Tenancy and Estate Management Service Standards
This service standard sets out what you can expect from Derwentside Homes on Tenancy and Estate Services. Tenancy Management
When you become a tenant of Derwentside Homes’ Tenant, there are specific standards that you can expect from us. We will:
- Issue you with a Tenants' Handbook and Tenancy Agreement and spend time explaining these to you when you sign the Tenancy for your new home
- Visit you in your home within the first four weeks of your tenancy to check that you have moved into your home, answer any queries you may have and to address any early tenancy issues, such as housing benefit/rent payment delays and outstanding repairs.
- If you are a Starter Tenant, we will formally visit you again 6 and 9 months into your tenancy
- Advise you of our decision within 42 days if you apply to carry out a mutual exchange
- Advise you of our decision within 42 days if you wish to succeed or assign your tenancy to someone else
Neighbour Nuisance and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
We expect Tenants to keep to the terms of their tenancy agreement, behave in an appropriate way and to respect their neighbours and neighbourhood. You have the right to the quiet enjoyment of your home so if there is a problem, there are standards of service that you can expect from Derwentside Homes.
Examples of behaviour that would fall within the definition of ASB include:
- Noise nuisance;
- Intimidation and harassment;
- Litter, dog fouling, graffiti and vandalism;
- Aggressive and threatening language and behaviour;
- Actual or attempted violence against people and property;
- Hate behaviour;
- Use of / dealing drugs.
There are 2 categories of ASB – severe and not severe and the category determines how quickly we are able to investigate and respond. The 2 categories are:
Category A – Where ASB is considered severe a Derwentside Homes Officer will contact the complainant within 1 working day and visit / interview them within 3 working days of the complaint being received. The types of complaint that would be considered severe include:
- Threats of or actual violence against a person;
- Drug dealing or other illegal activity;
- Intimidation or harassment on grounds of race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief or vulnerability;
- Damage to property;
- An indication that the complainant cannot return to their home due to the ASB.
Category B – Where ASB is not considered to be severe a Derwentside Homes Officer will contact the complainants within 3 working days and visit / interview them within 5 working days of the complaint being received. The types of complaint that would be considered severe include (but are not restricted to):
- Noise nuisance (e.g. loud parties, shouting, noise from TV’s or radio, burglar alarms and dogs barking);
- Non-threatening verbal abuse;
- Children loitering;
- Local environmental quality issues (e.g. litter, dog fouling, uncontrolled dogs, non-offensive graffiti, vandalism, fly tipping, vehicle repairs or unkempt gardens);
- Where insufficient details are known about the case to enable an ‘A’ assessment to be made.
For all cases of anti-social behaviour we will:
- Provide complainants with details of the names of the Derwentside Homes Officer dealing with the case;
- Provide complainants with information that consists of practical advice and guidance and a logging sheet to record a diary of the nuisance;
- A summary of the policy and procedure on ASB;
- Agree a short-term action plan;
- Review the case after 1 month and regularly review the action plan at intervals thereafter.
Estate Management
Our Estate Management Services’ performance is monitored closely and we have specific targets to meet. Derwentside Homes is only responsible for properties or land it manages. We will:
- Inspect estates 12 times per year;
- Carry out 40 estate walkabouts per year with tenants on estates;
- Remove offensive graffiti within 24 hours;
- Remove all other graffiti within 8 working days;
- Respond to reports of abandoned properties within 1 working day;
- Through the SLA with the Council, ensure that grassed open plan areas on Derwentside homes’ estates are cut 16 times per year.
