Healthy Home – Repairs responsibilities

As a resident, knowing what repairs you are accountable for and what repairs we are responsible for is essential. 

ccha is responsible for repairing common areas of buildings and estates, external decorations, ensuring installations for supplying services are in proper working order, and more. We also ensure that fire and safety equipment is inspected regularly, and fire risk assessments are completed as needed. 

On the other hand, residents are responsible for minor repairs such as internal decorations, replacing flat keys or fobs, and keeping their private gardens tidy and pest-free. It’s important to promptly report any repair or disrepair concerns and provide access for property inspections and repairs.  

Home improvements

As a resident, you can improve your home anytime at your own cost. You must make a written request that details your plans. Before and after the work is carried out, we have the right to inspect the property to ensure that it meets an acceptable standard. If the job requires specialist skills, such as gas or electrical work, it must be carried out by a suitably qualified person who can provide the relevant certificates.  

There are various types of improvements that you can make, including installing new appliances, light fittings, power sockets, and changing fixtures or fittings. You can also build or change fences and walls, extend the property, or install TV aerials or satellite dishes. We will only refuse your request with good reason and explain our reasoning in response to your written request. However, it is important to note that you must maintain any improvements you make.  

However, any non-standard items at the end of your residency must be removed and ccha will not take responsibility for the work or do any repairs to it in the future. For further information, read our Repairs & Planned Maintenance Booklet.  

Damages 

If there is damage caused to the fixtures and fittings in our home by you, your family or any visitors, you will be responsible for repairing the damage yourself or paying us to do so.  

Lastly, when your tenancy ends, we will inspect to ensure that your property is in good condition and that any non-standard fixtures have been replaced. 

If you need to make any changes to your home or report any damage, you can contact our customer advisors by emailing customers@ccha.biz or calling 0800 054 6710. If you prefer to send a physical letter, please mail it to ccha, FAO Property Services Team, 29 Sheldon Street, Croydon, CR0 1SS.29 Sheldon Street, Croydon, CR0 1SS. 

By working together, we can ensure your homes are well maintained.  

Check out the latest winter edition of our Connections today.

This edition covers topics such as:

Additionally, we have exciting competitions for you to enter to win digital Love2Shop vouchers, including a chance to participate in photography activity.

We hope you find this edition of Connections exciting and informative. If you have any feedback, please feel free to get in touch by emailing Sam at samm@ccha.biz.

Want to receive Connections directly to your inbox? Sign up for our email list.

We are happy to provide print versions, large print, audiotape, Braille, and translated versions if you require the newsletter in a different format. Please request yours by calling 0800 054 6710 or emailing customers@ccha.biz. 

When there’s a problem in your home, we understand how important it is to fix it as soon as possible. Our priority is ensuring your home is safe and comfortable, and we always aim to provide an efficient and responsive service. The time it takes to complete repairs can vary from 2 hours to 28 days, depending on the severity of the issue. We prioritise repairs based on their urgency, with the most critical maintenance completed within 24 hours. 

Emergency repairs – attend within 2 hours, completed within 24 hours 

These include issues such as: 

Urgent repairs – completed within 5 days 

These include: 

Routine repairs – completed within 28 days 

These include:

For more information, please read our booklet online.  
To report a repair, you can call us on 0800 054 6710, email customers@ccha.biz or submit a form.   

To report heating problems or arrange a boiler service, call Smith & Byford on 0800 169 7703. For gas emergencies or if you smell gas, call SGN on 0800 111 999. immediately.  

Supporting our residents through the Cost of Living crisis

We know that paying bills, buying food, and keeping up with increasing energy costs is hard if you have a low income. We want to help our residents where we can. 

ccha has a small fund and can provide vouchers for food, gas or electricity if you are experiencing financial hardship. 

You do not need to be on benefits to apply, you can be in work, out of work or on a State Pension.

If you have savings or already received support from our fund in the last 12 months, we may not be able to help and can only help again in exceptional circumstances.

If you are struggling and would like to apply for help, please contact our Welfare, Benefit & Debt Advisor, Jane White by emailing customers@ccha.biz.

If you do not have access to email, please call us on 0800 054 6710 and we will arrange for Jane to call you back.

ccha resident –
“Thank you for everything you did for our family. I can’t imagine the kind of 2023 I would’ve had otherwise. There were positives in the latter half of the year for us, and I do not doubt that most of them were only possible because of the help you gave me and my family.”

Calling all residents of pension age and above

Many people aged 66 or above miss out on hundreds of pounds annually by not claiming their pension credit when they could be eligible.

If you, a friend or a family member are a pensioner and your total income is less than £220 per week, or you are a couple with a combined income of less than £320 per week (which does not include any money you receive for disabilities such as Personal Independence Payment, DLA or Attendance Allowance), please do get in touch with our Welfare Advisor on 0800 054 6710 to see if you could be entitled to pension credit. 

If you receive disability benefits, you may be entitled to a pension credit even if your income exceeds this. 

Even if you are only entitled to a few pounds of pension credit, receiving pension credit is a gateway to discounts such as free NHS dental care, specific government cost of living payments, etc.

Good news story –
A resident on zero income was referred to our Welfare Advisor before Christmas. We established that his state pension was suspended nearly a decade ago because the DWP could not contact him. After dozens of phone calls and emails, the DWP agreed to backdate his benefits, and he received a nice lump sum in time for Christmas!

Warning to Self-Employed people on Universal Credit 

A word of caution for those thinking of starting their own business in regards to Universal Credit and the Minimum Income Floor (MIF).

If you receive specific means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, you may find that the DWP works out your payments based on an assumed income, which could be higher than your actual income. 

For example, you may only make a profit of £500 a month, but if the DWP decides you are ‘gainfully self-employed’, they may assume that your income each month is at least £1400, even if you make a loss and your payments will be reduced, possibly to nothing. 

Only some self-employed are subject to the Minimum Income Floor. For example, if you are a carer, sick or the primary carer for your children, you could be exempt from these rules. If you are currently self-employed and subject to the MIF, and your circumstances change by being unable to work or reducing your work hours, please contact the DWP immediately to tell them of your change of circumstances. If your MIF is too high, you may be able to get this reduced.

True story – One of our residents had a growing business and was also on Universal Credit as their income was still relatively low. After 12 months on Universal Credit, the DWP applied the MIF and assumed payment of £1450 per month. Our resident became sick and was not making any money at all. Our resident’s Universal Credit payments were reduced to zero as the DWP took income rather than the resident’s actual income, which resulted in a surge of rent arrears. Our Income Team assisted and negotiated with the DWP to get the MIF removed and payments backdated.

 

If you need to report an essential repair for your property, contact us directly on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing customers@ccha.biz. Alternatively, you can use the repairs form to submit your request. To learn more about our repairs and planned maintenance responsibilities, refer to our Repairs & Planned Maintenance Booklet. 

For heating and gas servicing enquiries, you can contact Smith & Byford on 0800 169 7703 or by email at cchagas@smithandbyford.com. If you suspect that a gas appliance is unsafe, it’s essential to turn it off and contact Smith & Byford right away using the above information. If you smell gas, believe there is a gas leak, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, you should call the gas emergency number immediately on 0800 111 999.

Remember to turn off the gas supply at the meter, open any windows and doors, avoid using any electrical switches, and put out all flames.  

Stay safe! 

We recently helped a resident who faced financial and emotional struggles due to her son’s condition. Jane, and Welfare, Benefits and Debt Advisor, provided them with the necessary support and resources to alleviate their financial burdens and improve their well-being. Here we share their story and how we were able to assist them in their time of need.

Our resident is a single mum of a young man with autism. The family survives on income support of less than £50 a week and a top-up of carers’ allowance. The young man only gets a disability payment and is not eligible for any benefits in his own right due to changes in Welfare Reform while he is a student. Overall, He is not well enough to work.

What were we able to do?

Jane supported the single mum to apply for a student grant and bursary for her son to help with travel expenses, food and equipment and essential electronic devices. Jane also assisted her in claiming Personal Independence Payment, which should boost income by around £500 per month, increase Housing Benefit by over £100 per month and reduce how much council tax she needs to pay to just £6 per week. We were also able to award a one-off payment to help with the electricity and gas bills.

This is just one of your stories on how we have helped you. If you face similar challenges, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 0800 054 6710 or emailing customers@ccha.biz. One of our team will be in touch and let you know how we can help.

A few of our residents in Thornton Heath gathered on Monday 18 December for a coffee morning filled with informative Q&A sessions and a chance to create a festive wreath.

The event saw the attendance of colleagues Donna and Lorraine, including Axis, the Safer Neighbourhood Team and Delores from Extended Hands, who provided information on IT support and its benefits to the residents.

Axis provided an update on all the scheduled repair work at the property, while the Safer Neighbourhood Team discussed how they would tackle anti-social behaviour.

Both Donna and Lorraine provided an excellent opportunity for the residents to discuss their concerns with their guests and gain valuable insights into the various services and support available to them.

In addition to the Q&A sessions, the residents got creative by making their wreaths provided with the support of Chequers. The festive activity was welcomed by a few in attendance, and the results were awe-inspiring.

This coffee morning was a testament to the strength of the residents and the importance of coming together to support one another.

With the cost of living crisis and cold weather, London councils have opened warm banks across the boroughs. There are public places like libraries or churches where anyone can go for free if they can’t heat their homes. 

The Local Government Association has said that councils are ready to work around the clock to keep residents safe during the cold weather. They ask people to check on those who may limit their heating use due to rising energy bills. Warm Welcome Spaces has coordinated a map of generous banks across the UK, with over 3,000 warm spaces  this winter and more locations added daily.

What can you expect?

What’s available in your area?

Find your local warm space here by scrolling down and filter your search options.

Stay warm, stay well, stay connected!

Dear residents,

All Tax Credit claimants will have been sent the leaflet shown on the left.

If you have received the red and blue leaflet about Tax Credits ending, this is not an official migration notice. You do not have to claim Universal Credit yet. You may be better off on Universal Credit, however, if you find out you’ll be worse off on Universal Credit and you move over before the official migration notice, you will not receive Transitional Protection.

The official migration notice is a 3 page letter which gives the dates your tax credits are due to end and the date you must claim Universal Credit by. It will also state at the bottom of each page: “This is a migration notice issued under Regulation 44 of the Universal credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014.”. This letter means your tax credits will end and you will have to make a new claim for Universal Credit.

To find out if you should claim Universal Credit and ‘give up’ your Tax Credits, please contact our Welfare, Benefit and Debt Advisor, Jane White, on 0800 054 6710 or email janew@ccha.biz.

You can also carry out your own ‘better off’ calculation using the Benefits Calculator on the entitled to website.

Please note:

In this money matters edition, we cover:

Croydon Council is currently reviewing the 25% council tax discount. 

Croydon Council is contacting many residents with a 25% discount on their council tax bill if they are the only person over 18 in the household.

If it does apply to you and you receive one of these letters, please do not ignore it or you may lose your discount. This is true even if you do not currently pay council tax because, for example, you are on certain benefits. Information on how to reply to the review process is given in the letter.

You may also be eligible for the discount if all the adults in the property receive certain disability benefits.
For more information, please visit the Croydon Council website.

Next round of ‘Cost of Living Payments’

The next round of Cost of Living payments will be paid out between 31 October and 19 November. This is for residents on certain means-tested benefits, including universal credit, income-related ESA, tax credits and pension credits. Please note, you need to have been eligible for these benefits between 18 August and 17 September 2023.

If you have recently applied for Pension Credit and reached State Pension age during this time, you may still be eligible. If you have any doubts or concerns, you can call Jane White on 0800 054 6710.

If you are still waiting to receive the payment and believe you should have, please contact .

This is a friendly reminder to be careful of suspicious calls, emails, or texts related to the ‘Cost of Living Payments’. It’s always best to be cautious and avoid clicking on links or providing personal information.

Get help with savings if you’re on a low income (Help to Save)

This is a government program which is designed to assist low earners in saving money. If you’re eligible, you could receive a bonus of 50p for every £1 you save over four years.

To open a Help to Save account, you must meet certain criteria, including being entitled to the Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit or claiming Universal Credit with a household income of £722.45 or more in your last monthly assessment period.

You can find out more about eligibility and how to apply by visiting here.

Are you eligible for help with dental costs? 

If you are coming up to State Pension age and are currently on a means-tested benefit that entitles you to free NHS dental care, such as ESA or Universal Credit. This does NOT automatically mean you will be entitled to help with dental costs when you move onto your State Pension only when you get Pension Credit beforehand.

However, you may qualify for free or reduced-cost treatment through the NHS Low Income Scheme if you have a low income, even if you are not on benefits.

If you would like help or advice to find out if you’re eligible, please get in touch with Jane White on 0800 054 6710.

Winter is coming!

If, like many of us, you have had your heating off for the past several months due to warmer weather and concerns over rising fuel bills, we urge you to check that your boiler is functioning well. It’s best to do this early in case you discover a fault.

If you do have issues with your boiler, you can call Smith & Byford on 0800 169 7703 or email cchagas@smithandbyford.com for all heating and gas servicing enquiries.

Check your meters

Although the energy price cap is finally coming down, without the government’s additional £400 support this year and with standing charges rising in some cases, you may find your bills are still worryingly high compared to previous years.

Resident often contact Jane, our Welfare, Benefit and Debt Advisor, with concerns about high gas or electricity bills. This can happen for various reasons, but many residents discover they have been billed for months, sometimes years, based on estimates.

Make sure you have taken up to date meter readings and passed these on to your energy supplier either online or by the phone.

Remember, you will likely use more energy at home over the winter months. Don’t rush to reduce your direct debit just because you have a small credit on your account.

Warm home discount

If you have high energy costs, you can check if you’re eligible to receive the discount of £150 by using the government’s Warm Home Discount online tool.

Take care and stay safe!