Welcome to the spring / summer edition of your newsletter.
There has been lots of changes within the housing world. These changes have been designed to put you, the customer at the heart of everything we do. The Regulator of Social Housing developed Tenant Satisfaction Measures and they became live in April 2023. We completed the survey with yourselves in August last year (you may have had a call). A full breakdown is available on our website.
The Regulator has also reshaped The Consumer Standards, we spent time out in our neighbourhoods consulting with customers on the changes proposed. The Housing Ombudsmen also has developed a new Complaints Handling code. You can get more information on the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman’s websites.
Housing Ombudsman
Home | Housing Ombudsman Service (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)
Regulator of Social Housing
In this edition:
Our phone lines are open Monday: 9:00 - 3:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 - 3:00 pm Wednesday: 12:30 - 3:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 - 3:00 pm Friday: 9:00 - 3:00 pm
Our office is open Monday: 10:00 - 3:00 pm Tuesday: 10:00 - 3:00 pm Wednesday: 12:30 - 3:00 pm Thursday: 10:00 - 3:00 pm Friday: 10:00 - 3:00 pm
Tenant Support & Wellbeing Service provides free, confidential support, guidance, professional advice and in-the-moment counselling. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
How to access your free support
Username: arches
Password: tenantsupport
Freephone: 03300948845
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Customers delivered the recommendations to board for the latest scrutiny looking at the current Allocations & Lettings process. The recommendations are:
These recommendations were accepted by the board and will be monitored by the newly formed Neighbourhood Network committee group.
The next scrutiny is looking at complaints and how the service can be improved for customers.
We recently held our third Neighbourhood Network customer meeting . This group of customers are helping to shape services from a customer perspective and give their views. The group will monitor the recommendations outcomes from the scrutinys and also any further works required. The group have discussed many different topics including the planned maintenance project and repairs service. If you would like to join or would just like more information, please get in touch and ask for Vicky.
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86 Boiler 17 Kitchen 17 Bathroom 3 Roof
Replacements Replacements Replacements covering
Arches Housing energy efficiency works to low energy ratings ‘D’ or below properties.
25 Window 20 Loft 10 Cellar 4 External Wall
Replacements Insulation Insulation Insulation
73 Boiler 34 Kitchen 21 Bathroom 25 Window
Replacements Replacements Replacements Replacements
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In our recent repairs scrutiny that was completed by customers one of the recommendations was
“Arches carries out a promotional drive in the next newsletter on the standards of behaviours and
code of conduct tenants can expect from contractors and how customers should behave.”
In providing you with a quality service, we and contractors working on our behalf will:
To make sure that we are keeping to the standards that have been set, we will:
If we carry out this work on your behalf, we will pass the costs onto you.
To find out more about chargeable repairs and how to avoid them, you can check out our website or contact us and we can explain these to you or send you a copy of the policy.
If you have any views on how well we are keeping to these standards, we would like to hear from you. This may be a complaint, a compliment or simply a comment. Whatever it is, we welcome your views on the services we provide.
Just give us a ring on 0114 228 8100 or email info@archeshousing.org.uk
Sharon Hoskin Andrew Williams
Our Neighbourhood officers organise walkabouts in our Neighbourhoods
which customers can join. The walkabouts, also known as estate inspections, involve walking around the neighbourhoods where our homes are located and identifying issues that might need to be tackled.
This includes a wide range of issues such as repairs to grounds and communal areas, or incidents of flytipping. Walkabouts also give you the chance to talk to your Housing Officer and discuss issues about your estate or anything else to do with your home or tenancy.
For details of estate walkabouts please click here
Sometimes you might need some help with dealing with issues around your tenancy. That might be as simple as having someone with you when we visit you at home, or bringing someone with you when you come and see us at the office.
However, if you need someone to talk to us on your behalf about your tenancy without you there
you’ll need to officially nominate them as an advocate. To do that, please complete our Advocate form on our website. https://www.archeshousing.org.uk/about/contact-us/advocate/. Alternately you can also contact us and we can send one out for you to complete and return.
An advocate can help you explain and say what you want, if you find it difficult to do so by yourself.
• You decide what the advocate is allowed to speak to us about - for example, repairs or rent or matters relating to your tenancy
• The advocate will not be able to make important decisions about your tenancy without your approval
• All actions agreed with an advocate will be confirmed with you in writing.
You can withdraw this permission at any time by notifying us. If you’re unsure whether this is right for you or if you need any help completing the form, please contact us.
At Arches housing we take tenancy fraud very seriously. Why? Because for every time someone commits tenancy fraud, a person or family in need are deprived of a home.
Tenancy fraud is not just subletting your property or providing false information to obtain your home. It is not occupying your property as your main home – whether you leave other occupants at the property or not. It is lying about living in a property after someone has died to be able to take over the tenancy.
Here at Arches, we carry out robust checks on anyone applying for a property or asking to take over the tenancy. If we suspect tenancy fraud, we have many ways of investigating this to find out what is happening.
If you are found to be committing fraud, this is a criminal offence and can result in prison or a fine. We will take legal action to your tenancy and inform benefit agencies if you are claiming fraudulently.
If you suspect anyone of committing tenancy fraud, please contact us to report it.
We could be housing someone in need.
Our home is our safe space and we all want to live there independently. Sometimes this is not always possible and you may need a little help. If you are struggling, please contact us on 0114 2288100 and we can come out to visit you.
If your request is for minor adaptations like grab rails or hand rails, we can have these fitted for you.
If you require major adaptations a referral to Occupational Therapy would be required. This can be completed via your GP or alternatively, you can contact the Local Authority direct to complete an assessment of your needs.
Sheffield 01142735522
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/social-care/adults/adapting-your-home
Rotherham 01709 336009
https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/improvements-repairs/get-help-home-adaptations
Chesterfield 01629 533190
If you need help completing the assessment please contact us and we will support you to complete the assessment.
Since the last newsletter I am pleased to confirm we have taken handover of more new-build properties. Firstly a further 10 homes on Wentworth Way, Dinnington all of which are 3 bedroom homes.
More recently in March 2024, we took handover of four homes, a mix of 2 and 3 bedroom homes, in Staveley. This is a new site for us and one we announced in our last newsletter. The homes are located on Barratt David Wilson’s development. We look forward to taking more handovers on this site in May 2024, and even more homes on this site later in the year as well as our final homes on the Wentworth Way Dinnington development.
We continue to work to deliver more new homes to families across our operating area, and support families to either rent or purchase their home through Shared Ownership. We are also working on a few other schemes to see if we can make them work, so watch this space for more updates in future newsletters.
Do you have contents insurance in place to cover your belongings in the event of fire, vandalism or water damage?
Contents insurance is a must for any resident – but many people don’t take out their own insurance, wrongly believing that Arches provides insurance automatically.
This is why we’ve partnered up with RSA to offer specially discounted cover to Arches customers. Find out more and to download an application form Contents insurance
Alternatively contact us on 0114 228 8100 and we can post one out to you.
Jerry Warren - Assets Surveyor
Michael O’Keefe - Neighbourhood Manager
Asima Shad Service - Improvement Manager
Kelicia Igbinazaka has moved from our Customer Service Team to our Assets team. She is now our Damp, Mould and Condensation Co-ordinator.
If you would like to join the Arches team, all our vacancies can be found on our website or LinkedIn
We’re happy to announce that we have maintained our G1 V1 status, which is the highest compliance rating, confirming our position in the top 27% of best-performing housing providers in the UK.
Every three to four years, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) undertakes an IDA with all housing providers. This is a rigorous process which assesses how we comply with the economic and consumer standards. The main objective of the IDA is to ensure that we are financially viable, properly managed and provide excellent services to our tenants.
Paul Common, chief executive of Arches Housing, said: “We are very pleased to have had our rating reaffirmed as G1/V1, especially in the ever more difficult operating environment we work in. This is a true reflection of the hard work of the whole team at Arches who remain focused on keeping our customers and organisation safe, strong and resilient.”
