Christmas opening hours

We will be closing for the Christmas and New Year period at 3pm on Friday 23 December.  Our offices will reopen at 8am on 3 January 2023. 

To report an emergency repair during this time, where there is an immediate risk to you or your home, you can still reach us on 0300 303 1010.

Helping you is our priority

When you call us, there are a few things you should expect, as part of our Customer Care Standards:

No matter what
We will always listen to you, and make you our priority, treat you like a human and keep you informed.

Getting in touch
We will be easy and simple to deal with and you can get in touch in many different ways e.g. online, by phone, email and letter or we can visit you.

Getting things done
When it is simple, we will resolve your query first time. If it's more complicated, we'll tell you which team is dealing with it, keep you updated and check you are happy with the resolution.

Thinking ahead
We will keep you informed of anything that affects you ahead of time, so that there are no surprises.

In return, we expect our staff to be treated with respect and courtesy when trying to assist you. 

If we do book a repair for you, please ensure you are at home. If you are no longer able to keep your appointment please call to let us know, with as much notice as possible.

Paradigm donates hampers to customers

Thanks to donations from colleagues and members of our Board and Executive team, we were able to donate 55 hampers to customers this Christmas.

The hampers contained £10 Tesco vouchers and a mix of special treats and other essentials. We also included 38 boxes for children, each containing a £5 Tesco voucher and delights inside.

Paradigm colleagues from around the organisation used our volunteering days to pack hampers and deliver to customers – and Matthew Bailes, our Chief Executive, even loaded up the sleigh to get involved with deliveries!

We’ve already had some lovely feedback from customers:

“Thank you for the Christmas hamper I received this morning. I was very surprised and wanted to say thank you to everyone at Paradigm for the help and support you have given me since I moved in. I am very grateful.”

“I feel ‘knocked out’ by the thought and gesture at such a difficult time – it’s made my Christmas that anyone would think of doing this.”

Read more on our website. 

A new home in time for Christmas

Meet Alice, Ben and Luna the cat

After privately renting for eight years, Alice, Ben and Luna have moved into their brand-new shared ownership home in Milcombe, Oxfordshire - just in time for Christmas!

Alice and Ben are now looking forward to their first Christmas in their new home, where she is hosting Christmas Day. Alice says: “My mother is in her 80s, it’s so special to finally have enough room to host, and for her to stay over in the spare room. I’m most looking forward to cooking Christmas dinner in my own kitchen and my son’s new favourite room is the living room, where he loves to sit and look at the tree.”

You can read the full story on our website here.

If you're interested in finding out more about shared ownership with Paradigm, take a look at the Paradigm Living website.

Government Cold Weather Payment scheme

During the cold season, some households will be able to receive £25 for each seven-day period of "very cold weather" between 1 November and 31 March.

Very cold weather is defined in this case as 'the average temperature in your area must be recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below for seven consecutive days'. 

Am I eligible?

If you are getting these benefits - you may be eligible to receive the payment:

• Pension credit
• Income support (IS)
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit (UC)
• Support for mortgage interest (SMI)

Not everyone who receives the above benefits is entitled to the extra payment. It usually depends on whether people have additional needs, because they have, for example: a disability or pensioner premium; a child who is disabled; a child under five living with them; or a health condition that limits their ability to work, among others.

How do I claim?

You don't need to do anything, after each period of freezing weather, payments will be made to accounts within 14 working days. Payments are made into the same bank or building society as your benefits payments.

Holiday activities and food

Have you heard of HAF?

HAF is a programme funded by the Department for Education and provides free holiday activities and a healthy hot meal for children in Reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.

If you're based in Bucks, there are places available, so find out what’s on and book a place here.

For other councils, simply type HAF and your local council name into your search engine to see more information.

#SaferTogether over the holidays

Fire safety

We don’t want to put a dampener on your Christmas festivities, but three of the things that make Christmas so special: cooking, candles and Christmas trees, can also be fire risks.

Take a look at the below video, to see just how quickly a Christmas tree can catch fire.

See our top tips below for staying fire safe this Christmas:

Burst pipes

As we look forward to milder weather over the next few weeks, there is a risk of burst pipes as they begin to defrost. See the latest advice for preventing burst pipes on our website.

Do you have presents under your Christmas tree? Can they be seen from a window?

We want to ensure everyone has a safe and happy Christmas. Unfortunately, around December and January, crime rates tend to be at their peak. See our top tips for keeping your homes and selves safe this Christmas below:

Welcoming our new gas contractor

We’re pleased to announce a new partnership with Quality Heating Services (QHS) who will be carrying out some gas servicing on behalf of Paradigm.

As a landlord, we are legally obliged to carry out safety checks on the gas appliances in your home. When your check is due you will receive a letter from QHS offering you an appointment with a contact number in case you need to rearrange it.

Always ask for ID

As always, check ID cards before allowing anyone into your home. If you’re in any doubt please contact us on 0300 303 1010.

Help us to help you and win a £20 gift voucher!

In order to give you the services you need, in the way that suits you, we need to make sure that the information we have about you and your household is accurate and up to date.

You can view our online Customer Information Form here – this will allow you to easily update your household’s details. The form should take around 10 minutes to complete and to thank you for your time, one entry per household will be automatically entered in a draw to win one of five £20 gift vouchers.

Want to work for us?