Let us know your views
In January satisfaction surveys will be sent to a random selection of our tenants and leaseholders.
Your contributions and opinions are valuable to us, after all, you’re our customers. This survey will be an opportunity for us to get your opinions on the housing services we deliver at Exeter City Council, finding out what works and what could be improved for the future.
The survey won’t take very long to do. Why not grab yourself a cuppa as you complete it?
We hope you will enjoy sharing your views.
We want to say thank you in advance for taking the time to complete it.
Thinking of setting up a residents' association?
A Residents’ Association is a group of local residents who represent the interests of everyone in their local area, for example in a block of flats or on a particular estate. Residents’ Associations are a good way to campaign for improvements in the area, to improve public safety, and to make community voices heard.
The group might meet to consider issues related to housing, the community, or the general environment. They might also wish to organise events for their local area, for example gardening days or street parties.
Our Housing Services have published a useful guide on how to set up a Residents’ Association. The guide is available online and includes steps on how to get started and generate interest, how to form the group and how to raise funds to support the group’s activities.
The free guide for Exeter City Council tenants and leaseholders is available on the Exeter City Council website.
Improving energy efficiency
Our Planned Works team has been busy transforming homes in the City to improve energy efficiency and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases.
The upgrades will also mean that some of our tenants will have lower fuel bills, which helps reduce fuel poverty in the City.
The homes are receiving upgrades to insulation, heating and hot water systems, and windows and doors. The properties are also having solar PV panels installed, which can generate free electricity.
Tenants will receive a booklet that contains hints and tips to help them understand how to make the most of these improvements to reduce carbon emissions and save on their fuel bills.
The works are part of a wider programme which will be rolled out across Council homes in the rest of the city over the coming years. This programme will help us reach our commitment to net zero by 2030.
Staying warm and well this winter
With winter fast approaching and energy prices on the rise, there are many great ways to keep you and your home that little extra cosy during cold snaps. Below are some tips to help save money on energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
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Get your boiler serviced. If you are a City Council tenant we arrange for your boiler to be serviced every year to ensure it’s working safely and efficiently, and to reduce the risk of your boiler breaking down when you need it the most. When we write to you about arranging an appointment for the service, do not delay in contacting us. An efficient boiler will save you money!
- Get to know your heating system. Knowing how to programme its timer and understanding other settings will give you more control over how your home is heated.
- Try and keep your main living room at 18–21°C (64–70°F) and the rest of your house at least16°C (61°F). If you can’t heat all the rooms you use, heat the living room in the day and the bedroom just before you go to sleep.
- Stay active, it is one of the best ways you can keep warm even if it is just light exercise. The British Heart Foundation has some great ideas on how to stay active indoors during the dark winter months, such as rainy day desktop yoga!
- Keep the cupboard stocked with essential supplies and blankets, just in case there is a severe cold snap and you are unable to get to the shops.
- Make sure all your curtains are closed at dusk to help your home retain warmth.
- It is always a good idea to keep an eye on older neighbours and relatives, and those with heart or breathing (respiratory) problems. If you can, make sure they are safe and well, are warm enough (especially at night), and have stocks of food and medicines so they do not need to go out during very cold weather.
Complaints and Compliments
Complaints
When a resident or leaseholder contacts the Council with a complaint, it is treated as an opportunity to find ways to improve the service. We really value that correspondence and a great deal of time is spent investigating to see where we can prevent similar complaints arising in the future; after all if we’re doing something that is clearly wrong, we need to put it right.
We organise monthly meetings where we talk about complaints that we have received. We also use the opportunity to share ideas and consider what we can learn from the situation so that we can improve our services.
If you have a complaint or if you have already reported an issue but feel it has not been resolved appropriately, you can make a complaint by getting in contact with us using the details below.
The Housing Ombudsman Service
The Housing Ombudsman is an independent and impartial service, available for you to access to help resolve any outstanding housing complaints. You can contact the Housing Ombudsman at any time while your complaint is going through our process for advice and to help find a resolution.
Housing Ombudsman details: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/
Phone: 0300 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Postal address: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool L33 7WQ
Introduction of the Housing Ombudsman’s Self-Assessment
In 2020 the Housing Ombudsman published their Complaint Handling Code setting out good practice principals that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly. As part of the Code member landlords such as us must complete regular self-assessments in order to benchmark against the Code’s requirements and identify areas where improvements can be made. Further details can be found in our latest Tenant Annual Report and on our website within the Housing section.
Compliments
We have received many positive stories from recent projects throughout the city, thanks to the hard work from our staff across the teams. By letting us have your compliments we have been able to recognise these achievements so thank you for taking the time to send them in.
Some of the recent comments from our residents, regarding property improvements include:
- “the contractors and subcontractors were a credit to their employers and Exeter City Council. They frequently took extra steps to be helpful when needed, and being disabled I was very appreciative. They were always polite, friendly and in good spirits. They all deserve a pat on the back”
- “this recent work has gone above and beyond”
- “the entire street will be a show piece to be proud of”
- “when I look at this street now I feel enormous pride”
Making the most of your community rooms
At the start of the pandemic, we followed government advice and closed all of our community centres on our Older Persons’ Housing Schemes.
Sadly this meant that all the activities and events had to stop. We closely monitored the rules and regulations, and as soon as we could, we re-opened them in the summer.
Since then, lots of activities in these rooms have re-started and some have commenced for the first time. Some of the community rooms have been upgraded and others are about to be improved.
Seated exercise classes have resumed and in schemes where there were no events, tenants have been encouraged to start social and craft activities. Coffee mornings and afternoon teas are regular events now, attended by people who wanted to reconnect with their friends and neighbours.
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) has a project called ‘Museum at Large’, and it was arranged for a group of tenants to visit the museum and work with an artist to contribute to this project.
If any tenants or their neighbours would like to have an event or activity in their community room, please contact the resident involvement team who will be happy to provide help and support.
Access to properties
As a responsible landlord, we have a new process in place to carry out essential inspections, services and works to homes. If you are a City Council tenant you will now receive a standard letter with a pre-booked appointment and be contacted to arrange a suitable time to visit.
Click here to read more about access arrangements
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