accent news online – south july 2014

South JULY 2014South Y 2014JULLY

0345 678 0577 [email protected]

3.

2.

01.

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Repairs

ASB

Arrears

Complaints

Our notable successes include:

4 Launching our national repairs contact centre –it deals with over 1,200 repair requests per week.Your satisfaction with the service remains at 90%.

4 Launching our five local contact centres – onaverage each centre deals with around 500 callsper week, taking less than ten seconds to answereach call.

4 Launching our new staff structure – with patchbased housing officers and home ownershipofficers providing local information (see page 3).

4 Recruiting residents to our local customerservices committees – to scrutinise our servicestandards and performance that matters to you.

4 A new user-friendly website – we expect to addmore useful functions early in 2015.

Personal, Modern and Better – it’s now six months since we launchedour new service, we’ve achieved a lot in that time, but we’re not finished yet…

Many of you pay your rent by standing order, cash at offices, swipe cards and internetpayments, but here are some alternatives, our aim is to give you choice and convenience…

Allpay App: Make paymentsfrom your phone or tablet bydownloading the Allpay Appwhich is available on Apple,Windows and Android devices.You will need an Allpayswipecard and bank account, if you need an Allpay card,call us on 0345 678 0577.

Allpay hotline: If youhave an Allpay card, but prefer to pay overthe phone, call theautomated hotlineon 0844 557 8321.

Callpay: You can call us on 0345 678 0577and pay with your credit or debit card.

Direct Debit: The mostconvenient way to pay.We offer paperless Direct Debits withoutforms. If you’d like toset one up, call uson 0345 678 0577.

“At last.An Appthat helpsme paymy bills.”

Our long term focus is to become a first classlandlord, and your feedback is helping us toachieve this goal. Our 2013 survey results providedus with excellent feedback and lots to think about.From the results, we have, with residents,developed a set of local action plans which have identified the key areas for improvement for each region.

In our next issue… Look out for ourannual performancereport and a surveyto find out what youthink of Accent News.

4pp Accent News - South _ July 2014_Newsletter 24/06/2014 09:17

0345 678 0577 [email protected]

Pruned to perfection?

Our garden competition is backfor another year. For full details oncategories, prizes, terms and how to enter, visitthe Accent South ‘Get Involved’ page on ourwebsite: http://bit.ly/gardeningcomp or call us on 0345 678 0577. We can come and visitif you can’t email or post your photos.

Keep the noise down!

Now the warmer weather ishere, if you are having partiesor barbecues, please consideryour neighbours and keepyour noise down – be fairwhen you are entertaining.

Most important to you is repairs andmaintenance, and the overall quality of yourhome. This year we will spend over £5million on new kitchens, bathrooms, boilersetc. Our contractors will contact those ofyou due for an upgrade shortly. We havealso changed the way we deal with yourrepair calls. Instead of Lovells taking your

call, our staff do. Your feedback on thechange is very positive. You also said youwanted to be kept more informed aboutwhat was happening and for us to takeyour views into account more. As well as ’Accent News’ keeping you betterinformed, we are also creating a newregional residents’ panel (see below).

We are currently developing a new regionalresidents’ group to scrutinise how well we perform as a business. It is very important that residents scrutinise our work, and we’d liketo thank our current scrutiny panel members,some of whom will be involved in the new group,for the work they’ve done so far.

We are looking for a diverse range of residents to helpus improve services and boost customer satisfaction.The group will scrutinise a wide range of performance,including rent arrears, satisfaction and repairs.Membership will involve a small, but regular, timecommitment, with a meeting every six weeks which youcan either attend virtually (by computer) or in person.

We have arranged two information sessions on Wednesday 16 July at 11am and 6.30pm at Station House, Camberley. Don’t worry if you can’t attend, you can still be involved, contact usor text the word ‘GROUP’ to 07741 525 903.

You saidwe did

In the last Accent News, we included some headline results from last autumn’ssatisfaction survey. We have listened to what you said, and we are focusingour efforts on what is important to you and where we need to improve.

ACCENTSOUTH NEEDSYOU!

4pp Accent News - South _ July 2014_Newsletter 23/06/2014 15:37

Stay in touch!

Address:Station House1 Pembroke BroadwayCamberley GU15 3XD

Telephone:0345 678 0577Email:[email protected]:www.accentgroup.org

making a difference… improving homes, communities and lives

@accentcmy

Social media:

/accentcmy

Members of the Accent Residents’ Panelmet in Peterborough in late May.

We discussed Accent’s annual reports to residents and value for money. In the annual report, Accentwill include details of performance against the standards set by the Homes and CommunitiesAgency (HCA). The reports will also set out Accent’splans to improve performance where needed. This won’t be just what Accent thinks – they will be asking residents to help them make those decisions. They want to be ‘open and honest’about their business, and give you the personal,modern and better service they’ve promised.

Panel members also looked at how Accent hasdelivered better value for money services. Value formoney is not just about cost, it’s about making themost of the money they have and spending it in away that benefits the most residents.

Last year, Accent made some major changes to itsbusiness and how it delivers its services. It now hasa simpler structure, and will save £1.75Mper year which will be reinvestedin the areas where it is neededthe most on thingslike new kitchensand windows.

Residents’ Communications Panel

Members of our new resident communications panelwill review and edit our documents to make sure theyare easy for you to read and understand. Memberswill be looking at quite a lot over the next few months,including our new customer leaflets, our annualperformance reports (due out in October), and futurecopies of this newsletter. We’ll keep you updated on what the panel is looking at.

New Customer Leaflets

We are currently re-writing all our customerleaflets and you will soon be able to viewand download them from our website. As a value for money initiative, we don’tplan to print lots of them. If you are not onthe internet, please visit one of our officesor ring your local contact centre and theywill download and print copies for you.

Please use 0345 to call! Our numbers start with 0345, but some of you still use 0845 to call us. You’ll still getthrough but it costs you more from a mobile. 0345 numbers are often included in ‘free’ or minutes bundles.

Residents’ Panel Update by Wendy Dyer, Panel Chair

4pp Accent News - South _ July 2014_Newsletter 24/06/2014 09:17 Page 4

You can ring us from 8am – 8pm on Monday to Friday and 9am – 12pm on Saturdays

Shannon Waugh

Michelle Howard

Ida Horner Lorraine Ticehurst

Zoe Miles Cheryl Bucci

Nnamdi Nwakanma

Lisa Mitchell

Patch NewsThese pages have all been written by a localhousing officer, so each page only contains newsand information from their area. To view any of thesepages, simply hover over the image of your housingofficer and then click on the icon that appears…

Accent News - online_ July 2014_Patch News 25/07/2014 15:07


Why consider a swap?Well, people may want to move for a number of reasons,perhaps for more or less space as households change, or because of benefit changes and difficultywith rent payments. One of the ways tofind the right home is to ‘swap’ withanother housing association resident.There are certain rules about who canswap, and permission must be given, but the basic principle is that two residents view each other’s homesand agree to swap.

The ‘Home Swap’ shop will be at Camberley Theatre on Thursday 28 August. We are hosting it in partnership with Surrey Heath BoroughCouncil. The event will give residents the chance to see what homes are available to swap in Surrey Heath.

More details about the event andhow to advertise your home forswap can be found online at:www.surreyheath.gov.uk

You can also email us at:[email protected] [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you there!

Michelle HowardHousing Officer

I have been continuing to help with the brilliant work already carried out inthe St Michaels area. I have heard great things about the two play areas, andthe coffee mornings and barbecues held by Rev. Kim Murray, which residentsare now starting to take charge of.

I look forward to work starting again on the communal garden, and to see the progress the local residents are making. It is great to see such a brilliantcommunity developing here and I hope it continues.

I am currently organising a fun day and, along with some colleagues, a workshop to help build the confidence of any parents looking for workor volunteering (more details below).

I have also been carrying out estate inspections and spent time in Sandhurst,Aldershot and Derek Horn Court. If you see me out and about on an inspection,please come and say hello and let me know how I can improve your area.

“

Calling all St Michaels Residents!Are you at home during the day and looking to see what else is out there? Could youbenefit from learning new skills or building your confidence? We are running a workshopto help you build your confidence and show you the benefits of getting back to work,further education or volunteering. It will run for a half day every week for eight weeksaround October and November. It’s completely FREE and we provide refreshments.

Interested? Text ‘WORKSHOP’ to 07741 525 903 for more information.

4pp Accent News - South _ July 2014_Patch News 30/06/2014 11:04



The ‘Home Swap’ shop will be at Camberley Theatre on Thursday 28August. We are hosting it in partnership with Surrey Heath BoroughCouncil. The event will give residents the chance to see what homes are available to swap in Surrey Heath.




Nnamdi NwakanmaHousing Officer

At our flats in Evergreen Road, I have asked the caretakers to removebulky items and clean up the bin areas. It costs money to remove itemsand, if we have to continue, we will have no choice to charge the costback to residents. I am working with residents to try and identify thepeople responsible. Please let me know if you see anyone fly-tipping.

We will be starting the work to convert the individual gardens in the flatsat Middlemoor Road shortly. When the quotes for the work are returned, Iwill let you know when it will start. I am also currently organising ourMiddlemoor Road roadshow. It will take place on Friday 1st August. Youwill find us at the front of the flats on Middlemoor Road. There will be anumber of agencies present, and there will be something to occupy thechildren! We look forward to seeing you all then.

We have recently held a very successful meeting at Heathermead Court.Residents raised some concerns which I will look to action. I am pleasedto report that all the windows in Heathermead Court are going to bereplaced over the coming months, and we will be holding our first rentsurgery on Wednesday 18th June.

We are also looking to offer free dog micro-chipping with Surrey BoroughCouncil. I’ll be letting you have more information about this soon.

Finally, I’d like to stress how important it is for you to pay your rent on time.It is a condition of your tenancy. If you fall into arrears, or face financialdifficulties, please contact us. We can help. Your home will be at risk if you do not pay.

“

I am working with residents to try and identifythe peopleresponsible.Please let meknow if you seeanyone fly-tipping.

4pp Accent News - South _ July 2014_Patch News 30/06/2014 11:04 Page 4







Ida HornerHousing Officer

Over the past few months, I’ve been working withresidents to help them manage their tenancies.I have moved three residents to smaller homes through our ‘downsizingproject. Their new homes suit them much better and their former homesare freed up for people in greater housing need.

Unfortunately, I have had to evict a resident due to rent arrears. This is a last resort for me, so I would encourage you to speak with me if you find yourself in rent arrears or you are struggling financially. We can help you.

I have recently carried out a joint walkabout in Chobham with theNeighbourhood Policing Team. We talked to a number of residents abouttheir concerns with issues on the estate. I will now be looking to work withthe police to take action on some of these. Following reports of anti-socialbehaviour in the alleyway at Stonehill Road, I have now fenced this off.

“

In the pipeline:I hope to resolvethe parkingarrangements atRosemount Point.I am also workingwith residents elsewhere toresolve issues withgarden fences.

Chobham Community DayChobham Community Fun Day will be held on 24 July 2014 on the greenbehind number 45-53 Windsor Court Road. It is your chance to comeand meet your neighbours, officers from Accent, Lovell representativesand the Safer Neighbourhood Police. There will be food, a trampoline,music and more. We look forward to seeing you.



Lorraine TicehurstHousing Officer

Tidy trees!Good news! Lotus have made a start on the much needed tidy up ofall of the trees, hedges and bushesin Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.The work has been completed atAlbion Court and I hope you agreethat it is now looking a lot smarter.

If you have any suggestions forimprovements you would like to see in your area, please contact me to discuss them and I’ll see what I can do.

Estate inspections raise cleaning issues Following recent estate inspections at Burlington Place,Newgate House, Wanstead House and Wood Court, you raised concerns about the cleaning. As a result, we have asked our contractors to begin carrying out quarterly deep cleans of the blocks.

You will also have received a letter concerning windowcleaning. Please make sure you respond as we really value your feedback and we want you to have a voice in influencing the services you receive.

“ Problems paying your rent? I’m here to help… Whether it’s due to a change in circumstances, or benefit reforms, some of our residents are finding it difficult to pay their rent. I have beenvisiting those residents who have found themselves in this situation andworking with local agencies who can offer help and support.

If you are having trouble paying your rent, please call me to arrange a home visit. I am here to help. If you are in arrears, we really need to talk with you about the best way forward so please don’t be scared to contact me.



Estate inspectionsraise issues We have now started ourprogramme of estate inspections.If you would like to take part inthe inspection for your areaplease don’t be shy – come alongand help us find out what sort ofthings are important to you andwhat we can do to make anyimprovements that areneeded. If you would likemore information, please give

either of us a call. If we are notaround at the time we will getback to you, usually within 24hours. Any information you cangive our local contact centrewhen you call will help us giveyou a speedy response.

We have been finding a lot of‘dumped’ large items of

furniture, particularly incommunal areas offlats and in front

gardens. We havearranged for these items

to be collected and disposed of. So far, we have not passed thecharge of doing this ontoresidents, but we may have to inthe future if we cannot identify whois doing the dumping. Please tellus if you see anyone fly-tipping. If you have items you need todispose of, please contact us. We will tell you how much we will charge you for removing it. You can also contact Surrey HeathBorough Council to arrangecollection on 01276 707 690.


The ‘Home Swap’ shop will be at Camberley Theatre on Thursday 28 August.

We are hosting it in partnership with Surrey Heath Borough Council. The event will

give residents the chance to see what homes are available to swap in Surrey Heath.




It is now six months since we becamehousing officers with Accent. We have metmany residents along the way and are lookingforward to meeting many more of you.

Lisa MitchellHousing Officer

Zoe MilesHousing Officer

“

We both attend the Old Dean Community Group meetings.This year, the community fun day will be held on Saturday 12 Julyfrom 12pm until 4pm. Why not come along and say hello?

OLD DEAN COMMUNITY FUN DAY



It has been a really busy month!

At Tarragon Grove in Sydenham, I am in the process ofrenewing the communal security doors. The initial section20 formal consultation has begun and I aim to have the doors fitted by the end of the summer.

I am pleased to have housed several families in our intermediate rental and market rental homes.

Residents at Appley Court in Camberley recently held their quarterly meeting. I have arranged for the replacement of the garden area water butts and some remedial repairs following the replacement of the fire alarm system.

I am due to carry out a number of S20 consultations for cyclical works. The first stage letter will be sent outvery soon.

At Edwins and Cody Court in Farnborough, and Suffolk Court in Deepcut, there will be an amnesty concerning therubbish and belongings left in the cycle sheds. The aim is to clear them completely to allow only cycles in the sheds as residents are currently are unable to do so.

I hope to carry out a number of estate improvements in the near future.

Cheryl Bucci, Home Ownership Officer

“

”

My next site inspection willbe at Suffolk Court on the23 July at 10am if youwould like to join me?




I have now been the housing officer for your area for six months. Recently, I have been out and about for estate inspections in James Road,the Watchetts area, Englefield Green and Windlesham. As I am out of theoffice a lot, I would love to see you for a chat if you can spare the timewhen I am on an estate near you. If you’d like to know when the estate inspections are, please contact us for the times, dates and meeting place.

I have kept on top of the maintenance of communal areas and I am currently looking into some estate improvements that I would like to make,including fitting washing lines for some flats in Gilbert Road and convertingthe gardens at the flats in Bain Avenue to a communal area. I’ll let youhave more information shortly.

Shannon WaughHousing Officer

“

Fire Safety VisitsDue to a recent fire in which the resident tragically losttheir life, we have asked Surrey Fire and Rescue Serviceto carry out fire safety visits on our behalf. They will visitresidents identified as most at risk, and target thosehomes where there is no record of a fire alarm beingfitted. They will also visit new residents. You will becontacted directly to arrange a visit over the next fewweeks. It will last about 30 minutes and it is free. Please take part – it could save your life.

James RoadCommunity DayOn 8th August, I will be holding a communityday on the James Road estate. It will takeplace at Orchard Primary Sure Start Centre. I will be sending out more information aboutthe event nearer the time. I look forward tomeeting you then.






accent news online – south july 2014

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