Our Service Standards

At Cheshire Peaks & Plains Housing Trust, our core value is that everything we do is about you, our customers, and so we are committed to providing the best possible customer service at all times.

We have jointly reviewed our service standards with you to make sure that you know what level of service you can expect from us. Our performance against these standards is regularly monitored. If you feel that we do not meet these standards when dealing with you, please let us know so that we can make the necessary improvements.

To view the latest Service Standards overview for March please click here. The latest board reports can be found at the bottom of this page.

Adaptations

• We will acknowledge every request for an adaptation within 5 working days.
• At time of referral, we will inform you of the priority and when you can expect installation.
• We will advise you of a start date for any internal adaptations to begin at least 7 calendar days prior to the commencement of the works.
• We will complete bathroom adaptations within 14 calendar days from the commencement of the work.

Cyclical Works (Preventative works for ongoing care and upkeep e.g. painting programmes)

• We will carry out cyclical maintenance to your home at least every 5 years.
• We will advise you of cyclical works to be carried out at least three months prior to us commencing the works.
• During the time when works are being carried out, we will keep you informed by weekly visits from our Customer Liaison Officer.

Gas Servicing

• You will be notified by letter at least one month prior to the expiry of your safety certificate to advise you that your annual gas safety inspection is due.
• You will be provided with an appointment to carry out a safety inspection at least two weeks before the expiry of the safety certificate.
• You will be offered the opportunity to change the appointment to one that is more convenient including Saturday mornings and one evening per week during summer months.
• You will be provided with a copy of the safety check certificate within 28 days of it being completed.

Repairs

• You can report repairs by e-mail, on our website, in person and by telephone; in addition we provide a 24-hour telephone service to enable you to report emergency repairs.
• If a required repair to your home is not an emergency, we will always offer you an appointment.
• Before the repair, we will contact you to check that it is convenient to call.
• If our operative is delayed, then we will telephone you to advise you and keep you informed.
• If there are long term delays for repairs (e.g. due to material delays), we will call you at least once a week to keep you informed of the progress of the repair.

Planned Maintenance (Improvements to your homes, such as kitche/bathroom modernisation)

• We will publish details of our upcoming planned work in PlainSpeaking once a year, and make details available on our website and in our reception area.
• We will advise you in writing at least three months prior to commencing work in your home.
• We will keep you informed by weekly visits from our Customer Liaison Officer.
• We will always offcer choices when undertaking improvements to your home.
• We will make sure that the contractors we appoint to work in your home meet the same standards of quality, customer service and safety as our own staff provide.
• We will complete the installation of a new kitchen within 14 calendar days from the commencement of the work.
• We will complete the installation of a new bathroom within 14 calendar days from the commencement of the work.
• We will complete the electrical rewiring within 7 calendar days from the commencement of the work.
• We will complete the installation of a new central heating system within 5 calendar days from the commencement of the work.
• We will complete the installation of a new boiler within 1 calendar day from the commencement of the work.
• We will complete the installation of a new kitchen and bathroom within 21 calendar days from the commencement of the work.

Income Management

• We will refer all customers in arrears to the Trust’s Money Advisor prior to making an application to Court.
• We will offer you an appointment with your Housing Officer (Income) to discuss your situation when we apply for a Possession End Date.
• In all arrears correspondence, we will provide you with contact details of external advice agencies who provide money advice.
• We will attempt to contact customers 3 times prior to serving a NOSP (Notice of Seeking Possession), either by letter, by visiting you at home or on the telephone.
• If you move out of your Trust property we will notify you in writing within 14 days if there are any former tenancy arrears outstanding.
• As a new tenant you will receive a benefit calculation based on your current income.

Estate Services

• Estate inspections will be completed bi-monthly for larger estates and quarterly for rural.
• If your report fly-tipping to us, we will remove it within 5 working days.
• If you report graffiti to us, we will remove it within 5 working days of the report. If you report offensive graffiti to us, it will be removed within 24 hours of the report.
• If you notify us of any maintenance required to signs that we are not responsible for, we will notify Cheshire East Council within 5 working days.

Community Support

• We will offer you a tiered service, assessed against your needs.
• We will offer an additional visit for the following day after a hospital discharge.
• We will carry out a safe and well call the following day after a fall is reported.
• We will carry out a follow up visit following installation of equipment within 7 days.
• We will carry out a follow up visit the next day after an emergency call out.

Customer Care

Trust Staff

• Staff will be courteous, helpful and empathetic.

Telephone Calls

• We will answer all calls to the 0800 number within 30 seconds.
• We will answer all direct dials within 6 rings.
• Staff will introduce themselves to the customer and ensure the customer has their contact details (if appropriate).
• Trust staff will respond to call backs within 3 working days.

Out of Hours Service

• We will provide a telephone service for reporting emergencies outside of the normal opening hours.

Written Correspondence (Emails and Letters)

• We will respond to all written correspondence within 10 working days.
• We will write to customers using plain language.
• All written correspondence will include a staff name and direct telephone number for future contact (with the exception of bulk mailings which details the 0800 number).

Written Correspondence - Complaints (additional to the standards above)

• We want to make it easy for you to make a complaint so you can do this by letter, in person, by telephone or on the website.
• We will acknowledge and respond to complaints within the published timescales.
• All complainants will receive a full explanation in their preferred format.
• We will allow the customer 28 days to escalate their response to the next stage of the complaints process if they remain dissatisfied with the Trust’s repsonse.
• We will publicise the number and types of complaints received on a quarterly basis.

Reception

• Will be clean, well-lit and welcoming.
• All customers will be acknowledged and greeted upon arrival.
• Customers will be able to speak with the receptionist regarding their enquiry or appointment within 5 minutes of their arrival.
• The opening hours will be clearly displayed.
• Up to date information and leaflets about our services will be displayed.
• Will be accessible to people with disabilities.

Equality & Diveristy

• We will provide you with access to a range of meetings that you may wish to be involved in.
• We will report back to customers on our resident involvement activity in PlainSpeaking.
• We will ensure that you can access our reception area easily.
• We will provide information to you in ways that you find easy to understand.

Leasehold Management

• We will send you a quaterly service charge/ground rent statement.
• During February we will confirm our estimated expenditure on services delivered to your development. We will develop an affordable payment plan with you to spread the cost over the twelve month period.
• In September we will provide comprehensive information on the actual expenditure. Your views on the quality and value of services will be sought to help us plan future expenditure.
• We will keep you informed about projects in your area via a quarterly newsletter. You will be formally consulted where these works exceed £250.

Floating Support

• We will assess the priority of your needs and place you on the waiting list within 3 working days of receiving an appropriate referral.
• We will contact you within 3 working days of placing you on the waiting list, arranging an assessment visit where appropriate.
• We will return your call within 1 working day of you leaving a telephone message.

Lettings and Allocations

• We will respond to any correspondence within 5 working days.
• We will accompany customers to the viewing of a property.
• We will confirm in writing of the next steps following a viewing.
• We will carry out a viewing with every customer prior to the tenancy sign up.
• All properties will meet the Lettable Standard.
• Any work required about the Lettable Standard will be completed within 28 days.

Tenancy Management

• As a new customer you will receive advice on a copy of our Tenancy Agreement, advice on Housing Benefits and Home Contents Insurance, a Tenant’s Handbook, and a copy of our PlainSpeaking magazine at the tenancy sign up.
• As a new customer you will receive an appointment for a new tenancy visit within 6 weeks from the start of the tenancy.
• We will carry out a routine visit at least every 5 years to check your property and discuss any issues you may have.
• We will offer you an appointment to review your starter tenancy at 8 months before granting you an assured tenancy, this will include a home visit.
• All mutual exchanges wll be processed and a decision will be issued within 42 days of receiving an application.
• We will acknowledge all requests to change your tenancy within 5 working days.
• You will recieve an appointment for a home visit when you advise us that you wish to end your tenancy.
• We will respond to your written request to carry out alterations to your property within 5 working days, and will not withhold permission unreasonably.

Home Ownership

• We will send you an application form and guidance information within 5 working days of the Right to Buy enquiry. This will include information regarding the estimated costs involved with purchasing a property.
• We will send you an acknowledgement letter within 5 working days of receiving the Right to Buy application form.
• We will issue the formal notification (RTB2) confirming or denying your eligibility to buy within 28 days of your application.
• We will issue you an offer of sale (SECTION 125) within 8 weeks of the date of the RTB2 if you are purchasing a house or 12 weeks for a leasehold flat or maisonette.

Enforcement

• We will investigate all reports of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within 5 working days.
• We will acknowledge all reports of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within 24 hours.
• We will investigate cases of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within our policy timescales. Category A (e.g. Hate Crime/Assault/Threat of Violence) within 24 hours, for Category B (Continued harassement/damage to property) and Category C (Noise/dog barking) within 5 working days.
• We will develop an action plan with you within 5 working days which sets out how we will deal with the case. We will keep you informed of progress.
• We will provide witness support both in and out of hours for ongoing cases.

Other customers also found these documents interesting:

Service Standards Board Report Summary - March 2010

Service Standards Overview - March 2010

Service Standards Update - March 2010