Welcome to your residents’ newsletter. This is where we can share essential information with you about housing services and update you about the things you need to know.
In this edition of Open Door we’ve got information on:
- Making homes more energy efficient
- Getting ready for winter
- How to keep on top of your rent payments
- Here to help you through the cost-of-living crisis
- Keeping your apartment block safe from fire
- Help children, earn money and increase your bedroom allowance
- We're trying new ways to support you
- Passivhaus council homes
- Leaseholder Forum
- If you're not happy with our repairs
Making homes more energy efficient
We're making your homes more energy efficient to help you keep warmer and reduce bills at a time of high energy prices. We're also improving the quality of your homes and reducing the amount of carbon they release.
This work is driven by our Retrofit Action Plan. Since this plan was agreed, we have secured over £1 million of government funding for it.
The money is being used to upgrade insulation to walls, floors and lofts in over 113 homes. Good quality extractor fans are also being installed to help keep homes warmer and healthier.
Alongside this, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, insulation improvements and other measures have been carried out to 28 homes this year. And some homes are having new, A-rated double-glazed windows installed.
Homes that need this work most urgently and which have lower energy performance ratings are being improved first.
We're also funding the York Energy Advice service. This gives people advice on how to use less energy, lower fuel bills and release less carbon.
More homes will be upgraded in years to come and we're planning for the investments needed to do this. We'll be holding events and tenant consultations in 2024 to talk with you about home energy and improvements to your home. Watch out for details if you would like to join the conversation.
Getting ready for winter
Although energy prices have come down a little, bills are still much higher than before the crisis.
If you're struggling with energy bills or keeping warm in winter, get in touch with York Energy Advice.
The small friendly York Energy Advice team offers free support on energy issues to anyone in York who is on a low income, or aged 65+, or experiencing a long term health condition or disability.
They provide free impartial advice and support to both tenants and homeowners.
For more information call York Energy Advice on telephone: 01904 922249, text the team on telephone: 07418 364631, or message the team through the York Energy Advice Facebook page.
How to keep on top of your rent payments
We understand that times are tight for many. So it's even more important to pay your rent in full and on time.
If you're not sure how much your rent is, please contact your Housing Management Officer (HMO).
Please make sure your rent is paid regularly. Your rent is charged per week and should be paid in advance. You can arrange with your HMO to pay it weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
If you haven't already, set up a Direct Debit to pay your rent. Setting one up to be paid shortly after you get paid usually helps when budgeting.
If you are genuinely struggling to pay your rent, we can help!
As soon as you're worried about falling behind with paying your rent, please contact your HMO.
They can help you manage any changes in your circumstances such as a loss of income, family pressures and pressures on your finances. The sooner you do this, the easier it is for us to help make arrangements, and help you get your finances and rent back under control.
Other sources of help
Citizens Advice York gives free, independent advice on a range of housing and debt issues.
If you are behind on your rent payments, they will work with you and ourselves here at the council to help avoid us having to take action.
Tips for budgeting between now and the New Year:
- Max your income! Are you eligible for Penson Credit? Find out what else could you be getting using the GOV.UK benefits calculators.
- Budget, budget, budget! - plan your seasonal spending and stick to it by only buying what you can afford. No one wants to see you in debt so agree a 'no gift Christmas' with friends and friends.
- If you have to give presents, look out for '3 for 2' offers or pre-Christmas sales.
- Use your spare time to make low-cost gifts and cards. The internet has loads of fun and cheap ideas to make and do with your family.
- You may have gifts that you have never opened so pass them on to another person.
- Check out our Here to help you through the cost-of-living crisis article to help you with your money.
Whatever you choose to do this Christmas, you must remember to pay your rent first
Here to help you through the cost-of-living crisis
As the ongoing cost of living crisis is forcing many households to make difficult decisions, City of York Council and partners are holding Talk Money Fortnight from 30 October to 11 November.
To support people through this worrying time, a partnership of money experts has come together again to host Talk Money, a fortnight of activities, events and signposting to resources. Together, we'll be supporting residents to maximise their income, manage household budgets, stay on top of bills and payments, cut costs and advice on building up savings.
To help meet still-rising expenses, households are urged to check if they are eligible for any benefits or allowances to maximise their income. This could include Pension Credit which is available even for those who own their home and have savings and brings additional benefits. It includes applying for free school meals too which bring further help with uniforms and extra money to support your child's schooling.
See more Talk Money advice (Live Well York), with information from organisations including:
- Citizens Advice
- City of York Council
- Community First Credit Union
- GOV.UK
- Stop Loan Sharks
Keeping your apartment block safe from fire
To continue to keep you safe in your homes, we all need to take action to improve fire safety in our apartment blocks.
We have 500 blocks which each need an independent fire risk assessment. We have carried out 180 earlier this year, and 116 were found to be needing more work. Some of the work needs to be done by us, and some by those of you who live in them.
To help keep you safe, we're starting work in November to improve fire safety at your block. This will include checking that each individual apartment is fire safe. We'll also work on the building's locked storage and electrical connections.
We need you to play your part in communal and outdoor areas, as well as in your homes:
- keep routes to your front door clear so you can escape in an emergency
- never store or leave items in communal areas, these could cause fires, or block or trip people escaping from fire; report them to your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator
- report bins that need emptying
- be aware of and tell us about anti-social behaviour which could cause fire
- don't let people into the building who don't have a fob or key
- smoking is the most common cause of fire fatalities, it's not allowed in any common areas; don't smoke in bed; use an ashtray that can't tip over, empty it regularly and put out any cigarettes fully; don't throw cigarettes out of windows or off balconies
- electrical items are a common cause of fire; avoid using extension leads or damaged equipment or cables; make sure that plugs are plugged in firmly
- don't plug more than one powerful appliance (such as a kettle or heater) into an extension lead
- check that your large electrical appliances are safe and check product recalls
- oil-filled portable heater are safes than radiant bar heaters, don't use them near anything that could catch fire
Help children, earn money and increase your bedroom allowance
That's the message of a powerful new fostering film - any of us can foster a child or young person, if you have the capacity to care.
The 'Any of Us' film looks at 3 very different people who all show some of the skills and instincts needed to be a foster carer in incidents from their daily lives.
Ayesha is filmed helping a pedestrian after a road accident, Neil calms down an aggressive situation in a snooker club, and Marsha identifies a young person showing signs of distress at school. Different individuals in very different scenarios, but each in their own way showing the caring instinct that is fundamental to being a foster carer.
There's currently a shortage of 6,000 fostering households in England, so films like this have a vital role to play in encouraging more people to become foster carers.
Find out how you could change a child or young person's life in York by becoming a foster carer.
We're trying new ways to support you
We are piloting a new way of delivering your services over the coming 9 months.
To better support you, we've introduced 3 new Housing Management Officers, skilled in helping you with particular issues.
If you've just started a 12-month introductory tenancy period, our Intro Tenancy Housing Management Officer (IHMO) will offer more intensive support to help you become a secure tenant.
To support you in your ongoing tenancy, our Community Housing Management Officer (CHMO) can help. They're also available for residents living in our Independent Living Communities.
If you need more intensive support to keep your secure tenancy, our Sustainable Housing Management Officer (SHMO) can help to support you.
As part of the pilot, we asked you about how long you felt we should take to reply to you. We agreed on response times of:
- 5 working days to emails and letters
- 5 working days to service requests
- 48 hours to phone calls
We'd love to hear from you and your thoughts about the pilot. Contact us on email: housing.serviceimprovements@york.gov.uk, or telephone: 01904 555556.
Passivhaus council homes
Work on our first Passivhaus council homes is underway.
Our first 2 sites of these inexpensive to run, zero-carbon homes are at Duncombe Square, off Burton Stone Lane in Clifton, and at Burnholme Green, in Heworth.
To help ease the housing crisis, we've committed to create 600 new homes - with at least 40% being affordable. These are being built across York by our Housing Delivery Programme (HDP). Our first site at Lowfield Green, Acomb, is complete and all our new tenants have moved into the EPC A or B rated homes.
To tackle climate change and high energy prices, our next HDP sites will be built to Passivhaus standard. These homes have very high levels of insulation and triple-glazed windows, as well as air source heat pumps for heating and electricity-generating panels on the roof. This means they have hugely reduced carbon emissions and give residents more control over energy bills because little heating is needed.
Passivhaus homes also deliver a comfortable and consistent temperature, no drafts, a quiet indoor environment and clean fresh air.
We've secured funding for 60% of the 34 homes being built at Duncombe Square and the 78 homes being built at Burnholme Green to be affordable. Of that 60%, 20% will be council homes for social rent and the rest are for shared ownership. Both sites are expected to be finished in 2024.
Leaseholder Forum
Leaseholder Forum attendees agreed that future meetings would be held 4 times every year. Each meeting will last an hour and be held online via Microsoft Teams.
The next meeting will be in January, invitations will now be sent via email where possible. If we don't have an email address for you we will send your invitation through the post. We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you.
Check the minutes from recent Leaseholder Forum meetings.
If you're not happy with our repairs
If you have a repair or a problem with a repair, contact us:
We want to help keep your home in good order. It's our duty and the right thing to do.
We work hard to repair your homes quickly, and want to get it right first time. If you feel we need to do better, please tell us - we're here to help you.
Disrepair claims
Some tenants are choosing to make claims against us for not carrying out a repair or not doing it properly. This is having a negative impact on housing finances, our tenants and communities.
The number of claims against the council is increasing. The impact of these claims means there is less and less money for much-needed repairs and improvements to homes like yours.
We want to use this money to help you, our residents, and not legal companies.
If you're thinking of making a claim against the council because you feel we haven't carried out a repair or done it well you should report a repair to your council home first, so we can fix any outstanding repairs issues.
Legal firms make huge profits from these claims - not you.
Even if your claim is successful, you are likely to be left with only a very small percent of money paid in damages.
In some cases, tenants have been left with many thousands of pounds of debt in legal fees or court costs. This is on top of the stress of having to go to court.
Housing disrepair 'claims farmers'
Claims farmers encourage people to make compensation claims. They then sell this information on to legal firms for their own gain. Some will let you believe they are working for the council, but they are not.
Claims farm workers have been reported going door to door in York, and could be targeting your area.
They are also targeting our tenants through social media. This appears to be supported by the council but it is not.
If they come to your door, make sure you:
- always ask for identification and check it
- call the police if you feel scared or threatened
- tell Trading Standards on telephone: 0808 223 1133 if they are claiming to be from the council
- talk to us before you sign any documents
'No win, no fee' offers
A number of solicitors firms are offering tenants in York to take up disrepair claims against their landlord on a 'no win, no fee'.
There are significant risks involved including the stress of going to court and court costs. One case brought against the council left the tenant having to pay over £10,000 in court costs.
Warning: don't be misled or pushed into signing anything: you will be liable to pay fees if you change your mind. Some tenants have been left in debt with large legal bills.
Tell us first about a disrepair problem.
To report a repair to your council home, contact us using our Housing Repairs phone line on telephone: 01904 551550 (option 4, option 1), which is open 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.
To report an emergency repair outside normal office hours, call our Housing Repairs Out of Hours phone line on telephone: 01904 630405, or telephone: 01904 427699.
If you're unhappy about how we have responded to a request for a repair, or how we have carried out a repair, tell us first. Your concern will be assessed and treated impartially. Find out more about how we will deal with your complaint. or email: haveyoursay@york.gov.uk.
Also See:
Open Door
- Email: housing.serviceimprovements@york.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01904 555556