YOURCOMMUNITY
WELCOME
Welcome to your Summer 2026 edition of Your Home.
This issue is all about how we support you in your home and community, from making it easier to access our services, to the work our teams do every day to help keep neighbourhoods safe, sustainable and thriving. You’ll find updates on our brand-new website, designed around your feedback to make things quicker and easier to use (Pages 4 & 5), as well as a closer look at our Neighbourhood teams and how they work with you to resolve issues fairly and at the earliest stage possible (Pages 6 & 7).
We’re also sharing the support available if you need it, whether that’s help managing rent and household finances (Page 10) or advice and guidance when things feel difficult (Page 20). Alongside this, you’ll find an update on our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) (Pages 12 - 15), which help us understand how we’re performing in the areas that matter most to you, from repairs and safety through to communication and overall satisfaction. Your feedback plays a vital role in shaping our plans and improving the services we provide.
There are also lots of ways to get involved and have your say. Our Customer Assurance Team continues to play an important role in helping us improve what we do, with customers working alongside colleagues to review services, share ideas and influence decisions that make a real difference in our communities (Pages 16 & 17).
As always, we want every interaction you have with us to feel fair, helpful and respectful. Behind every call, email or visit is a person, and while we understand that things can sometimes feel frustrating, we ask that we treat each other with patience and respect so we can work together to resolve things as quickly as possible. In this edition, we also share more about our approach to respectful behaviour and how we’ll always listen, support you and find a fair way forward, while making sure our colleagues feel safe in their roles (Pages 8 & 9).
Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find practical advice to help you stay safe this summer (Page 3), updates on the difference our teams are making across Cheshire and Warrington, and information to help you make the most of the services available to you.
Thank you for taking the time to read Your Home, and for playing your part in creating safe, positive communities for everyone.
Sarah Saward Director of Tenancy and Neighbourhood Sustainability
SUMMER SAFETY IN OUR OPEN SPACES
Here are some safety tips so we can do our bit to stay safe and protect the spaces we share this summer.
We have 9 play areas we look after as well as large open spaces and communal areas. They are there for everyone to enjoy, so please treat them with care and respect.
• Always respect equipment and surroundings.
• Do not damage or graffiti play equipment, if it is broken, please report it to our teams by calling 0300 303 9848.
• Pick up after yourself and your pets.
• If you have bikes, scooters or other play items, please take them home with you so they don’t get removed by our teams.
• Please keep paddling pool use in your own gardens.
• Take all rubbish home or use bins provided.
If you have a communal garden, we want you to enjoy it, but remember, it’s a space for everyone to enjoy together. If you want to make changes to the garden such as installing a fence or a shed, you will need to ask permission. You can find out more by visiting www.wvht.co.uk/open-spaces, calling 0300 303 9848 or emailing openspace@wvht.co.uk.
If you are having BBQ’s, keep them in your own garden. Also follow the safety advice below:
• Always place BBQs on stable, flat ground and away from fences, trees and buildings.
• Never leave a BBQ unattended once lit.
• Keep children, pets and games at a safe distance.
• Avoid using BBQs in public parks or open spaces where they may be restricted, as dry grass can catch fire quickly.
• Make sure all BBQs are fully extinguished and cooled before disposing of ashes.
Fly-tipping spoils our lovely open spaces, remove of any waste properly. If you need to dispose of bulky items, please arrange a collection with your local council by visiting www.gov.uk/collection-large-waste-items.
YOUR NEW WEBSITE IS HERE
Introducing our brand new website!
We’re excited to share our new website with you. We’ve worked hard to build it and make sure it’s based on what you told us you wanted. We asked our customers what worked well, what didn’t, and what would make things easier. Your answers helped shape the new site from start to finish.
Don’t worry if it all looks different, it’s the same us, just improved.
You might notice the website looks different, don’t worry, you’re still in the right place. Our web address has not changed, you can still find us at www.wvht.co.uk, and any saved links will still work. The website also works on mobile phones and tablets, so you can use it wherever you are, not just on a computer.
The aim of the new website is simple, to help you get the information you need faster, so you can get on with your day. Everything has been designed to be clear, easy to read and easy to use.
We hope you enjoy using the new website!
From early May we started using a new customer survey system delivered by text and email.
It’s completely secure and safe to use, and won’t change how we protect your personal information. Your feedback is extremely important to us and helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we can improve, so we can continue to deliver the best possible service for our customers.
Here’s what the new survey system looks like!
If you have any questions about our new website, or survey system, please get in touch with the team by calling 0300 303 9848, emailing enquiries@wvht.co.uk or visiting www.wvht.co.uk.
NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAMS IN ACTION
We have two key Neighbourhood teams, the Neighbourhood Housing Team and the Safer Neighbourhood Team. While their roles are different, they work closely together to support you to resolve problems in your neighbourhoods and homes quickly and fairly.
The Neighbourhood Housing Team has eight patch based Neighbourhood Housing Officers dealing with tenancy breaches including anti-social behaviour up to the point of formal legal intervention. The team actively work with customers and communities to encourage our neighbourhoods to thrive.
The Neighbourhood Housing Team can use:
• Mediation (helping people agree to a solution for anti-social behaviour)
• Good Neighbour Agreements
• Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
• Restorative approaches
If problems can’t be resolved early, and formal legal intervention is needed, the case may be escalated to our Safer Neighbourhood Team.
The Safer Neighbourhood Team’s work includes:
• Preparing cases for court
• Writing witness statements
• Gathering evidence
• Representing the Trust in some cases
• Looking for practical solutions, such as using legal powers to gain access to properties where compliance checks are required and access has not been given.
Anti-social Behaviour is behaviour that causes harassment, alarm, distress, or nuisance to other people and affects their quality of life. We take anti-social behaviour seriously, and are always here to help you. The Trust would not consider the following activities to be classed as anti-social behaviour and therefore will not be investigated:
• Normal household noise at reasonable times (for example walking around, talking, cooking, smoking, or babies crying)
• Using household items like washing machines, vacuum cleaners or gardening tools at reasonable times
• Shared gates being left open or closed
• Children playing in gardens or public spaces
• Personal disputes or negative comments about others, including on social media
• Disagreement about fences, hedges, or boundaries
Please take a look at our Anti-social Behaviour policy by scanning the QR code
Please take a look at our Good Neighbourhood Management policy by scanning the QR code
Making a difference with Community Action Days
Using the information you provide on our community walkabouts helps the team understand what each area needs and helps shape our Neighbourhood Plans. As part of our commitment to caring for our community, we have introduced Action Days, where teams across the Trust join together to improve our local areas.
So far, we have held Action Days in Wharton Gardens and Greenfields, Winsford. These actions days are a great opportunity for people to meet our Neighbourhood teams out and about and find out more about the work they do.
We’re proud to have joined together with partner agencies, working together to make a real difference to our local areas. Local residents have said: “It’s been so good to see the teams here, the place looks amazing, it’s so great to see what you’re doing for the area.” We are looking forward to holding more Action Days in the future.
You can keep up to date with the work of the Neighbourhood team, as well as report any issues in your local area by calling 0300 303 9848, emailing neighbourhoods@wvht.co.uk or visiting www.wvht.co.uk/neighbourhood-housing-team. You can see where our next Action Days are, and the work we’re doing in our communities, by following our Facebook page www.facebook.co.uk/WeaverVale.
TREATING EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT
Behind every call, every job, every email, is a person.
At Weaver Vale Housing Trust, we want every contact with you, our customers, to feel fair, respectful and helpful. Most of the time, this is exactly what happens. But we know that sometimes things can feel frustrating, especially if you’re waiting on a repair, dealing with an issue at home, or trying to get something sorted quickly.
We understand that, and we’ll always do our best to listen, support you and find a solution. At the same time, we also have a responsibility to make sure our colleagues feel safe and respected when they do their jobs and that our policies are followed to make sure everyone gets the same fair service.
We ask everyone to treat each other with respect. That includes:
• Speaking to our colleagues and contractors politely
• Allowing them to do their jobs safely when visiting your home
• Giving us a bit of time to respond and resolve things properly
When you contact us, sometimes you might feel upset, worried or frustrated, we will always:
• Listen to your concerns
• Take your situation seriously
• Try to find a fair and reasonable way forward
• Offer support if you need it
In some cases, we can also make adjustments to how we communicate with you or work with other support services, depending on your circumstances. We do understand emotions can get the better of us all, but there are some behaviours we cannot accept because they put our colleagues or others at risk. Unacceptable behaviour is anything that puts pressure on, disrupts, or harms colleagues or contractors.
Unreasonable demands, examples can include:
• Asking for responses faster than our policies allow (you can read all of our policies on our website www.wvht.co.uk)
• Refusing to speak to an individual or insisting on communication with a specific person only
• Requesting large amounts of information in unrealistic timescales.
Unreasonable persistence, examples can include:
• Refusing to accept a clear decision
• Repeating the same issue without new information or evidence
• Constantly changing or adding to a formal complaint
• Excessive contact (calls, emails, letters, social media)
• Abusive, aggressive or intimidating behaviour
• Swearing, shouting, or making personal/derogatory comments to our colleagues, this can be on the phone or in-person
• Filming or recording colleagues without their permission or awareness
• Making false or malicious allegations
• Sending threatening or abusive messages
Acting in a way that makes staff feel unsafe or uncomfortable
Physical abuse, threats or intimidation, examples can include:
• Any threatening or unwanted physical contact
• Intimidating behaviour during home visits
• Using pets to intimidate
• Preventing staff from leaving a property (e.g. blocking exits or vehicles)
Our colleagues are here to help. They are working hard every day to deliver services and support customers across our homes and communities. We have 6,800 homes across Cheshire and Warrington and with over 12,000 customers, this means our colleagues are working to deliver key services to all customers, every day. Our colleagues have the right to carry out their work without fear of being harmed or intimidated.
If there are concerns about behaviour, we will always try to resolve things early and calmly. This might include:
• Explaining what’s expected and why
• Talking things through and giving you time to adjust
• Looking at different ways to communicate or offer support
In some cases, our staff may leave a job or advise that they can’t continue a phone call and that if the behaviour continues, we may need to take further steps to protect our colleagues. This could include:
• Limiting how or when we communicate
• Asking you to use a single point of contact at Weaver Vale
• Taking further action in serious cases
Any action we take will be fair and based on the situation that has taken place. We’re committed to being fair to all our customers and colleagues. That means:
• Looking at each situation individually
• Taking personal circumstances into account
• Offering support where it’s needed
• Reviewing any restrictions regularly
If you ever feel a decision isn’t right, you’ll have the chance to ask for it to be reviewed. We all want the same thing – safe homes and communities. By treating each other with respect, we can work together to:
• Resolve issues more quickly
• Keep people safe
• Make sure services work well for everyone
Thank you for helping us create a positive and respectful environment for our customers and colleagues. Our new ‘unacceptable behaviour’ policy helps us make sure everyone is treated fairly and with respect. It explains how we’ll support customers but also sets clear expectations so our colleagues can do their jobs safely.
We’ll always try to resolve things informally first and understand individual circumstances, and we’ll only take further action if needed to protect our staff and keep services running smoothly for everyone. You can read this policy on our website www.wvht.co.uk/policies. We can also print this policy and send it to you, or email you a copy. Please contact us on 0300 303 9848 and we will do this for you.
A RECORD YEAR FOR MONEY SUPPORT
Our Money Support teams have had an outstanding year. Over the last financial year, the team achieved £4,685,160.04 in income gains for customers, the highest figure ever recorded! The team also helped a record number of people, getting 1,869 individual financial outcomes for 876 customers.
Here’s everything else they achieved:
achieved in income gains for customers.
£1,224,055.79 of which was directly awarded for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Costs
supported claiming PIP and Disability Living Allowance totalling £939k
helped to migrate to Universal Credit totalling £857k in extra income
individually awarded financial outcomes for 876 customers
supported to claim Attendance Allowance totalling £136k
given in fuel vouchers for 197 households
supported to claim Pension credit totalling £268k
From support with rent arrears and rising energy costs to advice on benefits and budgeting, the team will work with you to find practical solutions that make a real difference. No two situations are the same, and support is always tailored to your individual circumstances.
If you’re feeling worried about paying your rent, managing household bills, or claiming the benefits you’re entitled to, you don’t have to face it alone. Our friendly, confidential team are here to listen and help.
To find out more about the Rent Support teams and how they can help you, contact us by calling 0300 303 9848, email rentfirst@wvht.co.uk or visit www.wvht.co.uk/your-rent. Support is just a conversation away.
HOW WE’RE DOING
We conduct Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) to help us understand what matters most to you and how well we’re delivering the services you rely on every day. These measures cover the areas that shape your experience of your home and neighbourhood, including repairs, safety, communication, complaint handling, and overall satisfaction.
TSMs are designed to make sure that:
• You can clearly see how we’re performing and hold us to account.
• We hear your voice and understand what’s working well and where we need to do better.
• We are open and transparent, sharing our performance with the Regulator of Social Housing to show how we meet national standards.
How it works
There are 22 Tenant Satisfaction Measures in total:
• 10 measures come from our own performance data, such as how quickly we complete repairs.
• 12 measures come directly from you, based on your feedback about your experience with our services.
Your feedback is gathered through our STAR survey (Survey of Tenants and Residents), which we carry out twice a year using an independent research company. This ensures every voice is heard fairly and honestly. The insights we gain from these surveys are vital. They help us understand your priorities, shape our plans, and make real improvements to the services we provide.
You can see our results below:
TP01 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied with the overall service from their landlord.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 71.8%.
TP02 - Proportion of respondents who have received a repair in the last 12 months who report that they are satisfied with the overall repairs service.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 73.6%.
TP03 - Proportion of respondents who have received a repair in the last 12 months who report that they are satisfied with the time taken to complete their most recent repair.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 69.5%.
TP04 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their home is well maintained.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 71.9%.
TP05 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their home is safe.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 77.6%.
RP02 - Proportion of Non-Emergency and Emergency responsive repairs completed within the landlord’s target timescale.
RP02 - Proportion of: Non-Emergency
RP02 - Proportion of: Emergency
Q5f - Your (maximum) target timescale for nonemergency repairs used to calculate RPO2 (pt1.)
Q5g - Your (maximum) target timescale for emergency repairs used to calculate RPO2 (pt2.)
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 82.5%.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 94.9%.
24 working days
BS01 - Proportion of homes for which all required gas safety checks have been carried out.
BS02 - Proportion of homes for which all required fire risk assessments have been carried out.
BS03 - Proportion of homes for which all required asbestos management surveys or re-inspections have been carried out.
BS04 - Proportion of homes for which all required legionella risk assessments have been carried out.
BS05 - Proportion of homes for which all required communal passenger lift safety checks have been carried out.
24 hours
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 100%.
TP06 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their landlord listens to tenant views and acts upon them.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 61.6%.
CH01 - Number of: 1. Stage one complaints and 2. Stage two complaints received per 1,000 homes: (Stage 1) (Stage 2) (*each quarter figure will be from 1st April to date)
31
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 53.5.
CH02 - Stage 1 - Complaints responded to within Complaint handling Code timescales.
100%
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 89.9%.
5.4
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 8.3.
CH02 - Stage 2 - Complaints responded to within Complaint handling Code timescales.
100%
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 88.9%.
TP07 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their landlord keeps them informed about things that matter to them.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 72%.
TP08 - Proportion of respondents who report that they agree their landlord treats them fairly and with respect.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 77.9%.
TP09 - Proportion of respondents who report making a complaint in the last 12 months who are satisfied with their landlord’s approach to complaints handling.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 35.5%.
TP10 - Proportion of respondents with communal areas who report that they are satisfied that their landlord keeps communal areas clean and well maintained.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 66.7%.
TP11 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their landlord makes a positive contribution to the neighbourhood.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 64.6%.
TP12 - Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied with their landlord’s approach to handling anti-social behaviour.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 59.5%.
NM01 - Number of:
NM01 - Anti-social behaviour cases, per 1000
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant
75.7
Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 36.
NM01 - Anti-social behaviour cases that involve hate incidents opened per 1,000 homes.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant
Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 0.7. 0.6
RP01 - Proportion of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
Average (median landlord) perception Tenant Satisfaction Measure results, from over 1,000 housing organisations 0.5% 0%
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT AT WEAVER VALE
YOU’RE INVITED!
We’re hosting an all customer event on 4th September 2026, 10am - 1pm at Hartford Golf Club. It’s an opportunity to bring everyone together to share views, shape our priorities, and give you the opportunity to influence future services we deliver to you.
Why come along?
• Tell us what matters most to you
• Help us to understand where we can improve
• Speak directly with members of the Senior Leadership Team, including our Chief Executive, Wayne Gales and members of our Customer Assurance Team
• Food and refreshments will be provided
Need help getting there? Call and we may be able to help. To book your place or ask a question, contact the Customer Voice Team by calling 0300 303 9848 or emailing get.involved@wvht.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you!
Get involved today!
Did you know our 17 customer volunteers help shape and improve our services? Through the Customer Assurance Team, they provide feedback, support regulatory standards, and help drive improvements. Over the last year, they have contributed more than 780 hours to making our services better for everyone.
What have our Customer Assurance Team (CAT) volunteers been busy doing?
• Sharing ideas and experiences
• Visiting neighbourhoods and talking with customers
• Meeting with our teams to give feedback
• Checking how well we’re performing
• Helping us to make important decisions
Why get involved as a CAT Volunteer?
We would love more people to join the Customer Assurance Team and make a differencevolunteering for CAT is a great way to:
• Check and challenge the Trust and what we do
• Highlight where improvements are needed
• Celebrate the areas where we are getting it right together
• Ensure the customer voice is heard, acted on and genuinely shapes how we work
• Meet new people and try something new
We are always looking for new volunteers for the Customer Assurance Team. If you’d like to become a member of the Customer Assurance Team we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 0300 303 9848, email get.involved@wvht.co.uk or visit www.wvht.co.uk/get-involved.
MOVING HOME OR LOOKING TO BUY?
If your circumstances have changed and you are looking to move home, all housing applications are managed by your local council, we don’t hold waiting lists ourselves. You will need to apply through the housing system for your area:
Cheshire West & Chester – westcheshirehomes.housingjigsaw.co.uk Cheshire East – www.cheshirehomechoice.org.uk/choice Warrington – www.warrington.gov.uk/socialhousing
You will need to include the reasons for moving on your application and provide any evidence requested to support this. Once your application is accepted you will be able to bid on suitable homes that become available. If you move to another Weaver Vale home, we will carry out affordability and eligibility checks, which may involve a credit check, and one month’s rent will be required in advance. Before you move in, we’ll inspect the home and complete any essential work to make sure it meets our standards, in-line with our Empty Homes Standard. We also sometimes advertise our homes on Rightmove so be sure to check by visiting www.rightmove.co.uk.
As a Weaver Vale customer, you have access to a wide range of services designed to support you in your home and day-to-day life. This includes support from our Customer Hub, repairs and maintenance services, and face-to-face support from teams such as Safer Neighbourhoods and Tenancy Sustainment. You can also access help from our Employment Team for jobs, training and skills, as well as our Money Matters and Rent Support team if you have financial concerns.
You can also do a Mutual Exchange to find a suitable home by swapping homes with another Weaver Vale customer or a customer of another social landlord. For more information about Mutual Exchanges visit www.wvht.co.uk/mutual-exchange.
For more information about our homes, please call 0300 303 9848, email lettings@wvht.co.uk or visit our website www.wvht.co.uk/our-homes.
Considering owning your own home? Prospa Homes is part of the Weaver Vale Housing Trust family, launched in 2019 to help people buy homes through shared ownership and rent to buy in Cheshire.
Shared ownership allows you to buy a % of the home and pay rent on the remaining %. Typically, this means a much smaller mortgage and deposit, with the option to buy more shares at any time, including up to 100% in most cases.
See available homes on the Prospa Homes website, or contact our team by calling 01606 813 319. emailing sales@prospahomes.co.uk or visiting www.prospahomes.co.uk
A SAFE PLACE TO TURN
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, help is available. You are not alone, and support is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. If you can’t speak, dial 55 when prompted to alert the police.
Below are some helplines, reach out if you need support:
National Domestic Abuse Helpline (run by Refuge) - 0808 2000 247, www.refuge.org.uk
Support for women experiencing domestic abuse, including advice, safety planning and access to refuges.
Men’s Advice Line - 0808 801 0327, mensadviceline.org.uk
Support for men experiencing domestic abuse.
National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline (Galop) - 0800 999 5428, www.galop.org.uk
Specialist support for LGBT+ victims and survivors.
National Stalking Helpline - 0808 802 0300, www.suzylamplugh.org
Advice and guidance for anyone affected by stalking.
NSPCC Helpline - 0808 800 5000, www.nspcc.org.uk
Advice and support if you’re concerned about a child’s safety.
Samaritans - 116 123, www.samaritans.org 24/7 emotional support for anyone struggling.
Mind - 0300 123 3393, www.mind.org.uk
Information and support services for mental health.
Abuse isn’t always physical, it can be emotional, financial, controlling, or online. You don’t have to be ready to leave to get support. You can call on behalf of a friend, family member or neighbour.
If you need to contact us, please call 0300 303 9848, email enquiries@wvht.co.uk or visit www.wvht.co.uk.
Visit our head office at Weaver Vale Housing Trust, Gadbrook Point, Rudheath Way, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7LL