Housing Repairs – update

In our post on Wednesday 24 June, we said we were looking at how we can deliver a full repairs service within the appropriate COVID-19 guidance. We intend to restart all types of repairs from Monday 20 July 2020. Until this time we will continue to do emergency repairs only.

As a result of the lockdown, there is a backlog of repairs so initially no calls will be taken for new repairs. A full service accepting new repair calls will start on Monday 10 August 2020.

If you currently have an incomplete repair logged your housing officer will contact you within the next week to review the status of this.

As your safety continues to be our priority, we are developing a tenant-specific Health and Safety risk assessment for any works to be carried out in your home.

If you have registered to take part in tenant participation consultations, we will contact you and give you the opportunity to engage in this exercise. There will be more information on this in next week’s post.

Our Housing Spokesperson, Councillor Craig Fotheringham said:

We want to thank everyone for their continued support and understanding. We will continue to provide weekly updates on the repairs restart and  we hope that our customers can work with us  to help us deliver a safe and efficient service.

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Housing Repairs – COVID 19 Update

National restrictions and guidelines introduced as part of the necessary response to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we could only carry out emergency repairs inside tenants’ homes. We also suspended the Right to Repair.

This was to ensure the safety of tenants, staff, contractors and the wider public. We know it has been a difficult time for all and would like to thank everyone for their patience.

Scottish Government announced the move to Phase 2 of their Route Map out of lockdown on the 18 June, signalling the start of restrictions easing.

We want to restart the repairs service as soon as we possibly can and will advise when we are able to do this. For now, we continue to do emergency repairs only.

We are looking at how we can deliver routine external repairs within current guidance and hope to start these shortly. You may see our staff carrying out Estate inspections as part of this process.

We are also considering which routine repairs can be delivered safely in tenants’ homes as we move through Phase 2 and into Phase 3 of the Government’s routemap.

For this to be possible, we must consider the views of our contractors. We will also listen to tenant views about whether they would be happy for maintenance activities to be carried out. If tenants report repairs to us, we will assume we have permission for our contractor to carry it out, if they can.

Thank you for your understanding while we review the repairs service. We will post weekly updates here and on our News website.

      Please be assured that tenant safety remains our priority.

 

Housing Planned Maintenance – COVID-19 Update

In line with the Scottish Government’s guidance on the phased easing of lockdown restrictions, our contractors will soon start carrying out some maintenance Council housing.

These works will include the following;

• Emergency works
• Essential planned maintenance work including planning and site-preparation, which are allowed during the first stage.  Initially, this will include some external survey works by contractors, and tenants will be notified in advance of these starting in each area.

As we have done throughout the lockdown period, we will continue to carry out annual servicing of gas heating systems as we are required to do by law.

We have been working closely with our contractors to ensure a measured approach is taken to restarting works, which will be reviewed and updated regularly as the guidance from Scottish Government develops. Please check the Housing Blog and our website for further updates.

NHS advice can be found on the NHS Coronavirus COVID 19 website –– the main symptoms of the coronavirus include; 

• A new, continuous, dry cough
• A high temperature
• Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

We appreciate your co-operation at this time and hope you find this information useful, but if you have any queries about this post, please do not hesitate to contact us by email to HousingTechnical@angus.gov.uk

Help for Private Renters with Our New Rent Deposit Scheme

Our new Rent Deposit Scheme is to help people on low incomes in housing need get accommodation in the private rented sector. If you urgently need housing, but don’t have the money for a deposit for a private rental property, we can help.

If you meet our conditions, we can pay the deposit to the landlord on your behalf. You agree to a savings plan to repay the money to us.

Anyone in work or receiving benefits can apply. To make sure you are able to repay us, we will carry out checks, including the affordability of the property, and check on your tenancy history including any rent arrears.

Landlords must be registered with us and transfer the deposit to one of the National Deposit Schemes. Do not sign a tenancy agreement or move into the property before we confirm you can take part in the scheme.

For further information about the scheme, check out our website.