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Blackpool Coastal Housing Ltd
Progress House
Clifton Road
Blackpool
FY4 4US
T 01253 477900
Email:
enquiries@bch.co.uk
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Blackpool Coastal Housing
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Service Standards
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Housing Management
Service Standards
Service Standards
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Housing Management
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Contact Us
The Customer Care Team
Blackpool Coastal Housing
The Stadium
Seasiders Way
Blackpool
FY1 6JY
01253 651950
enquiries@bch.co.uk
Estate Management
Estate Management relates to the effective management of tenancies and neighbourhoods to ensure strong, thriving and sustainable communities are developed.
The Estate Management service standards reflect our proactive approach to tenancy and neighbourhood management through swiftly and effectively addressing breaches of tenancy through partnership working with the Council, Police and other stakeholders.
· We will investigate all alleged breaches of tenancy within 3 working days and within 24 hours for serious breaches.
· We will visit you on at least 2 occasions during the first year of your tenancy.
· We will provide a home visit by appointment if required within 5 working days.
· We will clear hazardous spillages (e.g. toxic chemicals, syringes, glass shards) within 4 hours of notification and unsightly spillages (food/dog mess) within 24 hours of notification.
· We will remove racist/sexist or otherwise offensive graffiti within 24 hours of notification. All other graffiti shall be removed within 5 working days of notification.
· We will remove bulk items dumped on council land within 3 working days of notification.
· We will deal with all applications for mutual exchange within 42 days by visiting Blackpool Borough Council tenants to ensure they meet the qualifying criteria and advise them of the process.
· We will deal with all applications to succeed to, or amend tenancy details within 20 working days of receiving all the required documentation.
· Tenants and BCH staff will inspect specified neighbourhoods on a monthly basis and publicise the outcomes and actions arising from inspection.
· We will remove untaxed or abandoned vehicles on housing land within 15 days of notification.
Anti Social Behaviour
Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) is a term that covers a variety of crime & disorder activities.
Anti-Social Behaviour can take many forms. It can be noise nuisance, neighbour disputes, racial harassment, sexual harassment, committing crime, acts or threats of violence, juvenile nuisance and much more.”
The ASB service standards reflect our aim to support victims and witnesses, to adopt a proactive approach to instances of crime and disorder and to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the service as part of the process of continuous improvement.
· We will respond to all reports of racial harassment and complaints where there is a risk of violence and or damage to the property within 24 hours of notification.
· We will respond to all other reports of anti-social behaviour other than the above within 5 working days.
· We will measure the satisfaction of all complainants of anti-social behaviour and use this information to improve service delivery.
· We will use a mediation service to try and resolve disputes between neighbours.
Joining the Housing Register
Blackpool Council operate a Choice Based Lettings service which aims to make the process of finding a home easier through providing applicants with a greater choice of areas and properties to bid for. The bidding process has been made easier and more transparent with the service being accessed via the internet, by telephone or through visiting the local housing office.
The Housing Register service standards reflect the councils commitment to providing support and assistance to applicants in a proactive and timely manner.
· Applications to join the housing register shall be assessed within 2 working days of being received.
· Written confirmation shall be sent to applicants within 1 working day of registration.
· Home visits will be arranged within 10 working days of being requested.
· Applicants shall be contacted every 12 months to check whether or not your circumstances have changed.
Homestop
Homestop is responsible for advertising empty properties, publicising the results of the bidding and letting the property to the successful applicant.
Homestop’s standards reflect our commitment to openness and accuracy of advertising and the provision of advice and support to customers.
· We will provide accurate information in all adverts including how to bid, rent levels, location, type & size of the property and rules regarding suitability.
· We will publish the results of what we let via the Homestop website, local housing offices, Customer First and South King Street.
· If your bid is successful we will:· Ring you within 3 working days of the closing date for bids provided we have your number, otherwise we will write to you.· Make an appointment for you to view the property within a further 2 working days.· Provide an accompanied viewing to the property.· Provide you with the name and details of the person responsible for the property.· Explain central heating system and instruction leaflets where provided
Income & Debt Prevention
Income & Debt Prevention relates to rent and other charges owed to Blackpool Council, which is collected and recovered by Blackpool Coastal Housing.
The Income & Debt Prevention service standards reflect our focus upon personal contact, working with an independent adviser to assist customers with multiple debts and offering a choice of payment methods.
· We will provide you with advice and assistance on completing your Housing Benefit application.
· We will contact you in person to discuss payment of arrears.
· We will offer you a choice of rent payment methods and range of dates to pay by Direct Debit.
· We will refer you to an independent Debt Adviser if you are in danger of losing your home because you have multiple debts.
· We will only ever use eviction as a last resort.
· We will notify you in writing of any increases in rent/service charges.
· We will provide you with quarterly rent statements
Customer Involvement
Customer Involvement relates to the opportunities for customers to interact with the service. This is normally done through three interlinked (but distinct) aspects of involvement, namely, the provision of information, consultation or participation.
The customer involvement service standards reflect the range of opportunities for involvement, emphasises dialogue with customers and the support that we will give to tenants and resident organisations.
· We will consult tenants on changes to service delivery and any issues that may affect their tenancy.
· We will monitor the Tenant Compact on a Quarterly basis and review annually.
· We will report annually on customer involvement.
· We shall enable tenants and residents to involve themselves in the housing service in a range of ways including, reader’s panel, focus groups, mystery shoppers and tenant and resident groups.
· We will support tenant and resident groups (TRA) by ensuring officers attend TRA meetings upon request.
Emergency Housing
Blackpool Coastal Housing recognises the need to provide emergency housing, which is responsive to the needs of customers through the provision of quality accommodation and services.
The Emergency Housing service standards reflect our commitment to take full account of the specific needs and circumstances of every client.
· We will ensure all Emergency Housing units, not requiring major works are available for occupation within 48 hours of vacation.
· We will report all faults within the Emergency Housing units within 24 hours of identifying the fault.
· We will monitor and support all clients and make referrals to partner agencies within 24 hours of identifying a need.
· We will take account of the social, cultural and religious context relating to individuals circumstances when making decisions relating to the client
· We will ensure all clients who wish to engage with support workers shall have a full and comprehensive Support Plan completed prior to vacation.
· We will consult with clients on the décor of their room and building.
Sheltered Housing
The Sheltered Housing service recognises the distinctive needs of residents and tailors the service to reflect the care and support needs of the individual.
The Sheltered Housing service standards reflect our commitment to providing a pro-active service, which is responsive to the needs of customers.
· We will report all faults with the warden call system within 24 hours of identifying a fault.
· We will complete a full support plan within 2 weeks of your tenancy commencing.
· We will monitor and support all tenants and make referrals to partner agencies within 24 hours of identifying a need.
· We will take account of the social, cultural and religious context relating to individual circumstances when making decisions relating to the tenant.
· Tenants not wishing to engage with the scheme manager shall have their decisions respected.
Leasehold Management
Blackpool Coastal Housing is the managing agent for all council owned housing stock including flats and maisonettes purchased by Leaseholders.
· We will produce a leaseholder handbook in plain English, which we will provide to all new leaseholders. We will review and update the handbook on a regular basis and reissue updated handbooks to you and make updates and amendments available on our website.
· We will send you a Leaseholder newsletter twice a year.
· We will send out your estimated service charge bills for each financial year in April, together with a schedule of how the charges have been calculated.
· We will send a finalised bill and schedule of the actual service charge costs for the previous financial year in October.
· We will consult with Leaseholders who live in a block, which is undergoing planned improvements, and provide you with details of the improvement works and estimated costs.
Page last modified on 13 October 2008
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