Healthy Home Promise

We recognise that having a warm, clean, and safe place to live is essential. Our Healthy Home Promise, developed in consultation with our customers, clarifies the minimum standards all our housing must achieve before we allow a tenant to move in.

The promise

We promise to support tenants and provide a home that meets their individual needs.

We promise to listen effectively and act fairly.

We ask you to promise to care for your home, be a good neighbour, and engage constructively with us to help maintain the property standard.

When you move in

Your new home will be clean, safe and secure.

We will ensure your home complies with relevant legal requirements.

Your home

All external door locks will be changed. You will be provided with three sets of keys for each door.

All glazing will be intact, and where windows are designed to open and close, they will do so easily.

All external and internal doors will be in good working order and free from damage.

We will assess and carry out any work required to prevent damp and mould.

All floors and fixed floor coverings will be secure and free from slip or trip hazards.

All electrical fittings, such as lights, sockets and switches will be safe and work properly.

We will read all gas, electric and water meters where applicable and tell you where to find them.

We will provide smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms where required.

Stop taps will work and we will tell you where to find them.

We will carry out full gas and electrical safety tests and issue you with relevant certificates. Please note any outstanding checks will be arranged when you sign for your tenancy and will require gas and electricity accounts to be in place before they can be completed.

Where a Care Call alarm system is already installed in the property, we will ensure it is working when you move in, and will clarify charges relating to the service as part of taking the tenancy.

Where possible, carpets, blinds and curtains in reasonable condition may be left in place; these items are gifted and will become your responsibility to maintain.

Your kitchen

Your kitchen will be clean and fully functional.

It will have a cooker point - it is your responsibility to arrange for your cooker to be connected by a registered gas or electrical engineer. If it is gas, we will do a safety check once it is connected.

If there is enough space in the kitchen, we will fit plumbing and an electrical socket for a washing machine. It will be your responsibility to connect it.

Your bathroom

Your bathroom will have a bath or shower, a hand basin, and a toilet. They will be clean and in good working order.

Where there is a separate toilet and hand basin, they will be clean and in good working order.

Your garden (if applicable)

If there is a garden, we will make sure it is tidy and free from rubbish. It will be your responsibility to maintain the garden to an acceptable standard.

Sheds, greenhouses, and other such structures will be removed unless you have decided that you want to keep them and be responsible for their maintenance. There may be times when the concrete base may be left in the garden.

Paths around the property will be safe and boundaries will be defined.

Decoration

The property will be in a reasonable decorative condition. However, you are responsible for decorating the inside of your home (including filling small holes and cracks where decorators' filler can be used).

Where specific rooms are identified as requiring decoration, we may supply you with decorating materials to help with decorating.

Under certain circumstances we may carry out decoration for you. This will be assessed and agreed once we have allocated the property to you.

Outstanding work

Some remedial work may be needed after you move in. Where this is the case, we will discuss this with you. You will be made fully aware of all outstanding work and when it will be carried out. Some work will be carried out as a part of ongoing property upgrades, such as new kitchens and bathrooms. If your home is undergoing work now or in the future, we will keep you informed, give you timescale for completion, and consult with you on all finishes and fittings.

Accessibility

If you need to move, it is important that you inform us if you or other members of your household have accessibility needs, so we can help you find the right property.

It may be necessary to:

• widen doors and install ramps or grab rails
• improve access to rooms and facilities, for example with a stairlift, or level-access shower
• improve access to your garden
• build an extension, for example a downstairs bedroom or bathroom
• provide a heating system suitable for your needs
• adapt heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

If you have any questions about our Healthy Home Promise or the condition of your home, please contact us.