West Kent Neighbourhood ENews March 2018 No Images? Click here ISSUE 79: SPRING 2018 Abacus is back in business in Shepway We’re back in business! Our new Abacus furniture store in Shepway, just outside Maidstone, is up and running and already doing its bit to support the local community. Many of the first visitors to the smart new store in Northumberland Road told us how much they had missed Abacus, a social enterprise aimed at helping people build a home without breaking the bank. Loyal customers who had been waiting patiently for the return of their favourite furniture shop, set up in partnership with Golding Homes, were delighted to see its return. Love your dog, love where you liveOur responsible dog owner roadshows are back - working with Sevenoaks District Council’s Animal Control Officer. We'll be on hand to talk about being good pet owners, give out poo bags and offering another chance to have your dog micro-chipped for free. Find out how we got on at the first one in Swanley. Next event is Friday 27 April 10am-1pm Wellfield Community Hall - Wellfield, Hartley DA3 7EG. CCTV picks up good things, tooWhile CCTV cameras are normally used to prevent or spot crime or anti-social behaviour, they can also highlight good things that happen in our neighbourhoods. We recently spotted one of our tenants, Richard Green, tidying up the bin store at the top of Hollytree Avenue, Swanley - and were so impressed that we called in to say 'thanks'. Richard told us he had got into the habit of checking the state of the bins once or twice a week because he hated to see the area looking a mess. How we use your personal informationOn 25 May 2018, new data protection laws come into force in the UK. This means you will have more control over your data and how it is used. We will have a greater responsibility to make sure that your data is used correctly and your privacy is protected. We will be updating our privacy notice on our website to show you how we use your data. If you have any queries about data protection, please contact our customer services team. What is extra care housing?If you’ve ever wondered what makes Extra Care Housing an ideal home for older people then have a look at this video and hear about the benefits from the people who live there. With voices of residents from over 20 extra care schemes across the country, the Housing LIN's video entitled 'What is Extra Care Housing?' is the first in the series. Combining the views of those who live in extra care homes, with industry professionals and care assistants, the video reveals opinions that consistently emphasise the value of this type of housing. Time to get on the housing ladder?Buying a shared ownership home has never been simpler. If you can't afford to buy a property outright, our shared ownership scheme will be a great option for you. Buy a percentage of your brand new home and rent the remainder from us. Over time you can buy bigger shares in your property until you own it all. At which point you won't have to pay us any more rent - this is called staircasing. West Kent has an exciting building programme offering homes for shared ownership and outright sale across Kent. Check out our current new homes. Getting tough on fire safetyIt’s a year since the fire at Grenfell and as a landlord we are absolutely determined that we must learn lessons from the tragedy. The team at West Kent is committed to your safety, even if that sometimes means making unpopular decisions. We carry out regular fire risk assessments on all our blocks of flats and as part of this we have to ensure that in the event of fire, residents can exit their building safely and quickly. For this to happen, all communal areas and stairs must be kept free from clutter. Easter remindersOur offices will be closed from 3pm on Thursday 29 March and will re-open at 8.45am on Tuesday 3 April. If you have an emergency over the holiday break please call 0800 169 1122. For anything else please contact us when we re-open on 18 April. You can still pay rent while we're closed. West Kent has four weeks a year where no rent is charged on most customers' accounts. The first two rent catch up weeks this year are the weeks beginning 2 April 2017 and 9 April 2017. Customers with arrears on their accounts should continue to pay to reduce their arrears. |