Tenant News
 Have your say on our new tenant engagement strategy
 We’re launching a new Tenant Engagement Strategy, setting out how we’ll listen to, involve, and work with tenants to shape the homes and communities where you live.
The strategy is being co-produced with tenants and Sandwell Community Information and Participation Services (SCIPS), and we’d love to hear your views.
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Get involved:
🗓️ Consultation closes 28 November 2025 – don’t miss your chance to have your say!
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Meet the Tenant Engagement Team
 The Tenant Engagement Team are on the road again to meet tenants and leaseholders as part of their six-town winter tour of Sandwell. This is a great opportunity for them to listen to tenants and resident’s views and to let them how they can get involved to ensure the tenant and leaseholder voice is heard.
Issues raised from the summer tour included: housing service queries, welfare support, and anti-social behaviour related concerns.
If you would like to get involved, then please visit the Tenant Engagement webpage to find a way that suits you or come along to any of the upcoming events across the six towns of Sandwell. Find out more about our events – feel free to come along to any of our events, no matter which area you live in.
Sandwell Hosts Future of Social Housing Event
We were delighted to be invited to host a joint event with the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The MHCLG approached TPAS to help organise a series of regional roadshows designed to engage directly with tenants across the country on several important consultations shaping the future of social housing.
Our event took place on Thursday 4 September, at the Gayton Road Community Centre in West Bromwich, right here in Sandwell.
The session focused on several key consultation areas currently under review, including:
- Social Housing Renewal (Delivering a Decade of Renewal)
- The Decent Homes Standard
- Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES)
- Rent Convergence
It was a fantastic opportunity for tenants to share their views and hear directly from representatives from both TPAS and MHCLG. Ten of our tenants attended the session, joining others from across the West Midlands to take part in discussions, ask questions, and contribute their valuable insights on issues that directly affect their homes and communities.
We’re proud to have hosted such an engaging and informative event, and we’d like to thank everyone who took part. Events like this truly highlight our ongoing commitment to meaningful tenant engagement, ensuring our tenants have a real voice in shaping the future of social housing.
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 Don’t let your GOOD recycling go to WASTE
We are still getting wrong items being put in the recycling (blue lid) bin with items such as, black bin bags, plastic carrier bags, hard plastics and food waste. These items CANNOT BE RECYCLED in your blue lid recycling bin, and when this happens, whole loads can be rejected, meaning good recycling goes to waste.
Black bags, hard plastics, textiles and polystyrene and food waste need to go in the non-recycling (grey) bin. However, food waste can be recycled in the food waste (brown) bin – residents can subscribe to receive weekly food waste collections for free online.
Paper and card recycling
All paper and card must be separated from other recycling and put in the recycling (blue) bag.
Residents must remove any tape, polystyrene and plastics and fold up cardboard so it can fit blue bag.
Any large pieces of cardboard that do fit in the recycling (blue) bag need to be folded and flattened so they can fit in the transfer bin.
If large pieces of cardboard are not presented folded and flattened these will not be collected. See below example of how cardboard side waste should be presented on collection day.
 Report a missed bin via MySandwell
If your bin has not been collected – please check if it has been tagged as it may be due to the wrong items being put in the bins/bags. You can report missed bins via MySandwell form online.
Sandwell Council wins Gold Award for Animal Welfare
 We’re proud to announce that Sandwell Council has been awarded Gold for Housing in the RSPCA PawPrints Awards 2025, recognising our outstanding commitment to animal welfare and pet-friendly housing.
This prestigious award celebrates our proactive approach to supporting pet owners, promoting responsible ownership, and ensuring animals are safe, healthy and well cared for in our communities.
A special congratulations to Cllr Richard Jeffcoat, Independent Councillor for Tipton Green, who has been honoured with the RSPCA Massingham Advocacy Award for his exceptional work championing animal welfare as part of our Animal Welfare Taskforce.
With Cllr Kerrie Carmichael, Leader of Sandwell Council, also among the first recipients of this national advocacy award in 2024, we’re proud that two of the first six winners come from Sandwell!
Find out more
Lancaster House Tenant Resident Association Coffee morning raises hundreds of pounds for Macmillan
On 13 September, the Lancaster House Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) hosted a wonderful Macmillan Cancer Care Coffee Morning for residents, friends, and family, and it was a huge success.
The event brought the community together over plenty of delicious homemade cakes (perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth!) and endless cups of tea and coffee. The friendly atmosphere and generous spirit made for a memorable morning.
Over the course of just two hours, with help from a fun raffle, the group raised an impressive £240 on the day. Thanks to additional donations from those who couldn’t attend, the total climbed to an amazing £502.50, all for a very deserving cause.
A big well done to the Lancaster House TRA for their fantastic effort and community spirit.
Have you been fundraising or holding events in your neighbourhood that you’d like to celebrate? We’d love to hear from you, share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future newsletter.
Email: Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537 (leave a message and we’ll get back to you).
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Staff Spotlight: Madhu’s Kindness Makes a Difference
At Sandwell Council, teamwork and compassion are at the heart of what we do, and sometimes, a colleague goes the extra mile to make a real difference.
For this edition, Olivia Richards, from our West Bromwich Housing Team, wanted to share her appreciation for her colleague Madhu Sohanpal, whose kindness and willingness to help have truly stood out.
Olivia told us that: “Madhu is so helpful and always willing to lend a hand, nothing is ever too much for her!”
Earlier this year, Olivia visited a tenant who is living with cancer and struggling with a damp home that was making her health worse. Madhu joined the visit to help translate and ensure the tenant could fully explain her situation and understand the support available.
“Madhu’s help made all the difference,” says Olivia. “Her ability to translate and communicate with care meant we could provide the tenant with the service she truly needed. I couldn’t have done it without her, and I know the tenant would agree.”
Since that visit, Madhu has continued to offer her time and language skills to help other tenants, making sure everyone feels heard and supported.
Madhu is a true asset to the team, and her kindness reminds us of what a difference empathy and teamwork can make.
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Introducing Awaab’s Law – New Rules for Safer, Healthier Homes
We want to let you know about an important new law that’s been introduced to help keep social housing safe and healthy.
From 27 October 2025, new rules called the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 came into effect, you may hear these referred to as Awaab’s Law.
 Awaab’s Law sets clear, legal standards for how social landlords must respond when issues like damp and mould are reported in homes. Under this law, landlords must:
- Assess the problem within strict time limits
- Keep tenants updated about what’s being done
- Complete repairs within legally defined deadlines
These new rules are designed to make sure that health and safety problems like damp and mould are taken seriously and resolved quickly.
Together, we can help make sure every home is a safe, comfortable place to live.
Find out more about the damp and mould policy. Find out more about the damp and mould policy.
HOUSING UPDATES: What we are doing
REPAIRS
1.📱 Our Repairs Text Number has changed
We like to keep you in the loop about any changes to our services.
The number we use to send you text updates about your repairs has now changed.
If you already receive texts from the Repairs team at Sandwell Council, you will notice they’ve started arriving from a new number.
✔️ The new number is: +44 (0)7418317365
Please don’t worry if you notice the change, the texts are still from us, if they are from this number.
2. Backlog Repairs Contractor doing a great job
We are pleased to report that Seddons, who are carrying out the backlog of repairs, are on the ground working with tenants. Here is a text they received from a satisfied customer.
 If your repair has now become urgent or poses a health and safety risk, please contact us immediately on 0121 569 6000.
How to report a repair
Online: Use the MySandwell portal to report and track repairs.
Phone: Call 0121 569 6000 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday only
You can find out how to report an emergency repair, in the Tenant Handbook
Emergency out-of-hours: Call 0800 844 112 for urgent repairs when our offices are closed.
Stock Condition Survey: What happens next?
 Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our Stock Condition Survey so far. We’ve now completed approximately 14,000 (about 50%) . Your support is helping us build a clear picture of the condition of homes across Sandwell and plan for future investment.
Now that surveys are well underway, here’s what happens next:
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Continue surveys across remaining homes – Our survey teams will keep visiting properties to make sure we have complete and up-to-date information.
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Complete analysis and 30-year planning – The data collected will be used to assess the condition of our housing stock and plan long-term investment priorities.
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Share findings with tenants and councillors – Once analysis is complete, we’ll share results and discuss what they mean for future improvements.
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Inform investment and funding – The survey results will guide how we invest in our homes and help us secure funding to deliver improvements.
This important work will help ensure that every home is safe, well maintained and energy efficient, supporting our commitment to provide quality, affordable housing for all residents.
Don’t forget if you get a letter about a check or a repair – you need to let us in...
A big thank you to all tenants who have already given us access for our recent inspections. Your cooperation allows us to complete these vital checks quickly and effectively.
If you haven’t yet been able to provide access when requested, we kindly ask for your support. Allowing us into your property for these assessments is not just a requirement, but a key step in keeping you safe. These inspections help prevent hazards before they become problems and ensure that your home meets the highest safety standards.
Together, we can make sure every home is a safe home.
GET INVOLVED: How you can make a difference
As we look to improve our services, we will provide regular updates on our progress through our website, through this tenant newsletter and tenant community meetings and forums.
To help us further improve our housing services for you, you can help us by:
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Reporting issues straight away: If you have outstanding repairs or notice new issues, please report them as soon as possible so we can address them promptly.
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Staying informed: Keep up to date with our progress and any changes that may affect you by regularly checking our communications. You can also request our communications in different formats through the Sandwell Council website.
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
This year’s tenant satisfaction survey is currently underway. The survey is an opportunity to have your say on the housing services we provide. The findings will assist us in improving the quality of services we deliver to our tenants.
Acuity Research & Practice Ltd, an independent market research company, are conducting surveys to a random sample of tenants and leaseholders on our behalf. If you are selected to take part, Acuity Research & Practice Ltd will contact you by telephone or via an online invite in the form of an email or SMS.
If you’re asked to take part, please give your honest views and opinions. Your feedback helps us to improve our services to you.
The results of the satisfaction survey will be published on our website and in future editions of our Annual Report for Tenants. We’ll give a summary in the next Tenant Newsletter too.
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Tenant Audit Group Update
The Tenant Audit Group have been hard at work, holding us to account and identifying where improvements need to be made.
Their audit on repairs complaints has just been signed off as complete, which included 30 recommendations including making it easier for you to report a repair online and making sure our performance reporting is easier to understand.
The recommendations in their ASB audit Housing Registrations and Bidding are being worked on, ahead of them starting on their next audit, which will focus on our response to damp and mould.
The Tenant Auditors are looking for new members to support the work they’re doing. Training can be provided, and your involvement can be arranged around any other commitments you have.
If you’d like more information, please contact the Tenant Engagement Team at: Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537 and leave a message. A member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Tenant Data Project
We’re looking for tenants to get involved in an exciting project focused on improving the quality of tenant data. This is a chance to help ensure the information we hold is accurate, useful, and respectful of everyone’s needs.
We’re especially keen to hear from tenants who have experience or interest in areas like data or digital services. However, you don’t need to be an expert, if you’re curious, thoughtful, and want to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.
Your insights will help us challenge assumptions, spot gaps, and make sure our data works for everyone.
If you’d like more information, please contact the Tenant Engagement Team at: Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537 and leave a message. A member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Together, we set the standard!
We’re looking for passionate tenants to help shape the future of our housing services.
Join our new group and work with us to refresh our Housing Teams service standards, the promises we make about how we deliver our services.
You will get the chance to:
- Work with us and other residents to make sure our standards are clear, fair, and meaningful
- Share your ideas and experiences to help us see things from a resident’s point of view
All you need is an interest in improving where you live. While not every change will be possible, your voice will help shape how we work and communicate with tenants in the future.
And this isn’t just a one-off. There may be opportunities to stay involved, helping us check that we’re keeping these promises and continuing to review and improve our standards over time.
If you’d like more information, please contact the Tenant Engagement Team at: Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537 and leave a message. A member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Tenant and Leaseholder Scrutiny Group
Sandwell Council are recruiting tenants and leaseholders to sit on the scrutiny group to be part of Sandwell housing services improvement journey.
If you are passionate about your neighbourhood and can represent the interests of fellow tenants and leaseholders, get in touch.
If you are interested in applying or want further information, email: Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537.
Induction and training will be provided if you are successful.
Want to get involved?
If you’d like to learn more about Tenants and Residents Associations and how you can take part, please contact the Tenant Engagement Team at Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 2537 and leave a message. A member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
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