The festive period often comes with the pressure of creating the perfect holiday cheer, leaving families in debt after the season is over.The temptation to defer paying your rent during this period can lead to devastating consequences. Please don't ever risk your home. 

Here are a few simple steps on how to maximise your income and keep on track with your spending this festive season: help and support page

• Prioritise rent and essential payments
• Take advantage of local resources and grants
• You can visit the Debt Advice Hub at Redbridge Central Library 
• The NHS Healthy Start scheme offers food vouchers for eligible parents
• Switch to cheaper energy tariffs
• Reach out to us at rent.earlyinterventionteam@redbridge.gov.uk if you are in debt or have concerns about rent arrears 
• Set yourself a budget and stick to it
• Where possible, talk to family and friends for support

If you need to report a non-emergency repair, you can now go to our online Repairs Portal and make an appointment for an in-home repair. 

Arrange for repairs to your kitchen or bathroom, heating system, damp and mould, leaks, windows, and more. On the day before the appointment, a confirmation text will be sent to your mobile phone.

You can access the repairs portal by using the link below or by selecting 'Report a Council Housing Repair' on the main Housing page of www.redbridge.gov.uk

Emergency repairs can be reported by phone 24 hours a day at: 0800 393 994 / 020 8498 8000.

From September 2023 to September 2024, our repairs contractor Mears, attended over 1600 drainage jobs!

Drainage jobs can cause significant disruption, many of our residents contact us to resolve or fix reoccurring issues

From the feedback we have received, residents are keen to understand ways that they can avoid reoccurring drainage problems.  Below we've listed our top five tips to help keep your drains in good working order. 

Top tips to unblocking your drain: 

• Use a drain guard outside to prevent leaves blocking the drain
• Use a sink guard over all plug holes in your kitchen and bathroom
• Never wash fat or other food products down the kitchen sink.
• Regularly clean drains with boiling water
• Never flush and items other than toilet paper and human waste down a toilet

If you have a blocked drain, please report this to our Repairs Portal.

Protect your broadband account from hackers. Hackers can find ways to access your WiFi connection if your PIN and password details are not securely kept.

Using a neighbour's unsecure wifi without their knowledge, is known as piggybacking. Piggybacking is a criminal offence and  could lead to criminal charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 or the Communications Act 2003.

To protect your devices from hackers, ensure your details are kept secure, particularly if anyone enters your home. If possible, place your router in the centre of your home and always hide your pin codes from view. For more information on how to protect your WiFi connection visit the Met Police page here 

Work is well underway with our digital infrastructure partners, Openreach and Community Fibre, to install high-speed Full Fibre broadband across social housing homes.

Full fibre uses fibre-optic cables, rather than the old-style copper wiring used in standard internet services, providing access to fast, reliable internet speeds allowing you to enjoy gaming, video calls and viewing television services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video across multiple devices at the same time without disruption to your connection. 

Over 900 properties will benefit from full fibre connections as part of the next phase of our digital roll out across the borough. On completion of works, residents can place an order with a chosen internet provider to enjoy a better broadband service.

All residents will be contacted by letter prior to any work starting on your home. 

Co-creation is Housing’s new approach to engagement, where residents are part of the service improvement projects from start to finish. Our first co-creation project has focused on how we can improve the way we handle anti-social behaviour as a landlord.

The project is in its final stage, and work on the action plan is commencing. We are currently updating our antisocial behaviour policy and procedure and upgrading our IT systems to ensure that the process of handling antisocial behaviour runs more smoothly.

If you are interested in participating in a co-creation project in the future, please contact our Co-Creation Officer on lorna.biddell@redbridge.gov.uk or 0208 708 2532

Over the last few months, we have handed over 47 properties at Little Gearies and 29 at Heathcote & Glade. These new properties have welcomed in 76 families into their new, permanent homes. 

As we get closer to the end of the year, our staff are busy preparing for the remaining 69 properties across Little Gearies,  Budoch Court and Heathcote and Glade Court to be handed over by the end of January.

We also look forward to the completion of the new homes at Loxford Lane and Suffolk Court in late 2025.  For the latest information on our Affordable Homes Programme, please visit our page here 

Electrical Testing:  If you purchase a second-hand electrical item you should make sure that it has had a recent Portable Appliance Test (PAT) to ensure it's safe to use. This test checks the appliance for any electrical faults that could pose a safety risk, helping to prevent potential hazards, such as electric shocks or fires.

To get a PAT for a second-hand appliance, you can hire a qualified electrician or other professional to perform the test. To find out more about which appliances qualify for a PAT, click the button below.

Getting in touch just got easier.

Our contact page on Let’s Talk Redbridge includes contact details for each service team. Housing Officer names are arranged by street address and there is a link to the Home Ownership team email address.

We've also included a link to our Repairs Portal, getting help with your benefits and how to request aids and adaptations to your home.  For general enquiries please email housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk

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

If you wish to make a complaint about your housing or repairs services, you can inform one of our team, although the quickest and easiest way to make a complaint is by completing the online complaints form by pressing the button below. 

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. More information about the Housing Ombudsman, including their contact details, can be found on the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman Website.