Leaseholder News April 2012

LeaseholderNEWS

April 2012

Bromfield Court Bloomsthanks to residentsFind out how residents improved their estate on page 5

Page 3Have your say

Page 4Meet your ReviewPanel Member

Page 6Keeping you safe

02 Leaseholder News April 2012

Alternatively, a series ofLeaseholder OpenForum events will takeplace in differentlocations across theCity. It is hoped thatthese events will attracta wider interest and inturn encourage moreleaseholders to getinvolved.

The area and venue ofeach Forum has beenselected by theleasehold managementteam. They inviteleaseholders to comealong to meet with staffand fellow leaseholdersand discuss anyqueries or concernsthey may have.

All of the Forums will beopen meetings which Istrongly urge allleaseholders to makean effort to attend as itis very much within theirown interest

Full details of eachForum can be found onpage three of thisnewsletter, alternatively,you can visit theleaseholders` section ofthe WolverhamptonHomes website whichhas recently beenupdated, making itsimpler to access.

Peter BroomeChair of the Leasehold Forum

The general lack of support shown byleaseholders in a number of areas hasundoubtedly led to the discontinuationof regular group meetings.

Message from the

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If you require this information inanother language or format, contactus on 01902 556789.

Following feedback from Leaseholder Forum members,we have updated your section of the website. We havemade it easier to find and added new pages to give youa lot more information. Please check it out and let usknow what you think.

Website

www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Chair of theLeasehold Forum

Welcometo the new look Leaseholder NewsWe hope you like the new look and the articlesabout you and your fellow leaseholders.

You told us you'd like to have more people stories sowe've tried to include as many as we can.

Meet Alysha on page 4 who has joined the ReviewPanel and on page 5 you can read aboutleaseholders who helped improve their estate.

Please let us know what you think and if you haveany stories get in touch.

Helen BellinghamHead of Homes Sales and Leases

April 2012 Leaseholder News 03

Do you need advice about your lease?

Have you got a problem that you needour help with?

Do you want to find out more aboutour services to you?Come along to our Open Forums, meet the HomeSales and Leases team and have a chat with otherleaseholders.

You can talk to us about your lease, your servicecharge, gas servicing or any other issues.

There will be three Forums and you can drop intoany of them; you don’t need to go to the onenearest to you.

• Wednesday 25 April from 7-8.30pm at MerryHill Housing Office, Leasowes Drive, Merry Hill,WV4 4PZ.

• Tuesday 1 May from 7-8.30pm at Hilton Hall,Hilton Road, Lanesfield, WV4 6DR.

• Wednesday 9 May from 7-8:30pm at CorpusChristi RC Church, off Griffiths Drive,Wednesfield, WV11 2LT.

Don’t miss your chance to come and chat to theHome Sales and Lease Team and if there are anyspecific issues that you would like us to cover,please let us know in advance.

For more information, call the Home Sales andLease Team on 01902 556789. Please let us knowif you have any special requirements which wouldhelp you to attend. We can offer help withchildcare or travel.

We look forward to seeing you there!

G E T I N V O L V E D

Have your Leaseholder Open ForumssayGet Involved!

There are lots of ways that you can have asay in how your Leasehold ManagementService is run, here are just a few:

• Come along to our Leaseholder OpenForums

• Join the Leaseholder Forum

• Apply to join the Board or Review Panel

• Join our Focus and Discussion groups

• Go to our Special Interest Groups

• Attend your local Tenants and ResidentsAssociation meetings

• Go to your local estate inspection

• Become a mystery shopper

• Comment on our Facebook page

If you would like to get involved, pleasecontact the Leasehold Management Team on 01902 556789.

JOIN US: Leaseholders and staff chattedabout issues at last year's Get Togethers

to Welcome

Want to make a difference?Alysha Shah, who has been aleaseholder since May 2004,wanted to do just that soshe’s joined the Review Panel.

The Review Panel checks that we keep ourpromises to you, looks at how well we areperforming and ensures residents are fullyinvolved in decisions about services.

Alysha said: “I joined the Review Panelbecause I wanted to gain a betterunderstanding of the services that are providedto tenants and leaseholders.

“I also wanted have an input and influencethe decisions that affect leaseholders.

“The Review Panel gives me a chance to stayin the loop and keep up to date with what’sgoing on at Wolverhampton Homes. I can thenreport this back to the Leasehold Forum.

“I really enjoyed my first meeting. As aleaseholder, I got to see things from the tenantviewpoint and look at the process of deliveringservices rather than just seeing the outcome.It’s really good to know what’s going on.”

If you are interested incoming along to aReview Panelmeeting, pleasecontact the ReviewPanel Support Officeron 01902 556789.

AlyshaIt will soon be time to vote for candidates for theBoard Elections. This is your chance to choosewho will represent you.

Board members agree budgets and how money willbe spent, approve policies such as parking, fencingand antisocial behaviour. They also monitorperformance and must consider leaseholders whenthey make decisions.

Shaun Philpott, is a business advisorand is the Leaseholder Champion onthe Board. He said “Board membersmake decisions on a lot of issues thatare relevant to leaseholders. We discuss

communal area repairs, major repairs, parking issues,antisocial behaviour on estates and charges for theconcierge service. These all affect leaseholders so it’svital that you vote for the person that you feel willrepresent your interests in the best way.

“Please make sure that you use yourvote and perhaps next time why notapply to be a Board member yourself torepresent all your fellow leaseholders?"

You will receive your ballot papers at the beginning ofJune. There are two vacancies so you will need tovote for two candidates.

We need to receive your votes by 22 June 2012.

Board elections WHO WILL YOU VOTE FO

R?

Board MeetingsYou are welcome to come along to any ourboard meetings. Our next meetings in 2012 are:

• Monday 14 May• Monday 17 September (AGM)

All meetings are held in our Head Office at HickmanAvenue and start at 9.30am. To find out whatdecisions were made at previous meetings, search‘board’ on www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk.

New Review Panel Member

SERVICE CHECK: The Review Panelchecks that we keep our promises

USE YOUR VOTE: Resident Board Membersstand for election every three years.


As the spring sunshine highlights the freshly cut grassand pretty blooms, leaseholder Debbie Smith, can rightlyfeel proud of her involvement with her community.

“It’s a lovely estate but we wanted someof the overgrown trees to be dealt withso we contacted Wolverhampton Homes.“They removed and cut back a lot of the trees and the oldshrubs so we get a lot more light now. They planted somenew shrubs and replaced the old fencing that was fallingapart.

“They also put some fences around the bin area so that wecan’t see the bins when we drive onto the estate. It’s so much nicer now, it’s a completetransformation. I can feelproud of where I live.”

If you feel your areaneeds improving, contact us to let us know 01902 556789.

CourtBromfield

Do you have a story about where you live? Get in touch with us and we can tell your story in the nextissue of Leaseholder News. Email [email protected] orphone 01902 556789.

the team Meet Chris Churm and Ben Howley,your Leasehold ManagementOfficers. If you have a query aboutyour home or lease, Ben and Chrisare the men you need to talk to.

They can help you with queries about:

• Service charges and invoices• Payment plans for charges andinvoices

• Antisocial behaviour and breaches oflease

• Consent to carry out alterations orimprovements

• Gas servicing• Major improvements

Ben said: “We also deal with generalday-to-day queries that don't necessarilyfit into a box, such as the purchase orsale of a leasehold property, sub-letting, alterations andimprovements. Generally, if you have anyquestions about your lease, your block orthe management of your estate we areyour first port of call.”

You should have now received yourcopy of the Leaseholder SatisfactionSurvey. This is your opportunity toshare your views on the services youreceive from Wolverhampton Homes.

Thank you to everyone who returnedtheir questionnaire. If you still want totake part, it’s not too late. Please returnyour questionnaire by 20 April, yourviews are important to us. We will tellyou about the results in the next editionof Leaseholder News.

MEET

Leaseholder Survey update

DOWN YOUR WAY

NEIGHBOURHOODPRIDE:Debbie Smith andArthur Ward enjoyBromfield Court's garden

YOUR TEAM: Chris Churm and BenHowley will answer all your queries


Last autumn we wrote to 182leaseholders asking them to makesure their front door was safe incase of a fire. These wereleaseholders whose front dooropens onto a communal area. A FireRisk Assessment had reported thattheir front doors did not have 30minutes fire resistance, which is arequirement under fire regulations.

Thelma Philpott from Bradley was one ofthose whose door was not safe. She hadthe choice of arranging to replace herdoor with one that had 30 minute fireresistance or asking us to arrange it forher.

Mrs Philpott said: “My door wasn’t veryold but I did understand that we need tobe safe.

“I thought to make it easy I’d askWolverhampton Homes. I was very happywith the choice of doors they offered me, I chose a white one with a half moonwindow at the top. I was happy with thework and they put a door chain on for meto make me feel extra safe.”

We would like to thank all of you who havehad your doors replaced with new firedoors or who have produced a certificateto prove that your current door meets theregulations.

FireDOORS

Gas servicing keeping you SAFE

SAFE FROM FIRES:Thelma Philpott is safe with her new fire door

GAS SAFETY: Joyce Cattell joinedthe gas service plan to stay safe

Joyce Cattell of Tettenhall recently joined ourGas Service Plan and had a chat with us totell us all about it.

She said: “I thought it would be a good idea to join thescheme as it’s good to have the peace of mind itoffers. This way I don’t need to remember to arrangemy annual service and it’s all done for me.

“The price was very reasonable as it includes call outs.Everything is included so you get a lot for your money.

“Before I joined, they had to come out to check thateverything was in good order. It was a good job theydid as they found a problem with my fire and the oldback boiler, something hadn’t been sealed properly soit wasn’t safe.

“I’ve been very pleased with all the work they’ve done,they didn’t leave any mess.”

Have you joined our gas service plan yet? Mrs Cattelland 200 leaseholders have.

Regular servicing of your gas appliances will help tokeep you and your family safe, reduce the likelihood ofbreak downs and help to reduce running costs.

For more information visit the Leaseholders’ section ofwww.wolverhamptonhhomes.org.uk or contact 01902 556789.

Please remember that all leaseholders mustprovide us with a valid gas certificate. If you arenot a member of our gas service scheme we willcontact you to request a copy of the certificate.


Direct Debit is the easiest way topay your service charge:• You don’t have to remember topay - your Bank or BuildingSociety does if for you.

• You can spread your paymentsover a period of time – up to 12months.

• You have a choice of paymentdates.

• If you are ill or cannot get to aOne Stop Shop you don’t haveto worry – your ServiceCharges will be automaticallypaid.

• You don’t have the risk ofcarrying large amounts of cash with you.

• You are covered by the DirectDebit guarantee which means ifa payment is taken by mistake itis refunded straight away.

Did you know that it costs us£1.40 to process a cash paymentand just 5p to process a DirectDebit.

This means that if you allchoose to pay by DirectDebit your ManagementFee would continue toreduce as ouradministration costsbecome lower.To set up a Direct Debit foryour Service Charges pleasecontact your LeaseholdManagement Team on 01902 556789.

WHY NOT PAYYOUR SERVICE CHARGES BY DIRECT DEBIT?

You will have recentlyreceived your latest ServiceCharge invoice. Before you

grab your cheque book,wallet or paypoint card, why

not set up a Direct Debit?

We’ve teamed up with Wolf Savingsand Loans and Co-op Electrical tooffer fantastic deals on electricalitems. This includes fridges, fridge-freezers, cookers, washing machinesand tumble dryers.You can pay in full, directly from your Credit Unionaccount or take out a loan to pay for the purchase.It even includes free delivery and removal of yourold goods.To take advantage of this fantastic scheme contactWolf Savings and Loanswww.wolfsavingsandloans.co.uk or 01902 572340.

DISCOUNT ON...

If you’re proud of your pots orhanging baskets, why not enter the2012 Garden Competition?The closing date for entries is Friday 13 July andjudging will take place in August. So grab an entryform from one of our One Stop Shops or downloadit from our website, search for ‘garden competition’.

Show off your hanging

basketsand pots

electrical goods

www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Your name (or you can give feedback anonymously if you wish):

Your address:

Your postcode: Your telephone number:

How satisfied are you with the information in this newsletter?

Very satisfied Satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied

Return to:Communications, Wolverhampton Homes, Chillington Fields Industrial Estate,

Off Hickman Avenue, Wolverhampton, WV1 2BY.

Your FeedbackTell us what you think about any of our services.We welcome all feedback – good or bad.


SudokuGive the Sudoku puzzle a go and you could win£20 in vouchers. Simply send back yourcompleted puzzle to the address below.

Contact Us• For general enquiries callHomes Direct on 01902 556789

• For out of hours emergenciescall 01902 552999

• Join the conversation on ourFacebook page by visitingwww.facebook.com/wolveshomes

• Follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/WolvesHomes

• For face-to-face enquiries visit one of our One Stop Shops: City Centre,Bilston, Low Hill, Merry Hill, Wednesfield, Heath Town

• For written enquiries, write to:Wolverhampton HomesChillington FieldsIndustrial Estateoff Hickman AvenueWolverhamptonWV1 2BY

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Documents

Leaseholder News April 2012