Housing Options service standards

If you're at risk of losing your home or have nowhere to live, the Housing Options Service can help. We'll try to help you, to prevent you from becoming homeless.

Our Commitment to you

We will ensure that we:

• will provide all customers with equal access
• will not discriminate against anyone because of their age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation
• expect all customers to treat staff with respect too
• provide a friendly advice service which is confidential as long as there are no safeguarding concerns - if you have given permission we may need to share or request information about you
• answer all phone calls with our name and service area within 20 seconds during office duty hours
• deal with phone calls immediately or, if this is not possible, call you back within 1 working day or at an agreed time
• respond to your letters and emails within 5 working days
• send forms or information leaflets you ask for within 5 working days
• give you clear and relevant advice and information in reply to any query
• make alternative mutually agreed arrangements if you're unable to access a phone to call us to discuss your circumstances due to your health or disability
• carry identity badges at all times - please always ask to see identification before letting anyone into your home
• collect and monitor information about customer satisfaction and customer profiles and use this information to improve our services and report findings annually; we appreciate and will act on your comments
• consult with customers for specific issues and ask for feedback
• change our policies and services if they treat any group unfairly

Services through the Customer Centre

We can provide the following services through the Customer Centre:

• if you have no phone, or access to a phone elsewhere to call us, you can access our West Offices on this basis, where you will be given access to a phone in the Customer Centre to call our duty number within the times stated
• if you have a pre-arranged telephone appointment with a worker, we aim to call you at the agreed time.
• if you have a pre-arranged face-to-face appointment with a worker, we aim for you to be seen within 15 minutes
• we will provide a private area for confidential enquiries for pre-arranged face-to-face appointments
• we provide induction loops, sign language facilities and an interpretation service if you need them
• we will use written and spoken language that is clear
• we will provide written documents that are easy to read and will offer them in large print, Braille or an audio CD if required
• we can arrange to translate written documents to be sent to you, if you are a non-English speaker and you have no support to do this for you

Applying for a home through the Homeless Process

If you are homeless or about to become homeless you may need to make a legal ‘homeless application’.

Not everyone who applies as homeless is entitled to accommodation, however we will:

• give you the contact details for the officer dealing with your case
• provide an emergency service outside office hours 365 days of the year
• aim to write to you within 10 days from the date of your application with general advice, or details of any additional duty we may owe you, including a personal housing plan if relevant to any duty accepted and explain the councils legal duty if this applies - we will let you know if it will take longer
• tell you in any duty or decision letters about any right to a review of our duty or decision and when you need to do this by, and who can help you
• make sure that if you ask for a review, we aim to give you a decision within 56 days