood Officers, spend a lot of time working in the local community visiting tenants, carrying out regular walkabouts and holding meetings and events. If you wish to meet with an Officer, or another staff member, we will be happy to visit you at a convenient time, including out of normal office hours during the working week.

Out Of Hours contact

We operate an out of hours emergency service. In the event of an emergency relating to a repair, anti-social behaviour, or other matter, this can be reported outside of normal office hours by calling the main Impact number:

03448 736290 Your call will be re-directed to a third party company. The person taking your call will deal with the matter e.g. instruct an emergency repair, and where necessary will contact an Impact member of staff for any advice and assistance required.

Communication Meeting your needs We aim to make communication with us as easy and effective as possible and recognise that some people will have a particular communication need. To meet these needs we operate the following facilities:

Browsealoud: Our website is speech enabled which means that if you do find it difficult to read the site you can listen to it. Browsealoud is free software which you can download to your computer. A link to do this is available on our website, or you can contact a member of staff to help you to do this.

Hearing/Speech impairment: If you have difficulty hearing, or a speech impairment, you can contact us using Type Talk, a facility available via your telephone. To use this service simply prefix 18001 in front of the number you are calling.

British Sign Language Interpreter Service: We can arrange a BSL interpreter through Cumbria Deaf association to assist a face to face meeting

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http://www.facebook.com/impacthousing


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Hearing Loops: All our HUB’s have fixed induction loops to ensure that hearing aid users can use the T setting on their hearing aid to hear the staff member more clearly. Also, all offices, schemes and staff who visit people at home have portable induction loops that can be used anywhere.

Documents in different formats: If you are visually impaired, or have difficulty reading for other reasons, we can provide information in different formats including large print, braille or audio tape.

Languageline: If English is not your first language we subscribe to the Languageline service in order for us to communicate in another language. The service gives access to a telephone interpreter service in over 100 languages. It can be used to translate when someone is with a member of staff or when we are talking via telephone.

We hold details of known communication needs on our computer system to allow us to communicate in an appropriate way. If you have a need that you think we are unaware of, or experience any difficulty communicating with us, please speak to your Neighbourhood Officer, or another member of staff, and we will endeavour to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

We use a range of different options to get information to you including our website, Facebook, visits, printed documents in our HUB’s and printed information posted out. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve how we communicate with you and with others, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

The Customer App

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Tenancy Fraud

Tenant’s Handbook

Unfortunately some people may seek to obtain their tenancy fraudulently, or as tenants may commit tenancy fraud. Tenancy fraud includes:

• Obtaining housing by deception

• Unlawful sub-letting of the home

• Deliberate misrepresentation of circumstances in order to obtain a mutual exchange or succeed to a tenancy

• Not occupying the property as the main/principal home

Where any tenancy fraud, or attempt to commit fraud, is identified, Impact will respond as strongly as possible. Actions may include:

• Withdrawing the offer of a tenancy

• Taking action to end the tenancy

• Seeking a criminal conviction

The Tenancy Fraud Policy gives further guidance on this issue and is available on our website..

Section 18

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Under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 it is a criminal offence to sublet or part with possession of your home. Penalties range from a £2000 fine to 2 years imprisonment and a £50,000 fine. In all instances of fraud, we will look to instigate a criminal prosecution, in parallel with taking action to end the tenancy.


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Emergencies Although emergencies are a rare occurrence it is always advisable to be prepared. Flooding is a particular risk in Cumbria but storm damage, fires and other incidents are also a risk.

Advice for dealing with Emergencies The following is based on information provided by Action with Communities in Cumbria.

Families and households can better cope with emergencies by preparing in advance.

Getting Prepared

• Find out what local risks may affect you (e.g. flooding). Register for alerts. For flood alerts register with the environment agency

• Know where and how to turn off utilities (gas, electricity and water)

• Ensure you have valid and sufficient contents insurance

• Prepare escape routes from your home and teach all householders

• Microchip any pets and consider their needs in an emergency

Emergency Grab Bag

Know where your essential items are and keep them accessible to save time in an emergency.

Bag checklist

• Wind up/battery radio with spare batteries

• Torch with spare batteries, candles and matches

• First aid kit and manual

• Medication, repeat prescriptions, tissues, toiletries, sanitary supplies

• Food and equipment for those with special requirements e.g. babies, diabetics, pets

• Spare warm clothing, sleeping bags or blankets

• Your mobile phone, spare battery and charger

• Extra car and house keys

• Cash, credit cards, key cards

• Copies of important documents- birth certificates, passports, licences, insurance policies (store originals in a fire and waterproof container)

Stay informed In emergency major events it may be necessary to issue warnings and advice to the public. These would normally be broadcast via local radio or TV channels. You can also sign up in advance to receive relevant information

• Tune into local radio or TV

• Check relevant social media accounts

Sign up for:

• Cumbria Community Messaging: www.cumbriacommunitymessaging.co.uk

• Flood Warnings: flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk

Flooding Flooding is a particular risk in Cumbria and we have developed specific guidance for flood events. This guidance can be found on our website. Hard copies of the guidance can also be provided.

We will advise you if your property is at particular risk from flooding and as part of our Emergency Plan Policy will contact you regularly (normally each year) to ensure that you are aware of the guidance and able to follow it.

• In the event that you are about to be flooded advice on staying safe is available from a Floodline Advisor: 0345 988 1188

• If you are at immediate risk and worried about your safety, you should call the Emergency Services: 999

If you have any concerns or issues you want to discuss relating to flooding or any other potential emergency, contact your Neighbourhood Officer or call our main number: 03448 736290

Section 19

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http://www.cumbriacommunitymessaging.co.uk/

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Tenant’s Handbook

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IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Impact Impact main telephone number and emergency out of hours number: 03448 736290

Impact email: [email protected] | Impact website: www.impacthousing.org.uk

Impact Facebook: www.facebook.com/impacthousing

Impact office and furniture store addresses

Workington Office Nook St, Workington, CA14 4EH

Salterbeck The Oval Centre, Salterbeck Drive, Salterbeck, Workington, CA14 5HA

Carlisle Centre 47, Nelson St, Carlisle CA2 5NE

Penrith/Eden Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Rd, Penrith, CA11 8ET

Kendal/South Lakes South Lakes Foyer, Yard 95, Stricklandgate, Kendal, LA9 4RA

Impact Furniture Store - Barrow Salthouse Rd, Barrow LA14 2UP

Impact Furniture Store - Carlisle Centre 47, Nelson St, Carlisle, CA2 5NE

Impact Furniture Store - Workington Unit 6-7, Enterprise Court, Lakes Rd, Derwent Howe, Workington, CA14 3YP

Office opening hours: Please view our website for our office opening hours.

Flooding Floodline: 0345 988 1188

Furniture Stores Opening Hours: Monday - Thursdays 9.00am- 4.45pm Fridays: 9.00am- 4.15pm Saturdays: 10.00am- 2.00pm

Environment Agency: www.gov.uk/government/organisation/environment-agency

Other numbers/contacts Emergency services

Police, fire, ambulance: 999

Non – Emergency

Police: 101



http://www.facebook.com/impacthousing

http://www.gov.uk/government/organisation/environment-agency