Help with the cost of living roadshows start in Montrose tomorrow

Everyone’s welcome at these free events. Come along to find out about the support available with:

• bills
• housing issues
• Council Tax
• money matters
• mental health
• food and nutrition

Free tea and coffee, soup and cookery demonstration.

Montrose

10:30am to 1:30pm on Tuesday 17 January at Old and St Andrew’s Church, 121 High St, Montrose DD10 8QW.

Newtyle

10:30am to 1:30pm on Wednesday 1 February at Newtyle Legion Hall, 33 Belmont Street, Newtyle, PH12 8UB.

Kirriemuir

11:30am to 2:30pm on Tuesday 7 February at Glens and Kirriemuir United Parish Church Hall, Bank Street, Kirriemuir, DD8 4BG

Visit the council’s cost of living webpage where you can find out about the support available from the council, our partners, local and national organisations.

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Angus Homefinder Login Problem

We are aware of a major problem with the Angus Homefinder Choice Based Lettings system. If you are trying to log in to bid on properties, you will get the message – “Not a valid user.” Please be patient, our contractor is aware of the issue and is working on it urgently. We will provide updates as soon as we have them.

Make the Call – Prevent Fires – Save Lives

Make the Call is an appeal to carers, family and friends of people at risk of serious injury or even death because of an accidental fire in their home.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is now appealing to communities across Scotland to help save a life and consider home fire safety when checking in on vulnerable neighbours, patients, friends and family and to put them in touch with SFRS wherever possible using the free Home Fire Safety Visit phoneline.

Contact SFRS:

 0800 0731 999  | Text “FIRE” to 80800 from your mobile phone

Private Landlords: Landlord Accreditation Scotland training webinars

Landlord Accreditation Scotland (LAS) is a voluntary scheme which helps landlords assure tenants that the tenancy arrangement they have adheres to the high standards as outlined in the Scottish Core Standards for Accredited Landlords. It is also a means quality landlords operating within these standards receive the recognition and support they deserve.

The standards were designed to be reasonable and realistic; landlords who already carry out good management practices will find themselves well on the way to achieving them. Once accredited, you are required to attend one of the LAS Core Standards training session annually.  Courses are available around the country throughout the year.

How to become and Accredited Landlord Today?

You can apply to become an accredited Landlord by completing the online form here or by requesting an application form from the LAS office.

Next Training Webinars

LAS continue to host training webinars to ensure landlords can hear how they can continue to manage their tenancies using best practice guidelines.  The next webinars to be held will be: 

• Understanding Landlord Repairing and Maintenance Obligations Webinar     15/11/22

• Safety Compliance and Certification for Private Rented Property Webinar        22/11/22

Hub for Ukrainian Guests and their Hosts in Forfar

Forfar Action of Churches Together offers a warm welcome to all Ukrainian guests and hosts on Saturday 20 August 2022 at 11 am at Forfar Community Hub, Wellbraehead, Forfar DD8 3AX

Staff Shortages at Community Housing Teams

Arbroath, Forfar and Montrose Community Housing Teams currently have staff shortages which include staff sickness and annual leave.

We will try to respond to customers as quickly as we can and ask that any contact is made using ACCESSLine so that your enquiry can be directed accordingly.

We will deal with all non-emergency enquiries in date order, you do not need to call back.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and ask that you please bear with us as these shortages are outwith our control.

We thank everyone for their patience and understanding.

Jubilee Bank Holiday Opening Hours

ACCESSLine will close at 5 pm on Wednesday 1 June 2022 and will reopen on Monday 6 June 2022 at 8.45 am.  During this time, customers will still be able to report emergency repairs and these include:

• Loss of heating or hot water – total loss of both heating and hot water with no electric shower
• An uncontainable leak
• Sewage backing up and overflowing into the property
• A serious security problem, such as a door that cannot be locked
• Unsafe power, lighting sockets or electrical fittings
• A blocked flue to an open fire or boiler
• External windows – doors or locks which cannot be secured
• Blocked sink, bath or drain
• Blocked or leaking foul drains, soil stacks or toilets where there is no other toilet in the house
• Unsafe path or step
• Toilet not flushing where there is no other toilet in the house
• Loose or detached handrail or stair banister
• Unsafe timber flooring or stair treads
• Extractor fan in kitchen or bathroom not working

Customers can also report emergency roofless situations and the contact number for both services are: 03452 777 778

Scottish Learning Disability Week 2022

What is Scottish Learning Disability Week?

Scottish Learning Disability Week happens in May each year. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of issues that matter to people with learning disabilities. It’s also a chance to have fun and celebrate the achievements of people with learning disabilities.

What is the theme?

This year’s theme is ‘We all have human rights!”

The Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities wants to raise awareness of the human rights of people with learning disabilities. The human rights of people with learning disabilities are not always recognised and this needs to change.

Join the Commission this Scottish Learning Disability Week, to help people with learning disabilities to recognise and realise their human rights.

For more information

Visit the website

Facebook: @ScotCommission

Twitter: @SCLDNews

Instagram: @scldnews

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Change to Housing Privacy Notice

In January, we updated our housing privacy notice to include contact specifically with tenants of new build properties around one year after they have moved into their new home to complete a survey. The surveys are a requirement by the Scottish Government for all council and Registered Social Landlord new builds.

 See below copy of the notice with a new paragraph included.

To view the full Housing Privacy Notice see our website.

We will continually review and update this privacy notice to reflect changes in our services and feedback from service users, as well as to comply with changes in the law.  

New Fire Alarm Regulations – help for those who own their home

The law on fire alarms has changed which means that all Scottish homes need to have interlinked alarms. Interlinked means if one goes off, they all go off, giving people more time to escape and call emergency services.

Angus Care & Repair have some funding available to help home owners with the costs of the new alarms. To be eligible for support from Care & Repair Scotland, you must live in and own your home that has a Council Tax banding of A-C. You must also either be of state pension age and in receipt of guaranteed Pension Credit or have a disability and be in a support group for Employment and Support Allowance.

If you meet the criteria, then please contact Angus Care & Repair by email at anguscr@caledoniaha.co.uk

Alternatively, if you do not meet these criteria then you may be able to get some advice and assistance from the Scottish Fire Service. For more information see the Fire Scotland website.

We do not offer any funding to support with the installation of alarms, and all enquiries relating to this should be made direct to Angus Care & Repair and/or the Scottish Fire Service.