Housing Services – Level 4 update

From 26 December Angus will move to Level 4 of COVID-19 restrictions.

The changes will mainly affect our repairs service. We will only accept new emergency repairs in occupied properties, and this includes:

•    loss of heating and/or hot water – Total loss of both heating & hot water with no electric shower

•    an uncontainable leak

•    sewage backing up and overflowing into the property

•    a serious security problem, such as a front door that cannot be locked

•    loss of essential services, such as water or electricity

The Right to Repair will be suspended.

When you contact ACCESSline on 03452 777 778 to report a repair, we will ask you the following questions to help us determine how best to protect against the spread of the virus:

1.    Do you currently have any symptoms of coronavirus? (new cough, high temperature, loss of smell or taste)

2.    Has anyone you work or socialise with closely had coronavirus within the last 14 days?

3.    Are you in a vulnerable or shielding group as identified in government guidance?

We will then:

1.    Assess the repair required and if it is classed as emergency, your repair will be processed in the normal way.

2.    If your repair is not classed as Emergency, we will not carry out the repair at this time. As before your housing officer will keep note of your routine repair.

3.    Please be advised that contractors will have to wear specialised personal protective equipment while in your property.

If you’ve already reported a repair, and it hasn’t been completed by Christmas Eve, then it will be on hold until the restrictions are relaxed again.

If you are reporting a gas repair to WRB directly you will be asked the same questions to allow them to assess how they will deal with your repair.

When we are able to deal with routine repairs again, we will post an update here.

If you report a repair to us, we will assume that we have your permission for our contractor to carry it out if they can.

Planned Maintenance

Many of our planned works, examples listed below, were due to restart on 5 January 2021, but this is no longer the case and we will contact tenants who have been given installation dates to advise of this and advise a new date when contractors return in the New Year.

•    Bathroom Upgrades

•    Kitchen Upgrades

•    Planned Heating Upgrades

•    Window Upgrades

•    Energy Efficiency Internal Works (including the ABS and ECO Flex schemes)

External works such as External Wall Insulation will restart as planned.

Other Services

Allocations – House moves to empty properties are unaffected. We will be offering tenancies as normal, and applicants can register and bid for properties at the Angus Homefinder site.

Homelessness – We will have very limited access to accommodation for callers who have nowhere to stay. We would encourage people not to travel or move between different restricted levels areas and to follow the government guidance.

Sheltered Housing

Sheltered lounges remain closed for the time being.

Fire Alarm Servicing is a requirement, and this work will go ahead where tenants have been notified and are comfortable with contractors working in their home.

Communal Areas: there are some planned works to carry out improvements to some lifts which includes a temporary stairlift installation. This work will go ahead, and we would ask that you use social distancing in the areas of this work.

Estate management – Housing and antisocial behaviour officers will continue to contact customers mainly by telephone. Home visits will be the exception and mainly limited to doorsteps only.

We appreciate that this enforced change is frustrating. Our team is working really hard to provide support for you, but our resources are fully stretched at the moment. Our officers are doing their best to deliver as much of our normal service as they can, whilst also taking on additional activities related to the COVID Emergency response. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this difficult period.

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Your opinion matters – please help with our Antisocial Behaviour survey

Please take a few minutes to complete our Antisocial Behaviour Survey to find out what residents think about antisocial behaviour in Angus.

We’ve extended the survey closing date until the end of December to give as many residents as possible the chance to have their say.

Help us develop the new antisocial behaviour  strategy by taking part in the survey

Angus Antisocial Behaviour Survey

We have launched a Antisocial Behaviour Survey asking Angus residents about their experiences of antisocial behaviour.

Please take a few minutes to give your comments and suggestions on how we can improve our antisocial behaviour services in Angus. This will help us prepare our new Antisocial Behaviour Strategy.

The survey will ask you whether you have experienced antisocial behaviour in Angus, what impact has is had on you and whether you believe it’s got worse or better in recent years.

Help us develop the new strategy by taking part in a short survey

The survey will close on 23 December 2020.

New Angus energy efficiency improvement project

We are pleased to announce a new energy efficiency improvement project in partnership with SCARF and two contractors for improvement works in Angus: Qualis Scotland Ltd and Diversity Energy Solutions.

This a pilot project aimed at specific areas in Angus to tackle fuel poverty and energy inefficiency in private sector housing. Households in certain areas of Angus will receive letters inviting them for a free survey of their property to help improve the energy efficiency of the home and reduce energy bills.

The survey will identify what suitable energy efficiency improvements could be made. Throughout the process, the contractors will give advice relating to potential measures and timescales involved. In most cases, the improvement works will be fully funded.

Representatives from the contractors will always carry photo identification and a copy of the letter issued to the household, so remember to request ID badges.

If you receive a letter from one of the contractors, please do not contact us but instead follow the instructions either to proceed with a survey or opt-out. You can contact SCARF or the contractor for further information.

Angus Homefinder Goes Live on 11/11

We’ve fixed the technical problems that led to us having to delay the start of our new Choice Based Lettings system, so we’re now delighted to announce it will go live on Wednesday 11 November.

On that date, new applicants will be able to apply to join our Housing Register. We’ve already added existing applicants and sent login instructions by letter.

Check back next week to get the link for the new system and any other information you might need to get your application online.

Rent Increase. Have your say!*

Are you an Angus Council tenant?

If so, we need your views on the proposed rent increase for 2021/22 and options on how your rent money will be spent.

All three options would keep your rent amongst the lowest in Scotland.

Why are we proposing to increase the rent?

We need to make sure the money we receive from rent is enough to pay for existing services, including repairs, but also to pay for larger improvements needed for tenants’ homes and to help build new homes.

Rent increases allow us to invest in our homes to continue to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Rent increases will also allow us to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

The rent rise is partly based on the inflation measure of CPI (Consumer Price Index), and in recent years an additional set percentage of 1% had been agreed between us and the Tenant Rent Setting Group. CPI+1% is the minimum rent increase required to allow us to deliver our current plans and manage inflationary rises. We need to increase the rent at least by inflation because that’s what it costs us to deliver existing services. However, following feedback received last year we have considered some alternative options with input from the Tenant Rent Setting Group.

How we decide on the Increase

We’re carrying out a consultation to help tenants consider the rent increase options and clearly see how the rent money will be spent.

The results of this survey will be presented at the Communities Committee in February 2021, where the final decision on a rent increase for 2021/22 will be made.

Rent Increase – the options

The Tenant Rent Setting Group has agreed three options which the members feel will bring benefits to tenants while keeping rents affordable.

The three options are:

	Option 1	Option 2 – Recommended by the Rent Setting Group	Option 3
Rent Level	1.75%	2%	2.25%
Capital spend (this is money invested to buy or upgrade fixed, physical, non-consumable assets, such as buildings and equipment)	Additional borrowing of an estimated £823,000 to maintain capital spend (cumulative position for 4 year period 2021/22 – 2024/25)	£18 million capital spend over the year	Reduced borrowing of an estimated £824,000 to maintain capital spend (cumulative position for 4 year period 2021/22 – 2024/25) which could be used to fund additional stock improvements
How many new builds?	Potential reduction in new build homes	70 new homes over the year	70 new homes – any additional funds will be used to improve existing stock
What stock improvements can tenants expect?	Potential reductions in stock improvements, which could mean delays to completion of the ongoing bathroom replacement programme	450 Gas & Electric Heating installations; 600 properties receiving external wall insulation & energy efficiency measures; 700 bathrooms.	In addition to planned improvements listed in Option 2, for example: 40 Gas Heating installations (including loft insulation); 40 Electric Heating installations (including loft insulation); 34 External Wall Insulations; 33 Window & Door Replacements

The tenant representatives recommend that tenants choose Option 2 which would mean a rent rise of 2%. This option is the minimum rise needed to deliver the current Business Plan without additional borrowing. It, along with Scottish Government grant funding, would enable us to build 70 new homes in 2020-21, as well as these improvements to existing stock: 450 Gas & Electric Heating installations, 600 properties receiving external wall insulation & energy efficiency measures, 700 bathrooms.

The graph below shows the average weekly rents of Angus Council over the past five years compared to other neighbouring local authorities (figures from the Scottish Housing Regulator). Unfortunately, the updated figures for 2019-20 are not yet available.

Angus Council average weekly rents

How the rent increase options would affect average Angus Council weekly rents

To have your say on the rent options,

please complete the survey online by 6 November 2020*.

*Please note this consultation is open to current Angus Council tenants only

Angus Violence Against Women Partnership Attitudes Survey

 

Violence against women and girls continues to be perhaps the most widespread and socially tolerated of human rights violations. It has no boundaries in terms of geography, age, wealth, race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

The Angus Violence Against Women Partnership (Angus VAWP) is doing a survey of attitudes towards such violence, from people who live or work in Angus, from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. The results will help inform the work we do to combat this unacceptable practice.

Please take the time to complete the survey which is anonymous, and pass onto your circle of contacts.

The survey will close on 14 November 2020.

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Angus Job Search Portal

The Angus Job Search Portal was created in July this year for Angus Employers to advertise their vacancies, but also for Angus clients to register their details, upload their CVs and ask for assistance from the Skills Team. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic

The site is free of charge for both Employers and Clients to use.

Clients can apply for jobs directly on the site, and if they do click the box “require assistance from a Skills Adviser,” one of the Skills Team will get in touch and help with;

•    CVs

•    Applications

•    Training and work placements

•    Employability Skills

•    Job matching

If you haven’t already heard of or seen the site, have a look at the Angus Job Search website.

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Angus Homefinder Accepting Applications from November 2

Our new housing allocation system – Choice-based Lettings – launches next month.

In preparation for this system and as we move services online, we will no longer accept paper housing application forms from Friday 16 October.

Launch date for Angus Homefinder is Monday 2 November.

From that date home seekers will be able to apply for housing online on our new Angus Homefinder website.

For more details, see our News website

Update: Emergency Repairs due to Adverse Weather

We’re getting a lot of calls from tenants asking for repairs because of the adverse weather. Our team has been dealing with these calls as quickly as they can, however this has been a challenge, particularly for those requests received outwith normal working hours. We would advise tenants that the out of hours phone number is extremely busy so please only call if the repair is an emergency.

Contractors are dealing with these repairs, within the two hour response time for emergencies, but tenants may still experience delays. This is due to the volume of requests and the requirement to make sure their employees can work in a safe environment during the current conditions. They cannot go onto a roof when it is dark or raining, and any repairs carried out will be to fix the immediate problem and further repairs may be needed as a follow-up.

If tenants are experiencing a roof leak we would ask that they place a container under the leak to catch any excess water until the contractor is able to attend.

Please continue to call 03452 777 778 for emergency, out of hours calls.