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Policies and Procedures- Sub Categories
KCHA aims to provide you with the best possible service at all times. To help us achieve consistently high standards, we have set ourselves performance targets in key areas.
These are the main standards you can expect from us.
If you telephone us:
· We hope you will never have to wait for more than 5 rings before being answered.
· We will deal with your calls in a polite, friendly and professional way.
· We will always identify ourselves so that you know who you are talking to.
· We will ensure that you are transferred to the person you wish to speak to. If they are not available a message will be passed to the person upon their return or, if appropriate, an appointment will be made for you.
· When the office is closed there will be an answer-phone on to take messages. We will respond to these within one working day.
If you write to us:
· We will reply to all letters within 5 working days.
· We will reply to all emails within 3 working days.
· We will write in plain language.
· When we cannot give you an answer immediately, we will give you a reason for the delay, and a time scale for when you can expect an answer or decision.
If you visit this office:
· We will ensure you are seen by someone as soon as possible.
· If the person you wish to see is not available, an appointment will be made for you.
· We will display useful, up to date information about our activities and events, other housing information and office opening times.
If we visit your home:
· We will always give you the option of a home visit if this is more convenient for you.
· We will make every effort to keep appointments. Where this is not possible we will always let you know as far in advance as possible.
· We will behave professionally and courteously at all times and always treat you, other household members, and your possessions with respect.
Equality and Diversity:
· We will provide services that are equally accessible to all our customers, and that are fair and free from discrimination.
· We will try to provide information about our services in the best possible format for you, including large print and audio tape.
· We will try to arrange for an interpreter to be available if you need one.
· We will always act fairly when we deal with you, and treat your personal details with confidentiality.
· You have the right to see personal information that we hold about you.
If we receive a complaint:
· We will explain our formal complaints procedure which has clear time-scales for responding.
· We will aim to put your problem right as soon as possible.
· We will keep you informed at all times.
· We will apologise if your complaint is upheld.
· We will aim to learn from our mistakes so they don’t happen again.
If you report a repair:
· We will tell you what the timescale is for completing your repair.
· We will aim to complete emergency repairs within 24 hours and urgent repairs within 5 working days.
· We will send you a copy of the repair order.
· We will offer an out of hours repairs service for emergencies.
· We will inspect 10% of all repairs to check that the work has been done to a good standard.
Decent Homes and planned maintenance:
· We have set ourselves the target that all our homes should at the least meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard.
· This means that they should be in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and services, and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
· We will carry out planned repairs to properties and consult with tenants about such work.
· We will inform you in advance of planned improvements to your home (e.g. new kitchens) and give you a choice of style, colour and layout where appropriate.
· For your safety we will carry out an annual gas safety check and quarterly maintenance on fire safety equipment.
Keeping you informed and involved:
· We will produce documents that are clear and easy to understand.
· We will identify the best way of hearing your views, e.g. surveys, issue based meetings
· We will consult with you and take your views into account on the services we provide.
· We will keep in contact with you through quarterly newsletters, and an annual report, where we will tell you how we are performing against our standards.
· We will offer all necessary support to tenants wishing to form a Tenants Group or Association
· We will publicise the date of our Annual General Meeting to which you are all invited and encouraged to attend.
Rents and rent collection:
· We will ensure that rent payments are recorded accurately and any queries dealt with within 5 working days.
· We will supply you with rent statements on a quarterly basis.
· We will calculate your rent according to government requirements.
· We will give you the required notice when your rent and/or service charges increase.
· We will offer you a range of ways to pay your rent.
· We will give you help filling out housing benefit forms.
· We will deal with tenants in rent arrears firmly and fairly.
· We will give you advice about managing your rent account if you do fall behind with your rent.
· We will take all reasonable steps, including legal action if necessary, to collect any rent owed to us.
If you suffer anti-social behaviour, harassment or nuisance:
· We will investigate all reports of anti-social behaviour, harassment or nuisance promptly, fairly and sensitively, within published timescales.
· We will clearly explain any limitations we might have when dealing with anti-social behaviour.
· We will treat any report of racial harassment as a serious matter.
· We will take prompt and appropriate action against any tenant whose behaviour adversely and unreasonably affects the quality of your life or your home.
· We will offer mediation whenever this may be appropriate or useful and if agreed by both parties involved.
· We will consider legal action against any tenant who continues to behave in an anti-social way.
· We will work with tenants, voluntary agencies, the police, local authorities and community groups to combat anti-social behaviour.
· We will work with all parties to try to resolve the problem and explain clearly what is happening at each stage.
· We will respect all tenants’ rights and take full account of their circumstances, but be firm in dealing with all tenancy matters.
· We will remove any racist or offensive graffiti within one working day of being reported and all other graffiti within 10 days of being reported. We will repair any vandalism damage to your property as a priority.
In return we will expect you to:
· Be polite and courteous to our staff and contractors at all times.
· Identify yourself and provide your name and address and any contact details.
· Give us full details of any complaint or concern, provide us with the information we need to be able to assist you and explain how you would like it to be resolved.
· Update us on any changes in your circumstances to ensure that our information is accurate and up-to-date.
· Always try to make an appointment to see us and let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment with us.
· Contact us if you do not understand any information we send to you.
· Pay your rent promptly.
· Keep to the terms of your tenancy agreement at all times.
We will not continue to deal with any tenants who are, or become, violent and aggressive to staff or our contractors, or who are persistently rude, threatening or aggressive, or who use racist, sexist or homophobic language. Threats made towards staff will be reported to the Police and legal action taken if necessary.
The website contains the four most important policies affecting our tenants and applicants for housing, namely Complaints, Customer Service Standards, Lettings and Rent Arrears.
In addition, the Tenants Handbook gives more information on how to pay your rent and what to do if you have a complaint, as well as details of how to report a repair.
If you have any queries and cannot find the answer in any of these documents, please contact us directly. We will be able to deal with your query and send you further details from a longer list of policies and procedures if applicable.
Kingston Churches Housing Association (KCHA) is a locally based housing
association operating mainly in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames,
but with additional properties in Elmbridge Borough Council, Guildford
Borough Council and the London Borough of Merton.
We currently own and manage 246 units of housing. This is made up of a mix of general
needs housing (for single people, couples, single parents and families),
sheltered housing for the elderly, three student houses, and a shared house for
the young single homeless.
The distribution of our housing units by local authority area is as follows:
Kingston – 208 units Elmbridge – 15 units
Guildford – 16 units Merton – 7 units
We aim to provide affordable housing to rent for people in the greatest housing
need and least able to solve their own housing problems, working in partnership
with the local authorities in whose areas we operate.
We operate an Equality and Diversity Policy to ensure that our housing and
services are available to all who need them irrespective of: race, colour, ethnic
origin or nationality; gender; illness or disability, whether mental or physical;
religious, cultural or other beliefs; marital or family status; sexuality or sexual
preference; age, physical appearance or other characteristic.
In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK) we are members of the
Kingston Housing Partnership, comprising the local authority and ten local
housing associations. These eleven organisations jointly operate the Kingston
Housing Register to make sure that everyone who applies for housing is
considered for all properties available. Full details of the scheme are available
on request.
Similar partnership arrangements operate in Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC)
and Guildford Borough Council (GBC).
For this reason, all of our general needs housing and most of our sheltered
housing for the elderly in these three areas is allocated through the common
housing registers, or occasionally to priority internal transfers. We do not
therefore maintain our own open waiting list.
In all three areas, however, we do have a small number of sheltered housing
units for the elderly that are more difficult to let because they comprise bedsits,
usually with shared facilities. It is not always possible to let these properties
through the common housing registers. We do maintain our own open waiting
lists for these properties, and further details and an application form are
available on request.
In the London Borough of Merton (LBM) our only housing scheme comprises a
shared house for seven young single homeless persons. Allocations to this
scheme are made through our partner organisation, Kingston Churches Action
on Homelessness (KCAH).
We also have two houses in RBK providing accommodation for 19 students.
These are mainly let through Kingston University although we also accept direct
applications from students attending other universities.
A POLICY
1. It is the policy of KCHA to contain rent arrears at a low level in order to:
• Prevent tenants losing their home through eviction
• Help tenants maximise their income and prevent them getting into financial
difficulty
• Maximise the Association’s rental income
2. The Association’s Housing Management and Maintenance Sub-Committee will
recommend, and the Board of Management agree, annual rent arrears targets.
3. A range of convenient and flexible rent payment methods will be provided to
maximise the opportunities for tenants to pay their rent and to suit individual
needs.
4. Clear and understandable information will be provided to tenants about:
• The amount of rent payable
• Methods of rent payment
• The current position on their rent account
• KCHA’s policy and procedures on rent arrears
• Advice on what to do if they are having difficulties paying the rent
• Advice on housing benefit and other welfare benefits
5. Action to deal with rent arrears will be taken at the earliest possible stage. The
Association will take a sympathetic but firm and consistent approach.
6. Where initial action to contain and reduce a debt is not successful, court
proceedings will be instigate. As a last resort, if no other solution is possible,
eviction shall be requested.
B PROCEDURE
7. Definition
7.1 Rent is due fortnightly in advance, or as set out in the Tenancy Agreement.
A tenant who has not paid rent by the close of business on a Monday (or
the following working day if Monday is a public holiday) is technically in
arrears.
7.2 Tenants should therefore be requested to make arrangements to pay their
rent in advance. This is particularly important for tenants who pay monthly,
for example, by standing order.
8. Information to Tenants
8.1 Quarterly statements will be sent to all tenants showing the current position
on their rent account.
8.2 Up to date information on current housing and other welfare benefits will
be displayed in Central Office reception, and will be made available to
tenants as appropriate (for example through regular mailings to tenants).
9. Action at the Beginning of a Tenancy
9.1 When a new tenant signs up for his or her tenancy, advice should be given
about the payment of rent and benefits available.
9.2 A provisional assessment should be made of the tenant’s possible housing
benefit entitlement (if any). Housing benefit and council tax rebate forms
should be provided and the tenant helped to ensure completion. Care
should be taken to ensure that the necessary supporting evidence is
provided, for example on proof of earnings.
9.3 The tenant should be encouraged wherever possible to agree to payment
of housing benefit direct to the Association. As benefit is usually paid four
weekly in arrears, the tenant should be asked to pay an additional amount,
in addition to any shortfall, to bring their account gradually 2 weeks in
advance in accordance with the terms of their Tenancy Agreement. It is
accepted that because housing benefit is paid four weekly in arrears, there
may be two weeks owing at any time before the housing benefit payment
is due.
9.4 The tenant should be encouraged to deliver his or her application in person
and obtain a receipt for it
9.5 The Housing Services Manager (HSM) will review any service level
agreement with the housing benefit sections that we deal with to agree
service standards, liaison arrangements, and monitoring and review
procedures. The Housing Officer (HO) / HSM will have regular liaison with
each local authority to make sure the tenants receive a good benefits
service.
9.6 A visit will be carried out to all new tenants after two months to find out
whether the tenant is having any difficulties paying the rent and to deal
with other housing management issues. The standard New Tenant Visit
Form will be completed, and there are significant rent arrears the Rent
Arrears Interview Form will also be completed.
10 Initial Recovery Action
10.1 Early action is essential to ensure that the tenant is aware of any arrears
and the importance of keeping his or her account up to date, and to enable
him or her to deal with any problem before it escalates beyond easy
remedy.
10.2 Written records should be kept of any action taken at each stage of the
recovery process, including notes of all telephone conversations,
interviews and visits. The note facility on QLX will be updated at all stages.
10.3 Standard letters are available to be sent to tenants at key ‘trigger’ points in
the arrears process. These may be adapted to suit individual tenants’
circumstances.
10.4 At one week arrears standard letter AR1 should be sent to the tenant.
10.5 If there is no response from the tenant and the account shows 2 weeks
arrears standard letter AR2 should be sent to the tenant, together with 2
copies of the Rent Arrears Payment Agreement form allowing for the
arrears to be cleared by regular instalments.
10.6 If there is still no response a visit should be made to the tenant (or
arrangements made to interview the tenant in the office). Standard letter
AR3 should be sent to the tenant advising that we are considering issuing
Notice of Seeking Possession (NOSP) if they do not respond.
11. Visit to Tenant/Office Interview
11.1 The purpose of the tenant visit/office interview is to undertake an in-depth
discussion of the reason for any arrears, to ensure that the tenant is
maximising his or her income, and to negotiate arrangements for
repayment of the arrears.
11.2 The Rent Arrears Interview Form should be completed to ensure that the
following points are covered:
• Household composition
• Total household earnings/income
• Total outgoings (including other debts etc.)
• Eligibility for, and take up of, benefits
• Net disposable income
• Reasonable and realistic instalment payments to clear arrears in the
minimum time possible
11.3 If further specialist welfare benefits or debt counselling advice is required
the tenant should be referred to outside agencies (in accordance with
arrangements agreed with those agencies).
11.4 By the end of the visit/interview (or within a short period afterwards if
further information needs to be obtained) instalment payments to clear the
arrears should be agreed and a Rent Arrears Payment Agreement form
completed. The agreement details should be noted on QLX notes.
12 Issue of Notice of Seeking Possession
12.1 If, despite all efforts, there is still no evidence that the tenant is attempting
to reduce the debt, by the time the account is six weeks in arrears a
Notice of Seeking Possession (NOSP) should be issued with a covering
letter (standard letter AR4). Each case must be considered on it’s merit.
The HSM or in his or her absence the Chief Executive (CE) are to make
the decision.
12.2 There are limited circumstances under which it may not be appropriate or
advisable to issue a NOSP to issue a NOSP at this level of arrears.
Examples are:
• The tenant (or a household member) is elderly, disabled, has a serious
health problem or is otherwise vulnerable
• The tenant is withholding rent because of an alleged disrepair or
otherwise counter claiming
• There is an unresolved marriage or partnership dispute
• There is an outstanding housing benefit claim confirmed by the
Housing Benefit Section in writing
12.3 It is important that the NOSP is accurately prepared and properly served.
12.4 When preparing the NOSP care must be taken that the correct Housing
Act and Grounds are used.
For Secure Tenants the Housing Act 1985 should be used along with
Ground 1 of Schedule 2.
For Assured Tenants the Housing Act 1988 should be used along with
Ground/s 10 (rent arrears), and 11 (breach of tenancy). Consideration
must be given as to whether it is appropriate to use Ground 8 (8 weeks
arrears at service of NOSP) or Ground 11 (persistent arrears) in certain
circumstances. It should be noted that Ground 8 grants automatic
possession even if there are no arrears at the time of the court hearing and
care should therefore be taken before using this Ground. The HSM will
make the decision whether to use Grounds 8 or 11.
12.5 The NOSP should be served by hand on the tenant and a Record of
Service of Notice form completed and placed on file along with two copies
of the NOSP.
13. Court Action
13.1 After service of NOSP the tenant’s rent account must be carefully
monitored.
13.2 If there is no proposal to clear or reduce the arrears, and by 8 weeks
arrears the Housing Officer will institute possession proceedings, having
discussed the case with the HSM. Standard letter AR5 should be sent to
the tenant.
13.3 The Court will give a time and date for the hearing. The HO will issue
standard letter AR6 to the tenant, giving details. The tenant should be
encouraged to attend the hearing.
13.4 If the tenant has failed to make satisfactory payments, or does not appear
at the Court hearing, an outright Possession Order should be sought. If an
outright Possession Order is granted standard letter AR7a should be sent
to the tenant.
13.5 Unless there are other considerations, where some reasonable proportion
of the arrears has been paid and/or the tenant appears in court, a
possession order should be requested suspended on the agreement of the
tenant to pay current rent plus an amount towards the arrears. If a
suspended Possession Order is granted standard letter AR7 should be
sent to the tenant.
13.6 If possession is granted, costs should be requested, assessed by the
Judge or Registrar, which should be added to the arrears. This is usually
the cost of making the application and is in the region of £120.00.
14 Eviction
14.1 If the tenant does not comply with the terms of a suspended possession
order standard letter AR8 should be sent to the tenant. This will advise the
tenant that the account must be brought back into line with the terms of the
possession order.
If the account is not brought back into line with the terms of the Order
within a short space of time, a Bailiff’s Warrant to enforce the possession
order and evict the tenant should be applied for. Standard letter AR9
should be sent to the tenant.
14.2 In the case of an outright Possession Order if the tenant has not vacated
the property by the date given a Bailiff’s Warrant to enforce the Order
should be applied for.
14.3 Eviction must be authorised by a meeting of either the Association’s Board
of Management or Housing Management and Maintenance Sub-
Committee, or by the Chairpersons of both Committees. An Authority to
Evict report must be completed by the HSM and submitted for
authorisation.
14.4 If arrears and costs are paid in full by the tenant before or by the eviction
date the eviction should be cancelled.
14.5 If the eviction takes place, the HO and/or HSM should attend with the
Court Bailiff to execute the Warrant. A carpenter should also be present to
change the locks and secure the property, and the presence of police and
other welfare representatives (for example, from Social Services or the
RSPCA) may be requested if problems are anticipated.
14.6 After the eviction has been carried out and the property secured, the
evicted tenant may be allowed to return to remove possessions, but control
of access must remain with the Association’s officers. At no time should
the tenant be allowed to return to the property without being accompanied
by the HO.
15 Former Tenant Balances
15.1 Every reasonable effort should be made to recover former tenant arrears.
15.2 Where a forwarding address is known, the former tenant should be
contacted and an attempt should be made to recover the debt or negotiate
an agreement to pay by instalments. A Rent Arrears Agreement may be
drawn up based on the current arrears model.
15.3 Where no forwarding address is given, efforts may be made to trace the
tenant via relatives, friends or other agencies. In reality, however, there is
usually little prospect of tracing the whereabouts of former tenants who
have left behind significant debts.
15.4 Where the whereabouts of a former tenant are known, it may be possible
to take legal action to obtain a money judgement in the court. Unless the
prospects of success are high and the former tenant has the financial
means to satisfy a court judgement, however, it would be a waste of further
time and money to pursue such a course of action.
15.5 A record of each former tenant debt and all recovery action taken should
be kept on the former tenant file.
15.6 When it has been decided that a former tenant debt is not recoverable, or
is beyond economic recovery, it should be referred for write-off.
15.7 The Chief Executive may authorise write-off of former tenant debts up to
£500, but these should be reported to the next meeting of the Housing
Management and Maintenance Sub Committee. Debts over £500 must be
referred to the Housing Management and Maintenance Sub Committee for
authorisation for write-off.
15.8 The same basic procedure, including authorisation limits, applies to former
tenant credit balances.
15.9 A register should be kept of all former tenants bad debts, and all
applications for housing to the Association should be checked against this
register. Consideration will be given to sharing this information with the
local authority and other registered social landlords.
KCHA aims to provide good quality housing, services and amenities, and we hope that you need never complain. However, despite our best efforts and intentions things can and do sometimes go wrong. Our complaints procedure is available if you are dissatisfied with the Association’s performance, or with any member of staff, and have not been able to resolve the problem.
Complaints may include:
- Unhelpful behaviour or unfair treatment by staff or contractors
- Delays or failure to provide a service
- Failure to achieve our published standards
- Dissatisfaction with policies and procedures
We welcome genuine complaints because they help us improve the way we work. All complaints will be taken seriously and, subject to the need to make enquiries, will be treated in confidence. We work to time limits and will let you know about progress and action we propose taking. If you need any help in reporting a complaint you can ask for advice from your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau.
To improve service delivery we review our policies and procedures regularly. Monitoring complaints helps us do this. A summary of complaints received is reported annually to the Housing Management Sub Committee for their review.
We have tried to ensure that this procedure is fair and accessible to all our tenants. Should you have cause to use the procedure below we would welcome your feedback on the way your complaint was handled.
Stages of a Complaint
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Initially, we would prefer you to try to resolve any problems you may have with your Housing Officer, who is usually your first point of contact with the Association. If you live in one of our student housing schemes your Warden will be your first point of contact. Your complaint can be verbal or in writing. If the Warden cannot assist for any reason your complaint will be passed to the Housing Officer for response. You will be advised when this has happened. In either case we will attempt to resolve the matter within 10 working days.
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If you are not satisfied with our initial response to your complaint and wish to pursue it, you can take the matter further in 3 stages.
Stage 1 – Making a formal complaint –
At this stage the complaint will be recorded in our Complaints Register
If you feel the initial contact has not resolved your complaint you should contact the Housing Services Manager. This can be by telephone, in writing or by making an appointment to visit our office to discuss the matter. You have the right to be represented at this meeting if you so wish. The Housing Services Manager will try to resolve your complaint satisfactorily and will confirm the outcome of any investigations in writing within 14 days of receiving your complaint. If it is felt that mediation may help to resolve matters, it will be offered at this stage.
Stage 2
If you are unhappy with the Housing Services Manager’s reply you should address your complaint in writing to the Chief Executive who will consider the matter and respond in writing within 14 days of receiving your letter. If you are unable to put your complaint in writing, a member of staff will be available to write out the details on your behalf. If this happens you will be asked to check it and sign that it is an accurate record of your complaint. The Chief Executive will only look at your complaint if you have already complained to your Housing Officer/Warden and Housing Services Manager.
Stage 3
If you are not satisfied with the response from the Chief Executive you can appeal to the Chairman of the Board of Management who will review the case and give you a written reply within 28 days of receiving your appeal.
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Further Assistance
If you feel your complaint remains unresolved after you have pursued it through the 3 stages above, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service, which investigates complaints about social landlords. You can write to them at Independent Housing Ombudsman Ltd, 81 Aldwych, London WC2B 4HN or telephone them on 020 7421 3800 and ask for an information booklet and complaint form. You can also visit their website at http://www.ihos.org.uk/ or email them at ihol@housing-ombudsman.org.uk. You may also collect the information booklet and complaint form from any local Citizen’s Advice Bureau. The information from the Housing Ombudsman Service is also available in other languages and on audio cassette.
The Housing Ombudsman Service will only accept your complaint if it has been through all stages of the complaints procedure set out above.
If you believe that we have failed to put in place policies and practices which will ensure that residents have the rights set out in The Tenant’s Charter leaflets you can complain directly to the Housing Corporation. Their address is available from this office and can also be found at the back of the Tenant’s Charter leaflets.
If you believe we have broken the law you have the right to go to the Courts. You should first talk to a solicitor or advice centre.
If you want to know the full name of any of the staff of the Association, or of the members of the Board of Management, please telephone this office.
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