Our Customer Promises

• Treat you fairly and with respect  
• Listen to you  
• Take ownership of your query and be empowered to make decisions 
• Make it clear what we can and can’t do, and when it can be done 
• Recognise that everyone has different circumstances and needs, and our aim is to consistently deliver a fair and good service to everyone 
• Protect your data in line with GDPR guidelines  
• Use plain language and avoid jargon.  

• Acknowledge your enquiry within one working day.  
• Answer more complex enquiries within three working days. If we can’t provide a full answer within three working days, we’ll let you know who is dealing with your enquiry and when they will respond to you.
• Try to answer your call within 25 seconds. 
• Introduce the company and name of the person you are speaking to.
• Aim to resolve your enquiry the first time you contact us. 
• Recognise your needs and circumstances, and respond with sensitivity and understanding. If a call back is required, the team member will do this within 24 hours (from when they return from visits or annual leave). If the call back reason is likely to take longer than 24 hours to deal with, or the person isn’t available, we’ll give you an estimated time/date for the call to be returned. 
• Ensure our website is up to date with important messages.  
• Offer a variety of ways to contact us. 
• Inform you of relevant local initiatives and financial support. 
• Treat all reports of domestic abuse in a sensitive and confidential manner. We can provide support and/or make referrals to other agencies.
• Refer you to the local authority for advice and assistance if you’re homeless or threatened with homelessness.

We will:

• Arrange an appointment either in your home, at an agreed alternative venue or by an online meeting  
• Make an appointment that’s convenient for everyone involved 
• Inform you as soon as possible if we have to cancel or rearrange an appointment.  

We will:

• Be on time or let you know if we’re delayed
• Show identification
• Respect your home, household and customs.

We will:

• Communicate though our website, Facebook and in emails and newsletters 
• Listen to you and, wherever we can, take your views into consideration
• Make being involved easy and flexible  
• Ask for your input on policies, procedures and publications via surveys or focus groups 
• Send three e-newsletters and one postal newsletter each year 
• Deal with complaints quickly in line with the Housing Ombudsman Servjce Complaint Handling Code  
• Contact you within ten days of the target completion date of a general repair to see if you were satisfied.

We will:

• Keep your home safe and well maintained 
• Operate an all-year-round, 24-hour service for emergency repairs 
• Carry out annual safety checks and servicing of gas, renewable and solid fuel heating 
• Provide various ways to report a non-emergency repair, via myhomeonline, our website and email 
• Let you know if a repair is your responsibility  
• Aim to carry out all repairs within our published target times (24 hours for emergency, 7 days for urgent, and 28 days for routine repairs)  
• Cancel a repair if we can’t access your home at the appointment time. We’ll leave a card at your home letting you know what you need to do if you still need the work to happen 
• Give advice if you’re seeking an adaptation to your home, including signposting to services elsewhere 
• Carry out inspections on a sample of repairs to check our contractors are meeting expected standards. 

We will:

• Visit you before the work starts to explain the process and timescales 
• Ensure any interruptions to your gas, electricity, water and heat are kept to an absolute minimum  
• Give you the name and contact details of who to contact for enquiries  
• Visit you while the work is taking place, and inspect the work when it’s finished.

Our contractors work to a Code of Conduct.  

If you tell us about anti-social behaviour, we will:

• Listen to your concerns and take them seriously  
• Deal with the issue in line with our policy
• Maintain confidentiality and data protection  
• Risk assess your situation and respond in line with timescales set out in our procedure  
• Keep you updated within the agreed timescale 
• Ensure staff are appropriately trained and aware of legislation 
• Work with other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour.

We will:

• Offer different payment options (Direct Debit is our preferred option) 
• Enable you to view your rent account 24/7 via myhomeonline  
• Give you the option to print/download a rent statement on myhomeonline  
• Send you a rent statement if you ask for one 
• Provide money-saving advice and benefit information on our website to help you budget 
• Tell you if your rent account is in arrears and make a reasonable agreement with you to clear any debt  
• Take firm action if your account remains in arrears, which may include legal action leading to eviction.  

We will:

• Let homes as quickly as possible and allocate them fairly in line with our lettings policy and the local authority’s policy  
• Give you the option to view the home before moving in  
• Ensure the home meets our lettable standards  
• Carry out a pre-tenancy assessment to identify your household's needs so that we can provide suitable support 
• Explain the tenancy agreement and explain our and your responsibilities
• Contact you within six weeks of moving in, to check how you’ve settled into your new home  
• Offer Homeswapper as a scheme for mutual exchanges  
• Give you information about how to apply for accommodation through the local authority’s choice-based lettings. 

To help us provide a good service, please:

• Keep to the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement 
• Respect your home, neighbours and neighbourhood 
• Be polite when speaking to us and our contractors. We will end a conversation/meeting if we feel that you’re being rude or disrespectful. We will inform you if we are going to do this 
• Use myhomeonline to monitor your rent account, pay your rent, report non-urgent repairs and keep your contact details up to date 
• Pay the correct amount of rent on time 
• Pay your rent by Direct Debit if you can. We can set this up for you weekly, fortnightly or monthly on a day suitable for you  
• Talk to us if you’re experiencing problems paying your rent - we can help 
• Let us know if you’re claiming Universal Credit 
• Let us know if your circumstances change  
• Report any repairs that we are responsible for as soon as you can  
• Take good care of your home and do any repairs you’re responsible for 
• Be available for confirmed appointments 
• Allow us into your home to carry out repairs and safety checks 
• If you have a minor issue with a neighbour, discuss it with them (if you feel comfortable to) to try and resolve it before involving us  
• Let us know what you think about our service 
• Give us four weeks’ notice and a forwarding address if you decide to give up your tenancy.