Improving Your Home

 

Since the Stock Transfer of June 2002, we have invested £85 million to improve our properties and provide a better quality of life for our customers.

The investment expenditure continues on a number of programmes which are designed through customer consultation and requirement to ensure that all of our customers have a home that is comfortable, meets their family needs and meets the required standards set by government.

 

  Work Programmes approved for 2012-2013 include: 

• Kitchen Refurbishments
• Bathroom Refurbishments 
• Electrical Rewires and Upgrades  
• Central Heating Upgrades                                       
• Roof Replacement (Pitched and Flat)
• Thermal Upgrade of External Walls 

Servicing and Testing Programme

• Lift and Hoist Servicing
• Electrical testing
• Fire/smoke detector testing
• Fire extinguisher testing - muliti-occupational buildings
• Water treatment testing – multi-occupational buildings
• Passenger lift servicing

 

PROPERTY INVESTMENT TEAM

Neal Roberts                   Investment and Asset Manager        01606 813 390

Kenton Barker                 Senior Surveyor                              01606 813 329

Christine Kennedy            Senior Quantity Surveyor                 01606 813 482

Samantha Pennington      Senior Administration Officer            01606 813 319

 

Sue Wagstaff                   Administration                               01606 813 452

 

John Roberts                   Surveyor – roofing and thermal        01606 813 387

Phil Lomas                      Surveyor – bathroom upgrades        01606 813 507

Ken Hilditch                     Surveyor – independent living          01606 813 388

Stephen Larkin                Senior electrical person                   01606 813 462

 

Matthew Woolley              Energy efficiency officer                   01606 813 383

Lorraine Curbishley          Occupational therapist                     01606 813 469

 

  Kitchen Refurbishment

 

We commenced our kitchen replacement programme in 2002 at the time of transfer with a promise to complete some 2400 kitchen refurbishments in the first five years after transfer, the Trust completed 2400 units in the offer document promise period.

Weaver Vale Housing Trust has and continues to undertake an extensive consultation exercise with tenants, who continue to express their desire for new kitchens. As a result, the kitchen programme will be on going, with the aim of ensuring that no Trust owner property will have a kitchen that is more than 20 years old by 31^st March 2013.

Each tenant will be individually consulted on the kitchen layout in their home and given a choice of three colours of doors/drawers and four work top designs. There will also be a choice of wall tile colours and floor covering. The kitchen unit supplier will visit the tenants in their home to discuss, advise and agree a design layout for each tenant’s kitchen.

Tenants will be able to buy additional units when the Magnet surveyor visits their home to survey for the works.

All tenants will be provided with an information pack prior to the works order being issued to the contractor, the pack will contain a 3D coloured picture and plan of the new kitchen and other useful information about the works. The tenant will have 10 days in which they will be able to make alteration and/or amendment to their original choice of layout and/or colours.

Our Project Officer will visit each property on completion of the refurbishment to check that the work has been done to the required standard and issue the tenant with a decoration voucher for a local DIY store to the value of £50.00.

Information with regard to where the kitchen replacement work is due to take place will be published annually in the Trust's newsletter “Your Home”. For additional information, contact a member of the Property Investment Team.

Bathroom Refurbishment

An ongoing programme that began at the time of transfer and formed part of the “Offer Document” promises to refurbish some 2000 bathrooms in the first five years after transfer. The programme continues to be a high priority of the Trusts tenants. The programme continues to be a high priority with our tenants, the Trust therefore proposes to ensure that no Trust property will have sanitary ware that is more than 30years old as of the end of 2013.

Notwithstanding bathroom adaptation work this programme is designed to upgrade the existing sanitary appliances fitted in the bathroom and renew the existing wall tiles and floor cover.

Tenants will be given a choice of wall tile colours and floor covering.

All tenants will be provided with an information pack prior to the works order being issued to the contractor, the pack will contain a plan of the new bathroom and other useful information about the works. The tenant will have 10 days in which they will be able to make alteration and/or amendment to their original choice of wall tiles and/or floor cover.

Our Project Officer will visit each property on completion of the upgrade to check that the work has been done to the required standard and issue the tenant with a decoration voucher for a local DIY store to the value of £25.00.

Information with regard to where the bathroom upgrade work is due to take place will be published annually in the Trust's newsletter “Your Home”. For additional information, contact a member of the Property Investment Team.

Electrical Rewires and Upgrades

Electrical Safety

On taking up occupancy of your home you should have been provided with a copy of the instructions for turning off the electricity supply at the incoming supply board. If you have not been provided with a copy of these instructions the Trust will be happy to provide you with them. To assist us in this matter you will need to tell us: 

1. Your name
2. Your address including the post code
3. Your telephone number
4. Your e-mail address

If you wish, the Trust will arrange for an electrician to call at your home and explain how to safely isolate the electricity.

Never attempt any electrical works yourself, or allow any other person to do work unless they are a competent electrician.

Electrical Testing

There is no statutory obligation on Weaver Vale Housing Trust to undertake annual safety checks on the electrical installation in properties owned by the Trust, as there is with gas. However, it is important that all installations are inspected regularly to ensure they are safe and present no danger to the tenants.

The Trust has adopted a policy of periodic electric checks for all of its properties; these checks are being undertaken by a qualified contractor. Tenants are therefore strongly advised to allow access to the contractor in order that we can ensure the electrics in their homes are safe.

On completion of the safety check the contractor will provide the Trust with a copy of the Periodic Inspection Report for an Electrical Installation complete with details of any remedial works that are required to your property.

Electrical Installation Work

The results of the inspection will be analysed. Any works identified as necessary to ensure the electrical installation in your home is safe, will be issued to a contractor who will make arrangements to complete the works.

Please note that the electrical installation contractor will make every effort to protect the decorations/finishes in your home. The Trust does not issue a decoration voucher or make an allowance on completion of this type of work.

CENTRAL HEATING UPGRADES

 Gas Appliance – safety information

All gas appliances have a set of instructions that tell you how to operate the appliance. If you do not have a copy of these instructions, the Trust will be happy to provide you with them. To assist us in this matter you will need to tell us: 

 

1. Your name
2. Your address including the postcode.
3. Your telephone number.
4. Your e-mail address
5. The type of appliance
6. The make and model of the appliance

If the information is not available in print then the Trust will arrange for an engineer to visit to explain how the appliance works.

Never use a gas appliance if you think it is not working properly. Notable signs to look for are soot like marks around the flue or appliance, yellow or orange flames, the pilot light keeps going out or is making an unusual noise.

Never block up any air bricks or cover outside flues.

Central Heating Upgrades

To ensure the tenants have a controllable heating system in all of the habitable rooms and meets their heating requirement in the most cost effective manner. To assist in the aforementioned the Trust plans to upgrade the heating boilers within a 15 year cycle, the work areas will be determined by the repair annual requirements and recommendation of the Heating Services Manager.

All tenants will be provided with an information pack prior to the works order being issued to the contractor. The pack will contain a plan of the property showing boiler and radiator positions and other useful information about the works. The tenant will have 10 days in which they will be able to make alteration and/or amendment to the agreed layout

Please note that the heating installation contractor will make every effort to protect the decorations/finishes in your home. The Trust does not issue a decoration voucher or make an allowance on completion of this type of work.

EXTERNAL DOOR REPLACEMENT

The Trust has recently completed a contract to provide and fit uPVC external doors and frames to all of its properties.

Each tenant was individually consulted on the number of new doors required in their home and offered a choice of four front door styles in four colours and three back door styles but in white only.

 

If you still have an external timber door and frame and would like a new high security uPVC door and frame, please contact the Property Investment team administration.

 ROOF REPLACEMENT (PITCHED AND FLAT)

The Trust plans to re-roof a number of its properties in each financial year, this programme will continue to be an integral part of the Improvement Programme for many years to come. The work includes: 

1. The removal of the existing main roof cover and the provision and laying of new felt, timber tile batten and new concrete interlocking roof tiles
2. The stripping of existing felt flat roof cover and provision and fixing of new felt and insulation board as required.

In addition to the work to the roof cover it is proposed to renew the existing roof timber fascia and soffit boards and the rainwater goods.

Tenants are advised that for all roof replacement work to be carried out in a safe manner the contractor will need to erect scaffolding to all edges of the roof, this will inevitably lead to some limited access around your property. The contractor will discuss issues relating to the scaffold with you especially relating to children and pets playing around or on the scaffold. Please ensure you comply with all health and safety issues regarding the scaffolding.

All tenants will be provided with an information pack prior to the works order being issued to the contractor, the pack will contain useful information about the works.  

New Electrical Testing and Installation Policy

 

The Trust has introduced a new policy to clarify standards of electricity specifications for our properties.

 

The overall aim of the policy is to provide a consistent and approved approach by staff when offering customers testing, upgrading or the replacement of existing electrical installations to their homes.

 

The policy will ensure that the Trust will carry out electrical tests to all of its properties on a 10 year cycle or change in occupancy, so as to ensure the safe operation of the whole installation.

 

The electrical installations to all our properties will be regularly tested and repaired to meet current safety standards and upgraded where necessary to meet current edition of BS7671:2008 and any subsequent revisions by 2023.

 

All properties will be included in an upgrade or full replacement over the next 20 years to 2023.

 

The policy is available to view at the bottom of this page

 

• Asset Management Plan 2009 to 2014 (PPT, 102 KB)
• Passenger Lifts May 2011 (MHT, 275 KB)
• Fire Alarm & emergency lighting Dec 2011 (PDF, 150 KB)
• Lifting Appliances Dec 2011 (PDF, 164 KB)
• Electrical Testing Dec 2011 (PDF, 165 KB)
• Water Treatment policy May 2012 (PDF, 68 KB)
• Electrical Testing and Installation Policy (new 2012) (PDF, 137 KB)