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Beware of ‘no win, no fee’ claims for housing disrepair |
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We are aware that some of our tenants have been approached by companies encouraging them to make ‘no win, no fee’ housing disrepair claims against the council with the promise of compensation. In some cases, this has put tenants at serious financial risk.
If your house has fallen into disrepair through no fault of your own and we have failed to repair these faults you may have a claim - however we would encourage you to utilise our complaints process, or make a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
The Housing Ombudsman service is free and simple to use, independent of Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, unbiased, faster, and broader in scope than a housing disrepair claim - at no financial risk.
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New contractor to carry out tenant repairs |
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Starting on Monday 3 February, we're delighted to confirm that our new contractor, GAP Property Services, will be undertaking all housing repairs on behalf of the council.
While GAP will carry out repairs, the reporting process for repairs will remain the same for tenants, and you should still contact the council directly to report any issues.
Call (0116) 288 8961 during office hours, or call 0800 083 9695 for an out of hours emergency repair.
On selecting the repairs option, your call will automatically be directed to GAP who will book in the repair with you. Please be aware that members of the GAP team will always carry ID badges.
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We want to hear your views! |
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 Tenant Satisfaction Measures have been introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing in England to assess how well landlords are doing in providing good quality homes and services. These measures have been designed to drive up standards and improve the quality of social housing by ensuring housing providers are accountable for the services delivered to customers.
There are 22 measures. Ten of these measures come from information we hold in our systems on our operational activity and 12 measures come directly from our customer feedback obtained through tenant perception surveys.
The Tenant Perception Survey is now open for 2024-25!
Please take a couple of minutes to share your views – your feedback is valuable and will help us to shape and improve our future services.
Tenant and Leaseholder Report 2023-24
We have recently published and distributed our Tenant and Leaseholder Annual Report for 2023-24, which includes a summary of last year's Tenant Perception Survey results.
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Have your say at our Tenant Forum - and in this newsletter! |
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If you want to get involved with shaping and influencing the services, you receive why not join the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum?!
The Forum meets every quarter with the purpose of reviewing the Housing Team’s performance connected with the services that it delivers.
In addition to this, the Forum will also make recommendations as to what services the tenants would like to see being delivered. Most recently the Forum made recommendations for the door entry systems at Boulter Crescent, Elizabeth Court, and Bennett Way to be renewed.
For more information, please email: tenancy@oadby-wigston.gov.uk by 14th February 2025.
Contributions to this newsletter are welcome!
If you are a tenant and would like to contribute any information to our next tenant newsletter, please contact us at tenancy@oadby-wigston.gov.uk..
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Communal area clearance and bulky waste collections |
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Our Estates team are progressing with the clearing of communal areas. We want to thank all our residents that that have engaged and supported us with this important work so far.
We are doing this is to provide you with a safe place to live. For those areas that have already had notices served, we will now be moving into enforcement and any items removed will incur a charge to retrieve these back.
Additionally, flats frequently leaving items or general waste out in communal areas will be referred to the tenancy team for further action regarding breach of tenancy.
The clean up day held at Bennett Way
Don't leave your bulky items out in communal areas - book them in for a collection!
For a fee, we can collect bulky items:
Doors that form part of an item of furniture; lawnmowers; vacuum cleaners; domestic furniture; televisions; garden furniture; domestic carpets; beds; refrigerators; freezers or coolers (non-commercial); washing machines; tumble dryers or dishwashers; microwaves; three-piece suites; bags of smaller household items such as crockery, pots, and pans.
Those on certain benefits can apply for an exemption, which will then entitle them to two free collections during the financial year, with up to a maximum of four items on each collection.
To arrange a collection please contact Customer Services on 0116 288 8961
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Could you benefit from a mutual exchange? |
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 Mutual Exchanges allow our tenants to swap their property with another tenant to enable them to move to a more suitable property to meet their housing need - which may be quicker than the choice-based waiting list. The typical reason for moving is downsizing, overcrowding, receiving support, to be nearer to family or work and due to affordability, such as lower rent or not paying bedroom tax for an unused bedroom. You can swap with another council tenant or a housing association tenant.
Oadby & Wigston Borough Council subscribes to House Exchange, which is free for our secure tenants to use. Further information is available on www.houseexchange.org.uk.
Once you have found someone to exchange with, please contact the tenancy team who will explain the process to you in more detail. Please be aware that:
- You must apply to your landlord for permission to exchange
- Tenancy team will take you through the process of completing the exchange. There may be some situations when a mutual exchange may not be able to proceed
- You must not move until you receive official permission from your landlord
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Nesting boxes, wildlife gardens and Tree Management |
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As part of our commitment to tackling climate change, we will be looking to install bird and bat boxes and develop community gardens/orchards in housing greenspaces throughout the borough.
We are looking for suitable areas of housing land where these installations and wildlife gardens can be established.
If you are a council tenant and would like to nominate an area that would benefit from a bird/bat box installation, please contact estates@oadby-wigston.gov.uk.
Look out for our Tree Management Plan consultation
The Housing Team have prepared a Tree Management Plan for trees that are growing on housing land, and we are inviting tenants to give us your views and thoughts on this plan. The consultation will take place in February 2025 - keep an eye on our consultations webpage!
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Sign up for your free TPAS membership! |
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The council is a member of TPAS, who aim to promote, support and champion tenant involvement and empowerment in social housing across England. As our tenant you are eligible to join TPAS free of charge.
Benefits of membership include:
- Receive invites to TPAS virtual and in person roundtables, focus groups and workshops
- Participate in live free webinars and access pre-recorded member webinars
- Opportunities and routes to influence national policy
- Access to TPAS exclusive member Resourcehub for all engagement needs
- Newsletter to keep up to date with engagement news
- Advice on engagement issues via their enquiry service
- Attend free virtual and in person member only events throughout the year
- Access to tenant only online networking group to create engagement conversations across England
- Opportunities to share your experiences and opinions
- Chance to gain recognition and share what you are doing
- Opportunities to join the TPAS Board of Directors
- Voting rights at the TPAS Annual General Meeting
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Payment of rent is due on a weekly basis, in advance, as stated in your Tenancy Agreement.
There are several different ways available for you to pay your rent:
- By calling Customer Services on 0116 2888961
- Make a payment online on our website
- Set up a Direct Debit for 1st or 15th of the month (please contact the Income Team for further details)
- Set up a Standing Order (please contact the Income Team for further details)
- Take a copy of your rent statement with the Bar Code to any local shop which displays the Pay Zone sign
You can reach the Income Team by emailing incometeam@oadby-wigston.gov.uk
The income team are available to help. Please contact us as soon as possible if you are experiencing any difficulties regarding making your rent payment. If you fail to pay your rent, then your home may be at risk, and you may be evicted.
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The Right to Buy rules have changed |
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 The rules for Right to Buy changed on 21 November 2024, you can learn more about this on our dedicated webpage.
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Reminder - Aaron Services is now Sureserve Compliance Central |
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Don't forget that from 6 January 2025 our gas contractors have changed their name from Aaron Services to Sureserve Compliance Central Limited.
There is no change to how you contact them or the services offered, but you might notice contractors using the newly branded vans and uniforms, or a mix of both while they complete the transition.
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Between 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024, 29 properties became available for re-letting. Below is a breakdown of the bedroom size of these 29 properties:
- 13 x 1 bed sheltered accommodation
- 4 x 2 bed sheltered accommodation
- 3 x 1 bed general needs accommodation
- 5 x 2 bed general needs accommodation
- 4 x 3 bed general needs accommodation
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