Happy New Year from us all at Paradigm Housing

We're really looking forward to this year; we have some exciting plans to improve the services we deliver, we'll be talking to you more about these soon - so keep your eyes peeled!

This January edition of your newsletter is full of helpful information, but if there's anything else you would like to hear from us, please do let us know by replying to this email.

A reminder - we're here to help

We know many of our customers are challenged by the impact of high inflation on the cost of living and that you may be concerned about future increases to the rent that you will be charged. 

Every year we review our rents in line with the rules set by the Government and enforced by the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard. This means rents were set to rise by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1% - a total of 11.1%.The Government has set a cap of 7% on rent increases for most housing association rented homes, including Paradigm’s. The cap, which was announced last November, will apply for one year to tenants of Social Rent and Affordable Rent properties. It does not apply to service charges.

If you pay service charges you will hear more about what you need to pay in 2023/4 in May. The only exception is former One Housing and Guinness Partnership customers as you will receive your service charge and rent increase information together in March.

We know any additional costs will be difficult, but we have had to strike a balance between limiting rent increases and maintaining our ability to deliver excellent services and invest in homes, at a time when Paradigm is, like you, experiencing very high levels of inflation. 

We will write to you confirming the rent you will pay in March 2023, the rent you pay will not change until April 2023.

If you are struggling to pay your rent, or worried about the impact of this, please talk to us. We're here to help you. 

Who can I talk to at Paradigm?

Whether you need a repair, want to talk about your rent or are having problems with your neighbours we have teams who can help.

As a Paradigm customer, you will have a Customer and Neighbourhood Officer (CNO) who can deal with any issues in your area. You can find out who your CNO is by logging into the myparadigm portal or calling us on 0300 303 1010.

But we also have specialist teams including:

• Customer Support
• Anti-Social Behaviour
• Customer Engagement
• Rent

The best way to contact any of our colleagues is by calling our Contact Centre on 0300 303 1010. This means you will always get through to a trained advisor, who will have a huge amount of knowledge about all parts of our business, and the chances are they will be able to answer your query straight away. If you do need to speak to your CNO or someone in one of our specialist teams they will be able to organise that for you. This ensures that if the person you usually talk to is on holiday, for instance, you will be able to talk to someone else who can help.

Did you know?

Stop, think and act: the risk of an open fire door

Fire doors stop the spread of smoke and fire and should be kept closed at all times. Please do not prop them open. Next time you see a fire door wedged open; stop, think and act. Close the door.

If you notice a door that doesn’t close properly or is damaged, please let us know so we can fix it. You can let us know by:

• Contacting us online via MyParadigm
• Emailing customerservices.repairs@paradigmhousing.co.uk

• Calling 0300 303 1010, option two. Our opening hours are 8am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Other things you can do to keep yourself and your neighbours safe:

• Keep communal areas clear of items. These could trip people up and also cause a fire to spread more quickly
• Make sure you know what to if there is a fire, whether that is leave the building or stay in your home
• If the fire in is your home, always leave
• In the event of fire, always call 999 and ask for the Fire and Rescue Service.

Help with cost of living

Did you know you can access free or discounted food in your local area, without needing a referral like a typical foodbank?

Take a look at a few options above, but it's always worth using your search engine to find out results more relevant for you. For example typing 'Luton free food' will produce the different options available. 

The Olio and Too Good To Go apps work in most locations, and offer supermarket produce and food that restaurants and cafes would throw away at the end of the day, for a discounted price.

We've highlighted a few offers below, but do call your current provider to check what they can offer, or see the Money Saving Expert's complete guide to discounted broadband.

• Essential Broadband from Virgin Media - £12.50 P/M.

• Essential Broadband from BT - £15 P/M + one-off £9.99 fee.

• Essential Broadband from Vodafone - £12 P/M.

An update from our Estates Team

Since Christmas, we've seen an increase in fly tipping around our estates. If you have any waste unsuitable for your usual collection, please do dispose of it in the correct way, following government guidelines.

If we see waste where it shouldn't be (communal areas or grounds), and we can't identify where it's come from, there may be a recharge to everyone in the block for the disposal cost - which you will pay through your service charge.

Missed rubbish collections

If your local authority has missed a bin collection, you can make them aware here. Following this link is the quickest way to get your rubbish collected.

Want to work for us?

We're hiring!

If you are interested in working for Paradigm, check out the job vacancies on our website. It could be the start of a whole new career!

We're looking for Plumbers, Bricklayers, Gas Technicians, fire safety experts, Customer Support team members and more!

There are also vacancies available with some of our partners:

Just Ask are looking for Cleaning Operatives. Ground Maintenance Operatives and people to join their Security Services team.