Tenantshandbook

Durham City Homes

Tenants Handbook

Contents G

Welcome and introduction ..............................................................................................................3

Section 1 - About your tenancy ........................................................................................5 G Moving into your new home ..........................................................................................................6 G Your tenancy ............................................................................................................................................12 G People living with you ......................................................................................................................16 G Ending your tenancy .........................................................................................................................17 Section 2 - Money matters...................................................................................................19 Your rent and other charges.......................................................................................................20 G Help paying your rent .......................................................................................................................23 G Problems paying your rent ..........................................................................................................24 G

Section 3 - Looking after your home......................................................................25 G Maintaining your home ...................................................................................................................26 G Right to repair .........................................................................................................................................28 G Repairs you have to pay for .......................................................................................................29 G Planned maintenance (Decent Homes) ...........................................................................30 G Energy saving .........................................................................................................................................30 G Home improvements ........................................................................................................................31 G Contents insurance ............................................................................................................................33

Section 4 - Home safety ..........................................................................................................35 G Gas safety .................................................................................................................................................36 G Solid fuel appliance safety ...........................................................................................................37 G Electrical safety .....................................................................................................................................38 G Asbestos .....................................................................................................................................................38 G Condensation problems .................................................................................................................39 G Fire awareness ......................................................................................................................................39 G Security ........................................................................................................................................................41

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Section 5 - Living in your neighbourhood ...............................................................43 G Being a good neighbour ........................................................................................................................44 G Anti-social behaviour ...............................................................................................................................44 G Communal areas .........................................................................................................................................46 G Gardens ..............................................................................................................................................................46 G Rubbish ...............................................................................................................................................................47 G Pets ........................................................................................................................................................................48 G Parking.................................................................................................................................................................49 G Garages ..............................................................................................................................................................49 G Running a business from home .....................................................................................................50

Section 6 - Getting involved ......................................................................................................51 G Involvement menu......................................................................................................................................52 G Tenant involvement points scheme (TIPS) ...........................................................................53 Section 7 - Moving on .........................................................................................................................55 G Durham Key Options (DKO) ..............................................................................................................56 G HomeSwapper ..............................................................................................................................................57 G Right to buy......................................................................................................................................................58 G Leaving us - your obligations ............................................................................................................58 Section 8 - Support from us and our partners .................................................59 G Additional support we offer .................................................................................................................60 G Support from the County Council ..................................................................................................61 G Support from our partners ...................................................................................................................64 Section 9 - About Durham City Homes .......................................................................67 G The homes we manage .........................................................................................................................68 G Our vision, objectives and values .................................................................................................69 G How we are governed .............................................................................................................................70 G Local service standards ........................................................................................................................71 G Complaints, compliments and suggestions ..........................................................................72 G Equality and diversity statement ....................................................................................................74 Section 10 - Index ...................................................................................................................................75

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TenantsHandbook

Welcome and introduction

Welcome to your Tenant’s Handbook, the first for all tenants who live in properties owned by Durham County Council and managed by Durham City Homes.

You told us that you wanted us to provide you with information that you need, now and again, to answer the questions that you may have about being a tenant of Durham County Council. We hope your Handbook does this.

Your Handbook goes with your Tenancy Agreement and we recommend that you read them both together.

We have also provided you with a number of other useful booklets in your Handbook pack.

These include your: G Tenant’s repair handbook G Local service standards booklet G Money matters booklet G Tenant and leaseholder involvement compact.

Inside each of these you can find lots of useful information and advice. We have also included a ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’ where you can find the contact details of the different services and partner agencies we refer to in your Handbook.

We hope you enjoy reading your Handbook and the booklets included in this pack. If you require any of the other booklets or leaflets we refer to in your Handbook, please get in contact with us. Please keep your Handbook safe as you may need to refer to it in the future.

From time to time, we may send you updates to keep with your Handbook.

Your Durham City Homes Team

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Section 1 About your tenancy G G G G

Moving into your new home Your tenancy People living with you Ending your tenancy

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Moving into your new home

Before you move into your new home there are a number of things that we do to make sure the experience is as enjoyable and stress free as possible.

However, there are lots of things you need to do and think about to make sure things run smoothly and that you get off to the right start.

Before you move in we ensure that: G Your Housing Officer meets with you to explain what you can expect of us as your landlord and what we expect of you as a tenant of ours.

G Your new home meets our ‘Lettable Standard’ – this means that your home will be in a good state of repair with possibly only minor repair works being required when you move in. Please ask your Housing Officer for a copy of your ‘Lettable Standard Booklet’ if you have not already received one.

G We talk to you about any help and support you may need as a new tenant and agree with you any referrals that you may want us to make to support agencies, or others that may be able to provide you with help.

G Any concerns that either you or we have are resolved as smoothly and quickly as possible.

We ask you to ensure: G You understand what is expected of you as a tenant, including your responsibilities (and ours) as set out in your Tenancy Agreement. This is one of the most important documents you have as a tenant.

G You move into your new home on or before your tenancy start date – if you don’t, this may affect any benefits that you are claiming or wanting to claim.

G You plan your new move carefully and let us know when you think things are not going right. We will discuss any concerns or issues with you and try and sort these out as soon as possible.

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Planning your move There are lots of people, companies and organisations that may need to know that you are moving and there are endless tasks that you need to plan before the big day.

Apart from arranging for the basic things like the gas, electricity and water to be turned on, there are other things that you need to think about, like: G sorting out any benefit entitlements G arranging insurance cover for home contents G finding a new doctor and dentist (if necessary).

The list goes on‌ In order to help you plan your move we have provided a checklist (over the page) with some useful advice and information to help you on your way. Make sure you keep this in your Handbook – it may come in useful if you need to check anything in the future.

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Things you need to know and do:

G

Gas and Electricity

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Utilities:

G

G

G

G

Water

8

Moving home checklist

G

G

Your Notes

Meter readings: Check where the meters are and take the readings Gas: straight away.

Contact the supplier to let them know you are moving in. Electric: If you do not know who the supplier is you can contact ‘Uswitch’ who will tell you who your supplier is.

Contact our Repairs Service to arrange for the gas to be reconnected and for any gas appliances to be checked.

Water meter reading: Your water should already be on. During the winter we drain down systems – again, you need to contact Date: our Repairs Service to arrange for the system to be refilled – don’t try and do this yourself.

Some homes have water meters fitted – your Housing Officer would have already told you if your home has a meter.

Unless you have a water meter the cost of your water bill is collected with your rent. If you have a meter you will need to contact your local water supplier to arrange payment.

Make sure you know where the stop valve is – you may need it in an emergency.

Date: Date:

Other services:

G

You need to make sure that you have a valid licence in place.

You may want to think about contacting Royal Mail to have your post redirected from your old address.

Mail

You need to arrange for this to be installed yourself using your preferred supplier.

G

Insurance

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G

People & Organisations

TV Licence

Phone

Things you need to know and do:

G

We strongly recommend that you take out Contents Insurance – you are not covered by the Council for any loss that is not our fault. The Council have a low cost scheme in place – see section 3.

There are a whole range of different agencies and companies that you have to contact to let them know that you are moving – make a list and work through them, we have started you off…

Council Tax Housing Benefit Doctors

Your Notes

9

Things you need to know and do:

Keys

G

Fire Escape

Central Heating System

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Around the home:

G

G

G

Bins

G

Check that you have all the right keys for all your doors, including any outbuildings Check that you have keys or entry codes for any shared doors.

Make sure you know how the system works – if you have any questions contact your Housing Officer.

Make sure you plan your escape route in the event of a fire. You may also want to think about get some fire safety advice from the Fire and Rescue Service.

We will make sure that you have a bin for your rubbish – however, if this is lost, damaged or stolen then it is up to you to pay for any replacement.

Your Notes

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Others

Others:

Your tenancy

Your Tenancy Agreement is an important legal contract. It sets out your rights and responsibilities as a tenant as well as the County Council’s responsibilities as your landlord. It is important that you understand the information included in the Agreement. If you have any questions or do not understand anything included in it, please contact your Housing Officer for advice.

Most tenants of Durham City Homes either have an Introductory or Secure Tenancy.

Introductory tenancies Almost all new tenants are given an Introductory Tenancy which lasts for a period of 12 months. During this time you need to show that you have: G kept to the conditions set out in your Tenancy Agreement G paid your rent and any other charges on time G looked after your new home G not caused any problems for your neighbours or the community.

As an introductory tenant you have similar rights to that of a secure tenant.

However, you do not have the right to: G buy your Council home G take in lodgers or sub-let part of your home G swap (exchange) your home with another tenant G make improvements to your home G assign (pass on) your tenancy.

If we have any concerns about your tenancy we can extend the introductory period for a further six months. In situations where problems cannot be resolved and where we have evidence that you have breached your Tenancy Agreement, we can serve you with a ‘Notice to Quit’ the tenancy. We can do this for problems like: G none payment of rent G causing problems for your neighbours G not looking after your home G causing anti-social behaviour.

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We will make every effort to resolve problems with you before we get to this stage.

If we serve a ‘Notice to Quit’, you have the right to a review of this decision. You have 14 days from the day we serve the notice to request a review, full details of how to do this are included with the notice. The review is undertaken, within 28 days, by an officer that was not involved in the decision to serve the notice. If the notice is upheld we can then proceed to court. The court has no option, provided the action we are taking is reasonable and proportionate, but to return the property to the Council. We will also ask the court to make an order for you to pay our legal costs back to us.

After 12 months, if we have not started any legal action against you or extended the period of your Introductory Tenancy then it will become a Secure Tenancy.

Secure tenancies Security of tenure means that you can live in your home for as long as you want provided that you keep to the terms set out in your Tenancy Agreement. We can only end your tenancy if a court agrees to give us possession of your home. Again, we will make every effort to resolve problems with you before it gets to this stage. If the court gives us possession of your home we will also claim our legal costs from you.

As a secure tenant you have the right to: G security of tenure G take in lodgers G sub-let part of your home G assign (pass on) your tenancy G swap (exchange) your home with another tenant G buy your home G repair G make improvements to your home G be consulted.

You can find out more about your rights throughout this handbook and in your Tenancy Agreement.

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Demoted tenancies If you are a secure tenant and cause or allow persistent anti-social behaviour at your home or in the surrounding area, we can apply to court to have your secure tenancy reduced to a demoted tenancy.

If the court decides to demote your tenancy, it will last for one year. During this time you will not be able to buy or exchange your home with another tenant. At the end of the year your tenancy will revert to a secure tenancy unless we have already started legal proceedings against you to take possession of your home.

Joint tenancies Joint tenancies are granted to allow two or more people to have equal rights and responsibilities for the home. Any adults sharing the home can be given a joint tenancy irrespective of the relationship between them, for example, a married couple may be given a joint tenancy, or a brother and sister, or friends.

Joint tenancies are usually granted at the time you are allocated your new home, but we will consider applications after this for people who: G get married G enter into a civil partnership G live with you as your partner.

We will only consider changing your tenancy to a joint tenancy after you have lived with this other person for at least 12 months. Joint tenancies will not be granted for any other people once your tenancy has started, for example, we would not grant a joint tenancy for a member of your family that lives with you.

The rules in relation to joint tenancies are not straight forward and if you are having any difficulties with the other tenant then you should talk to us or seek independent advice as soon as possible. A few things to be aware of: G You all have equal rights to stay in the home – if the relationship(s) break down you may need to ask a court to decide who gets the tenancy – we cannot do this.

G If one tenant terminates the tenancy, this automatically terminates the tenancy for all parties.

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G

If one tenant moves out (without terminating the tenancy) you need to let us know immediately so that we can decide if the tenancy should be changed.

Succession of tenancy When you die, your tenancy may be passed to certain other people, this is called a succession of tenancy. The following people can be considered to succeed a tenancy: G a surviving joint tenant G your partner – provided that they lived at the property with you as their main home for at least 12 consecutive months before your death G another family member who lived with you - provided that they lived at the property with you as their main home for at least 12 consecutive months before your death.

The person wishing to succeed the tenancy must apply to us, in writing, within one month of your death. There are a number of things we need to look at before we decide to grant the succession, these include: G if the tenancy has been inherited by anyone else in the past as the law only allows one succession to take place G if the property meets the successor’s needs.

If we decide to refuse the succession we will explain why and we will help any remaining members of the household to find alternative accommodation.

Assignment of tenancy This enables you to pass your tenancy on to someone else, with our agreement. There are only three situations where we will consider an assignment to take place, these are: G if you want to pass your tenancy on to someone who could be legally entitled to succeed the tenancy after your death G if a court decides the tenancy should be transferred G if you are exchanging homes with another tenant.

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People living with you

Lodgers A lodger is someone who lives at your home but does not have sole use of any part of the house, except for a bedroom. You can take in lodgers as long as you do not allow your home to become overcrowded.

You should think carefully about taking in lodgers, you must get written permission from us, and inform Housing Benefits and Council Tax if you do decide to take in lodgers.

Sub-letting part of your home This enables you to rent part of your home to another person as long as you have our written permission to do so.

Again, think very carefully about sub-letting part of your home and you must inform Housing benefits and Council Tax if you decide to go ahead. You cannot sub-let the whole of your home.

Things you need to remember:

If you take in a lodger or sub-let part of your home you are still responsible for: G complying with the terms of your Tenancy Agreement G their behaviour and that of their visitors G paying the total rent due and any service charges due to us G making sure they move out when your tenancy ends G notifying the relevant agencies that they have moved into your home e.g.

Housing Benefits, Council Tax and Department of Social Security.

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Ending your tenancy

You can end your tenancy by giving us 28 days written notice. If you leave the property before the 28 days is up, we will still charge you for the full 28 days and you will not be able to claim housing benefit from the date you left up to the termination date.

The 28 days notice period can be reduced by us if: G you are moving to another Council home G you are swapping (exchanging) home G you are, in your capacity as next of kin, terminating the tenancy on behalf of someone who has died.

In exceptional cases, we can end your tenancy by:

Serving you a Notice to Quit if you are an Introductory Tenant: G The notice will clearly set out the grounds on which we are seeking possession of your home and which terms of your Tenancy Agreement have been broken.

G You have the right to request a review of our decision to serve the notice within 14 days of it being served. An officer not involved in the case will conduct the review within 28 days.

G If the review determines the notice should not have been served, you will be able to stay in your home. If the notice is upheld we can proceed to court.

G The court has no option, provided they consider the action to be reasonable and proportionate, but to order you to leave the property.

The court will decide a date for this.

Serving you with a Notice of Seeking Possession if you are a Secure Tenant: G The notice will set out the grounds on which we are seeking possession of your home and which terms of your Tenancy Agreement have been broken.

G Once the notice has been served, after 28 days, we can apply to court for possession of your home, but if the problems stop then we may not have to do this. The notice remains valid for 12 months.

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G

The court will determine if the Council has sufficient grounds to ask you to leave your home. The court has various options available to it including ruling: - That there is not enough evidence to proceed.

- That there is good evidence and a strong enough reason to tell you to leave your home but that you will be given another chance to put things right. If this happens the court usually gives us a Postponed Possession Order. This allows us to go back to court to ask for you to be evicted from your home if you do not put things right.

- That the case is severe enough to award an Immediate Possession Order. After this is awarded the Court Bailiff will write to you with the date by which you must leave.

We only take court action as a last resort and we ask that you work with us to try and resolve issues that may arise during your tenancy with us. If you are served with a notice of any type, you would have already had numerous opportunities to talk things through with us and put things right.

If you do get a notice, we suggest: G you read it very carefully G you come and talk to us immediately G you seek advice from a solicitor or legal representative G you seek support from the Citizens Advice Service.

Further information can be found in Sections 1 to 4 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 2 Money matters G G G

Your rent and other charges Help paying your rent Problems paying your rent

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Your rent and other charges

Your rent We use your rent to pay for the costs we incur for managing and maintaining your home as we do not get any money from anywhere else to do this. It is therefore very important that you pay your rent on time.

How your rent is set There is a national formula which the government introduced in 2001. This is based on the average local earnings and the property values. There is also a factor which takes into account the number of bedrooms. Contact us if you would like to find out more.

Service charges Some tenants receive extra services for which a charge is made, these appear as separate items on your rent account. These could include charges for: G cleaning communal areas G gardening services.

Other charges Other charges may also be collected for: G water rates G warden services G heating and hot water G furniture G contents insurance G garage rent G rechargeable repairs.

At the start of your tenancy we will give you a rent statement detailing the amount of rent and other service charges which you have to pay to us.

Every year (before 1st April) we will give you at least 28 days notice of any rent and/or service charges due to us for the coming year.

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How to pay your rent and other charges Rent is paid a week in advance and is due on (or before) Monday of each week. We provide a wide range of payment methods that suit your needs:

Direct Debit This is a regular payment from your bank account to us.

It’s easy to set up and we give you 14 days notice before the first amount is debited from your account.

There are many benefits of paying your rent this way: G no cheques to write, or stamps to buy G saves you time – no standing in queues G ensures your rent is paid on time G we give you an immediate refund if things go wrong G you remain in control, being able to cancel the agreement at any time G it is automatically updated by us each year, there is no need for you to do anything G it is the lowest cost way to pay your rent.

Contact us for a form to pay by direct debit.

Credit or debit card Through our automated telephone payment system you can pay your rent using these cards. Please note a 2% charge will be made for payments made with a credit card.

Our automated telephone number is: 0845 835 0120.

By post Please make cheques payable to Durham County Council and write your rent account number on the back. Send your payment to: Durham County Council, Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 238, Stanley, County Durham, DH8 1FP. Please do not send cash through the post.

Online You can pay online at www.durham.gov.uk, follow the links to the online payments page.

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By internet banking If you bank online, you can pay your rent through your bank. Our details are: Account number: 61646092 Sort code: 08 90 70

Please make sure you quote your rent payment account number.

PayPoint Take your rent payment card to any shop or Post Office with a PayPoint facility. You will need to pay with cash and it takes about 2 days for the payment to appear on your rent account. Please contact us to find your nearest facility.

Please contact us if you would like to talk to us about the best available option for you to pay your rent.

Rent Statements We will send you a rent statement every three months. This provides a breakdown of the amount of rent you owe and the amount you have paid for the quarter. If anything on the statement looks wrong please contact us immediately to discuss your concerns.

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Help paying your rent

Housing Benefit If you are on a low income you may be able to claim housing benefit to help with your rent. The amount you may be entitled to depends on a number of things, including the amount of income you have, the amount of savings you have and your family circumstances.

You can claim housing benefit by: G contacting our Customer Services Team who will help you make a claim G use the Council’s online facility at www.durham.gov.uk/benefits We can arrange for someone to visit you at home if you are housebound.

If you need help or advice regarding your benefit entitlements, you can also contact the Citizens Advice Service who will be able to help.

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Problems paying your rent

We understand that from time to time there may be genuine reasons why you may not be able to pay your rent. But not paying your rent is a serious matter and is the most common reason for people losing their home. As soon as you know you are going to have problems paying your rent you should contact us immediately to discuss this.

We will: G discuss the situation to help understand why the rent has not been paid G make an arrangement with you to pay back any rent owed to us G offer advice on the best ways to pay your rent G check if you are entitled to housing benefit and arrange for you to see a Housing Benefits Officer G help you get debt counselling or advice on money management G help you get advice about any other benefits you may be able to claim G give you our ‘Money Matters Booklet’ which provides lots of useful information and advice about managing your money better, pointing you to other organisations that can provide help. (A copy of this is included with your Handbook).

We ask that you: G listen to the advice we give you G stick to the agreed plan to pay back the money you owe us G seek independent advice if you think you need it G contact us immediately if any new problems arise.

What happens if I do not pay my rent?

You could lose your home, but we do not want this to happen. If the advice and support we have given you still results in you not paying your rent then we will apply to court for possession of your home.

Whilst you owe us rent money you will not be able to move to another Council home and we have an obligation to disclose your arrears to any other Council or Registered Provider you apply for housing with.

Further information can be found in Section 5 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 3 Looking after your home G G G G G G G

Maintaining your home Right to repair Repairs you have to pay for Planned maintenance (Decent Homes) Energy saving Home improvements Contents insurance

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Maintaining your home

The responsibility for maintaining your home is a joint one; we are committed to maintaining your home to the best standards we can but, at the same time, we ask that you take some responsibility for looking after your home.

Repairs handbook Included in this pack is your ‘Repairs Handbook’. It contains lots of useful information about: G how to report repairs G repair responsibilities G repair timescales G how to identify problems.

Please take time to read your ‘Repairs Handbook’ as it may prove useful in an emergency. We have summarised some of the main areas you need to be aware of below.

Our main responsibilities include maintaining: The external structure, including: G drains, gutters and external pipes G roof coverings G outside doors and windows G chimney stacks G original footpaths and steps G brickwork, external cladding and rendering G boundary walls, fences and gates – owned and fitted by us.

The internal parts, including: G electrical wiring, sockets, switches and light fittings G sanitary ware G kitchen cupboards and worktops G central heating system G cold water system G walls and ceilings G roof space and insulation G doors and door furniture G staircase and handrails G floorboards and screeds.

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Check your ‘Repairs Handbook’ to find out more information about what repairs we do.

Your responsibilities include: G decorating the inside of your home G electric bulbs, light tubes and plugs G plugs and chains to sinks, basins and the bath G keys G hat and coat hooks and rails G toilet seat and covers G door bells G battery operated smoke detectors G minor plaster cracks to walls and ceilings.

Check your ‘Repairs Handbook’ to find out more information about what repairs we do – the above list is just a snapshot.

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Right to repair

If you are a secure tenant, we have a legal duty to carry out certain repairs within specified timescales. This duty forms part of the Government’s ‘Right to Repair’ scheme.

The table below shows which repairs qualify under the Right to Repair scheme and the number of days we should complete these repairs in. To qualify for the ‘Right to Repair’ the cost of the works must not exceed £250.

Qualifying repair

Total or partial loss of gas supply Total loss of electric power

Days 1 1

Unsafe power or lighting socket, or electrical fitting

1

Leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern

1

Total loss of water supply

1

Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack, or (where there is no other working toilet in the house) toilet pan

1

Blocked flue to open fire or boiler

1

Partial loss of electric power

3

Insecure external window, door or lock Partial loss of water supply

Total or partial loss of space or water heating between 30th April and 1st November

Toilet not flushing (where there is no other working toilet in the house) Blocked sink, bath or basin Tap which cannot be turned

Loose or detached bannister or hand rail Rotten timber flooring or stair tread Door entryphone not working

Mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen or bathroom not working Leaking roof

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1 3

3 3 3

3 3

7

7

7

If we fail to carry out these repairs within the specified timeframe, you can ask us to get another contractor to do the repair for you. If this contractor fails to carry out the repair, you can ask us to pay you compensation.

We may pay you £10 compensation and, for every extra day you wait, you will get another £2. The most compensation we will pay you for any one repair is £50. If you owe us money, we will deduct your compensation from the money you owe us. We will not pay compensation where we have not been at fault e.g. if you failed to keep your repair appointment with us or if your utility supplier was responsible for your loss of service e.g. electricity power cut.

Repairs you have to pay for

Most of the repairs we do in your home are paid for through your rent.

However, there may be times when you have to pay for repairs to be done.

This could include you paying for us to: G put right any damage that you, someone living with you or visitors to your home have caused by their negligence G put right any faults or damage that cannot be regarded as fair wear and tear G put right any unsatisfactory alterations that you have made to your home (either with or without you asking for our permission to do the work) G replace any appliances, furniture, carpets or curtains provided by us which you or others have wilfully damaged G put right any repairs which are your responsibility.

We will: G give you the opportunity to talk to us about how the damage occurred G ask you to put right the damage to a standard agreed by us G give you adequate time to put things right – if you do not do this we can give you notice that we intend to enter your home to carry out the repairs G write to you to explain why you are being charged for the repairs, with the amount you have to pay back to us G ask that you check with your personal contents insurer to see if you are able to claim back the cost of the repairs from them.

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Planned maintenance (Decent Homes)

In March 2011, all the Council owned homes in Durham City met the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. This means that your home must have reasonably modern facilities, be warm and weatherproof.

Maintaining this Standard involves us periodically carrying out a wide range of works to the homes we manage including renewing: G kitchens G bathrooms G roofs G doors and windows G electrical wiring G central heating.

When you signed your Tenancy Agreement, your Housing Officer would have told you if any of these works are due to be undertaken at your home. Our Decent Homes team will be in touch with you at least three months ahead of any works being done. You will also be given a comprehensive ‘Decent Homes Information Pack’ which tells you everything you need to know about the proposed works to your home.

Energy saving

When you sign for your tenancy we will give you an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your home. This Certificate sets out what our accredited energy assessor thinks you could do to make your home more energy efficient. We will talk to you about this and what we can do to help.

Reducing the amount of energy you use could not only save you money but it could also help the environment.

We will make sure: G your roof is insulated G your doors and windows are weather tight G your heating appliances are in good working order G the valves on your radiators are working correctly.

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We ask that you: o G consider turning your central heating thermostat down by just 1 C – this could reduce your fuel bill by 10% G check the controls on any electric storage heaters are set properly G think about closing your curtains at night – it can reduce heat loss though your windows G turn off lights when you leave a room G fit low energy bulbs G don’t leave your fridge door open G don’t put hot items in the fridge G defrost your freezer regularly.

Home improvements

You are able to make improvements, alterations and additions to your home as long as you have our written permission and you get any necessary Planning and/or Building Control consents.

You need permission for things like: G laying laminate flooring G fitting a new kitchen or bathroom G erecting a television aerial, radio mast or satellite dish G putting up any structure like a porch, conservatory, shed, garage or greenhouse G installing hard standing areas G installing fencing, walls and gates G painting the outside of your home.

This is just a few examples of the type of work you need our permission for. To avoid any disappointment at a later date, it’s important that you speak to us before you start any improvement works at your home.

If the works are not completed to a satisfactory standard, determined by us, then you may be charged for us to put things right.

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Home improvements compensation When you leave your home you may be able to claim compensation for any home improvements that we have given you written permission to do.

When your end your tenancy with us you should talk to us about any claim that you wish to make.

To make a claim for compensation you must write to us within 14 days from the date your tenancy ends.

You need to tell us: G what improvements you wish to claim for G how much each improvement cost G if you got any financial help to do the improvements G the date the improvement work started and the date it was completed G the cost of the materials (we will need a copy of the bill you paid) G the cost of labour (we will need a copy of the bill you paid) G who carried out the works.

We will: G take account of any grants or other financial assistance you received to do the improvements G judge any compensation on the quality of the improvements taking account of their age and condition G pay up to a maximum of ÂŁ3000 per improvement (we will not pay for any improvements costing less than ÂŁ50) G let you know the outcome of your claim as soon as possible.

If you are not happy with the amount of compensation offered or if we decide not to pay you any compensation you can ask us to reconsider this decision.

However, we suggest that you seek your own independent advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Service first.

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Contents insurance

We are happy to put things right when they go wrong, like fixing a leaking pipe or repairing a fault on a socket. But what we cannot do is to pay for any loss that you may have incurred as a result of the fault. This could be damage to decoration or your personal belongings.

We strongly recommend that you take out your own home contents insurance to cover any damage or loss that you incur. You should also make sure you are covered for any theft and other damage.

There are lots of companies on the market and you should shop around to make sure you get the right cover that meets your needs. To make life easier for some tenants we provide home contents insurance in partnership with the Royal & Sun Alliance.

We think the scheme offers good value for money and the weekly charge is paid alongside your rent (if you join the scheme).

The insurance cover includes: G new for old policy G cover for your freezer contents G garage and outbuildings contents (on the same site as your home) G accidental cover for TVs, videos and aerials G loss of keys and money G no requirement to have special security measures fitted G no excess for you to pay if you make a claim G a 24 hour helpline.

Please contact us if you would like further information about the scheme.

If we cause any damage to your home and/or personal belongings as a result of our negligence, then you have the option to make a claim for damages through Durham County Council. Please contact the County Council’s Customer Services Team if you wish to arrange this.

Further information can be found in Section 6 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 4 Home safety G G G G G G G

Gas safety Solid fuel appliance safety Electrical safety Asbestos Condensation Fire awareness Security

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Gas safety

Every year people die as a result of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning caused by problems with gas appliances which have become faulty or which were not properly installed. Carbon monoxide is a clear gas that you cannot taste or smell – but it can kill you very quickly.

By law we must inspect all gas appliances, flues and pipe work that we own every year.

We will: G call at your home to service your appliances (that we own) G leave a card asking that you get in touch with us to arrange an appointment if you are not at home G write to you to try and book an appointment, if you don’t respond to the card we left G consider taking legal action to gain entry to your home if you ignore us G put right any problems we find during the service and give you a gas safety certificate to confirm what we have done and that the appliances and fittings are safe G tell you if we find a problem with any appliance you have fitted e.g. cooker, we may have to switch off your supply in full or part until you get this fixed.

If you have fitted your own boiler or gas fire, we will service these free of charge as long as you have had permission from us to install them and we have inspected them to confirm they are fitted to current standards.

We ask that you: G never try and fix any problems yourself (this must be done by a GAS SAFE registered installer) G never block any ventilation ducts or vents G do not use a room containing a gas appliance or fire as a bedroom.

If you smell gas or think you have a problem: G phone the Gas Emergency Service – 0800 111 999 use a phone outside your home G turn off the gas at the meter G open all windows and doors 36 TenantsHandbook

G G

put out any open flames – including cigarettes don’t use any electrical equipment indoors – including mobiles phones.

Once the Gas Engineer has been, contact us if you need us to come and carry out any repairs that they have identified.

We have published a ‘Gas Servicing Booklet’ which gives you lots more information about gas safety; please contact us if you would like a copy.

There is also information in your ‘Repairs Handbook’.

Solid fuel appliance safety

Some homes still have solid fuel (coke) appliances fitted. Like gas, there is a risk of fumes coming from the appliance if it is not properly maintained, so it’s important that you let us into your home to service the appliance.

We will: G call at your home to service your appliance G leave a card asking that you get in touch with us to arrange an appointment if you are not at home G write to you to try and book an appointment, if you don’t respond to the card we left.

We ask that you: G never try and fix any problems yourself G never block any ventilation ducts or vents G contact us immediately if you have a problem with your appliance.

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Electrical safety

Keeping your electricity system in good working order will prevent the risk of shock and fire.

We will: G check electrical wiring, fuse boxes, sockets and switches every 5 years in all our homes.

We ask that you: G make sure you know where your fuse box is and how to turn the supply off in an emergency G contact us with any repair issues that you may have G never try and fix problems with sockets or switches yourself.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a fibre that is resistant to heat and chemicals. It was these properties that led to its widespread use in buildings many years ago. Homes built since the 1980s are unlikely to contain asbestos and it has been banned in the UK since 1999. It can cause a range of health problems if not dealt with properly.

If you think you have asbestos in your home the important thing is not to panic and avoid touching or damaging any materials that you think may contain it. You should contact us to tell us what is concerning you and ask for a copy of our ‘Asbestos Booklet’; this gives you lots of useful information about what you should do and what we will do.

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Condensation

Condensation is caused when warm, moist air meets cold air or surfaces.

It usually appears as black mould growth on walls and around windows.

The most common cause of condensation is inadequate ventilation.

Condensation can be improved by ventilating and heating your home sensibly, particularly in the winter and by using extractor fans (if fitted) when you are bathing.

There are lots of other simple things you can do to reduce or get rid of condensation problems completely. We have published a ‘Condensation Booklet’ which gives you lots advice and helpful hints. Please contact us if you would like a copy.

Fire awareness

We have a legal responsibility to make sure that we manage safety in the common areas of the flats and maisonette we own. But we want to make sure you are all kept safe no matter what type of home you live in.

To reduce the risk of fire we will: G make sure that we service your gas and solid fuel appliances every year G test your electrical circuits every five years G make sure that the materials we use in your home meet any necessary fire regulations G regularly inspect our estates to make sure they are safe G carry out regular fire safety checks of all our common areas in flats and maisonettes.

We ask that you: G fit smoke alarms and check them regularly (if none already fitted) G plan your escape routes if a fire occurs – keep them clear G make sure everyone in the house knows where the keys are kept G seek advice from the Fire and Rescue Service if you have any concerns G follow our basic safety advice below.

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Safety advice There are some simple things you can do to reduce the risk of fire: G don’t leave cigarettes burning G don’t smoke in bed G keep matches and lighters away from children G don’t leave a cooker on unattended G don’t leave candles burning G change your chip pan to a deep fat fryer G don’t overload extension leads G check electrical leads and plugs regularly G close inside doors when you go to bed at night G don’t leave rubbish or other flammable items outside your home.

If you discover a fire: G don’t go into the room if you think there is a fire inside G if it is safe to do so, close the door in the room where the fire has started and close other doors behind you G alert everyone and get out as soon as possible – using your planned route G dial 999.

If your escape route is blocked: G if you’re on the ground floor, go out of a window – throw bedding or cushions onto the ground outside to break your fall G if you can’t open the window, use a heavy object to break it – cover any jagged edges with clothing, a towel or a blanket G lower children as far as possible before letting them drop – get an adult to break their fall if you can G lower yourself by your arms from the window ledge before dropping.

If you can’t get out, get everyone into one room: G choose a room with a window, if you can G put cushions, towels or bedding at the bottom of the door to block smoke G open the window and call for help G think about which room might be best for this – you need a window that can be opened and, if possible, a phone for calling 999.

For more information about fire safety, please contact County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

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Security

Durham City is a safe place to live but you should not be complacent about the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Here we provide some useful information about bogus callers, rogue traders and Crimestoppers.

Bogus callers Some criminals try and trick their way into homes so that they can steal when they are in there. There are some things you can do to stop this.

Make sure you: G use your door chain and spy hole if you have one G ask callers for their identity G refuse to let strangers in G ring the Police if you have any doubts.

Make sure you don’t: G let anyone in your home if you have any doubts about them G assume that someone is who they say they are – check their identification is genuine, they may have a number for you to ring to confirm this – keep this number G hand over any cash G let anyone look around your home alone – stay with them all the time G keep more money in the house than you need to.

We realise that some people get very anxious about people calling at their home. For this reason we have introduced our ‘Password to Work Scheme’. When you report a repair to us we offer you the opportunity to give us a password. When the operative calls at your home to do the repair they will tell you the password. If they don’t have your password – don’t let them in.

All Durham County Council staff carry an official identity badge with their photograph on – you can check they are who they say they are by ringing the County Council.

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Rogue traders If you need some work doing around your home use the Council’s Registered Traders Scheme. The scheme has been set up to help you find reliable traders and to avoid you being ripped off by rogue traders.

There are lots of different traders registered on the scheme and they have all undergone checks, including verifying their membership of any trade associations and checking customer references.

Please contact us for more information about the scheme.

Crimestoppers We have recently joined the campaign arm of Crimestoppers, the national charity which aims to reduce crime in the UK, which means we will be working in partnership with them to run local media campaigns and tailored projects to tackle local concerns. Please contact us to find out more.

Further information can be found in Sections 6 and 7 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 5 Living in your neighbourhood G G G G G G G G G

Being a good neighbour Anti-social behaviour Communal areas Gardens Rubbish Pets Parking Garages Running a business from home

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Being a good neighbour

We encourage diversity and respect for one another. It is with this in mind that we want to continue to develop a sense of belonging and community pride across the homes and estates we manage.

We ask that you: G do not do anything that would result in you breaking the terms of your Tenancy Agreement G respect your neighbour’s right to the quiet enjoyment of their home G tell us about any problems that you have experienced or witnessed as soon as possible G get involved in helping us to continue to make the area in which you live clean, safe and enjoyable.

We will: G give you as much as advice about your local area as we can when you sign up for the tenancy G support you if you want to get involved in the work we are doing in your area G tackle any issues you or others raise sensitively G work with our partners to continue to make the area in which you live clean, safe and green.

Anti-social behaviour

Although only a small minority of people cause problems, we still make it very clear that we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour in any shape or form from you, your visitors or others living with you.

Anti-social behaviour includes many types of behaviour from minor nuisance through to behaviour which verges on criminality. We have also included domestic abuse and hate crime as forms of anti-social behaviour that we will not tolerate.

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Some examples include: G behaving in a way which causes distress and discomfort to others G domestic abuse G hate crime G using or threatening to use violence G playing loud music G damaging property G dumping rubbish G being drunk and causing problems for others G throwing things G writing graffiti G offensive language.

There are many other forms of anti-social behaviour and the above list is just a snapshot to give you an idea of the wide range of things it covers.

We understand that from time to time things go wrong and that you may have concerns about the behaviour of your neighbours or others in the area.

We ask that you: G think about talking to the person concerned – a simple chat could sort the issue out G talk to us about any problems or concerns that you are experiencing or have witnessed as soon as possible G contact the Police if necessary G write down problems as they occur – we can give you a diary sheet to do this G recognise that sometimes the behaviour of others may not be antisocial – you may just not like it G read our ‘Anti-Social Behaviour Booklet’ – it gives lots of useful advice and information.

We will: G take your concerns seriously and treat them in the strictest confidence G investigate your concerns in line with our anti-social behaviour policy and anti-social behaviour local service standards – your Housing Officer should be your first point of contact G keep you informed of what we have done and plan to do Altogether Better Council Housing in Durham City 45

G G G

try and resolve issues as soon as possible with your permission, work with our partners to try and resolve your concerns take legal action if necessary to resolve issues.

We have a dedicated Tenancy Enforcement service who are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour. Please contact them if you need any further advice or support.

Communal areas

Some of our homes have shared access arrangements for example, a shared staircase or landing in our flats and maisonettes.

We ask that you: G keep the common areas clean, tidy and free of refuse G do not allow unauthorised people into secure areas.

We will: G regularly check shared areas to make sure they are clean, safe and tidy G arrange for fire safety assessments to be carried out in common parts of the building, we will work with you to put right any issues identified in the assessment.

Gardens

If you have the benefit of having a garden we want you to make the most of it.

We ask that you: G keep the garden well maintained and free from refuse G keep hedges to a height of no more than 1 metre high at the front and 2 metres high at the back G speak to us before you carry out work on any trees (removal and pruning) that you have in your garden.

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We will: G work with you to resolve any problems that you have keeping your garden presentable G encourage you to join our Garden Maintenance Scheme (if you are eligible); see Section 8 for more information G respond to your request to remove or prune trees in your garden as soon as possible.

Rubbish

There are some basic steps that you can take to make things easier and cleaner when it comes to rubbish collection.

We ask that you: G put your bin out by 7am on the day of collection and return it to your storage space as soon as possible after it has been emptied G keep any shared bin facilities clean and tidy (these are often provided in flats and maisonettes) G contact Durham County Council if you have bulky household items or furniture that requires removing G don’t dump your rubbish or bulky refuse – it’s an offence and you could be fined G don’t burn rubbish or have any other fires in your garden G look after your bin – you will have to pay for a new one if it is damaged or lost.

We will: G regularly check shared bin areas G encourage you, if you are struggling to put your bins out, to contact Durham County Council who may be able to help you through their Assisted Collection Scheme.

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Pets

We realise that many of you may want to keep a pet(s) at home and we encourage this. However, our experience tells us that problems relating to animals can often occur because people don’t think about the potential issues that may arise.

We ask that you: G think carefully before you get a pet – they will take a lot of looking after G read all the rules carefully relating to keeping pets, you can find them in your Tenancy Agreement G do not keep more than two domestic animals, for example a dog, cat or caged bird, if you live in a house or bungalow G do not keep any pets if your home has a shared access, if you live in sheltered or warden controlled housing (except for a registered guide/hearing dog or another dog which we have given you permission to keep) G get our permission before you keep any other type of animal G do not breed animals at home G keep your pets under control at all times, making sure they do not cause problems for your neighbours or other members of the community.

We will: G carefully consider any request you make to keep a pet, we will not refuse permission unless we have good reason to do so G talk to you about any concerns that we have regarding your pet(s) G take any complaints that we receive about your pet very seriously and if necessary seek help from the Police and RSPCA in severe cases.

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Parking

Your home was likely to have been built when car ownership was far lower than it is today. Now many households have more than one car and this often causes problems in terms of where people can park.

We ask that you: G stick to the Highway Code G consider your neighbours and others when parking your vehicle G make sure your visitors and anyone else living with you considers your neighbours and others when parking their vehicle G do not park in areas not designated for parking, for example grass verges, open spaces or on the footpath G don’t park vehicles in the boundary of your home unless it is on a hard standing or in a garage which has been approved by us G don’t keep any vehicles; for example, mopeds or scooters in shared access areas G don’t allow any vehicle to be repaired between 10pm and 8am at your home.

We will: G respond to any concerns you have regarding parking swiftly and reasonably, sometimes it may be a matter that we have to ask you to contact the Police about G take a robust approach to enforcing your Tenancy Agreement if you erect a garage or hard-standing without our consent – there are strict rules that must be followed G work with our partners to have untaxed and abandoned vehicles removed from our estates.

Garages

We have a number of garages spread across our estates that you may be able to rent from us when they become vacant. The County Council also has garages that it rents out, as well as garage land sites for rent where you may be able to build your own garage. Please contact us for further information.

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Running a business from home

In the current economic climate we want to do as much as we can to encourage people back into work. One of the options available to you is to run a small business from home.

We ask that you: G speak to us about your proposed business idea as soon as possible G think about the potential impact of what you want to do on your home, neighbours and community G get professional advice and support at the earliest opportunity G make sure you get Planning and Building Control approval, if they are needed.

We will: G not refuse permission for you to run a business from home unless we have good grounds to do so. For example, we would refuse permission for you to run a car repair business from home G point you in the right direction of other agencies that may be able to offer support.

Further information can be found in Section 8 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 6 Getting involved G G

Involvement menu Tenant involvement points scheme (TIPS)

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Involvement menu

We are committed to placing you at the heart of everything we do and recognise that you are essential to our success in delivering and continuously improving the services we deliver for you.

We have, with members of the Tenant’s Panel, developed a wide range of opportunities for you to become involved in the work we do. Your involvement menu offers you the opportunity to: G attend events or drop-ins G be part of a Focus Group G be on a Service Improvement Group G become a Durham City Homes Non-Executive Board member G fill in a survey G go on an Estate Walkabout G join the Tenant’s Panel G join the Reader’s Panel G join the Reality Checkers G join a Resident’s Group G join a working group G make a complaint or compliment G make a suggestion G read Tenant Matters newsletter G register on the Involvement Database

Your ‘Tenant and Leaseholder Involvement Compact’, which is included in this pack, provides a lot more information about the different ways in which you can get involved. It also includes information about what support and training we can offer you when you get involved.

In order to recognise your commitment to getting involved and supporting us we have set up our Tenant Incentive Participation Scheme (TIPS).

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Tenant involvement points scheme (TIPS)

This scheme offers you the opportunity of a £50 reward each year. The scheme enables you to collect points for a variety of things, including rewarding you for your involvement. If you meet the two essential criteria and collect 9 points, you will qualify for a £50 reward. You can only get one reward payment per year for each successful tenancy.

Incentive criteria There are two essential criteria that you must meet: G you must not have committed any anti-social behaviour or breached your Tenancy Agreement in the last 6 months.

G you must have a clear rent account or have adhered to your payment agreement for 6 months.

Tenancy criteria You need to collect two points through any of the following: G your property and garden need to be in a good condition – 1 point G you pay your rent by direct debit – 1 point G you allow us to complete your gas or solid fuel service on the first mutually convenient date – 1 point G you do not have any outstanding sundry debt accounts (e.g. rechargeable works, former tenant arrears, Council Tax arrears) – 1 point.

Involvement criteria You need to collect seven points through any of the following: G you make a suggestion that leads to an improvement in our service delivery – 2 points per suggestion G you attend a Service Improvement Group (SIG) – 1 point per SIG attended G you attend a Tenant’s Panel meeting – 1 point per meeting G you complete a customer survey form – 1 point per survey G you attend an estate walkabout – 1 point per walkabout G you complete an “All About You” tenants profile form – 1 point G you attend a Young Persons Focus Group – 1 point per Group G you take part in a Reality Checkers exercise – 1 point per exercise.

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We will monitor your involvement so there is no need for you to do anything else. When you qualify for your reward, we will be in contact with you.

We welcome your involvement; please get in contact to find out more and discuss the best options for you. Your Tenant Matters newsletter also provides details of up and coming meetings, events and activities.

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Section 7 Moving on G G G G

Durham Keys Options (DKO) HomeSwapper Right to buy Leaving us – your obligations

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Durham Key Options (DKO)

DKO is the Choice Based Lettings scheme which enables you to access a range of social housing options across County Durham. The scheme enables you and other applicants to register on the scheme and then bid (express an interest) for properties which become available to let across the County.

The following landlords are part of the scheme: G Durham County Council including Durham City Homes G Dale and Valley Homes G Derwentside Homes G East Durham Homes G Livin (formerly Sedgefield Borough Homes) G Teesdale Housing Association G Cestria Housing Association.

There are also a number of other Housing Associations who advertise properties on DKO.

A brief look at how the scheme works: G you need to register by completing a Durham Key Options application form – contact us for a form or apply online at www.durhamkeyoptions.co.uk G you are given a Band depending on your level of housing need G applicants need to bid (express an interest) in the property or properties they are interested in G properties are advertised on the Durham Key Options website, on the ‘Looking Local Channel’ and in our weekly property magazine - you can pick up a copy of the magazine from a number of locations - please contact us for further details G the advertising cycle runs from Thursday to midnight on the following Tuesday G bids can be made in many ways - text, web, telephone, auto bidding, local offices and through the ‘Looking Local Channel’ - please contact us for further details G the successful applicant will be the one in the highest Priority Band as stated on the property advert - where there are several applicants with the same priority then the date the priority was awarded will be used to determine the successful applicant G feedback on all allocations will be reported on the DKO website on a weekly basis.

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If you are already registered on the scheme: G you will have received a letter advising you of your application number - you will need this number in order to make a bid on a property G the user guide provided with your application form tells you how you can make a bid.

More information is included in our ‘Durham Key Options - User Guide’.

Please contact us if you would like a copy.

HomeSwapper

HomeSwapper is the UK’s largest national mutual exchange service which can help you swap home with someone else.

The service is free of charge to you (as a tenant of ours) and replaces our former mutual exchange scheme. If you are looking to move to another home in County Durham or another part of the country, HomeSwapper will try and match you with other Council and Housing Association tenants that want to move to the Durham City area.

How to join and use HomeSwapper: 1. Register online at www.HomeSwapper.co.uk 2. Once your application has been approved by us you will be able to access the site to find other tenants who want to swap homes.

3. HomeSwapper will email or SMS text you with details of potential swaps.

If you don’t have access to the internet, you can register through family and friends, by using internet at places like local libraries, or you can access Homeswapper at our Customer Access Point at 17 Claypath, Durham where, if required, a Customer Services Officer can assist you in registering on the scheme.

If you find someone who wishes to swap with you, then you must contact us straight away as you need permission from the relevant landlord(s) before an exchange can take place.

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Right to buy

If you have been a secure tenant for two years or more (or five years for tenancies that began on or after 18th January 2005) then you have the right to buy your home from the Council. There are a few exceptions to this, including if you’re only living in your home temporarily or if your home is suitable for older or disabled people.

The Right to Buy Scheme could give you a discount on the market value of your home depending on how long you have been a tenant; the maximum amount of discount varies depending upon where you live.

Once you have bought your home, you will become responsible for all repairs and maintenance.

If you buy your flat or maisonette from the Council, these are sold subject to leasehold; this means you will not actually own the land or main structure of the building. In these cases, you will have to pay towards some of the repair and maintenance costs to the fabric and structure of the building. This is known as a leaseholder charge.

For more information about the Right to Buy Scheme, you can get a copy of ‘Your Right to Buy Your Home’, published by Communities and Local Government (CLG), from any of our Customer Access Points or by visiting www.communities.gov.uk

Leaving us – your obligations

Details on how to bring your tenancy to an end are included in Section 1 of your Handbook.

When you leave us to move elsewhere, there are lots of things that you need to do and think about. Please contact us for a copy of our ‘Termination of Tenancy – important advice and information’ leaflet.

Further information can be found in Section 9 of your Tenancy Agreement.

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Section 8 Support from us and our partners G G G

Additional support we offer Support from the County Council Support from our partners

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Additional support we offer

We recognise that some of you will require additional support to live independently in your home. The services we offer include: G Tenancy support and advice.

G Help with furnishing your home.

G Help maintaining your garden.

G Adaptations.

Tenancy support and advice Your Housing Officer is able to provide you with advice about the different range of support services that are available in County Durham, they are also able to refer you to different agencies and organisations that may be able to help.

We also have a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Service which can provide you with advice and support about any housing related problems that you may be experiencing. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Help with furnishing your home Working with Your Homes Newcastle, we offer all new tenants the option of having their new home fully or part furnished. If you are able to claim housing benefit, you may be able to claim for the cost of renting the furniture from us in with your benefit.

Your Housing Officer will talk to you about the scheme when you sign the Tenancy Agreement for your new home. Our ‘Furnished Tenancy Service Booklet’ provides you with lots of information about the scheme. Please contact us for a copy.

Alternatively, we can put you in touch with agencies which provide low cost furniture and other assistance to help you furnish your home. Please contact us to find out more.

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Help maintaining your garden If you have difficulty, because of illness or disability, then our garden maintenance scheme may be able to help you to look after your garden. At the time of writing this Handbook we are undertaking a review of the scheme. Please contact us for further information.

Adaptations If you or a member of your household has difficulty living independently in your home due to an illness or disability, we may be able to offer help through our Adaptations Service.

Our Adaptations Service involves the provision of equipment like stair lifts and door ramps to help you get around your home easier. It can also involve carrying out major changes to your home, for example, providing a level access shower instead of a bath.

Please contact us for a copy of our ‘Adaptations Booklet’ which tells you all about the service.

Support from the County Council

The County Council offers a wide range of services. You should contact any of the Council’s Customer Access Points who will make sure you speak to the right team.

Below we have provided details of a few of the most common services our tenants ask us about. The contact details for each service are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Housing Solutions Service The Housing Solutions Service should be your first point of contact if you are at risk of becoming homeless.

The service can help you by: G completing an initial assessment to decide your housing need at that time G working with you to try and prevent you becoming homeless G explaining your housing options Altogether Better Council Housing in Durham City 61

G G

offering advice to help you move to other accommodation giving you a comprehensive information pack detailing the options available to you.

Revenues and Benefits Service This service assesses your entitlement to a range of benefits including housing benefit and council tax benefit.

The service can help you by: G assessing your entitlement to council tax and housing benefit G providing you with advice on what other benefits you may be entitled to.

Welfare Rights Service The Welfare Rights service can help you with questions and problems on a wide range of social security benefits and tax credits.

The service can help you by: G giving you information on what benefits you may be entitled to and how you can claim them G checking that you are getting the right amount of benefit G giving you advice on how to appeal against a decision about your claim (if you are currently receiving a social care service, they can also take your case on and represent you; for example, at an appeal tribunal).

Anti-Social Behaviour Service If you have an anti-social behaviour complaint about a resident who is not a tenant of Durham City Homes, the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Service can help. You should contact Durham City Homes if your complaint relates to one of our tenants or properties.

The service can help you by: G investigating your anti-social behaviour complaint about another person who is not a tenant of Durham City Homes G providing you with advice and information about the services available to help resolve problems that you may be experiencing.

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Care Connect If you are vulnerable and in need of support, the Care Connect service may be able to help. They offer one-to-one contact by checking on your well-being either through home visits or responding to requests for help from you (via an emergency alarm system).

Through the use of a home monitored alarm, you can be assured that help and assistance is available 24 hours a day. They provide assistance, reassurance and will deal with emergency situations and concerns as they arise, dispatching trained staff when required.

They can help you maintain independence in your own home through the use of technology. For example, they can install a bed sensor which will benefit you if you are at risk of falling during the night. The sensor is unobtrusive and puts an alarm call through to the control centre if you fail to return to bed within a specified period of time.

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Support from our partners

We work with a wide range of partners across both Durham City and County Durham. Below you can find out more about some of these partners and what help they can offer you:

Centrepoint Centrepoint provide a wide range of support for young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including emergency accommodation. They also provide services specifically for young people who are leaving the care of the local authority, for ex-offenders, and for young single parents.

Citizens Advice Service The Citizens Advice Service can help you resolve any legal, money and other problems you may have by providing free, independent and confidential advice.

If you are concerned about anything regarding your tenancy or dealing with us we would strongly recommend that you seek advice from the service as soon as possible. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Moving On Moving On can help you if you are aged 16 - 25, live in County Durham, face homelessness or housing difficulty and need support to live independently.

They offer a wide range of advice and support including counselling, peer education and lifeskills. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Developing Initiatives Supporting Communities (DISC) DISC can offer you ‘floating support’ if you are aged 16 - 25 and are looking to move through the accommodation ‘cycle’ to gain a permanent tenancy.

They can also offer advice on a wide range of other social and personal issues. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

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Norcare Norcare offer ‘floating support’ to vulnerable adults with a history of offending or re-offending. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Stonham Stonham can offer you housing related support if you have substance misuse issues. Floating support is also available to you if you have learning disabilities or mental health disabilities. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Durham Action on Single Housing Ltd (DASH) DASH can offer you floating support if you are aged 18 - 65 years, or supported accommodation if you are aged 16 - 65 years, single and homeless (or at risk of homelessness). Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Waddington Street Centre This centre can provide you with floating support, day centre activities and supported accommodation if you suffer from mental health problems and are aged 18 - 65 years. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Gay Advice Durham and Darlington (GADD) GADD can offer you a safe place to seek free advice and support if you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) or if you need any advice or information about the LGBT community.

They offer one to one support sessions for issues relating to hate crime, accommodation, sexual health, relationships, homophobia, domestic abuse and drug and alcohol related issues.

GADD also provide a wide range of local information about LGBT support services across the North East and further afield. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

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NHS County Durham We work closely with NHS County Durham in promoting health and wellbeing across Durham City. In particular we have focussed on smoking cessation to reduce the harm caused to people who smoke and the impact of passive smoking. Their contact details are included in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Durham County Credit Union Durham County Credit Union is a Savings and Loans co-operative owned and run by its members. They offer an easy way to save money but also borrow money at competitive rates. There is lots more information about Credit Unions as well as their contact details in our ‘Money Matters Booklet’ included with your handbook.

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Section 9 About Durham City Homes G G G G G G

The homes we manage Our vision, objectives and values How we are governed Local service standards Complaints, compliments and suggestions Equality and diversity statement

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The homes we manage

Durham City Homes is the part of the County Council responsible for managing all Council homes in the Durham City area.

The former District of Durham City covers 72 square miles, much of which is rural or semi-rural. We manage about 6,100 Council homes in the area which are spread across 33 locations.

The map below shows the numbers of homes we manage by village:

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Our vision, objectives and values

Our vision is: To provide affordable, modern housing and excellent housing services in neighbourhoods that are clean, green and safe and that people want to live in.

Our objectives are to deliver: G Excellent services.

G Modern homes.

G Communities and places that people are proud of.

We have the following values that guide us in our work:

P ride in where we live and work R espect for each other, our differences and what we all contribute I nvesting in homes, communities and people V aluing our customers, our staff and our partners I nclusion of customers, staff and partners in what we do and how we do it L istening and learning from customers, each other and from excellence elsewhere

E quality of access and reflecting diversity in what we deliver Green, energy efficient and sustainable E fficient, value for money service delivery.

We think it’s a PRIVILEGE to work on behalf of you.

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How we are governed

Durham County Council has overall responsibility for the delivery of landlord services provided for you. They are responsible for making sure that the services you receive are to a good standard and offer good value for money.

The Council has in place strong political arrangements which means that all major decisions that may impact upon you, as a tenant of ours, have to be considered and agreed by the Council’s Cabinet and when necessary the full Council.

The work we do and the decisions Cabinet take are also scrutinised by the Council’s Scrutiny Committees which ensures things are done right and managed well.

To support the Council’s governance arrangements, we have put in place local arrangements to ensure that you are able to get involved and influence the work we do and that you are able to challenge, support and hold us to account.

Our local arrangements include: G A Non-Executive Board.

G Tenant’s Panel.

G Service Improvement Groups.

The Non-Executive Board The Non-Executive Board meets every two months and is made up of equal numbers (four of each) of tenants, independent members and Durham County Council Councillors.

The Board: G helps shape the services we deliver G provides challenge and support G scrutinises our performance G makes recommendations to the Council regarding the services we deliver.

The Tenant’s Panel The Tenant’s Panel provides you with the opportunity to get involved in the work that we do on your behalf.

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The Panel support the Non-Executive Board by: G helping to shape our plans and policies G overseeing our involvement activities G monitoring and challenging our performance.

The Panel meets every month, all tenants are welcome to attend.

Service Improvement Groups The ‘Home’ Service Improvement Group enables you to get involved in the work we do in regard to Repairs, Adaptations and Decent Homes. It gives you the opportunity to raise any concerns, as well as giving us any positive feedback that you have, about each of these service areas. Once we have this information we work with you to identify things we need to put right or change to deliver better quality services.

In order to increase involvement at a local level we are setting up neighbourhood groups to look at local issues which may impact upon you or others living in your area. Please contact us for further information.

In Section 6 you can find out lots more ways of getting involved in the work we do.

Local service standards

We are committed to delivering high quality services that you want. Each year we agree your local services standards with you. These set out the level of service you want us to provide for the range of the services we deliver.

Your local service standards include: G Customer service – when you contact us we want the experience to be enjoyable and professional.

G Involving you – we want you to get involved with the work that we do at a level the meets your needs.

G Repairs – when you need a repair doing we want you to know how long it will take us to respond.

G Decent Homes – we want you to know when we will be doing major works at your home and what you can expect of us.

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G G G G G G G G G G

Adaptations – we want you to live safely and independently in your home.

Gas and solid-fuel servicing – we will make sure your appliances are safe and well maintained.

Rent payments – we will tell you how much your rent is, how much you owe and speak to you about any problems you have paying your rent.

Lettings – when you register with us for re-housing we will assess your application and explain the bidding process to you.

Tenancy and estate management – we are committed to working with you to make sure the area in which you live is well maintained and safe.

Furnished tenancies – working with Your Homes Newcastle we provide a furniture service for some tenants to help with starting a home.

Anti-social behaviour – we take a robust approach to tackling problems in your neighbourhood and provide you with support and advice.

Racial harassment and hate crime – we will not tolerate this crime and we will work with you and partners to stop it happening.

Domestic abuse – we will work with you and our partners to keep you and your children safe.

Complaints, compliments and suggestions – these set out what we do about, and how quickly we deal with any complaint you make to us.

Your ‘Local Services Standards Booklet’ (which is included in this pack) details all the promises we make to you. If we fail to deliver these, and it impacts upon you personally, we will consider paying you £10 compensation.

Please see your booklet for further information.

Complaints, compliments and suggestions

We are committed to providing quality services for you and other customers.

However, we recognise that we do not always get things right first time; when problems do arise we aim to put these right as quickly as possible and learn from this to stop the same problem happening again.

Making a complaint If you have a concern about any of the services you have received from us, try and speak to a member of staff immediately to see if the issue can be resolved. If you do not wish to do this, you can contact us in the following ways to make a complaint: 72 TenantsHandbook

G G G G G

by phone in person at any of our Customer Access Points by writing to us by completing our online complaints form on our website: www.durham.gov.uk by email to: complaints@durham.gov.uk

If you prefer, you could ask a family member, friend or someone else to make a complaint on your behalf.

How we deal with your complaint Stage 1 You will receive an acknowledgement from the Council’s Corporate Complaints Unit within 2 working days and a response to your complaint within 10 working days. Some complaints may take longer for us to investigate but we will keep you updated about the progress we are making.

A member of staff within Durham City Homes will investigate your stage 1 complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can progress your complaint to stage 2.

Stage 2 Like stage one, we will acknowledge your response and request to progress to stage 2 within two working days.

The Council’s Corporate Complaints Unit takes the lead on investigating stage 2 complaints. They aim to respond to you within 20 working days.

However, more complex issues may take longer to investigate. Again, we will keep you informed about the progress we are making.

Stage 3 If you are still not satisfied with our response, you can ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate your complaint and our response to it. You will be given the address and contact details for the Ombudsman in our stage 2 response.

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Compliments and suggestions In order to ensure that we continue to do things right, we welcome your compliments and suggestions. You can give us your compliments or suggestions using the Council’s online facility at www.durham.gov.uk or by contacting us using our details provided in your ‘Useful Contacts Booklet’.

Equality and diversity statement

We are committed to making sure that we treat you fairly, equally and with respect. We ask that you treat us and others the same.

Our approach to equality and diversity is based on: G openness G being responsible for our actions G consistency G inclusivity.

We define equality as: G creating a culture where you have fair and equal access to the services we provide G preventing all discrimination G treating you fairly with dignity and respect G making decisions based on individual merit, without bias, prejudice, assumptions or stereotyping.

We define diversity as: G recognising and respecting your differences G aiming to provide equality of access for you.

We follow Durham County Council’s Equality and Diversity policies and procedures and undertake regular Equality Impact Assessments for all our main service areas.

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Index A Adaptations .............................................................................61 Anti-social behaviour..............................................................44 Anti-social behaviour – Service ............................................62 Asbestos ..................................................................................38 Assignment..............................................................................15 B Bogus callers...........................................................................41 Business – running from home .............................................50 C Care Connect ..........................................................................63 Centrepoint..............................................................................64 Charges for services ..............................................................20 Checklist – moving in ...............................................................8 Citizens Advice Service .........................................................64 Communal areas ....................................................................46 Complaints...............................................................................72 Compensation – Home Improvements ................................32 Compensation – Local Service Standards ..........................72 Compensation – Right to Repair ..........................................28 Compliments ...........................................................................72 Condensation ..........................................................................39 Contents insurance ................................................................33 Credit card payments .............................................................21 Credit Union ............................................................................66 Crimestoppers.........................................................................42 D DASH (Durham Action Single Housing Ltd) ........................65 DISC (Developing Initiatives supporting Communities).....64 Decent Homes ........................................................................30 Demoted tenancies ................................................................14 Direct debit ..............................................................................21 Diversity ...................................................................................74 Domestic abuse ......................................................................45 Durham Credit Union .............................................................66 Durham Key Options (DKO)..................................................56 E Electrical safety.......................................................................38 Electricity supply (connection).................................................8 Ending your tenancy ..............................................................17 Energy saving .........................................................................30 Equality ....................................................................................74 Estate walkabouts ..................................................................52 Exchange home......................................................................57 F Fire awareness .......................................................................39 Furniture ..................................................................................60

G Garages .........................................................49 Gardens .........................................................46 Gas safety ......................................................36 Gas supply (connection) ..................................8 Gay Advice Durham & Darlington (GADD).....65 Governance....................................................70 H Hate crime ......................................................45 Home improvements ......................................31 Homes – managed by DCH ...........................68 HomeSwapper ...............................................57 Housing benefit ..............................................23 Housing Solutions ..........................................61 I Insurance .......................................................33 Introductory tenancy.......................................12 Involvement ....................................................51 J Joint tenancies ...............................................14 K L Local Service Standards ................................71 Lodgers ..........................................................16 M Maintenance.............................................26, 30 Moving – checklist ............................................8 Moving – Durham Key Options ......................56 Moving – ending your tenancy .......................17 Moving – HomeSwapper ................................57 Moving – your obligations ..............................58 Moving on (support agency)...........................64 N Non-Executive Board .....................................70 Norcare ..........................................................65 NHS County Durham .....................................66 O Online payments ............................................21 P Parking ...........................................................49 PayPoint .........................................................22 Pets ...............................................................48 Points Scheme ...............................................53 Q

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R Reality checkers .................................................52 Readers panel ....................................................52 Repairs handbook ..............................................26 Repairs you pay for ............................................29 Rent ....................................................................20 Rent – payments ................................................21 Rent – problems paying......................................24 Rent – statements ..............................................22 Revenues and Benefit Service ...........................62 Right to Buy ........................................................58 Right to Repair....................................................28 Rogue traders.....................................................42 Rubbish ..............................................................47 S Safety – electrical ...............................................38 Safety – fire .......................................................39 Safety – gas........................................................36 Safety – solid fuel ...............................................37 Secure tenancies................................................13 Security...............................................................41 Service charges..................................................20 Service Improvement Groups.............................71 Service Standards ..............................................71 Stonham .............................................................65 Sub-letting ..........................................................16 Succession .........................................................15 Suggestions........................................................72 Support – from DCC ...........................................61 Support – from DCH ...........................................60 Support – Partners .............................................64 T Tenancy – agreement .........................................12 Tenancy – assignment .......................................15 Tenancy – demoted ............................................14 Tenancy – ending ...............................................17 Tenancy – Introductory .......................................12 Tenancy – joint....................................................14 Tenancy – lodgers ..............................................16 Tenancy – ‘Notice to Quit’...................................17 Tenancy – ‘Notice of Seeking Possession’ .........17 Tenancy – secure ...............................................13 Tenancy – sub-letting..........................................16 Tenancy – succession ........................................15 Tenant Involvement Points Scheme (TIPS)........53 Tenants Panel.....................................................70 U V Violence (domestic abuse) .................................45 Vision ..................................................................69 W Waddington Street Centre ..................................65 Water connection..................................................8 Water rates ...........................................................8 Welfare Rights ....................................................62 X, Y, Z.

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Information produced by Durham City Homes, 17 Claypath, Durham DH1 1RH

Housing Services: 0191 301 8470

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durhamcityhomesadmin@durham.gov.uk

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