Changes to our services, what we're doing to look after council tenants and the employees that carry out our services, guidance for tenants living in flats or sheltered housing.
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Changes to services from May 2021
We're continually monitoring and adapting our services to ensure that we follow government guidance.
It may mean that some services will be provided differently during this time, to ensure we keep you, and our employees, safe.
As restrictions ease, services that were paused during lockdown are restarting. However, we do have some backlogs which means some things may take longer than usual. Thank you for your patience and cooperation while we resolve this.
Home visits
Some services will be delivered by phone call. When this is not possible, we will make sure that home visits are carried out safely.
If you're expecting a home visit, we'll contact you before the visit, where possible, to let you know what to expect.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you must tell us before we visit or when we arrive so that we can rearrange the appointment.
Things that may be different when we visit:
- Staff will assess any risks before visiting, and may not be able to carry out visits or repairs if they are unable to do so safely.
- Depending on why we are visiting we may ask if we can talk to you at the front door or via the intercom, rather than coming into the property.
- We would ask that you stay at least 2 metres away from staff, or depending on the situation, we may ask you to open windows or wait in another room.
- In some situations staff may need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
Our services
Clear COVID-19 procedures
We have put in place clear procedures for our teams to enable them to work safely and provide services during the pandemic.
Repairs, maintenance and home improvements
We will prioritise the backlog of repair requests from last year.
Services are returning to normal, but as some work was paused during the last lockdown we're expecting there to be high demand for inspections and repairs.
Planned maintenance and improvements
Our planned maintenance and replacement services are returning to normal service.
We will prioritise the backlog of work from last year and will start contacting residents affected.
Our safety checks continued throughout the last lockdown, but work needing access inside homes such as replacement kitchens, heating and windows programmes were affected and will start up using safety guidelines.
Paying your rent
If you're having problems paying your rent call us on 0117 922 2200 and we'll do all we can to help. Our phone lines are open 8.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
HomeChoice
Our HomeChoice lettings service will continue with safety procedures in place.
Caretaking and cleaning
Our caretaking and cleaning services continue with a particular focus on high-touch areas such as handrails and door handles
Home adaptions
We continue to support home adaptions, but there is likely to be a delay with installing some home adaptations due to the level of work coming into the team.
Tenants living in blocks of flats or sheltered housing schemes
From 17 May, coronavirus restrictions are easing (GOV.UK).
You should continue to take extra care when using shared facilities:
- Only use communal laundry facilities during your allocated wash times.
- Be considerate when using lifts.
- Avoid gathering in communal areas and follow social distancing guidelines.
- Don't use community rooms.
Remember the risks of close contact may be greater for some and the actions you take can help to keep you and your neighbours safe.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.