Housing news: information for our tenants and leaseholders

Welcome back to our dedicated e-newsletter for council tenants and leaseholders.  

Since the last edition, we have been working hard to implement the new tenant satisfaction measures. These cover a range of areas, including repairs, building and safety quality and complaints handling, and give you the chance to tell us how we are performing and hold us to account. 

I would like to thank every resident that has signed up and been involved in our special interest groups so far. Your feedback is vital in helping us to shape our services.  

It’s important we recognise that last month, the Grenfell report was published. It was a tragedy that shook the country, but I want to assure you that the council is committed to keeping residents safe in their homes. We have a strong track record of prioritising fire safety in all our council-owned buildings.  

Our rolling programme of inspections and maintenance works take place to protect you and your neighbours. It’s vital that when these take place our teams or contractors are provided access.  

Finally, don’t forget to encourage your family, friends and neighbours who are tenants and leaseholders to sign up to this e-newsletter to receive the important updates. 

In September, the council maintained BM Trada accreditation for fire door maintenance. The certification is not a requirement but is a mark of excellence and competence in the field of fire door installation and maintenance.  

Our rolling fire door replacement programme has seen more than 4,700 new doors installed since 2017. If your door has not been replaced yet, you will be contacted when it is your turn for a replacement.  

There are simple steps you can take to keep yourself and your neighbours safe from fires.  

• Communal areas must be kept clear to allow for evacuation, this includes not leaving pushchairs, shoe racks, plant pots, bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters and rubbish outside your home. These items can act as combustible material that will fuel a fire.  

• E-bikes and e-scooters are a growing risk across London. It’s important to charge them correctly and spot the signs of a damaged or faulty battery. Read the London Fire Brigade (LFB) tips for correctly storing e-bikes and e-scooters. 

• Test your smoke alarms every week.   

• If you’re a landlord, LFB has a range of resources available on your responsibilities and how to support your tenants.  

Did you know that we can offer council tenants grants of up to £30,000 to help you buy your own home. 

The one-off lump sum payment can be used to assist you to buy a property anywhere in the UK. 

To be eligible for Hillingdon's Cash Incentive 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. 

Last year, social housing landlords were required to start collecting data regarding tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs) to continue to improve standards for residents and highlight how landlords are performing. 

There are 22 TSMs which performance is measured against, 12 of which are tenant perception measures and 10 management information measures. 

Tenants can see how the council is performing as your landlord and hold the council to account. The regulator can also see if improvements need to be made.    

During 2023 to 2024, the council carried out surveys with residents in a variety of ways. The survey closed on 31 March 2024.  

Previously, we used two different systems for residents to apply for housing assistance and homelessness support.  

We are now using the Locata system for all types of housing assistance. 

We have made the changes so that we are able to ensure all our systems are integrated and for the ease of use for our residents.  

If you previously registered for housing advice on Jigsaw (before 1 April 2024), your case has automatically been moved to Locata and your caseworker will be able to assist you with your login details.   

Please do not use any old links to the Jigsaw system as it is no longer in use or monitored.

During the colder months, condensation can become a major problem in homes across the country.  

As the temperature drops inside your home, the amount of water the air can hold falls and tiny droplets of water form on colder surfaces such as walls, windows and hidden surfaces where there is little air movement. 

If left, this moisture can develop into black mould which over time can damage your home and sometimes cause health problems. It’s important to ensure your home is ventilated properly, especially when cooking, bathing, and showering.  

Our Damp and Mould handbook provides you with a useful prevention checklist on how to deal with condensation and prevent mould from developing. 

Mould should not reappear once you resolve the causes of condensation. If you are a council tenant and continue to have problems, you should request a non-emergency repair.

Following your feedback at the Tenants’ and Leaseholders’ Conference in June, we hosted two special interest group (SIG) meetings for neighbourhood management and repairs. Thank you to everyone who attended, these groups are a key part of our commitment to provide you with more opportunities to engage with us and shape our services. The remaining groups will look at caretaking and grounds maintenance, policy and procedures, and compliments and complaints. If you would like to join a SIG email customerengagement@hillingdon.gov.uk. 

As part of our commitment to being open, accessible and accountable, we are hosting a Meet the Managers event to give tenants and leaseholders the opportunity to ask questions directly to service managers.  

Meet the Managers will take place on Thursday 5 December, at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. Due to venue capacity, spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Book your place.

For more information, contact the customer engagement team on 01895 277038 or email customerengagement@hillingdon.gov.uk. 

We realise that sometimes things can go wrong. If they do, we want to hear from you so that we can put them right and learn from what has happened. You will not be treated less favourably if you decide to complain, and your complaint will be dealt with in confidence.