The Rent Service are here to help and support our residents to pay their rent and sustain their tenancies. We can only do that if you contact us if there is a problem.

Below, are some examples of how we have helped some of our residents.

A single mother with 5 children had been in 10 different Temporary Accommodations since 2008, and had suffered from domestic violence and mental health issues. A Specialist Support Officer contacted the resident and supported with a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) application and income maximisation. The DHP application was successful and rent arrears of over £400.00 were cleared. After doing benefits and entitlement check, the residents monthly income increased by over £970 per month. This was due to underlying entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), plus other benefits

Another family had their rent arrears of over £7000.00 reduced. We did this by supporting them to claim backdated Universal Credit by managing to get the bedroom tax removed and support with a PIP application

More recently, the Rent Service has dealt with an increased number of residents who are suffering from extreme mental distress, including threats of self-harm. As difficult as those calls and emails are, our team of officers always show empathy and understanding, and deal with each case on an individual basis. Referrals for both internal and external support are available, and offered on an ongoing basis

In the last six-months, and by utilising various funding streams available to us, we have awarded more than £190,000 to assist over 1500 households. This has included help with fuel and housing as well as essential items such as food and clothing.

If you need help and are struggling to meet your rent payments, in the first instance, contact the Rent Service on 020 8708 7676, or email rent.earlyintervention@redbridge.gov.uk

We are here to help.

If you are in debt to your energy supplier, you may be eligible for a grant to help pay it off. 

Please see below details of energy company trust funds which may be contacted for assistance. 

• British Gas Energy Support Fund - apply for a grant on the British Gas Energy Trust website
• Scottish Power Hardship Fund - apply for a grant on the Scottish Power Hardship Fund website
• Ovo Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the OVO Energy Fund website

• E.ON Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Energy Fund website
• E.ON Next Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Next Energy Fund website

• EDF Energy Customer Support Fund - sign up to the priority services register to apply for a grant on the EDF Energy website
• Bulb Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the Bulb Energy Fund website
• Octopus ‘Octo Assist Fund’ - apply for a grant on the Octopus website
• Shell Energy Support Fund - apply for help on the Shell Energy website

If you can’t get a grant from your supplier, you might be able to get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust. These grants are available to anyone - you don’t have to be a British Gas customer.

We advise that you get debt advice before applying by visiting: Get help if you can't afford your energy bills | Ofgem

Damp and mould in your home can be very unpleasant and in some cases can cause health problems. 

There are 3 main causes of damp and within properties

• penetrating damp
• rising damp
• condensation, leading to mould growth.

Condensation is by far the most common cause of damp and mould within properties, particularly during the winter months.

Tenants in Private or Temporary accommodation

For tenants in private rented or temporary accommodation please visit our pages here for further information on how to spot damp and mould and what steps to take, as well as who to contact should the problem reoccur

Tenants in Council accommodation

For tenants in council accommodation please refer to repairs handbook here which provides you with information on how to prevent and spot mould in your home and who to contact should the problem reoccur.

Water damage in your home and in some cases costly if you don't have the correct insurance.

To avoid unnecessary water damage:

• Make sure you know where the stopcock is, and that it works when you leave, the home for any length of time in the winter months (for example to go on holiday), turn off the water system and drain, unless you are leaving the central heating on.
• Check radiators and pipes regularly for signs of damage.
• Lag any exposed water pipes and tanks (for example in a roof space).
• Do not insulate under a water tank, as this may cause the water to freeze.
  Should your pipework show signs of freezing, thaw out slowly. Do not use a blowlamp or other naked flame.

Take steps to prevent water damage in your home. Use a price comparison website to find the best insurance deal for you. 

What to do if you are unhappy with our service

If you wish to talk about a problem with your housing you can speak to one of our friendly neighbourhood officers. We will try and resolve matters promptly and prevent them from escalating. You can do this by telephoning our duty line on 020 8518 2400. 

If you wish to make a complaint, you can inform one of our team, although the quickest and easiest way to make a complaint is by completing the online complaints form.  

Did you know you can contact the Housing Ombudsman at any time for support in helping to resolve a complaint?  The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law and is free, independent and impartial.

For advice and help to find a resolution you can contact the Housing Ombudsman at any time whilst your complaint is going through our complaints process, although the Ombudsman cannot make a formal decision on a case at this stage.

More information about the Housing Ombudsman, including contact details can be found on the Ombudsman Website.

In June of this year, we self-referred ourselves to the Social Housing Regulator.

Since June, there has been a concerted corporate effort to address the concerns raised by the Regulator. Examples of the work we have been doing and completed include: 

• Obtaining a better understanding the current condition of our blocks through updated surveys and inspections;
• Updated our policies and procedures around the key areas of concern to ensure that we robust policies and procedures in place;
• Carried out Fire Risk Assessments on all blocks with remedial actions implemented where required;
• The replacement of  front entry doors, initially on those blocks that are over 11 metres and a contract for the replacement of 595 tenanted doors.
• Inspected all our blocks around electrical safety and have completed remedial works where required.
• Rolling out Health and Safety training for all relevant staff;
• We are introducing a new compliance system – True Compliance – to hold and report on compliance data. The new system will be going live from November;
• Ensuring that there are external validation and checks in place.

We've received positive feedback following our most recent meeting with the Social Housing Regulator, and to date made excellent progress on our journey to full compliance. 

A full report will be submitted to Cabinet and made available on our web pages at the start of new year.

We are preparing for the introduction of new regulation that has been introduced to help tenants and landlords gain a better understanding of how well their services are performing in comparison with other providers. These new measures are called the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)  and will be introduced from 1 April 2023.

The aim of the TSMs is to provide tenants with greater transparency about their landlord’s performance, and we will provide access to data about the quality of the services we deliver to you.  Information will be collected through an annual survey that will ask how satisfied you are with:

1. Keeping properties in good repairs,
2. Maintaining building safety,
3. Providing respectful and helpful engagement,
4. Effective handling of complaints, and
5. Responsible housing management

Feedback from the TSM survey let us know where you are not satisfied and will help us prioritise areas of our service for review and improvements.

The introduction of TSM’s will require us to:

• Collect and report performance against the TSM measures from 1st April 2023
• Annually submit our performance against the TSM’s to the Regulator for Social Housing from June 2024
• Annually publish our performance against the TSM’s including how we meet the regulators requirements from September 2024.
• Ensure the data is accurate, reliable, valid, and a transparent reflection of our performance against the TSM’s

Whilst the focus of the new TSM’s is only on tenants we have always collated and analysed data by all residents including tenants and leaseholders. We will therefore continue to report resident satisfaction broken down by our tenants and leaseholders.

Our first TSM survey will be carried out in June 2023.

Phase two of the affordable homes programme is well underway as we continue to make headway on our commitment to build 600 new affordable homes for rent on existing estates by 2024.

Work at Shakespeare Square and Heathcote & Glade Court is progressing according to schedule, meanwhile work at Little Gearies started in November. Torrington Road and Avenue Court are currently going through procurement to appoint a contractor. 

We are in the process of building a new, online portal, where our tenants and leaseholders will be able to access information regarding all of the Affordable Homes Sites, including site updates, timelines and much more. We hope to be able to publish the portal in the next  edition of Housing News.

Over the next three months the council is consulting on proposals to renew selective licensing in the borough. We need your views to help us continue with making real improvements to rented homes and properties.

Our aim is to ensure that all  private rented properties are safe and well managed, providing us with your feedback via our online questionnaire will help us to better understand how and where we can make a difference.

To complete the online questionnaire visit:

Redbridge Selective Licensing Consultation 2022

Redbridge Council is asking local people help it develop a new five-year housing strategy and action plan. 

We need to determine how our housing services will be shaped over the next five years, and we would like local people to give us their views on four key areas.

1. Increasing the Supply of housing
2. Housing & Homelessness
3. Improving the Quality of Homes
4. Putting residents first 

To find out more about the housing strategy and how you can take part in engagement around it, please visit https://engage.redbridge.gov.uk/housing-strategy, open now until the closing day for responses on 10 March 2023. 

The digital portal is now available for council tenants to report a repair in their home, provide details of this and arrange for the work to take place on a date and time that is convenient to them.

You can report your repair on the main housing page of our website.

Once you have booked your appointment you will receive confirmation.  You will also receive a text message the day before the appointment to confirm.

If you need help navigating this new way to report your repair you can contact us on: 

Tel : 020 8708 4002.

Please remember to reuse or recycle your Christmas wrapping this holiday season using the recycling facilities on your estate. 

If you have any bulky waste, furniture or white goods to dispose of, you should:

• Take it to the Reuse and Recycle Centre in Chigwell Road, Woodford Bridge IG8 8PQ 0800 389 9918.
•  Arrange for a Free Bulk Waste Collection through the councils Cleansing Department:  https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/book-it/  

Or by calling 020 8554 5000  TCL Reuse, Uphall Road, Ilford,  or The British Heart Foundation on 0808 250 0030                   

Alternatively, you can contact Housing Services and make arrangements for a collection if you require assistance: housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk

Or call: 020 8518 2400 to speak to a member of our Customer Services Team.

As a resident you pay for the cost of removing any bulky or fly tipped waste dumped on your estate; please let us know if you are aware of anyone fly tipping or dumping waste in your area. 

During the Christmas and New Year period the Orchard Housing Office and Lynton House will be closed on 26, 27 and 28 December 2021, and on Monday 2 January 2023.

The Orchard Housing Office is currently operating on an appointment only basis and remains closed to the public.

To book an appointment to meet with housing staff, please email the Housing Enquiries Team or call 0208 518 2400. If you are a leaseholder, please email the Home Ownership Team.

We wish you a good holiday and a happy new year.