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In response to Government advice relating to coronavirus, we introduced a number of changes to our services to make sure we minimised risks to the health and safety of our customers and staff, whilst also trying to continue to deliver our services to you. For many of the Housing and Neighbourhood services we provide, this has meant only being able to deliver the most critical parts of those services. We have been working hard to start to reinstate these services where it is safe to do so. This week's bulletin provides some more information about this.
Choice Based Lettings (CBL)
We suspended the advertising of properties through our Choice Based Lettings (CBL) system in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. We did this in order to focus on prioritising those who needed to move urgently. However, as the Government's guidelines have relaxed over the past couple of weeks and months, we have been looking to resume the allocation and letting of social housing in accordance with social distancing guidance.
We are now able to provide further details on our plan to resuming letting properties through a phased approach. We reopened the Sheffield Property Shop website for bidding on the 3rd September for some of our Housing Association partners to begin advertising their properties. We can now announce that we will advertise the first of our properties from 17th September 2020.
In order to support the return of allocating and letting our properties, a number of other services will also resume at the same time. These include mutual exchanges and inspections when existing tenants either give notice on their tenancy or move to another Council property. Whilst these services will be resuming, they may operate differently and/or take us longer than normal. We have therefore created a 'What to Expect' page here which provides some guidance on what to expect when bidding for Council accommodation. This page will be kept updated with new information so please ensure that you check this regularly if you are looking to move home.
If you have a priority to move urgently, your priority awarding officer will be in contact with you shortly to explain how the resumption of our services will impact you.
Housing register review
As explained above, due to Covid19 we have temporarily stopped people bidding for properties through our Sheffield Property Shop website during recent months.
To make sure customer details are up-to-date for when bidding re-starts, we are reviewing applications on the housing register. This will ensure customers can bid for properties and will be matched to the right ones.
Soon we will write to all customers on the housing register asking them to log in and confirm their details are correct. The letter explains how to complete the renewal for 2020/21 - taking the current measures into account – and confirms that customers will need to do this every year on the anniversary date of their application.
Customers have 28 days to action and confirm their details. If they don’t, we will cancel their application and they won’t be able to bid for properties, also losing any waiting time they have accrued to date.
We will continue to offer help and support to our vulnerable customers, who can call us on 0114 2930000.
Improvements to your home
In response to Covid-19, we paused some of our home improvement programmes. Some continued at a reduced level including external adaptations, external wall insulation and emergency heating breakdowns.
All work has been carried out with health and safety the top priority. We have liaised with our contractors to ensure employees have the right equipment and adopt safe working practices, at a safe distance from others.
We have continued to acquire new homes and complete any improvement work needed so we have more accommodation for people in Sheffield.
Work to refurbish garages and complete work to the Hanover tower block has begun and we have made a very good start with the electrical upgrade work. In the last 4 weeks we have upgraded 139 homes and the work has gone very smoothly due to the planning that has been done.
We are working towards restarting internal adaptations work to homes, and will be speaking directly to affected customers before any work start. Thankyou for your patience.
A new contractor will shortly start work on minor demolitions to outhouses and garages.
Plans for roofing replacement work to begin at the end of the year are well advanced; you will be contacted beforehand if this affects you.
For more information call us on 0114 2930000
Permission to make alterations to your home
Due to the challenges created by Covid-19 we have struggled to meet our targets to process permission applications over the past weeks and months. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding and patience throughout this difficult period.
We are now just about back up to speed, with only a small backlog of cases. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have been restricted with carrying out site visit assessments and inspections. However, this hasn’t stopped us! Many tenants have been providing photos allowing us to discuss applications over the phone. We’ve been doing this wherever possible, and many tenants have told us this is better and more convenient to them.
If you have made a request for an alteration to your property and haven’t heard back from us please don’t hesitate to get in contact and we’ll make every effort to get your application moving along as quickly as possible. Email us at repairspolicy&improvementsteam@sheffield.gov.uk or call 0114 293 0000.
Private Housing Standards
The Private Housing Standards team (PHS) are continuing to carry out investigations and inspections of private rented properties where there is an emergency related to disrepair or illegal eviction and it is safe to do so.
Non-emergency inspections have now resumed, and officers are reviewing open cases where an inspection was not possible due to the cancellation of non-emergency work, and will contact affected parties accordingly.
As always, private landlords remain legally obligated to ensure properties meet the required standards, and should keep up to date with government guidance and any changes to the law.
Landlords are still responsible for submitting Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) application forms on time, preferably scanned and emailed to phs@sheffield.gov.uk
HMO licence inspections resumed on 1st September 2020. Some licences will be issued on the basis of information provided at application, without a pre-licence inspection being carried out. In these situations, applicants will be contacted by an officer as additional information will be necessary.
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the delivery of HMO services which has led to delays in the processing of HMO licence applications. We are working hard to keep the disruption to a minimum and will provide a service update on our HMO web pages in the coming weeks.
We are rolling forward any Snug properties which are expiring until we can re-inspect.
For advice you can call us on 0114 273 4680 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 5pm and Fri 9am – 4.30pm) or email phs@sheffield.gov.uk
Great British Spring Clean!
We are calling on all residents to support a national campaign in a bid to help clean up Sheffield communities.
As part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British September Clean, we will be offering support to those who want to make a difference to litter levels this month, with a focus between the 11th – 27th September.
Contacting us
As we’re sure you’ll understand, we are prioritising urgent and serious situations so only call us if this applies to you. Please bear with us if it takes longer than usual to answer your call.
There’s lots of information about our services online. Don’t forget you can still pay your rent, check your rent balance and set up a Direct Debit (the easiest way to pay your rent) on our website.
You can email us here, write to us (Housing and Neighbourhood Service, PO Box 5967, Sheffield S2 9GH) or follow us on Facebook for the latest updates.
Our Housing Offices remain closed until further notice.
Keeping up to date
We are continuing to work on bringing back our services in full. We will only do this when it is safe to do so.
Find out about the latest changes to services on our website. We will continue to send you fortnightly bulletins with the latest news and information you need.
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