One Voice

Welcome to our latest news round up for residents.

More services available online

We’ve been working hard to improve MyOneHousing, our safe and secure self-service portal, to enhance your experience and increase the number of things you can ask us for.

We’re pleased to announce that you can now see real time notifications of payments, apply for a mutual exchange, request a change to a joint tenancy agreement or terminate your tenancy online.

From Monday 28 February 2022, you will also be able to submit a transfer application to move to another home. Once your application has been approved, you will be able to bid through the Home Connections website for any properties that your application has been approved for.

These are small steps but over the coming months we’ll be introducing more services that you can access online. You will be able to tell us about change of circumstances, upload documents or seek out advice on routine DIY repairs.

To register for MyOneHousing, you'll need to be the named person on your lease or tenancy agreement. If you’re a joint tenant or homeowner, you can each register separately with your own email address for full access to your account online.

You’ll also need the following details: your agreement reference which you can find on any correspondence we've sent you, first name, surname, date of birth and email address.

If you would like to get involved in the design and testing of MyOneHousing to help us improve it, please email us at ask@onehousing.co.uk. Please include ‘FAO Anne Hill – MyOneHousing Residents’ Portal development’ in the subject line.

Changes to your rent and service charges for 2022/23 

Every April we review our social housing rents in line with the rules set by the government. This year rents will be increasing in line with inflation. As a not-for profit organisation, we’ll use the money to improve our homes, support our planned investment in critical fire safety works and invest in local communities. Our costs are also increasing due to the current level of inflation.  

If you are a tenant, rents will increase by last September’s Consumer Price Index – CPI – 3.1% plus 1%.  This means that from April 2022 your rent will be increasing by a maximum of 4.1%.

If you are a shared owner, rents will increase in line with the inflation measure as shown in your individual lease.  

Booklets detailing your individual charges will be sent out to you at the end of February 2022.   

We have reviewed service charges for the coming year and have worked hard to ensure value for money for all the services that we offer. Unfortunately, inflation is higher than it has been in previous years and our costs have therefore increased. In addition, we have seen higher than usual utility costs, in line with the position nationally, with fuel costs increasing by higher than the rate of inflation. 

We know that many of our residents are facing a range of financial pressures at the moment, including an increase in energy and food costs, other household bills and the removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift.

We know the rent increase will present another financial challenge for many of you.

We have a friendly and dedicated team of Welfare Benefits Advisors who can provide support and advise whether you might be eligible for various benefits. We have also put together tips and resources to help you if you’re struggling to meet the rising costs of running your home.

If you have difficulties paying your rent or service charge, please call us on 0300 123 9966 or email us as soon as you can so we can work with you to find a solution. We can also signpost you to other experts and sources of advice.

In addition, our Employment and Training Advisors are on hand to help you get into employment or gain new skills to land a better job.

If your Housing Benefit is paid direct to us, we’ll confirm your new charges with the local authority Housing Benefit Office.

If your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit is paid direct to you, it’s your responsibility to make sure Housing Benefit, or for Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), know your new charges and make any relevant changes.

Please remember, if you’re on Universal Credit do not update your claim until 4 April 2022 – it could cause issues with your claim.

New Resident Engagement Strategy is coming soon

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our Resident Engagement Strategy consultation and shared with us your views on how you would like to be engaged and help to improve our services.  The consultation closed on Monday 14 February 2022 and we received 1345 responses to the survey and spoke to nearly 200 residents face to face or virtually. 

We would also like to congratulate the winners of our prize draw who have won shopping vouchers: Miss Chantelle El-Sawy from Isleworth (£100 voucher), Mr N from Tower Hamlets (£50 voucher) and Mr Michael White from Camden (£30 voucher).  

Listening to our residents and ensuring your voice is at the heart of decision-making is very important to us.  As part of the Riverside and One Housing merger, we pledged to give our residents a louder voice and we will now use your feedback to shape the opportunities for you to use that voice.  Our new Resident Engagement Strategy will now be co-designed with our Resident Panels and will be launched in Spring 2022. It will set out ways for you to feedback on the issues that matter to you the most and how we can improve communication, so we can work together to deliver better services. 

If you would like to help us improve our services and make a difference to your local community, there are many ways in which you can get involved. Please contact the Resident Engagement Team via residentengagements@onehousing.co.uk or visit our website for more information.

Partnership update – What happens now

At the start of December 2021, Riverside and One Housing entered a new era, forming a partnership which has seen One Housing Group join The Riverside Group as a subsidiary.

Both organisations, Riverside and One Housing Group, continue to operate in the same way – there is no immediate change for customers. 

That said, Riverside and One Housing teams are beginning to meet to discuss how they can potentially work together in the future to improve services for customers, as part of a journey to full integration by December 2023.

Richard Hill, Chief Executive of One Housing, is leading on co-ordinating that work.

Please read our pledges and follow the link below to learn more.

Our new Allocations Policy

We’re committed to providing high quality and well managed rented homes that are allocated through a lettings service that is fair, transparent and efficient and ensures we make the best use of our housing stock and keep the time our homes are empty to a minimum.

We’ve recently updated our Allocations Policy to maximise rehousing opportunities for our existing tenants and to tackle overcrowding.

As most of our homes are let through local authorities, we need to focus on those with the greatest need. Applicants are placed in a priority band and homes allocated based on time waiting in that band:

• Band 1: includes those awarded a management move or downsizing from a three bed or larger into a one bed
• Band 2: overcrowded with two or more beds short, under-occupying or a high medical need
• Band 3: non-urgent medical or overcrowded by one bed
• Band 4: lower level or no housing need to move
• Band 5: over 21 years and living in an overcrowded home but is not the tenant, or experienced a relationship breakdown

In addition, we’re pleased to advise that following our merger with Riverside some of their homes will be made available through Home Connections. This means that you can apply for a move to a new home across a much wider area. In some areas housing is in very short supply so waiting times may vary.

If you would like to register for a transfer, please visit Home Connections webiste and complete an application. Once assessed, you will be able to bid for any homes that become available and meet your assessed needs.

En route and on track

Waiting for an engineer to carry out a repair can be stressful. Following the launch of the new service last year, which allows you to track when the operative is due to arrive, we’re pleased to now offer you the option to communicate with your engineer.

As soon as the engineer finishes their previous job, they’ll enter details via an app on their mobile. This will automatically trigger a text message to you with a web link which, when you click on it, will allow you to track where the engineer is and what their estimated time of arrival is.

You can also message the engineer to avoid delays if for example a gate code has changed or you have to quickly pop out of the house.

Changes to the Private Parking Code of Practice

The Government has announced changes to the Private Parking Code of Practice which aims to raise standards across the industry and create more consistency for motorists.

We’re working with UK Car Park Management Ltd (CPM), who manage our car parking schemes, to ensure our sites are compliant with the changes by the end of 2023. We’ll keep you updated on how this will change the way you appeal and pay your parking charges in the future. 

Working with you to improve our services

We continue to deliver our Customer Experience Strategy to ensure that our residents are at the heart of everything we do. Getting our services right is our top priority – we’re currently achieving 79.74% first time resolution and will review our services to understand your views about us, what we’re doing well and where we can improve.  

We’re still working on improving call handling waiting times when there is high demand for our services, giving you feedback about follow on works and complex repairs and responding to enquiries passed to our specialist teams when the Customer Service Centre cannot answer your query at the time you call.         

You Said, We Did

Here are the improvements we implemented thanks to your feedback from November 2021 to January 2022.

Improve the property management service and quality of grounds upkeep

• We’ve implemented monthly “Drop into Property Management Sessions” for residents based on estates so you can meet with Property Managers and discuss any concerns you have with the development.
• We’ve introduced an initiative called “Bounce back Saturdays” to improve developments which saw increased wear and tear to communal areas during lockdowns. The team carried out a number of tasks, including deep cleaning and gardening works, which had an immediate positive impact in the community. None of these costs were re-charged to residents.

Rectify failures to fully resolve complaints within Property Services

• We’ve reviewed our existing structure and introduced Customer Experience Champions within Property Services who work with residents to ensure that all issues are followed through to customer satisfaction.

Improve services delivered by the Home Purchase Team

• Our Home Purchase Team received additional external training so they can provide first-time professional advice and information.
• We’re developing new Home Purchasing policies and procedures to improve the quality of information available and ensure processes are more transparent.

Please do keep giving us feedback via the surveys we send you as it really helps us change what we do. 

Looking after your home

Preparing for gas and electrical safety inspections

Many of our homes rely on gas for heating and hot water. If left unchecked the pipework and gas appliances, such as boilers, metres and gas fires can become faulty and unsafe.

As a landlord, we make sure a gas safety check is undertaken every 12 months. We'll contact you two months before the service is due to arrange the visit. It’s essential that you let us into your home to carry out these checks.

After the service, you’ll receive a certificate called a Landlord’s Gas Safety Record that confirms the results of the check.

If you’re a leaseholder or shared owner, it’s your responsibility to make sure the gas appliances in your home are safe. We recommend you get a gas safety check once a year, too. If you want to arrange a gas safety check in your home, you can check the official list of gas registered engineers on the Gas Safe Register https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk

In addition, we carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every five years to our tenanted properties or whenever there is a change of occupancy.

The EICR involves inspecting and testing the fixed electrical wiring and accessories, including consumer unit and sockets within the property to determine if they need repairing or upgrading.

If you notice any electrical problems, please inform us as soon as possible so we can arrange for an electrician to come to your home. Please remember to never carry out electrical repairs yourself. Please follow our tips on electrical safety.

If the appointment you’ve been given for a gas or electrical safety inspection is inconvenient, please call us on 0300 123 9966 or email ask@onehousing.co.uk to re-arrange it.

Our community

Transform your local area with our Environmental Improvement Bid

We’re delighted to announce that residents at Explorers Court on the Isle of Dogs have been awarded £2,405 to purchase gardening equipment, furniture, and plants to create a rooftop garden in their building.

Residents will use the new space to host coffee mornings and other community events such as Get to Know Your Neighbour to support each other and build relationships.

If you would like to get involved and make small scale improvements to your local area, please submit your application for the Environmental Improvement Bid. The successful projects will receive funding up to £3000 to transform local area.

For more information and to apply, please contact the Resident Engagement Team via residentengagements@onehousing.co.uk.

If you live on the Isle of Dogs, please contact Paul Sammut, our Resident Panel Member via pauliesammut@hotmail.com  to discuss your application.

Working together to combat loneliness

Do you live in Tower Hamlets or Hackney? Would you like to connect with and support your older neighbours? Perhaps you know a neighbour who may benefit from a friendly chat.

We’re pleased to have partnered with East London Cares, a fantastic community network in East London, who brings older and younger neighbours together to help reduce isolation and loneliness among older people and young professionals alike.

To get involved, please email us at residentengagements@onehousing.co.uk.

Supporting mental wellbeing of residents in Berkshire

We’re working with Sport in Mind, a mental health sport charity, to offer our residents in Berkshire an opportunity to get involved in sport and physical activity sessions to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

Please follow the link below to view the classes – there're adult sessions and those for Mum, Baby & Toddlers. Please note that new participants should fill in a registration form which is available here.