From Paradigm Housing
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Welcome to your May news from Paradigm
We hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it useful. If there's anything you'd like to learn more about next month, please email us on Communications@
ParadigmHousing.co.uk.
Notice about increased costs
You may have received or will receive soon a letter about your service charges which are increasing for most customers. We understand that this may cause some concern, which is why we wanted to give you notice and explain why the increase is necessary.
Your service charges pay for things like the cleaning and maintenance of communal areas, the upkeep of internal and external decoration and repairs to communal areas such as lifts, entry systems and lighting. Some of you will also pay for your heating through your service charges. This year, we have had to renew insurance and ground maintenance contracts, so you may see a particular increase in the costs of these two services.
We're here to help
We understand that an increase will be difficult. We are planning to come out to some areas to talk to you about what's changed but, if you have any questions, you can call us on 0300 303 1010 or email ContactUs@ParadigmHousing.co.uk. You can also take a look at the Support Hub on our website.
Our new website LiveChat
We have listened to your feedback and know you want a variety of ways to contact us. And now we have a new option for you to try!
If you regularly use our website you may have noticed the arrival of this new blue button:
This is our brand new Paradigm LiveChat!
You can start chatting with a Customer Service Advisor after filling out just a few details. Our team is standing by, ready to help you in any way they can. And it gets better - we can chat to you in your preferred language using this new feature.
Check it out today on our website! Just look for the blue 'Chat Now!' button in the bottom right corner.
Are you interested in owning your own home?
We've redesigned and revamped our Paradigm Living website to give a better experience to customers who are interested in buying a home from us.
“We have listened to feedback and made the new website more modern and easier to use,” says Louise King, Head of Sales. “We’re always looking at ways to make the experience better for people who may be interested in buying a home with us, as well as once they become homeowners. The new website is a great step forward.”
Track your next grounds maintenance visit
John O’Conner Ltd provides grounds maintenance services on our behalf.
They’re responsible for cutting communal grass, maintaining our communal shrub beds and hedges, and weeding and moss removal on communal pathways.
We’re delighted to announce the launch of John O’Conner’s microsite, allowing you to see when their last visit was and track their next visit.
You may have seen posters about this in communal areas, that have QR codes that link to the new tool.
Don't forget our two voluntary sales schemes are closing
Which schemes are closing?
Tenant Home Purchase Scheme (THPS)
This gives secured and assured tenants, who are not eligible for the Government’s right to buy schemes, the opportunity to apply to buy the home they live in. The scheme allows the purchase of 100% of your home, with a discount of between £9,000 and £16,000 depending on where the property is.
Shared Ownership for Tenants (SOFT)
This scheme allows eligible tenants who can’t afford to buy their home outright the chance to buy an initial share between 50% and 75%. You would fund the purchase with a mortgage and/or savings and pay rent on the share that Paradigm still owns. You would also benefit from a discount on the purchase price, the same as THPS, but the amount depends on the share being purchased.
Summer safety
If a fire breaks out on your balcony, it could spread much faster than a fire inside your building. See our tips below for keeping fire safe with a balcony:
What is not allowed on my balcony?
Do not use barbecues. Falling embers from a BBQ can burn items on your balcony
- You must not use an outdoor patio heater or a flame pit
- Never use fireworks of any type
- Never store gas cylinders or any item containing flammable liquid
- Never install reed fencing or any other combustible screening
- Do not dispose of a cigarette by flicking it over the side of your balcony
Hi Ava, my neighbour has been having BBQs with loud music and children being noisy. Can you get them to stop?
Hi there, you can report loud music to your local council’s Environmental Health Team. Some councils offer a responsive service out of hours. When the noise becomes persistent, give us a call to report it to us.
Children playing is not normally considered anti-social behaviour but if it causes disturbance or damage to property, you can report this to us. You can use the Noise App to record and report noise disturbances to us; find out how to use it here.
Join our Readership team 📖
We're looking for customer volunteers who can read and review documents, such as letters, policies and strategies before they are made available to all customers.
We need customers who:
- have an interest in reading and reviewing documents
- can provide constructive feedback on reviewed documents
All you need to get started is access to the internet and email. No experience is required, and we would be happy to provide training and examples of previous Readership reviews, to help you understand what is expected.
What will you get in return?
Incentives are offered quarterly based on participation and will be offered either as Love2Shop vouchers or as a balance transfer direct to your rent account, if you are in arrears.
How do you join?
If you are interested in joining, please fill in this form.
If this sounds like something you’re interested in but you have questions or concerns, please email customer.involvement@paradigmhousing.co.uk.
Find out more about opportunities that are available to you here.
Join our team
We've got a whole host of vacancies available that might be the perfect fit for you. From Kitchen Fitter to Electrician, check out our roles here.
We're more than a housing association. We’re a growing business committed to delivering excellent services to customers and building a great place to work, where everyone can belong.
If you’d like to make a positive impact on the lives of our customers, while developing your career in a professional and supportive environment, we’d love to hear from you!
