Have your say on the Rent Review for 2021/22 Each year, we look at the different challenges we need to meet, and then consult all our tenants on the proposed rent level. Take this opportunity to give us your views before our Board decides on next year’s rent and service charges. We want to know what you think so please respond to this consultation by
Wednesday 23 December 2020 – as your opinion counts. Like many housing associations, 2020 has seen challenging and uncertain times because of the global coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty around the impact of Brexit. We have had to work through these challenges and look to the future to try to predict what both the pandemic and Brexit will mean for us. This leaflet outlines our rent proposal for 2021/22.
At Glen Oaks we work hard to ensure that your rent and other charges continue to be affordable and deliver value for money. We achieve Value for Money through the way we buy services and arrange work to our homes. Our staff make sure that larger contracts are properly tendered and that bids are methodically evaluated to strike a balance between cost and quality.
How do we spend your rent money? Service costs Cost of Delivering Services (staff, offices, Gold Service etc)
How we spend every ÂŁ1 of our money
1.3p 14p
Day to Day Repairs
5.7p
Planned Maintenance & Improvments
3.8p
Other Costs (bad debts etc)
1.1p
Factoring Costs
0.5p
Wider Action/Wider Role
2.6p
Investment in New Properties
40p
(we receive some grant towards this cost)
Interest and Loan repayments
16.3p
Planned Maintenance and Improvements
14p
Other fixed assets
0.7p
Looking after your home We must, by law, make sure - every year - that your gas supply is safe, and we also need to do regular testing of your electricity supply. We are currently working towards meeting the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). As noted in last year’s rent consultation, the Scottish Government has set new standards for smoke alarms, kitchen heat detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. This work is ongoing and will need to be completed in the next financial year. These requirements continue to present financial pressures to the Association. As such we will continue to spend a significant amount of money to meet them.
In the past year, we spent:
£1,100,000
£507,000
on new kitchens & bathrooms, boilers, linked smoke and heat detectors and refurbishment pilot project in 6 Backcourts.
on cyclical works - e.g. gutter cleaning, gas and electrical servicing, maintenance and painterwork
£498,000
£89,000 49
on routine repairs to maintain our homes
We respond as quickly as we can when you tell us a repair is needed. On average, emergency repairs are completed within 2.2 hours, with non-emergency repairs averaging less than 3.6 working days.
on carrying out 48 medical adaptations
The Handyperson Service is available to all Glen Oaks tenants where all members of the household are aged 65 or over (or have a disability) and need practical assistance with small repairs and tasks around the home, e.g. fitting curtain rods or blinds, changing curtains, hanging pictures/mirrors, replace batteries in smoke alarms, or change light bulbs.
This year we have experienced additional costs because of the following: • At the beginning of lockdown, due to Government guidance, we were unable to let any of our properties which resulted in an increase in our empty house costs, with high rent loss and security costs. We are concerned that there may be a potential for further losses if there are any future lockdowns/restrictions in place. • During recent months we have seen much higher demand from our tenants needing assistance from our Welfare Rights staff and our tenancy support services. We have continued to buy in some services from Money Matters to help our tenants with money management, debt, and energy advice. We have provided digital support to tenants, helping them navigate the benefit system to ensure that they are getting the benefits and assistance they are entitled to.
• We are being asked more and more to intervene to provide services which the Council are no longer doing. As many tenants will know – we have been carrying out the disposal of bulk items from our back courts and public areas, as this service was stopped by Glasgow City Council in March. We have had to put a new service in place to ensure the cleanliness of these areas which is an additional cost to the Association. We are very concerned that this cost was not budgeted for in our financial plans and will need to be passed onto tenants as a service charge. • We know that our repair and construction costs are increasing above inflation with most of our contractors anticipating a 4 - 5% uplift on their existing contracts. Additionally, the global demand for PPE is increasing our contractor’s costs which are being passed onto the Association.
Our Board have taken account of the pressures many of our tenants are facing and have decided that we need to keep our rent increase as affordable as we can. As such, the Board have agreed to consult on a lower than planned increase. Our Business Plan is set using the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 1%. However, having tested a lower increase of RPI plus 0.5% = 1.6%, this highlighted that we would be able to maintain the business, with efficiencies being made at a future date.
As such, we are proposing to increase your rent by 1.6%. This means that your rent will go up by £1.60 for every £100 you pay. E.g.
Existing rent charge
New rent charge
£250.00
£254.00
£300.00
£304.80
£350.00
£355.60
£400.00
£406.40
On comparing our weekly rent charges to the rents set by other landlords (including Sanctuary Scotland and the Glasgow Housing Association, we found that we compared very well. Information on weekly average rents can be found on the Scottish Housing Regulator’s website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk
We are here to help We know that for many of our tenants this year has been a particularly difficult time with many facing financial constraints and wellbeing issues. Remember we are here to help, so please contact us if you have any concerns regarding your tenancy or your ability to pay your rent.
Tell us what you think. At Glen Oaks, we are always keen to get feedback from our tenants on the rent, the services we provide and your view on services you would like us to provide in the future. Our Board will meet in January 2021 to review the feedback we receive and agree on the rent increase.
Please tell us what you think of our proposal. You can do this by Completing and returning the Rent Consultation Feedback Form in the pre-paid envelope
Completing the Rent Consultation Feedback Form on our website at www.glenoaks.org.uk/ rent-consultation
Emailing us at go@glenoaks.org.uk Private messaging us on Facebook Completing the survey form at https://forms.gle/ Cq7ospkRtTny6U13A
Due to the Coronavirus we have not been able to have our annual residents conference where we would discuss our rent consultation. We have however discussed this proposal with our Service Improvement Group and have listened to their feedback. We understand that you may wish to have the opportunity to speak with us about this. You can do this by e-mailing at go@glenoaks.org.uk or by calling us on 0141 638 0999 Option 2.
Remember you must let us know your views by Wednesday 23 December 2020 at the latest