Tenancy and Estate Management Service Standard

Managing estates

We will:

• Maintain the land that we’re responsible for and inspect these areas four times a year
• Offer a free garden tool loan scheme to help you maintain your garden
• Take appropriate action against residents with untidy gardens
• Provide support to those who need help to maintain their gardens, including providing a Garden Assistance Scheme
• Take part in regular walks around your estates and work with partners to resolve issues on the land that we’re responsible for.

In return, we ask that you:

• Keep your garden maintained and to a reasonable standard
• Do not fly tip or cause damage to communal areas.

Anti-social behaviour

Find out how we deal with anti-social behaviour 

Contacting us

If you call us by telephone:

• We'll answer your call as quickly as we can
• We’ll look to resolve your query on your first call so you don’t have to ring us again for the same reason.
• We'll make sure we have out of office messages on if we're unavailable, and will contact you when we're available.

If you email us:

• We'll  reply to your email within five working days from the date we receive it

If you write to us: 

• We’ll reply within seven working days from the date we receive it.
• We’ll let you know who’s dealing with your enquiry and when you can expect a full response.

If you send us a direct message on social media: 

• We’ll respond to you within one working day if your message requires a response.
• We’ll keep the conversation on social media unless you tell us you’d rather we called or emailed you.

If we visit you: 

• We'll carry photo ID and show it to you on request (if you’re unsure of the person’s identity please contact us).
• We will contact you as soon as we can if we can’t keep an appointment.
• We ask that you don’t smoke in your home while our colleagues are there, and that you keep pets secure in another room. 

In return, we ask that you:

• Let us know if there are any changes to your household or your contact details 
• Call us on 0115 746 9555 between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday so we can try and solve your issue at the first point of contact.

Fobs and keys

We will:

• Replace lost fobs at a cost of £20 and will provide you with an online payment option for you to do so
• Replace lost keys (there may be a charge for this)
• Try to replace any defective fobs as soon as possible, within office hours.

In return, we ask that you:

• Look after any fobs and keys that we give to you

Change in circumstances

We will:

• Update our systems with the information you give to us
• Follow our Changes to Tenancy procedure and provide you with support and advice.

In return, we ask that you:

• Advise us of any changes to your household. This includes adding or removing family members or partners, changing telephone numbers and email addresses, and any changing health conditions affecting you or your family.

Access to your home

We will:

• Keep any appointments we make with you, or contact you to rearrange them if they are not convenient.

In return, we ask that you:

• Let us know as soon as possible if you’re unable to make an appointment so that we can rearrange a suitable time to visit you in your home.

Communal areas

We will:

• Inspect communal areas regularly and take action where there are any fire or other safety risks
• Use your feedback to make improvements to communal areas we manage.

In return, we ask that you:

• Keep communal areas clear at all times, in line with our policy, to reduce the risk of harm in the event of a fire
• Do not store a mobility scooter in communal areas
• Do not prop fire or security doors open.

Ending your tenancy

We will:

• Deal with succession requests sensitively and in a timely

In return, we ask that you:

• Give us four weeks’ notice in writing if you want to leave your home and end your tenancy
• Leave your home empty in a good condition and understand that any damages or clearance of items may be recharged.

Find out more about ending your tenancy.