Tenant update 7 August 2020

Stage 4 Restrictions in Place

Dear Tenant,

As you would be aware, as part of Stage 4 Restrictions, the Victorian Government is directing everyone in metropolitan Melbourne to stay at home. Your should only go out between 5 am and 8 pm for the following reasons:

Shopping - Only one person per household can leave the home per day to shop for essential goods and services within 5 km of your home.
Exercising – you can exercise once a day for up to one hour with one other person, as long as you are within 5 km of your home.
Giving or receiving care or attending medical appointment- remember to wear a face covering
Work – if you cannot work from home and your employer is allowed to continue to operate

All in-person non-essential groups in metropolitan Melbourne and the Shire of Mitchell will stop meeting. In addition, if you live in metropolitan Melbourne, or in Regional Victorian you cannot have visitors to your home, unless it is to provide care or other essential services.

Please note that you may be fined if you do not adhere to the Government’s restrictions. For the latest information, please visit https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorias-restriction-levels-covid-19

Mental health and wellbeing

This is an extremely difficult time and it is natural to experience anxiety, but there is support available. For more information about managing stress and support options, call the Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Services on 1800 512 348 or visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Stay informed

We encourage you to look after yourself, your family and the community. From 11:59 pm on Sunday 2 August 2020, all Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home.

Please follow the community health advice and keep informed of the latest update by visiting dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus or calling the Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 675 398 (free call, 24/7).

Information is also available in other languages: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/translated-resources-coronavirus-disease-covid-19 and https://www.sbs.com.au/language/coronavirus

If you are feeling unwell?

Even if you are experiencing the mildest symptoms please get tested. The information about how to do this can be found here https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/getting-tested . If you are feeling unwell call your GP or the Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 675 398. If you are feeling seriously unwell and it is an emergency, call 000 immediately.

Be cautious about covid-19 scams

DHHS has reported that scammers are pretending to be Government agencies providing Covid-19 information via text and emails. Scams include false notifications of close contacts to confirmed coronavirus cases which contain malicious links and attachments designed to steal personal and financial information when they are opened.

Please be cautious and remain alert to scams. Government agencies will not ask you to click an email link or open an attachment. The COVIDSafe app will not notify any person directly that they are a confirmed case or the contact of one - only a DHHS public officer would.

If you suspect that you have been a target of a scam or are unsure, go to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

Our services

To reduce the health risks to the community and on advice from the government, we moved primarily to a phone service in March. Our teams continue to support you and our Tenancy and Property Managers remain your key contacts at WPI. Please call or email:

Karina on 0407 082 261 or karina@wpi.org.au;
Lara on 0488 111 504 or email lara@wpi.org.au

Repairs and maintenance

The usual processes are in place to report a repair or maintenance issue, please call or email:

Karina on 0407 082 261 or karina@wpi.org.au;
Lara on 0488 111 504 or email lara@wpi.org.au
Our after-hours service for urgent maintenance will continue to operate. For emergency after-hours repairs please phone Valley Maintenance on 1800 088 106.

During these unprecendented times and to protect the safety of tenants, staff and the community the Department of Health and Human Services has indicated that we can only respond to requests for urgent and emergency maintenance.

As this situation continues to progress, response times from our teams may be a bit slower than usual, but be assured that we will respond as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

We will do everything we can to ensure your safety and comfort but please follow these simple steps to minimise maintenance issues:

✔ Keep your fob/keys on you at all times when leaving your unit.

✔ Take care of your property (careful use and regular cleaning).

✔ Open doors and windows to allow airflow where possible.

✔ Use ovens in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

✔ Use cook tops in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions using exhaust fans/rangehoods.

✗ Don’t flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet as this will cause blockages.

✗ Don’t tip oils or fats down the sink, these can cause blockages.

✗ Don’t overload power points (no connecting power boards together).

✗ Don’t leave appliances and lights on when not in use or needed.

What to do if there is a change in your financial circumstances

We are committed to providing you with safe, long-term housing. We understand that some of our tenants may have reduced hours of work and that some may have lost employment. If this is impacting you, please contact our Tenancy and Property Managers.

WPI will continue to collect and monitor rent payments closely. This will be a focus as we rely on rental income for the continuation of cleaning, maintenance and other services. Further, we do not want tenants to accumulate arrears that will create additional financial stress. We strongly encourage you to contact us if you are experiencing difficulty with your rent payments.

Please tell us if you are unwell

Please let us know as soon as possible if you or anyone in your household is in self-isolation, is feeling unwell, or has been in contact with anyone who tested positive or is in the process of being tested for the virus. This will help ensure we take the appropriate measures if we need to send out contractors to your home.

If you are waiting for the results of your coronavirus (COVID-19) test, please self-isolate until your receive the test results and let us know if you test positive so we can ensure you have the assistance you need.

Visit https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/self-quarantine-coronavirus-covid-19 for further advice on who should quarantine and who should isolate.

Follow the health advice to stop the spread

Please follow the government directions as follows:

Stay home unless you are: shopping for essentials, receiving medical care, exercising or travelling to work or education
Restrict visits to your home and do not get together with more than one other person at a time
Keep a full arm-span (about 1.5 metres) between yourself and other people where possible
Wash hands often with soap and running water, for at least 20 seconds. Dry with paper towel or hand dryer.
Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of the tissue.
If you don’t have a tissue cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow
Continue healthy habits: exercise, drink water, get plenty of sleep

We hope that you and your family and friends stay safe during this extended lockdown. Please stay home whenever possible and close to home if you do go out.