Section 5: How your homes would be managed

1 Local Community Housing Office and Staff Structure

Community Housing Office Manager
Senior Community Housing Officer
Community Housing Officers
Housing Support Officer
Housing Support Assistant
Handyperson
Estate Cleaning Supervisor
Estate Cleaners

2 5.2 Estate Wardens

In addition to the above, THCH proposes to widen its warden service to Mansford Estate subject to further resident consultation. There would then be regular estate patrols by uniformed officers aimed at improving security and reducing anti-social behaviour on the estate.

Like other services, such as cleaning and concierge, the wardens would be paid for through service charges paid by both leaseholders and tenants.

3 Local management of the Estate

The THCH office that would manage Mansford Estate would provide the following services:

day-to-day repairs and maintenance
cleaning and caretaking
tenancy management
leasehold management
tackling anti-social behaviour and harassment
service charge arrears
rent arrears
lettings and transfer requests

THCH would:

work closely with all residents to develop and improve the delivery of day-to-day housing services
involve you in decisions about the improvement programmes for the estate
provide effective customer care training and standards for all staff
have named officers responsible for service delivery for your estate
have a policy of openness and responsiveness to residents
ensure that services are sensitive to the needs of all sections of the community
provide residents with information about the local housing service on a regular basis, including feedback from residents and satisfaction surveys

4 The housing management service

THCH would provide a full range of financial and corporate services to support the local Community Housing Office, including rent accounting and service charges.

5 Out of hours emergency repairs

6 Code of conduct and quality monitoring for repair persons and contractors

7 Cleaning

7.1 Open and Transparent Service

A publicised cleaning programme for the estate would be agreed with residents, setting out what cleaning tasks take place on what days. A clear record of the completion of the cleaning tasks would be kept for inspection by residents.

7.2 Cleaning Method Statements

The ways in which the cleaning tasks are undertaken are as important as how frequently they are carried out. The method of carrying out key tasks would be agreed with residents and publicised. All cleaners would receive training and guidance on the various method statements on an ongoing basis.

7.3 Full Resident Involvement

Residents will be involved in monitoring the service via joint inspections with the local Community Housing Office. The findings of the residents will be reported to the Area Resident Board on a regular basis.

7.4 Locally Managed Service

The Local Community Housing Office will manage the service and be responsible for resolving any problems. Residents will therefore be able to find out more about the service and, where necessary, make a complaint at the local Community Housing Office.

7.5 Weekend Service

It is recognised that many residents are keen to have a good cleaning service over the weekend period and the cleaning programme allows for Saturday working, without detriment to the weekday service.

8 Measures to combat anti-social behaviour

8.1 Statement of Intent

THCH recognises that anti-social behaviour has a negative impact on people and neighbourhoods. It is committed to ensuring that all residents enjoy their right to peace, quiet and security in their homes. THCH would take firm and prompt action to deal with disruptive residents and any other persons causing a nuisance or harassment on the estate or in individual dwellings.

8.2 Appropriate Action

THCH would take whatever action is available to it in tackling anti-social behaviour. This includes arbitration and mediation, the use of injunctions, and the use of THCH's powers under the Housing Act 1996 and The Anti-social behaviour Act 2003.

If the anti-social behaviour is persistent or acute and the perpetrator is a tenant of THCH they could take any or all of the following steps:

ask the tenant to sign an acceptable behaviour contract (ABC)
serve notice that they would seek possession and, if this does not act as a deterrent, go to court to seek a possession order
seek an injunction to enforce the terms of the tenancy agreement
use of demoted tenancies
seek an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), either directly or via the police or local authority
share information enabling the police to take criminal action
share information enabling the local authority to take action under the Crime and Disorder Act
share information enabling the local authority environmental health team to take action against statutory nuisances e.g. noise
use arbitration or mediation services

Where the perpetrator of anti-social behaviour is unidentified, THCH would take a pro-active approach to identify them including the use of covert surveillance and professional witnesses as well as THCH staff including caretakers and wardens as appropriate.

8.3 Inter-Agency Approach

THCH works with local statutory and voluntary agencies, including the police, probation service, health authority, environmental health and social services, to develop a co-ordinated approach to problems of neighbour nuisance on its Estates.

8.4 Leaseholders and Sub-Tenants

Where a lessee or sub-tenant of the leaseholder perpetrates nuisance, THCH will use its powers under the lease to take action against the lessee or sub-tenant. This includes the use of injunctions and action for forfeiture.

9 Anti-Harassment Policy

THCH believes in equality, and is committed to ensuring that its residents are able to live without fear of harassment, intimidation or attack. THCH is opposed to all forms of harassment, and would use its powers and resources to take action against any individual involved in an incident, where either the victim or the perpetrator is a resident of THCH.

THCH is committed to combating all forms of harassment including:-

racial harassment
sexual harassment
harassment against people living with HIV or AIDS
harassment of gay and lesbian residents
harassment on grounds of age , disability and religious belief

9.1 Work In Partnership with the Community

THCH's strategy would be to work in partnership with the Local Authority, local community groups, voluntary agencies and the police to develop initiatives to combat all forms of harassment. It would adopt practices which will contribute towards the development of harmonious communities in the Borough.

9.2 Victim Centered Approach

THCH would take a victim-centred approach in responding to cases of harassment. It would be guided by the victim in determining the most appropriate course of action in responding to an incident of harassment.

10 Complaints Policy

THCH is committed to providing a high quality efficient and effective service to all its residents and applicants for housing and recognises that sometimes people may be dissatisfied with its services or mistakes might be made in service delivery.
THCH is keen to obtain feedback from service users to inform reviews of the services it provides and the way in which it provides them.
THCH operates clear and well-publicised procedures for receiving and dealing with complaints which will be dealt with within stated timescales.
THCH ensures that all staff likely to be involved in handling complaints have had relevant training and are familiar with the complaints procedure to ensure that all complaints are dealt with promptly, courteously, consistently and fairly with due regard to confidentiality.

12 Consultation

THCH will fully consult with all residents on matters of interest or concern to them including planned maintenance and major works, proposed changes in housing management and service delivery.

THCH consults residents widely on a variety of issues including proposed changes in policy and practice, service delivery performance, housing management and major works. Consultation is carried out both through the three local Area Resident Boards, including one for the Bethnal Green Area and the Leaseholder Steering Group, and with individual residents as appropriate.

All residents are fully consulted on such proposals at the earliest opportunity. They would be given a full and clear explanation of the proposals and their implications, and adequate time to consider the proposals. The methods may include:

Block meetings
Special interest group meetings
One to one interviews/discussions
Drop in sessions
Open days
Fun days
Newsletters
Focus groups
Individual letters
Surveys and questionnaires

THCH monitors the results of consultation methods, to ensure that views from all sections of the community are considered when making changes and improvements.

It welcomes feedback and gives individual residents a range of different ways to register their views and influence policy so as to enable continuous review and improvement of service delivery.

These methods include:

Regular newsletters to be used as a medium for encouraging feedback.
Telephone and postal surveys or consultation will be carried out on a regular basis.
Effective Monitoring of all complaints received to ensure any trends are noted and improvements in service delivery made.

13 What would be the role of the Council following transfer?

If the transfer goes ahead, the Council would enter into a legal agreement with THCH. THCH would be bound to keep the promises set out in this document and the Council could take legal action against them if they do not.

Following transfer, the Council would continue to work in partnership with THCH. The Council would continue to have a strategic housing role even if the estate did transfer to THCH, which would include, for example, maintaining its duties to the homeless under the homelessness legislation and maintaining the Common Housing Register.

The Council would continue to be responsible for non-housing services for the Mansford & Avebury East Estates such as Highways, Leisure, Refuse Collection and Planning. The residents of the Mansford & Avebury East Estates would still be able to contact the Council in the usual way. Residents would still be required to pay their Council Tax in the same way as they do now. (The Council would also be responsible for administering Housing Benefit).

14 How the Council would manage your home if transfer doesn't proceed

14.1 Investment

14.2 Day-to-Day Management

Scheme	Details	Provision in Programme	Year(s) when works proposed
Adrian Boult House			2006/07
Charles Dickens House	Structural Strengthening		2005/06
Florida/Gossett/Roberta	Concrete Repairs, New Windows & Decorations		2006/07
Nelson Gardens (Nine Blocks)	Window Renewal & Decorations		2007/08
Total

The Council will in future provide estate management services from larger centres which will also provide a wide range of other Council services. Estate management services include tenancy management, rents, leaseholder services and technical services. The current provision of local housing offices will change as a result of this move which is intended to result in