We were very excited to host this year’s Good Neighbour Awards at the Sir Peter Blake Gallery this week. We had some fantastic tenants nominated for the awards for their selfless acts to support the people around them.  

It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate the great community we have amongst our tenants. Whether they’re doing something as simple as helping with the bins, or pitching in on the communal gardens, sharing useful information, helping with the weekly shop or making sure that a vulnerable friend or neighbour is okay, this year’s Good Neighbour Awards winners go above and beyond to make others’ lives’ easier.  

A huge thank you to all of the tenants who picked up their award on Wednesday.

If you’d like to nominate a Good Neighbour, you can do so online. Nominations are open all year around ahead of the next ceremony in 2027. 

We’re excited to announce that our new Tenant Portal is now available. Through this portal, you can now easily view your rent account, update your details, track repairs, and access important documents, all in one place when most convenient to you. 

To get started, simply visit the portal and follow the instructions to create your account if you have not done so already using details from your tenancy. 

If you experience any issues accessing the system, please email us at Housing.Systems@dartford.gov.uk or call us on 01322 343277.

We know that many of our residents are feeling the squeeze right now.

If you are finding it difficult to keep up with your rent, the most important thing you can do is talk to us early. Falling behind on rent is stressful, but ignoring the problem often makes it harder to solve. If you know you will struggle to make your next payment, contact the Rents Team as soon as you can on 01322 343134. 

Even if you're working, you might be entitled to financial support. Check online by using a benefits calculator, or by contacting us, as one of the team may be able to help.

Sureserve Fire and Compliance team, together with our Housing Maintenance team, recently held a coffee morning at Thatcher Court in Temple Hill ahead of planned fire safety improvement works. 

The coffee morning gave residents the chance to meet the contractor carrying out the work, find out what to expect and ask any questions about the works. It was a great opportunity to talk through the project and provide reassurance before the work began. 

The improvement programme, which has just concluded, saw all communal doors at Thatcher Court replaced with new fire doors in line with current fire safety standards.  

We have received great feedback about the project, with residents complimenting both the high standard of work, the contractor and its operatives. Following the success of the event, we hope to hold similar coffee mornings ahead of future large projects. 

Want to carry out improvements to your home?

You'll need to seek permission from us before making alterations to your property.

Tenants and leaseholders are required to complete an ‘Alteration Request Form’ and submit it to Dartford Borough Council for approval prior to commencing structural and/or cosmetic works. This includes: 

• Installation of camera or a ring doorbell 

• Electric vehicle charging point installations 

• Installing a shed  

• Alterations to bathroom or kitchen 

• Hardstanding for a driveway 

Failure to obtain permission could result in you being required to rectify the changes or return the property to its original condition. 

Not sure if you need to complete a form? Your Housing Officer can help. 

Our Housing Anti-Social Behaviour Team and its partners have had some great success recently dealing with vehicles linked to ASB, crime and nuisance around your homes. 

After serving warnings and notices, several cases are now being readied for prosecution at magistrates' court. If successful, the court can impose sanctions on the offenders ranging from additional fines to the removal of vehicles, revoking their driving license and eviction notices. 

Please be aware that parking on amenity land (grassed areas) or Dartford Borough Council land is not allowed. Parking on estates without permission breaks your tenancy or lease agreement. In the next few months, we’ll be undertaking vehicle audits on our estates. If you haven’t sought permission to park then we will seek enforcement action.  

Contact our ASB team to report something anonymously.

Help us protect our community

It’s in your interest to report antisocial behaviour, nuisance, tenancy breaches, subletting and fraud to us. We’ll always investigate and find the best possible solution.

Most of the reports we deal with aren’t serious crime, but day-to-day issues that affect how our neighbourhoods look and feel. The good news is that we sort most of them quickly, without ever needing to go to court, but we still need your support. For us to properly investigate, we need good supporting evidence, without putting you or your family at risk. Here are some tips on how you can help us stop anti-social behaviour.

Noise

New policies and strategies

We published the following policies and strategy after a round of consultations that invited your views on them.   

• New Housing Strategy 2025-2028, which sets out how we intend to deliver our service to you over the next three years.  

• Updated Housing Allocations Policy, which sets out how we prioritise housing applications for housing owned by us and our housing association partners.  

• New Water Safety Management Plan and Policy, which sets out the measures we take to manage the risks of Legionella bacteria.  

• New Housing Statutory Maintenance and Compliance Policy, which sets out our management arrangements for property compliance and how we will meet our responsibilities and duties as a responsible landlord. 

We can also produce hard copies of any consultation information on request. 

You can find all our policies, strategies and consultations online or contact the team for more information at HousingPolicy@dartford.gov.uk.