Moving Home Service Standard
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These are the standards you can expect from Ascham Homes when you want to move home. More detailed advice is available in ‘Residents Information Pack’ and in the council’s ‘Allocation & Choice Based Lettings Policy Document’.
Keep you informed
We will advise you on the options open to you if you want to move home, including:
- the choice based lettings scheme
- mutual exchange
- shared ownership
- the portable discount
- keyworker scheme
- sheltered housing, and
- the things that you must do when you end your tenancy.
Transfers and choice-based lettings (Choice Homes Scheme)
Every week the Council advertises its empty properties through the ‘Choice Homes’ magazine (available free of charge to everyone applying for rehousing) and the website at www.ellcchoicehomes.org.uk. Where the Council has nomination rights to certain Housing association vacancies, these will also be advertised.
Customers placed in the ‘additional preference’ and ‘reasonable preference’ bands are eligible to apply for empty properties advertised through the council’s Choice Homes Scheme. Every week customers can submit bids for up to two suitably sized properties. People in the ‘no preference’ band are not eligible to bid for empty properties that are advertised. At the end of each week, the council will consider the top eligible bids for each empty property.
Viewing, accepting and moving into your new home
Once you have been offered a home owned by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, you will want to view it. In most instances, you will be given an appointment and we will normally accompany you on the visit to show you around, and tell you about local services. There will be an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns that you might have. You should decide on the same day whether to accept or refuse the property.
Homes that we offer are of a ‘lettable’ standard
Your new home will:
- be clear of rubbish, debris and old floor coverings
- be clean enough to prepare and cook a meal safely with facilities suitable for storing food
- have certified gas and electrical supplies.
If you decide to accept the property your tenancy will normally begin on the Monday after the repair work has been completed.
After you have signed the tenancy agreement, you will be given a welcome pack containing guidance and information on a range of issues.
Your welcome pack will include:
- how to get translations of our publications
- property information
- Housing Benefit
- where and how to pay your rent
- what to do if your neighbour causes a nuisance
- details of power and water suppliers, and
- details of local schools and doctors.
We will ask you for feedback on your new home and the service we have provided. If you are a homeless applicant and decide to refuse the offer, you must fill in a Review request form on the same day. The form must be passed onto the London Borough of Waltham Forest as a matter of urgency.
When you move
You must give us four weeks’ notice when you wish to end your tenancy (for example, if you decide to become an owner occupier or you become a tenant of another landlord). You must pay rent during this time. If you do not give four weeks’ notice you are liable for four weeks’ rent from the date that you hand your keys in. If a tenant dies, rent is due up until the keys are returned.
When you leave your home you must:
- give us four weeks’ notice and return your keys through our customer services team at 1 Wood Street, Walthamstow, London E17 3JU (if the council transfers you, you do not have to give four weeks’ notice, but you must leave your existing property and return the keys by the start date of your new tenancy)
- apply for compensation for any agreed improvements that you are leaving behind by contacting Ascham Direct (you will be recharged the cost of putting right any improvements that you made which were not approved by us, and for any improvements that result in extra costs in making the property lettable)
- give our customer services team and council departments, such as council tax and the education department, your new address
- return keys to Ascham Homes’s reception at 1 Wood Street, Walthamstow, London E17 3JU by 12 noon on the Monday your new tenancy begins (except in the cases of portable discounts where different rules apply)
- remove all furniture and belongings from your home, garden and any sheds (you will be charged the cost of removal if you do not do this)
- leave the property clean and tidy for the next tenant (you will be charged the cost of cleaning your former home)
- tell us about any repairs that you believe need doing
- make sure that the central heating and the water supply is switched off at the mains stopcock (if you are not sure where your mains stopcock is, contact us for advice)
- if you remove your washing machine, make sure that the pipe is capped off (you will be charged the cost of capping off, if you don’t do this)
- make sure your rent is paid up to date
- tell the gas, electricity and phone companies when you are moving and take your own meter readings
- contact your local post office to make sure that your post is redirected
- if you want to transfer your phone number to your new address, contact your phone company, and
- tell your bank, doctor, children’s school, workplace, dentist, television licensing office and family and friends your new address.
Performance targets
Our aims include:
- to re-let housing that has been vacated in an average of 33 days in 2005/06, 32 days in 2006/07, and 31 days in 2007/08.
Customer care
We will provide good customer care to all our customers, our staff will be friendly, polite and keen to help you, dealing with your enquiry with sensitivity and discretion.
We will:
- wear a visible identity badge
- promote and provide equality and fair treatment for everyone
- reply to all correspondence within seven working days
- provide a contact name, office and e-mail addresses, and a direct dial number in all our letters
- deal with all complaints within 28 days and learn from them
- write in plain English
- answer your phone call within five rings, telling you who we are and asking how we may help you
- forward our phone to colleagues when we are out of the office
- call you back on the same day if you call before 1pm or call you back by 1pm the following day if you call after 1pm
- make sure all our publications are available in the most common community languages, and other formats such as audio tape, Braille and large print
- communicate through interpreters and British Sign Language (BSL) signers for residents who have specific needs, and
- do our best to give you information and advice about other local services that we do not provide, including services provided by the council and by other agencies.
Further, we agree to:
- provide your personal details when we pass your enquiry to a specialist, together with the details of your enquiry so, that you do not have to repeat it to another person
- keep the appointment that you have made and tell you beforehand if we have to cancel it
- carry out customer satisfaction surveys of at least 10% of our customers, and
- keep you informed of how well we are doing in delivering the service.
You can help us by:
- treating your home and surroundings and our staff with respect
- telling us about any changes in your circumstances so that we can provide you with the best possible service, and
- telling us what you think of us.
We will use customer feedback to improve our service. Please tell us if you feel that we have not met any of the service standards.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can make a formal complaint. The leaflet ‘Ascham Homes Complaints Procedure’ gives you information about making a complaint and is available through all of our outlets. Our staff will help you make a complaint if you are not able to do so.
How to contact us
You can access our services in a number of ways.
Telephone Ascham Direct on 020 8496 4197
The lines are open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday for a full service.
If you live in Billericay or Wickford, you can phone Ascham Direct on 0845 3000 363 (charged at the local rate).
You can write to us at:
Ascham Homes
1 Wood Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3JU.
Ascham Homes
1 Wood Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3JU.
You can e-mail us at:
direct@aschamhomes.org.uk
direct@aschamhomes.org.uk
Please note that although we check this site regularly during the day, you should not use it to report urgent repairs.
You can visit us at:
Ascham Homes
1 Wood Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3JU.
Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Ascham Homes
1 Wood Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3JU.
Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Ascham Homes (Billericay office)
16 Morris Avenue
Billericay
Essex CM11 2LB.
Open 9am to 11am, Tuesdays and Thursdays
16 Morris Avenue
Billericay
Essex CM11 2LB.
Open 9am to 11am, Tuesdays and Thursdays
In an emergency outside the normal hours, as mentioned above, contact the joint Ascham Homes and London Borough of Waltham Forest emergency service on:
020 8496 3000
Other useful contacts:
Waltham Forest Direct, 772-776 High Road, Leyton, London E10 6AE
Waltham Forest Direct is the London Borough of Waltham Forest Council’s contact centre.
For all council services, call them on:
020 8496 3000
020 8496 3000
Leytonstone Citizens Advice Bureau
Greater London House
547 – 551 High Road
Leytonstone
London E11 4PB
Phone: 020 8988 9620
Fax: 020 8558 7911
Greater London House
547 – 551 High Road
Leytonstone
London E11 4PB
Phone: 020 8988 9620
Fax: 020 8558 7911
Walthamstow Citizens Advice Bureau
167 Hoe Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3AL
Phone: 0870 1264 026
Website: www.walthamforestcab.org.uk/wcab
167 Hoe Street
Walthamstow
London E17 3AL
Phone: 0870 1264 026
Website: www.walthamforestcab.org.uk/wcab
Age Concern Waltham Forest
Zenith House, 210 Church Road, Leyton, London E10 7JQ
Telephone: 020 8558 8716
Zenith House, 210 Church Road, Leyton, London E10 7JQ
Telephone: 020 8558 8716
Choice Homes Scheme
London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Housing Options Group
Phone: 020 8496 6513 or 020 8496 6514 or 020 8496 6515
London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Housing Options Group
Phone: 020 8496 6513 or 020 8496 6514 or 020 8496 6515
Allocation, Choice and Mobility team
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Phone: 020 8496 6459 or 020 8496 6517 or 020 8496 6494 or 020 8496 6500
E-mail: Allocations.Housing@hsg.lbwf.gov.uk
Key worker schemes
For more details and an on-line application form, contact the Zone Manager Phone: 0845 300 2820
Website: www.keyworkerliving.co.uk
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Phone: 020 8496 6459 or 020 8496 6517 or 020 8496 6494 or 020 8496 6500
E-mail: Allocations.Housing@hsg.lbwf.gov.uk
Key worker schemes
For more details and an on-line application form, contact the Zone Manager Phone: 0845 300 2820
Website: www.keyworkerliving.co.uk
LBWF Council key worker scheme
If you are currently employed as a social worker or social-work manager (in children’s services), a local health worker or front-line fire-fighter, please phone Home Ownership on 020 8496 6456.
Ascham Homes's publications
If you are currently employed as a social worker or social-work manager (in children’s services), a local health worker or front-line fire-fighter, please phone Home Ownership on 020 8496 6456.
Ascham Homes's publications
You can get copies of our service standards, information leaflets, Decent Homes programme, Tenants Compact and Residents Information Pack from:
- Ascham Homes reception at 1 Wood Street
- Waltham Forest Direct Shops, and
- Social services public reception areas
If you would like us to post a publication to you, please call Ascham Direct on 020 8496 4197.
Related Documents
These are the standards you can expect from Ascham Homes when you want to move home (268 KB)