1. home and garden

How to contact us
Website
Local housing offices
onehousinggroup.co.uk
One Housing Group (Head office)
100 Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8EH
General enquiries
and complaints
0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300
Maidenhead office
Ground Floor
25–27 Broadway
Maidenhead SL6 1LY
[email protected]
Suttons Wharf South
44 Palmers Road
London E2 0TA
Repairs
Millwall office
12 The Quarterdeck
London E14 8SJ
Complaints by email
0300 123 9966
[email protected]
Berkshire residents
0800 587 9941
[email protected]
Spring 2014
Castalia Square office
17 Castalia Square
London E14 3PQ
Translation
This document is also available
in other languages, large print
and audio format upon request.
For more information, please call
our Customer Contact Centre on
0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300
Wax kale oo la heli kara dhokumentigan oo ku qoran luqado kale, ama ku daabacan farta waawayn, farta
loogu talagalay dadka aragga ka laxaadka la’ ama iyadoo maqal ah iyadoo la soo wacayo 0300 123 9966.
Home is
where the
art is
Welfare
reform
update
Tackling
anti-social
behaviour
Local
offers
Contents
2
Showcase your creativity
9
Local offers
3
Welfare reform update
10
A day in the life of estate services
5
Helping you with jobs
and skills
11
Tackling anti-social behaviour
6
Stronger communities
through volunteering
13
Housing associations join forces
to create positive local results
7
Get involved
13
Tenancy fraud
9
Improving repairs with the
DIY approach
14
Helping you find the right home
Social
Are you on Facebook or Twitter?
If so, follow us to find out about our latest news, events and advice.
‘Like’ us on Facebook
facebook.com/onehousinggroup
Follow us on Twitter
@Official_OHG
Showcase your creativity
At One Housing Group we want to
know what makes your home a home
so we’re inviting you to send in photos
showing what makes your ‘space’ unique
and wonderful. From interesting art,
collectible items and beautiful furniture
to transformed outside spaces, veggie
patches and secret gardens. Share your
photos and a few words expressing your
inspiration to be in with a chance to win
Love to Shop vouchers.
Look out for our brand new
app that will help you to
report repairs, view your
account and pay your rent.
The app will be available to
download early this summer.
We know our customers take great
pride in personalising their homes and
outside space and we hope that this
competition will encourage you to share
your creativity and maybe inspire others
with your artistic skills.
All photos will be judged by a panel
and those shortlisted will win up to
£100 worth of vouchers.
Think you could be in with a chance?
Email your photos to [email protected]
to be in with a chance to win. Closing date is Friday 30 May 2014.
Welcome by Mick Sweeney, CEO
Your views matter to us
Hello and welcome to the spring newsletter.
In this issue you’ll find out about how we
are helping those of you affected by the
Government’s welfare reforms, the measures
we’ve put in place and how we’re helping
you to manage the impact of cutbacks.
Your feedback and suggestions on our services are
really important to us. We want to know what we do
well and where we could improve. We use your views
to help us continuously improve how we work.
Earlier this year we announced plans for a new
internal maintenance service to manage and
carry out all our repairs in our properties in
London. This was a big decision to make and
one that we feel will serve you best. We know
you and we know our properties and with the
new service we aim to deliver a better repairs
and maintenance service to you. To find out
more please see page 3.
1
Our staff have been busy delivering various
services, from tackling anti-social behaviour to
helping people back into work and equipping
them with the skills they need.
We want to ensure that you’re happy in your
home and in the community that you live in.
We strive to deliver high quality services and
we value your feedback so please do get in
touch with your suggestions.
If you would like to give us your feedback or if we
haven’t delivered a service in line with our policies
and procedures please call our Customer Contact
Centre on 0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300 or visit
our website, onehousinggroup.co.uk/complaints,
for more information.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter.
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
2
Welfare
reform
update
The Government’s welfare reforms are
well underway and we’re as committed
as ever to making sure you understand
how the reforms will affect you and your
family. Benefits changes that have already
been introduced include the benefit cap
(which limits the total benefits you can
get), ‘bedroom tax’ (penalty for underoccupation) and changes in the way
housing benefit and disability allowances
are calculated.
3
About Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a single, monthly
payment that will be made directly to
you. It will replace six separate benefits
– Income Support, income based Job
Seekers Allowance, income based
Employment and Support Allowance,
Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit
and Working Tax Credit.
The Department of Work and Pensions
(DWP) has piloted Universal Credit in
two London Boroughs, with full roll-out
planned by the end of 2017. We will
tell you well in advance before changes
happen in your area.
If you are receiving one or two of the
benefits included in Universal Credit,
you will need to make your claim online.
You will also need to:
• have a bank, Post Office card
account or Credit Union account
Our teams have worked hard to support
those of you affected by the reforms,
from helping people back into work
through our Employment and Training
team, assisting in downsizing to smaller
properties, helping with Discretionary
Housing Payments (DHP) claims and
carrying out full financial health checks.
We’ve also worked closely with local
authorities to tackle welfare reform issues.
Universal Credit is fast upon us and
here you will find information on how
it will work, the latest updates on the
‘bedroom tax’ and useful tools to help
you manage your money.
Spring 2014
Credit Union – a banking
facility for everyone
Welfare benefit and
money advice
Everyone claiming Universal Credit
will need some kind of banking
facility – if you don’t, you won’t
receive payments. This is because
the DWP will be paying a monthly
payment directly into your account
rather than to your landlord.
Our welfare benefits and money advisor,
Afia Khatun, supports residents affected by
welfare reform as well as those who need
financial health checks. Afia can
also help with:
To help those of you who don’t have
a bank account, we’ve joined up with
the Credit Union to offer you a ‘jam jar’
current account and savings account
through the Credit Union.
To find out more about opening an
account with the Credit Union, please
contact the Customer Account
Team on 020 8821 5184 or the
Customer Contact Centre on
0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300.
• be actively seeking employment
• DHP claims
• benefit checks to find out what you’re
entitled to
• claiming a range of benefits, including
disability benefits
• completing application forms
• appealing against benefit decisions
• negotiating repayments with creditors
• setting up payment plans for
utility arrears.
To book an appointment with Afia
please contact our Customer Accounts
Team on 020 8821 5184 or email
[email protected]
• use a computer to make an
online application.
If you have any concerns or questions about how welfare reforms may affect you
can also contact your accounts officer or your housing officer if you live in the
Berkshire area.
‘Bedroom tax’
– the latest
The DWP recently issued a letter
saying that where residents have
had a continuous claim for Housing
Benefit since 1996, the ‘bedroom tax’
criteria rules should not have been
applied. So affected residents will now
Spring 2014
be able to apply to have their claim
reassessed under the correct rules
and will be able to receive money
backdated to April 2013, regardless of
how many bedrooms are in the home.
You could benefit from this so for
more information, please contact
our Customer Accounts Team
on 020 8821 5184.
4
Helping you with
jobs and skills
Current opportunities
We’re offering a one day ‘Money
management’ training course for all
residents, especially those who have
been affected by welfare reform.
This free course will allow you to take
control of your finances and effectively
plan for the future. It will cover banking,
budgeting, prioritising your expenditure
and much more.
To register or to find out more, please
contact Sonia Shah on 020 7428 4193
or at [email protected]
Business in the
Community
We’re working with businesses within
the community to provide opportunities
for residents who suffer from mental
illness, homelessness, drug and alcohol
dependencies who may face find it
especially hard to get a job.
To date, we’ve helped 16 residents
through this programme with
work placement opportunities in
administration, retail, HR, construction
and much more.
Strongercommunities
through volunteering
We launched our new Volunteering and Partnerships team in
November 2013 to support residents who want to get involved
in volunteering or projects within their community.
Case study:
How we helped Cleo
Cleo Donaldson was referred to
our Employment and Training
team after being out of work for
a long time. After completing
his pre-placement training with
Business in the Community he
secured a placement at Carillion,
a reputable construction firm.
“Initially I was worried about
working in an office environment for
the first time but the Employment
and Training team made me feel at
ease. I’ve really enjoyed working
at Carillion and look forward to
transferring the skills I’ve learnt here
on to the next job.
Drop-in sessions
Why not visit Arlington to find out
how the Employment and Training
service can help you with your
job search?
We know it’s not always easy to get
involved in something new, which is why
we want to help you achieve your full
potential, develop new skills and share
your talents with the wider community.
Volunteering can help:
• strengthen your community
• get you out and about, meeting
your neighbours
Call in today at
200 Arlington Road,
London NW1 7HE
• earn Spice time credits (which you
can swap for leisure, learning or
recreational services).
“The service has motivated me
to apply for training courses and
jobs; I’ve now got my first job in a
food production company and I’m
studying a heat installation course
on the weekends. I would highly
recommend this service to anyone.”
If you or someone you know could benefit from this service
please contact Sonia Shah on 020 7428 4193 or at
[email protected]
Are you aged 16-24 and finding it hard to
get an apprenticeship without experience?
Our traineeship programme can give you
a chance to develop the skills you need to
get a job.
5
To date, 12 young residents from Newham
have benefitted from a traineeship, six
of whom have been supported into paid
employment by the team.
Since completing the work experience,
Muhmoud Junji has been offered two
jobs: “I’m grateful for being given this
opportunity and I feel I can walk away
knowing I’m one step higher on the
career ladder.”
Sam Murfitt, a 22 year old resident from Camden,
explains how volunteering and having a hands-on
approach within the community helped him get one
step closer to his dream career.
“My journey with One Housing Group
began five years ago when I met Ash
Rahman, one of One Housing Group’s
youth development officers. Ash
offered me the chance to do some
voluntary work, which I couldn’t refuse.
“While studying sports coaching at
college, I began volunteering with the
Youth Services team which lasted for
two years. I had a passion for what
I was doing and wanted to make
a career out of it. I decided to go
to university which meant I had to
stop volunteering during term time.
“A position became vacant at One
Housing Group for an Assistant Youth
Development Officer. I got the job
and haven’t looked back. My role
involves delivering a young people’s
programme at the Hillview and Grays
Inn youth clubs.
“Volunteering has given me the
opportunity to build up my skills and
confidence in both a working and
social environment within the youth
club. It’s opened a lot of doors for
me and is a key factor to my
success today.”
I stayed in contact with Ash and
during the holidays I offered to help
out in the youth centres and out on
the pitch, coaching the Pro Touch
Soccer Academy.
Not ready for an apprenticeship? Try a traineeship
A traineeship is an education and training
programme with work experience that
is focused on giving young people the
skills and experience that employers are
looking for.
Sam
If you have thought about volunteering or wish to
get involved in our wider community initiatives,
please contact the Volunteering and Partnerships
Team on 0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300 or
at [email protected]
The team is now working with Jobwise
Training to offer our residents placements
in several departments at One Housing
Group for up to three months. At the end
of the programme we’ll help residents to
secure an apprenticeship or employment.
To find out more or register your interest
in traineeships, contact Rusunara
Begum Ali on 020 7428 4257 or at
[email protected]
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
6
Case study:
Seymour Place Homework Club
We received a complaint that a communal space was being
used to run an unofficial after-school homework club for
children by a resident at Seymour Place, Marylebone.
After carrying out a health and safety inspection we decided
that the area was indeed not suitable for this activity. However,
as this was a good idea in the spirit of resident involvement,
we found an alternative venue at Seymour Place leisure centre.
Get
involved
Estate inspections
– can you help?
As a resident you are best placed to know
what’s working well on your estate and
where things can be improved, so we want
volunteers to help us with our monthly
estate inspections.
Volunteers will meet up with their housing
officer to check on communal repairs,
cleaning, landscaping works and health
and safety issues. You will also be able to
give us your views on anything to do with
maintaining and improving your estate.
Don’t worry if you can’t make every
monthly inspection, you can still contribute
by attending once every three months. You
will receive a shopping voucher as a thank
you for your time and comments.
To get involved and become a volunteer to
help improve your estate, please contact
your housing officer on 0300 123 9966 /
020 8821 5300 or if you live in Berkshire
please call on 020 8821 5344.
Resident involvement is important to us. After all, you are in the best
position to tell us what we’re doing well and where we can improve.
We want you to have as much influence
and control as possible over the services
you receive. This is about building better
communities for you and your families.
We need your help to do this and there
are lots of ways to get involved and including:
A steering group set up in response to issues on your estate. The group
will work closely with the resident involvement officer and other staff to help
resolve problems.
On an individual basis. On some estates residents prefer to engage
and feed back on a one-to-one basis on issues which would normally
be discussed through an estate group or association.
A Tenants and Residents’ Association (TRA) is a group of people living
in the same estate who come together to put forward their views and take
an active role in improving the community. It is also a representative voice
when dealing with your landlord or other agencies. Each TRA will have a
Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. The TRA hosts regular public
meetings and an annual general meeting to elect committee members.
We’ll also fund TRAs that meet the relevant criteria and provide training
for committee members.
We have an Area Board for each of our regions, and another for One
Support. The boards meet four times a year and each has an elected
Chair, up to four residents and two independent members. A Group Board
member also attends every meeting.
Special interest groups are for residents who feel that they have common
ideas and can offer special views on our services, such as our Active at
70 and Diamond plus groups which aim to reach out and profile all our
residents over the age of 70 and signpost them to helpful services.
Estate champions help their housing officer with estate inspections,
report and monitor communal repairs and voice residents’ concerns.
7
Spring 2014
A Key Voice is a representative for a smaller estate or community. For those
residents who are not interested in getting involved in a TRA but would still
like to help organise social activities, meetings and improve community spirit.
Meet the resident
involvement team:
Yetunde Ayanwale looks after the
Berkshire and Camden. Please contact
her on 020 8821 4532.
To find out more please contact the
Resident Involvement Team on
0300 123 9966 / 020 8821 5300.
Spring 2014
Samya Salouane looks after the
Isle of Dogs. Please contact her on
020 8821 5380.
Aimee Mayers looks after the North,
East and Central region. Please contact
her on 020 8821 5133.
8
Improving repairs with
the DIY approach
A day in the life
of estate services
Earlier this year we announced plans for a new internal maintenance service
company to manage and carry out repairs to all our properties in London.
The service, ‘One Direct’ is being created to offer better value for money and to
ensure that repairs and maintenance work is being carried out to a high standard.
You may have seen our estate services staff out and about on
your estates. They play a really important role, ensuring that the
internal and external communal areas on your estates are clean
and in good condition.
The service will be launched this summer
in a phased approach to bring all the
repairs and maintenance services
in-house over the following 12 months
Our properties in Berkshire will continue
to be maintained by Housing Solutions
due to the geography of the properties
in the area.
The team has significantly grown over the
past year and comprises of four sub-teams
(concierge, caretakers, handymen and
bulk collection). We’ve also hired 22 staff,
all of whom are residents living in and
around East and North East London,
and have secured work and training
opportunities at One Housing Group.
John Gregory, Group Director for
Housing Services at One Housing Group
said: “We’re very pleased to be launching
our new service. We know and care
for our customers and our properties
more than anyone else and we have a
clear incentive to deliver high quality,
lasting repairs together with outstanding
customer service.
“We believe we can improve service
quality, reduce bureaucracy and put
more money into actual repairs without
increasing the overall budget. The savings
About
local
offers
we make will be ploughed back into
building more affordable homes and
extending our employment, training and
apprenticeship programmes for our
residents and local people.”
Our Area Boards will play a central role in
managing and scrutinising the performance
of the internal maintenance service. We’ll
be sharing more information with you
about how the new service will work in
the coming months.
The savings we make will be
ploughed back into building more
affordable homes and extending
our employment, training and
apprenticeship programmes...
These are agreements between you and
us which aim to make your estates better
places to live.
Local offers tell you:
• what standards of services you can
expect from us
• how and when we will clean your
estate and perform maintenance
• your estate’s action plan – what you
asked us to do and how we are going
to do it
• how we will monitor the local offer
• the easiest way to contact us to
report any issues.
Across the regions all the local offers
launched in 2012 have now been
completed or are still in progress where
residents requested follow-up work.
9
No two days are the same in estate
services, so the Communications team
went out on the frontline to see firsthand the work we do to ensure your
neighbourhoods are kept clean and are
safer places to live.
The regional teams identified estates that
would benefit from new local offers and
consulted during the summer and autumn
of 2013 to get residents’ views.
Please visit our website to view local
offers in your area.
We’re now looking for residents to
get more involved in monitoring our
performance against the local offers
action plans. If you’re interested or
want to know more about resident
involvement, please contact the
resident involvement team.
First up we spoke to Ertan and Ken
who are both caretakers. Between them
they have over 38 years of caretaking
experience. They manage four blocks:
Kelson, Dagmar, Talia and Halyard.
Their daily routine begins with a health
and safety check and general ground
maintenance to each block. They rotate
the work so they each do a bit of both
each day. What they like most about
their role is the job satisfaction, “We love
it when residents say thank you. It really
makes us feel that our hard work has
been appreciated.”
Geitania is our only female caretaker
within estate services. She’s been with
the team for almost a year and has
enjoyed every second. A vital worker and
one of our very own residents, she enjoys
keeping her patches (Phoenix Heights
and Tate and Lyle) in pristine condition.
Geitania says: “I’ve become the go-to
person for my patches which I enjoy.
Being the only female caretaker can be
Curtis Francois, a caretaker on the St
Johns estate said: “I’ve been doing this
work for over 20 years. I generally love
being outdoors and interacting with
the local residents. Doing the work I
do makes me feel appreciated by the
residents. Knowing that I’m appreciated
makes my job a lot easier to do.”
Rashid Benkoda heads up the handyman
service. The team consists of three
handymen and their work involves
carrying out both internal and external
repairs, from major plumbing through to
odd jobs such as putting up shelves.
The handymen service is also open
to leaseholders, so if you’re seeking
help with jobs around your home
you’re able to access this service.
For more information, please contact
[email protected]
After hearing from the committed estate
services team we managed to catch up
with a resident to find out what they think
of the service on their estate. We spoke
to Carol Kemp, a St Johns resident, who
recently had help with her gardening. She
said: “I’m extremely happy with the work
the team have carried out to my garden;
it was done quickly and to a very good
standard. I can now go out and relax in
my garden as well as hang my washing
up, something I couldn’t do before. I
would like to thank the team for being
extremely helpful and polite throughout
the process.”
Did you know?
• The bulk collection team
disposes of 35–40 tonnes of
rubbish a month.
• We have two in-house
electricians who manage the
communal lighting.
• We have gardening and
decorating schemes for our
elderly and vulnerable residents
on the Isle of Dogs.
• We employ 22 staff who are
residents living in and around
East and North East London
region looking for work and
training opportunities.
The estate services team are
there to keep your estate safe and
clean but we all have our role to
play, so don’t forget to dispose of
your rubbish responsibly so that
everyone can be proud of their
home. If you notice that someone
has dumped large items of rubbish
causing an obstruction, do let
one of our caretaking staff know
or email bulkcollectionteam@
onehousinggroup.co.uk.
If you spot a light bulb in a
communal area on your estate
that is not working, email us at
communuallightingteam@
onehousnggroup.co.uk or report
this and any other concerns to
your housing officer.
Please contact your housing officer if
you think your estate could benefit from
a local offer on 0300 123 9966 /
020 8821 5300.
Spring 2014
quite challenging at times, especially
emptying the bins on my own.”
Spring 2014
10
Tacklinganti-socialbehaviour
We work in partnership with Safer Neighbourhood teams and councils
to address and resolve cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB) so that
everyone can feel safe and secure in their homes and community.
Here are a few ways in which we’ve tackled ASB recently.
—
A resident told us that she suspected
drug-dealing was taking place at Rubicon
Court, King’s Cross. A housing officer
investigated this and we then worked
with the local Safer Neighbourhood team
so that they could increase patrols in
the area. However, disturbances from
the property increased and the noise
nuisance team became involved, issuing
an Abatement Notice. Thanks to breaches
of tenancy and evidence from other
partners, we served notice of possession
as the resident had a starter tenancy.
We continued to work with other local
partners to ensure that the perpetrator
was supported and helped as some of
the family were vulnerable. In October
we took possession of the property
and ended the drug-dealing that was
blighting this new development.
—
A neighbouring resident of Montpelier
Grove, Camden, was racially assaulted by
a drunken One Housing Group resident.
The offender was later convicted by
the civil courts and we applied for an
injunction to moderate his behaviour and
prevent repeat offences. The trial took
longer than expected and the perpetrator
and visitors to his home continued to
cause noise nuisance in and around the
property. A large number of residents
were affected by his behaviour and
extremely upset that he was ignoring
the interim injunction that was granted
so we escalated the case to apply for
possession. We had the full support of
the neighbouring residents and the local
Safer Neighbourhood team who testified
at court and an Outright Possession
Order was granted in September 2013.
The perpetrator had lived at the property
for 12 years and had not responded to
repeated attempts to help him change
his behaviour. The perpetrator appealed
but this was rejected and we took full
possession of the property in October.
These case studies are great results
for communities affected by ASB and
could not have been achieved without
partnership working.
11
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
12
Helping you find
the right home
Housing associations
join forces to create
positive local results
Selby Street in Tower Hamlets is an
estate run jointly by One Housing
Group, Southern Housing Group,
Newlon and Spitalfields. The
landlords meet regularly to tackle
challenges on Selby Street and to
create a community that everyone can
be proud of.
Some of the issues which matter most
to residents of Selby Street include value
for money and how this can be applied
to pest control, parking, anti-social
behaviour (ASB) and maintenance.
A joint pest control service was agreed
recently by One Housing Group,
Southern Housing Group, Newlon
and Spitalfields. Using just one service
provider will save money and ensure
that every resident receives the same
quality of service.
Following a resident meeting in
December and estate wide consultations,
One Housing Group and Southern
Housing announced that residents have
now been awarded two free parking
permits per household. This service
began in April and you can find out how
to get hold of your free parking permit
by talking to your housing officer.
Good estate lighting is essential to help
residents stay safe. The Selby Street
consortium has received extra funding of
£10,000 from Southern Housing which
will be spent on improving lighting on the
estate, with special attention focused
on the car parks which see increased
ASB during the dark winter months. The
works are being specified by external
contractors appointed by Southern
Housing Group and One Housing
Group’s Nick Rampton, a qualified
mechanical and electrical engineer, will
be supervising and advising.
Residents were able to meet each other
and other social landlords to find the
best way to advertise their property and
help make an exchange. Our Welfare
Reform and Allocations teams were also
on hand to give advice and support to
residents looking to move or affected
by under-occupation, overcrowding or
welfare reforms.
Tenancy fraud
In December we launched a tenancy fraud
campaign, giving residents the chance
to hand back the keys to properties that
are not being lived in by the registered
tenant. We’re pleased that the campaign
resulted in keys being returned for a
number of properties in King’s Cross and
Westminster. This means that we can now
offer these properties to people who really
need a home.
Do you know someone in a social housing
property who:
• is renting out their One Housing Group
property without permission?
• got their One Housing Group property
by lying?
• has a One Housing Group property
but is living somewhere else?
• has sold the keys of a One Housing
Group property to someone else?
13
We have been working with boroughs
and other social landlords to promote
mutual exchange. In November over
200 people attended an ‘Islanders on
the move’ property exchange event at
the Phoenix Heights Community Centre.
We organised the event in partnership
with East End Homes, Gateway Housing,
Poplar Harca, Southern Housing Group
and Swan Housing.
All of these are examples of tenancy
fraud. Offenders are using up
valuable housing accommodation
and depriving families and vulnerable
people on the waiting list.
Benefit from
a new house
swapping scheme
Recent changes to the law mean that
it’s now a crime to commit tenancy
fraud with a property that you rent
from One Housing Group. Those who
do sublet their property, sell keys or
are living somewhere else can face a
fine of up to £5,000, two years in jail
and lose their home.
As one of our residents you will now
be able to use the UK’s leading online
property exchange service, House
Exchange free of charge.
We want to stamp out illegal subletting and will continue
to track down those who do it. If you suspect subletting,
you can contact us in confidence on 0300 123 9966
or 020 8821 5300. Alternatively you can email us at:
[email protected]
Spring 2014
House Exchange works by pairing up
potential partners who want to switch
homes across the UK and features
almost a quarter of a million properties.
It is the only service to offer instant
matches as well as a unique three-way
matching service, and you are able to
view thousands of potential matches
when looking for a new home.
Spring 2014
Representatives from HomeSwapper and
House Exchange were also there to give
expert advice on how to use their webbased mutual exchange systems and how
to advertise successfully. Over 50 new
residents registered with HomeSwapper
and House Exchange on the day.
More events like this are planned, so please
look out for details. To find out more about
mutual exchange, contact the Allocations
Team on 020 8821 5230 or email
[email protected]
As part of our financial inclusion initiative
we have looked at ways to increase
mobility amongst our tenants, especially
those who are under occupying or living
in over crowded homes.
Did you know that we offer up to
£3,000 to encourage tenants who
are under-occupying their homes to
move to a smaller property through
our own transfer system? You may
also be eligible for help with removal
costs, payment for the reconnection
of appliances and up to £250 B&Q
vouchers towards home improvements.
In the last year we have re-housed
more than 12 under-occupiers, freeing
up family-sized accommodation for
our overcrowded tenants. We caught
up with Dennis to find out how he is
getting on in his new home (see below).
Meet Dennis
Dennis had lived in his London home
for nine years. His family situation
had changed so he now had a spare
bedroom that he wasn’t using. After
speaking with his housing officer, he
decided to look into an internal transfer.
“I was really concerned about the
costs and upheaval of it all. I simply
wouldn’t have been able to move
without help.
“Having a smaller home is much
more suited to my needs. Being in a
smaller property is more economical
– my heating bills have halved. I’d
recommend people look into it.”
If you are under occupying and
interested in downsizing please
contact our Allocations Team on
020 8821 5230 or allocations@
onehousinggroup.co.uk
Visit www.houseexchange.org.uk for more details.
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