Housing news: information for our tenants and leaseholders

Council tenants should report non-emergency repairs online through the council’s website. 

It’s a quick and easy process. Once your repair request has been submitted you will receive: 

• confirmation of your request  
• a text message notifying you when the repair will be carried out. 

On the day of the repair, you will get:  

• a text message when the officer is en route 
• access to a live map to track where they are 
• a text message when the officer is 20 minutes away 
• the opportunity to give feedback once the job is complete.  

Emergency repairs can be reported 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Call 01895 556600, and at the prompt say “emergency” and your call will be answered by the next available agent. Only report emergency repairs this way, it is much quicker to report non-emergency repairs online.

We are currently carrying out a stock condition survey for every council home.  

This is a visual inspection of inside and outside your home, where we will collect information on the age and condition of facilities, including the kitchen, bathrooms, windows and roofs. It will also look at any communal areas in blocks and the general structure of the building.  

The survey will take up to 60 minutes, and ideally the surveyors will need access to all rooms, including the loft, if accessible. They will also be required to take photographs.  

Once complete, the data collected will be used to support the planning of future programmes of improvement work.  

Please note: We are unable to provide you with an individual report on your property and you should continue to book repairs normally.  

The surveys are being conducted by surveyors from Pellings LLP. We will write to you when your home is due to be surveyed and the letter will contain how you can book an appointment directly with Pellings LLP.  

To ensure the surveys can be conducted as quickly as possible, in some cases they will conduct visits before you have received a letter or made an appointment. The surveyors will always have ID.

Following the introduction of new building safety standards and legislation, the Building Safety Act 2022, we’re doing everything we can to ensure tenants are safe and secure. 

To do this, there will be times when we (council officers) or contractors working on our behalf need to gain access to your property to conduct safety tests. These include, but are not limited to, annual gas safety tests, electrical safety tests (every five years) and annual fire safety checks on entrance doors of flats. Make sure your safety checks are booked.  

• book your annual gas safety tests by contacting Village Heating on 020 3997 1212 or email hillingdon@villageheating.co.uk  
• book your electrical safety tests by contacting either PFL on 01322 291233 or email enquiries@pflelectrical.com or RGE on 020 8559 8686.  

Please also remember to test your smoke alarms every week.  

Council officers will also carry out welfare visits to keep you safe. Some of these appointments will be scheduled and some unannounced, but officers will always have ID. 

The council’s caretaking team consists of 40 caretakers and two supervisors. 

They have 15 vans and two lumber trucks used for clearing fly-tips, keeping estates clean, conducting tower block safety inspections and removing fire hazard materials. The team also look after the nine large estates across the borough and are on site Monday to Friday.  

Regular caretaking duties include:  

• sweeping and mopping of stairs, communal landings and entrances 
• removing cobwebs, dusting railings, cleaning internal windows and entrances 
• cleaning bin rooms, chute rooms and disinfecting these areas 
• removing fire hazard materials, ready for collection by our lumber truck 
• cleaning all lifts, floors and doors 
• removing weeds, litter picking and clearing leaves 

The response team will remove dangerous or hazardous materials, such as drug paraphernalia and sharps within an hour of them being reported.  

There is also programmed work, including carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, floor care work, and stripping, polishing and buffing floors of communal areas.

We know that the ongoing cost of living crisis means that some people are having difficulty in balancing budgets and some tenants may miss rent payments which can cause more difficulties in the long run.  

We would like to remind tenants of the importance of rent payments and the support we can provide for anyone who may be falling behind with payments.    

If you have rent arrears and don’t have a support arrangement in place, we encourage you to contact us urgently on 01895 556182 or email riskmanagement@hillingdon.gov.uk. Our dedicated team will be available to help you and work towards a resolution.  

Other support includes, providing help in applying for benefits and managing debt. We also offer regular contact, advice and assistance if you’re taking on a new tenancy or finding it difficult to manage your existing tenancy, including support setting up utility accounts. You can contact the team by emailing housingsupportworkerteam@hillingdon.gov.uk or calling the duty number 01895 556199.  

All rent increase letters for 2024/2025 have been sent out. Following receipt of your letter, if you claim Universal Credit, please report this change to the Department of Work and Pensions as soon as possible through your online Universal Credit Account. You should have received a notification in your ‘to-do’ list in April.  

Remember, you can view your rent account 24/7 online on your council MyAccount.

Residents have the right to live peacefully in their homes, without the fear of anti-social behaviour (ASB), and we are committed to taking action against those who engage in this.  

ASB is any act that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to one or more persons not of the same household and covers a range of issues, including intimidation, persistent noise and rowdy behaviour, vandalism and graffiti and using a property for criminal or immoral purposes.    

If you are experiencing ASB issues with council tenants or leaseholders, email asbriskmanagement@hillingdon.gov.uk or call 01895 55666.

Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. 

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to:  

• coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)  
• psychological and/or emotional abuse    
• physical or sexual abuse  
• financial or economic abuse  
• harassment and stalking  
• online or digital abuse.    

If you are experiencing any form of domestic abuse our housing management services are here to help. In an emergency, always call 999.   

We will offer you support and advice, provide practical help and be sensitive and understanding when we discuss your housing and support options.

Grants of up to £30,000 are available for tenants who would like to take the next steps to home ownership. 

The grants are to be used towards the purchase of a property anywhere in the UK. 

To be eligible for the scheme, you must: 

• have held a secure tenancy 
• currently have a clear rent account   
• be able to provide a mortgage in principle certificate - this can be obtained by visiting your bank, building society or mortgage provider.       

Priority will be given to tenants occupying a property that has at least two bedrooms and living in overcrowded conditions.

If you're living in a property with more rooms than your household needs, the council can help you downsize to a smaller home.  

Whether you can no longer manage your home or afford unoccupied bedrooms, or just want to move to smaller accommodation, there are a variety of options available and financial incentive packages for eligible tenants, which can help with the costs of moving.

We are looking for more residents to get involved and help shape the services we deliver for tenants, including the information included in this email in the future.  

Residents' views and local knowledge are vital in helping us to understand your needs and priorities.  

We recently published our Annual Report 2022-23 and would also like tenants to share your feedback on it.  

On Thursday 13 June, we hosted a Tenants’ and Leaseholders’ Conference, which saw more than 100 residents attend in-person and more watching online at home.  

Don’t miss out on some of our upcoming events:

• Assembly for Older People, Tuesday 10 September, 1.30pm to 3.30pm at the Civic Centre. Book your place.

If you have any ideas on what information should be included in future editions of this housing newsletter for council tenants or leaseholders, then please complete our short feedback form.

You can also get in touch by emailing customerengagement@hillingdon.gov.uk or by phone 01895 277038.