Services to Tenants and the Community
Dales Housing has a commitment to work with tenants to improve the services we provide. We also recognise that our activities have an impact upon the communities in which our tenants live and that to achieve our aims, it is vital to work in partnership with the individuals and organisations that make up these communities.
Since transfer form Derbyshire Dales District Council we have made the following improvements to services:
- Increased numbers of housing staff to deal with queries
- The introduction of new, convenient ways for tenants to pay their rent
- The appointment of a Money Advisor to provide advice to tenants on claiming benefits and managing finances
- Improving the delivery time and quality of responsive repairs
- Introducing a new choice based lettings scheme
- Agreeing new service standards in consultation with tenants
- Issuing a new tenants' handbook and an improved range of information leaflets
- Making services more accessible with the availability of home visits
- Making radical improvements to the Sheltered Housing service, which has now achieved a National Code of Practise accreditation
Opportunities for tenants to influence how the service is delivered:
- The tenant liaison group is the main cross tenant consultative body and is consulted on policy, procedure and other issues affecting the delivery of the housing service
- Area Customer Panels allow all tenants to meet staff providing the service on a regular basis and raise any issues they may have
- A Sheltered Housing Tenants Panel is being set up to provide a forum for tenants to influence service delivery in sheltered accommodation
- A Leaseholders Panel has been established and is examining ways in which services to leaseholders can be improved
- Tenants are encouraged to take part in specific decision-making processes. One notable instance is that tenants formed the majority on the selection panel which chose the contractor for the non-traditional homes refurbishment programme
- Tenants jointly edit the quarterly Tenants Newsletter
- Regular surveys are undertaken with tenants to get individual comments and views on service delivery
Positive contributions we have made to local communities include:
- Enabling a local tenants and residents association to lease vacant shop premises at below cost for use as a local community / learning centre
- Encouraging tenants to use local Post Offices to make rent payments
- Working with the Police to improve security on estates and around homes
- Working with local tenants and residents on environmental improvements