For Customers

COVID-19 Information for Customers

COVID-19 Update 25-3-20

We understand this is a worrying situation, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our utmost priority. Following the Government decision to raise the COVID-19 response level to ‘Delay’ phase and implement ‘social distancing’ measures, we are making some temporary changes to our services to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

We are still open for business, but we are reducing our face to face appointments. The changes below will be in place to protect our colleagues and customers.

From 23rd March;

The Repairs & Maintenance service will cover emergency repairs only and will also include any necessary compliance checks / H&S related work or inspections.

What will happen next?

Our customer service team will be contacting you shortly to cancel any non-emergency repairs you have booked in with us. We will also be cancelling any planned works such as kitchen, bathrooms if they haven’t started yet (we will finish these works if they have already started).

To see what an emergency repair is click here http://socsi.in/tgZWW

My Account – rent & repairs app. We are temporarily closing the option to report a non-emergency repair via our app. You can still use the app to pay rent.
Head Office is now closed.

If you have concerns about paying rent please contact the Income Management team on 0300 303 9848 or DM us on Facebook, they can discuss rent payment arrangements and refer you to our Money Matters and Employment teams.

Our other support services are still here for you;

• Support & Wellbeing Team 0300 303 9848 or Contact us

• Lettings team 0300 303 9848 or Contact us

We are monitoring the advice from the Government and we will keep you updated via our website and facebook page.

13-3-20

We are currently reviewing the impact Coronavirus (COVID-19) might have on our business & will update our website with the latest info regarding any changes to our services or if changes to our services need to be made.

Contacting us

The wellbeing of our customers and colleagues is vital and we are focused on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 in line with Government guidelines. We would ask that if you are self-isolating, have recently returned from a country listed here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus or have any of the known symptoms listed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ that you let us know this when you speak to a member of our team.

Colleagues from the Trust will be making additional checks with customers when making appointments and visiting customers to identify any risks to themselves or the wider public. This is a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of infection in line with Government advice. Trust colleagues will also be subject to the same screening when visiting our customers.

If you have changed your phone number or email address recently please contact us to make sure we have the correct contact information on our system. Call us on 0300 303 9848 or Contact us . You can also update your details by downloading our new App click here for more information.

Employment Horizons service change

We are temporarily not offering face to face appointments for employment support at the following venues;

Greenbank Hub, Northwich
Greenfields Bungalow, Winsford
New Images, youth centre, Winsford.

We are still here to help you. You can contact us and access our support services via telephone 01606 813 546 or email workteam@wvht.co.uk

We are assessing the situation daily and will keep this page updated, as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages (13-3-20)

Anti-Social Behaviour

What is ASB?

It is something which isn’t a crime but which could cause housing-related nuisance or annoyance to anybody living in one of our homes.

What isn’t ASB?

Normal living noises at reasonable times of day.
Children playing in a garden or a public space.
Gossiping about a person or staring at them.
Posts on Social Media. This isn’t housing related and we will advise people on how to report abuse to the media provider.
Parking on the grass. We don’t own most of the grass verges, so we cannot stop people doing this.
Criminal Activity. This should always be reported to the Police first. If anybody is found guilty of a crime committed in or around one of our homes then we will look to see if we can take action against their tenancy.

What should I do?

Tell us. We will take a report from you by way of any method you like, email telephone, our website, anything. Just let us know which one you want us to use for our reply.

What will happen?

We will listen to you. We can discuss what you would like to see done and we can explain what we can do.
We aim to empower people to deal with things themselves. If neighbours fall out we know that if they agree a solution between themselves it sticks faster than anything we impose.
We will give advice on how to speak to your neighbour, or offer to set up a meeting between you.
If that doesn’t work then we will look at other ways, such as issuing a warning or looking for a written commitment about future behaviour.
If that doesn’t work then we will look at all the legal powers available to us and select a course of action which will bring relief to the situation in the shortest possible time.
We will always provide support all the way through for you, we will agree how often we will contact and update you.

Report it

Call us - 0300 303 9848
Email - TenancyServicesAdmin@wvht.co.uk
Facebook
Twitter
Contact us

Tenancy Services

The Tenancy Services Team looks after the routine management of tenancies such as mutual exchanges and permissions to improve your home. The team can support you if something has gone wrong, for example if you are suffering from Anti-Social Behaviour in your neighbourhood or you suspect Tenancy Fraud is taking place.

For general enquiries about your tenancy email Emily Pointon or contact us

Support & Wellbeing Service

The Support & Wellbeing Team is dedicated to enabling and empowering individuals living in our properties to remain in their home and become self reliant.

SAW logo We offer assistance to customers trying to overcome difficulties they are having in their lives and provide a free, friendly, confidential service in your home (or other preferred location). We also offer information, advice, support and guidance to people who require help in managing their tenancy with us and other related issues.

How to ask for help:

To make a self-referral (or a referral on behalf of any Trust tenant), download the Referral form 18-19.doc [doc] 398KB and either email or post the completed referral to us.

What happens if I ask for help?

After we receive the referral, we will make a decision about whether we can help you or whether we need to refer you to another service. You will be contacted within seven days of us receiving the referral and we aim to see you within a month if we have offer support. If your referral is deemed to be urgent, we will come to see you as soon as possible.

When we visit you, we will complete some paperwork with you to help identify your support needs. We will then discuss the best ways to address your support needs and develop a support plan together. This is a document agreed between you and your support worker. It is individual to your circumstances and will be regularly reviewed with your support worker to meet your needs.

The amount of support you receive and the length of time you receive it will depend entirely on your situation and what help you need. The aim of your support is to enable you to become self reliant in your home - it is continually assessed and is dependent on your commitment. The service is entirely confidential and we will not pass on your information unless you give us specific permission to do so. For more information, consult the Privacy Statement on the reverse of the Referral Form.

If you have any queries, call us on 01606 813300 or email us.

Other ways to pay your rent

We have several options to make paying your rent as easy as possible:

Direct Debit

Direct debit is a cost effective and trouble free way of paying rent from your bank account. You can now pay on any day of the month.

Download the form here and email or post it back to us.

24 Hour Automated Payment Line

Have your 10 digit rent/garage reference number and a debit/credit card available then call our 24 hour automated payment line on 0300 303 0309.

If you need to speak to someone you can contact us during office hours.

Rent Payment Card

You can pay with cash, debit card or cheque at any Payzone or Post Office using your rent payment card.

If you want to pay at a Payzone or the Post Office but don’t have or lost your rent payment card card call contact us and we can order you a new one.

Housing Benefit & Universal Credit

Currently the housing benefit and Universal Credit system is complicated. If you need any help, support or advice contact our Money Matters Team

Report a Repair

We're responsible for items that were in your home when you moved in, have since been installed by us, the structure of the building and most external works within the boundary of the property.

If your repair is an emergency, please call us on 0300 303 9848. You can also report a repair by creating a My Account. Our new app is now available. It will allow you to report a repair anytime, anywhere via your phone or tablet.

My Account, your questions answered

Scroll through the questions below to find answers to our most frequently asked questions. Can't see what you're looking for? Call one of our Customer Ambassadors on 0300 303 9848.

I’ve forgotten my password

You can reset this on the login page by clicking 'Change your password here' under 'Forgotten your password?'

I want to change my email address, phone number or password

You can update any of these from within 'My Profile'

I want to change the name My Account is using for me

Please call us on 0300 303 9848, a Customer Ambassador will update this for you.

I no longer have access to the email address I used to create My Account

You can update your email address from within your My Account.

Log in to My Account with your previous email address as normal and then within the ‘My Profile’ section there is an option to update your email address. There is no need to update your password.

The next time you log into your My Account, you will need to use your new email address.

I have forgotten my password and I’ve lost access to the email address I used to create My Account

I'm an iHousing user, what will happen to My Account?

We are officially switching over to My Account on 18/12/2019 and you will no longer have access to your iHousing account. All the same information plus much more is available in My Account.

I’m being told my repair is an emergency and I need to call you, why?

We class an emergency as any repair that is required in order to sustain the immediate health, safety or security of the customer at risk or affects the structure of the property. If you call us out of normal business hours, you will be redirected to our emergency out of hours line.

Why can't I reschedule or cancel my repair?

You can only reschedule or cancel repairs you have raised yourself through My Account. Please call us on 0300 303 9848 if you wish to discuss or amend an appointment that was booked outside of My Account.

I can't see the repair type I need

Please call us on 0300 303 9848 to report this.

I want to report a repair in a communal space e.g. Communal hallway

Please call us on 0300 303 9848 to report any repairs in communal areas

I’ve submitted a payment but it isn't showing on my rent statement or rent balance yet

It can take up to four working days for your payment to show on your rent balance and statement. This is just while we process the payment in our internal systems. You can see a record of all payments you have submitted to us via My Account on the Payments page - you can find this under 'Rent Account' in the top menu.

I don't know if my payment was accepted

Go to the Payments page to see the status of any payments submitted to us, including declined transactions. If the payment does not show in this screen, it has not been submitted.

Can I enlarge the text in My Account?

Yes, please see instructions below.

On a PC - hover over the right hand side of the screen and click the 'Up' or 'Down' buttons next to the 'Aa' symbol to increase and decrease the font size.

On a mobile device - tap 'Tools' in the bottom left of the screen and tap the 'Up' or 'Down' buttons next to the 'Aa' symbol to increase and decrease the font size.

Can I alter the contrast in My Account?