Transparency, Influence and Accountability

We will:

• We will discuss payment options with leaseholders as and when major works arise.
• Send out clear, transparent, and accessible service charge statements by 1 October each year for all leaseholders including a summary of costs and a breakdown of the estimated costs for the current year.
• Increase rents each year in line with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard. We will let you know every December what this will be.
• Write to all tenants and Retirement Living leaseholders providing at least 4 full weeks’ notice letting them know what their new service charges will be from 1 April each year.

Set out details of our income and where this comes from as well as what we have spent our Housing Revenue Account resources on in the Annual Report to Residents which can be found in the Information drop down. 

We will:

• Write to you to let you know in advance when any planned works are due on your property. We will let you know what these works will be and which of our contractors will be contacting you to carry out these works.
• Write to residents on completion of a major works contract inviting their views on the project.
• Respond to requests for information for the sale of one of our leasehold flats from leaseholders, prospective purchasers or their solicitor within 21 calendar days of receipt once the relevant fee is paid (under LPE1).

We will:

• Provide an Annual Report to Residents, developed with feedback from residents to provide information that is important to you. 
• Publish monthly e-newsletters and hard copy Threshold bi-annually, in addition to Court specific newsletters for those living in Retirement Living.
• Published online and in Threshold (our newsletter) information on complaints,  performance and customer feedback.
• In our newsletters (both the monthly e-newsletter and bi-annual Threshold) and on the website publish a “You Said, We Did” to highlight the changes that we make as a result of customer feedback.
• Work with our procurement team to ensure our contracted services provide good quality services and value for money. With details provided of what procurements we have undertaken in our Annual Report to Residents (see link above)
• Publish details of and keep updated our management structure so you know who is responsible for what Regulation of Social Landlords 

We will:

• Deal with you with honesty and integrity telling you what we can and cannot do.
• Seek your views following receipt of a service such as repairs, when moving into another home or following a report and investigation of anti-social behaviour.
• Ensure that you are made aware of your right to be supported by a representative or advocate in your interactions with us.
• Let you know who will deal with your issue and when you can expect a response if you report a problem to us.
• Offer support, assistance or accessible formats when providing information to you.
• Provide a variety of ways for you to tell us what you think about our services including through surveys and our dedicated housingfeedback@wealden.gov.uk email address.
• Learn from complaints and publish online and in our newsletters, what has changed as a result of the complaints that we received 
• Consider the impact to residents with protected characteristics when making developing or making changes to our policies strategies and services by completing Equalities, Impact and Needs Assessments.
• Invest in and train our staff to ensure that professional standards are maintained, and that staff are equipped to deliver our services and  understanding the different needs of our residents.
• Ensure we keep under review with your input our Tenant Involvement Options brochure to provide a wide range of opportunities to get involved 
• Deliver a Tenant Involvement Recognition Scheme to support you to be able to get involved and in appreciation of your contribution, which is valued by us
• Carry out at least one scrutiny project per annum which will be chosen by residents with information about the project and the recommendations published in Threshold and online Scrutiny of our services
• Support the set-up and running of constituted Resident Associations and seek to increase the number of associations in operation in our estates and Retirement Living Courts.  
• Provide a Community & Environmental Budget to support improvements on our estates and communities that local residents want 

We will:

• Annually review the performance indicators we report and the targets we set so they remain relevant, challenging, but achievable.
• Keep under review our Maintaining and Improving Neighbourhoods Policy which sets out our approach to working to improve neighbourhoods in which we own and manage housing
• Comply with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints code of conduct and work closely with the Housing Ombudsman where issues arise.