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Safe Homes, Great Neighbourhoods, Happy Families!

We know that as the colder months approach it is important that we talk to you about your home. With the wintery weather just around the corner we want to talk to you about how we can prevent some of the well-known issues that families up and down the country face every year.

Our priority is to work with you to take the right action, at the right time to keep you and your loved ones safe, so that you are able to live happy and well in your home. To do this we need your help!

Working together with you to tackle Damp and Mould

We know that we have talked to you before about damp and mould. But this is a really important issue. Making sure that your home is safe, dry, and warm this winter is our priority. So, our message to you is simple.   We want you to be confident that You know what Damp, Mould and Condensation is - Check out our Damp, Mould and Condensation Leaflet2 You know what you can do in your home to try and help avoid or manage it – Check out our Damp and Mould webpages You are absolutely sure about how you, your friends and neighbours can quickly report any issues to us Here’s what we need from you To report any issues in your home as soon as possible To provide as much detail as possible including any health or vulnerabilities that you or your family may have Report through our Damp and Mould Helpline on 0114 2735555 and select option 2 Use the quickest way to report – online! Tell us what issues you face, including the option to upload photos by clicking this link Report damp and mould Our commitment to you We will Keep You Safe - We have a dedicated team who are identifying and fixing the potential causes of damp and mould. We will take action to resolve your issues as a priority Listen and Act - we encourage you to report damp and mould that is present in your home. We will use this and other information about our homes to identify homes that are more likely to suffer from damp and mould. We will use this information to target future spend to resolve issues

Gas safety checks

As your landlord, keeping you warm and safe in your home is our biggest priority. An important part of that is making sure that your boiler and other gas appliances are working properly. We need to work together with you on this.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

There are approximately 4000 attendances at accident and emergency departments in England each year, over 400 of these lead to admission to hospital and there are approximately 30 accidental deaths per year from acute Carbon Monoxide poisoning in England and Wales.

We promise that we will:

• Inspect your boiler, and any other gas appliances in your home, every year
• Contact you in advance to let you know when we will be visiting your home to carry out the inspection
• Rearrange the appointment if the date and time we offer you isn’t convenient
• Provide additional support to any tenant who needs help to understand why the inspection is important

We need you to please:

• Let us into your home when we call to do your gas safety inspection
• Inform us of any problems with your gas or gas appliances, so we can visit and put them right
• Contact us on 0114 273 5555 if the appointment slot we have given you isn’t convenient, so that we can rearrange it for you

It’s a two-way commitment!

Carrying out annual gas safety checks is our legal duty as your landlord and letting us into your home to do these is your responsibility as part of your tenancy conditions.

If you are not home when we arrive for your gas safety appointment, or you do not let us in to do the checks, we will try again to make another appointment with you. 

It costs the council approximately £180,000 per year in missed appointments.

If we try three times without success to enter your home, we will need to begin legal action to make sure we can keep you and your home safe from the danger of faulty gas appliances.  This is expensive and time consuming for you and for us, and for the vast majority of tenants is never needed.

However, if you are in the very small minority of tenants who for whatever reason don’t want to let us into your home to do these vital checks, please contact us to discuss your concerns rather than simply refuse to let us in.  We can provide reassurance, additional information and support for anyone who needs it.

Keeping all of our tenants safe in their homes is our number one priority. An unserviced gas boiler could lead to a serious incident resulting in possible injury or death. Please let us in your home to service your boiler and help us keep everyone safe

We can and will take legal action wherever necessary, as these checks are legally required to protect you and those around you.

You can read more about our gas safety work here: Gas safety checks and heating problems | Sheffield City Council Or contact us on 0114 293 0000 if you would like any more information.

Fire safety over the colder months

Fire safety is important all-year round, but here are some tips and guidance which are particularly relevant over the coming winter months:

Do you have a tumble dryer?

Tumble dryers are great when it’s cold and rainy, and you really need to get that school uniform or work shirt dried! But if they aren’t regularly cleaned, the excess lint can build up over time and catch fire.

So please make sure to regularly clean your tumble dryer and empty out the lint tray to avoid any build up. Also, avoid leaving it running when you’re asleep or out of the house - and store any flammable items well away from it.

Are your escape routes clear?

During winter months it’s easy for us all to end up with piles of winter coats, wellies, scarves, hats and gloves – especially in the hallway or on stairs.  Cluttered homes can make safe evacuation harder in the event of a fire, and can block exit routes. It can also help fires to spread more quickly.

So please make sure that your doorways, stairways and other exit routes are kept clear

Do you have a chip pan?

Nothing beats home-made ‘proper’ chips on a cold winter’s day.  It’s best to use a thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer where possible, but if you still use an older-style chip pan here’s how to use it safely:

• Never fill the chip pan more than a third full of oil
• Never leave it unattended, it only takes a second for something to go wrong
• Make sure that the food is thoroughly dry before placing it in the oil.
• In case of a chip pan fire, don’t try to move the pan and never throw water on the pan as it could explode. When it’s safe to do so, call 999 and ask for the Fire Service.

Stay Warm, Live Well in your Home

Being cosy and warm at home is so important to you and your family. So doing everything you can to keep you and your loved ones warm and living well in your home is really important.  Here are our tips to help you stay warm this winter.

• Layer Up – If you are feeling the cold then adding extra layers of clothing always helps. Have a think about putting on another layer before you turn the heating on or up to start with. And remember, adding more thinner layers keep you warmer than one big layer (or Christmas jumper!)
• Release the Radiators – Your radiators provide all of the heat in your home. Rooms will not warm up or stay warm for longer if they are covered by furniture. So, check your radiators are clear and feel the difference  
• Let there be Light - During the day make sure you open your curtains to allow as much natural light in. That winter sun is really good at warming up your home and also helps with your mental health and wellbeing during the winter months. As daylight fades then close your curtains and cosy up to keep the heat in
• Keeping all Rooms Warm - If there’s a room you don’t at all or little then turn down the radiators and pull the door in, but don’t fully close it. This will let heat and air flow around your home, preventing cold spotting and possible build-up of mould
• Rember, Remember, 19 Degrees - We recommend that you keep your thermostat at 19°C. If you have health concerns, are elderly or have small children in the house, do don’t go below 19°C
• Overnight Heating - Turn the heating down overnight, and when no one is in the house. Having just a small amount of heat means your home stays warm. And your heating doesn’t have to work as hard when you come back, shortening the amount of time your boiler is on for
• Turn Down not Off - Use (thermostatic) radiator valves to turn down radiators in rooms not always used. Don’t turn off radiators fully because this could reduce the flow in the whole system. This makes your system less efficient costing more to heat and working harder to keep you warm

If your water or radiators stop heating up, follow the advice here: Gas safety checks and heating problems | Sheffield City Council

We know that UK Government recently announced changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, replacing it with a means-tested benefit which may be causing you financial hardship. For more information and to check your eligibility to make a claim please read our recent communication - Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Payment

We Need You - if you have family members, friends or neighbours please support and encourage them to take these steps to stay warm this winter. And, if you believe you do, or know people who may qualify for the additional support then please do encourage them to make a claim.

Working with us to keep you Safe

We work hard to keep you safe but you have an important role to play too.

• It's important you get in touch to report any concerns to us - Request a Repair
• Keep fire doors and your front door closed and never wedge them open. If doors don't close properly, it's important you let us know as soon as possible
• Keep exits clear of obstructions so that you can escape quickly and easily in an emergency
• Place your rubbish in the allotted bin rooms, rubbish chutes or in the external bin areas. Never place rubbish in the communal corridor, it may cause or be used to start a fire or block escape routes
• Give us access to your home to complete any building safety repairs or checks. We’ll always arrange an appointment and let you know when this will be. We'll also need to inspect your front door once a year by law.
• Hold a valid home contents insurance policy to protect your belongings in the event of an incident.

Listening to your views and acting on them

From time to time, you will be asked how satisfied you are that we keep you informed about the things that matter to you. The Your Home, Your Neighbourhood Bulletin is one of the ways that we keep you informed.

In this Winter Special Edition, we have touched on how we are committed to providing you with safe, quality homes by tackling damp and mould, keeping you safe through essential annual gas checks and sharing our plans to better understand what your home needs so that we can plan our capital investment.

Your satisfaction is important to us, so please do ensure that you take all opportunities to get involved in helping us in building “Great neighbourhoods that people are happy to call home”.

Contacting us

Don’t forget you can get involved in the Homes Panel and High Rise Forum which are the go to place for tenants and leaseholders to influence the services you receive and help shape them for the future.

We want to hear from you about how we are doing and what we need to do to improve the safety and quality of your home. So, take a look, come a long to a meeting, post a comment on the forum or contact us now to get involved – We Need You!