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Complaints
Firstly, you must report the crime to the police, who will give you a reference number. You then need to contact us, and we will arrange for the work to be completed.
For help with this matter, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Customer Service Advisors on 0800 054 6710 and ask for a Property Services team member. Alternatively, email: customers@ccha.biz.
ccha will not be accountable for any repairs, issues or damages caused by the occupants/visitors within the household. It is the resident’s responsibility to get these fixed.
For more information about repairs, please download the Repairs and Planned Maintenance Services booklet.
ccha defines a complaint as “An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by ccha, our staff or those acting on our behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents”.
There are a number of ways that you can tell us about your complaint. Formal complaints do not have to be in writing. Find out what methods you can use to make a complaints.
To make a formal complaint, please call our Customer Support Advisors on 0800 054 6710 and ask to a member of the Customer Investment Team.
Alternatively, you can make a complaint online.
You can also write or email us your complaint.
Email us: complaints@ccha.biz
Write to us at: ccha, 29 Sheldon Street, Croydon, CR0 1SS.
According to Government statistics confirmed by the combined Fire & Rescue services of the United Kingdom 2015-2016, the number of fire-related incidents have fallen by almost 70% since 2004.
Fire safety in your flat
This briefing is to provide you with assurance that the Stay Put policies we have in place do in fact work, and that you as a resident should trust the advice that it is safer to remain in your dwelling than to try and escape – UNLESS you are placed at imminent danger by remaining in your flat.
Stay Put simply means that unless the fire is in your flat, you should remain in your flat with the front door fully closed, and with you and your family by the window with a phone to hand. In this situation, you are protected by something called Fire Compartmentation.
Fire Compartmentation method protects your flat, along with the building, and is achieved through the building’s fabric that surrounds you keeping the fire at bay (for example, through the walls and ceiling and floors of your flat).
In addition to this fire resisting enclosure, you are also protected with your 30-minute fire and smoke sealed door. This has been designed to withhold fire, heat and smoke for approximately 30 minutes. Watch a short video carried out by Lorient – a world leader in Fire protection equipment which demonstrates how effective they are in a real fire. Please note that some fire doors are called “notional fire doors” and these doors may not have smoke seals fitted.
Effective Fire Compartmentation has been proven to work in the many hundreds of thousands of purpose built blocks of this nature around the world. Although fires do occur in buildings, statistics prove most of them are in owner occupied / mortgaged dwellings and not social landlord’s buildings.
Compartmentation means keeping the fire in a box. If the fire is outside of your flat and your front door is fully closed, then the fire and smoke should remain outside your flat for a considerable time.
The London Fire Brigade have stated that “Living in a flat is no more dangerous than living in a house”. The law (The Regulatory Reform {Fire Safety} Order 2005) protects you in your flat but does not come into consideration if you own your house.
To further protect our buildings, we carry out regular Fire Risk Assessments (building inspections) and are mid-way through a programme of improvements aimed at improving compartmentation, particularly on some of our older buildings. However, our buildings as they currently stand will adequately withstand a fire, but in certain cases we have taken the decision to replace fire doors rather than upgrade them. This is to ensure a higher standard of workmanship and to provide greater fire resistance performance.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) have created and posted on their website a very simple 2 minute video to assist those who live in flats with the understanding why, in principle and in practice, it’s better to stay in you flat UNLESS the fire is in your flat, and you can visit this video here.
It is always advisable that you should plan ahead to protect yourself and anyone who lives with you in your home from a fire occurring, and should a fire start inside your home, you need to know what to do.
The video from the LFB will help you plan for this unfortunate incident and it should be taken into consideration with our policy accordingly. This is only applicable to you if the fire is in your flat or if you have been asked to evacuate the building by the emergency services.
We encourage all residents to maintain clear escape routes both within their flat and in communal areas. In the event of a fire, having clutter could block your exits and delay your escape, and may also prevent the emergency services from reaching you.
To keep your smoke alarm in good working order (where applicable), you should test it once a month, by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds, and change the battery once a year (unless it’s a ten-year alarm). You should also clean your smoke alarm once every three months using the soft brush of your vacuum cleaner, as this will ensure you remove any excess dust or insects. You should replace the whole unit every 10 years.
The London Fire Brigade, along with the other 45 fire services, train day and night to ensure that they know exactly what to do in these situations. When they attend a building fire, they already know a lot of information about the building and will already create a plan as they drive towards it. Once on site they will establish very quickly where the fire is and where applicable will use the Fire Alarm panel located near the front door help find the location, and at that point they will devise a plan to:
- Tackle the fire
- Ventilate the building
- Evacuate the building – or not
Following the Grenfell tragedy, legislation was brought in that required certain buildings to have a survey to assess the external wall system.
Current legislation states that an EWS1 form is only required where the building is over 18m or where there are combustible materials such as cladding on the building.
If you are trying to buy or sell a property, you may find that lenders will request an EWS1 form even where it is not necessary. This should not be happening and ccha will not be able to authorise an EWS1 form to be carried out where this is not required. We understand that this can be a difficult position for leaseholders and buyers to be in and is affecting many people across the country.
To try and resolve this issue, RICS issued new guidance in early March on when an EWS1 form is required , following a consultation with lenders and other stakeholders. This guidance is expected to be adopted by lenders by 6th April, helping to alleviate the issue of requests being made unnecessarily. After this point it is expected the government will release more information, which we will review.
If you have any concerns about fire safety in your property, call our Customer Service Advisor on 0800 054 6710. You will be then put through to someone who can assist you.
If you smell gas, think there is a gas leak or have reason to suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, you should:
Call the GAS EMERGENCY NUMBER IMMEDIATELY ON: 0800 111 999.
- Turn off the gas supply at the meter
- Open any windows and doors
- Avoid using any electrical switches
- Put out all naked flames
If you are a tenant who rents, then your landlord may not cover your contents as part of the tenancy agreement. It’s a good idea to consider what a home contents insurance policy would cover you for in order to help you make an informed decision on whether you need one.
Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen so home contents insurance can help provide peace of mind.
Unfortunately, it is the resident’s responsibility to get the locks changed. Please ensure you contact a reputable local locksmith.
To order replacement keys, please call our Customer Service Advisors on 0800 054 6710 and ask to speak to a Property Services team member. Alternatively, email customers@ccha.biz with your keycode (if it is known).
Each key costs £8.50 – please bring the exact amount when coming to collect, as we do not carry change.
Please contact the Neighbourhood or Housing Services Officer by calling 0800 054 6710 or email Customers@cch.biz, for a copy of the mutual exchange form.
For any parking-related queries:
If you are a ccha resident living in one of our general needs properties, please contact the parking contractor operating at the site. Details for them will be located on a sign in the car park.
If you are a ccha resident living in housing for older persons, please contact Melissa Kelly, our Tenancy Management Administrator, on: 020 8633 8724 or email: customers@ccha.biz
To issue a permit we will require proof of ownership, insurance, driving licence and proof that your car is taxed.
If you have received a parking fine, it is your responsibility to pay it. Please follow payment instructions listed on the fine.
If you lose your permit, please contact the parking contractor operating at the site. Details for them will be located on a sign in the car park. There may be a fee for replacement.
We are only able to issue one permit per household. Visitors will need to park off site.
Yes, you do need permission to have a pet in your property.
Please read our Pet Procedure for more information. Please note that if you live in a flat, you may not be allowed to keep a pet. You can find the pet application form at the end of this document.
If you are a homeowner, please read our Homeowner Pet Policy.
If you’d like to submit your pet application form or have any further questions, please contact our housing officers by emailing customers@ccha.co.uk.
Our vision is to deliver on our promises. We aim to provide the best possible homes and services to our residents in the most sustainable way. We keep our homes in a good condition through our annual planned maintenance programme. Planned maintenance is the name we give to the replacement or repair of certain building components, which includes the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, electrical rewiring and decoration.
Every year, we survey a large number of our homes to collect information on their type, age, condition and structure. This information is used to plan and prioritise which homes need to have planned maintenance works first, as well as to determine what type of works are required. If you are due a Planned Works Survey, we will write to you explaining what will happen, when it will take place and who you can contact if you have any questions.
If you are included in the planned works programme we will then write to you in March to tell you the works we will carry out, the name of staff member who will support you through the process and, if known, the appointed contractor. If you are not included we will write to you to confirm this.
As mentioned above we will aim to write in March of each year to those residents who are to be included within the next financial year’s planned maintenance programme. Our contractors are then responsible for programming the number of homes which will receive works each month within that financial year. Any such programmes are subject to change, therefore our contractors will typically write to residents four weeks before any proposed works begin, followed by a further letter two weeks before any proposed works to your home.
Online
You can now pay your rent online by signing up myccha, our customer portal. For more information on how to sign up to the customer portal, view our ‘how-to’ flyer by clicking here.
Direct Debit
We can set up a direct debit for you over the phone on: 0800 054 6710 or, at your request, we will send you a direct debit form for you to fill out and return to us.
Standing order
We can set up a standing order for you on: 0800 054 6710 or, at your request, we will send you a standing order form to fill out, which you should then return to your bank.
Rent card
If you already have a rent card, you can pay at any pay point. Always keep your receipt as proof of payment for your records.
If you do not have a rent card, we can order one for you which will take 3-5 working days to arrive.
Debit card
We can take rent payments over the phone and send you a receipt in the post or via e-mail.
Internet/AllPay
If you have a rent card, you can log onto www.allpayments.co.uk and pay via their website.
Internet banking transfer
You can transfer the money directly to us.
Our bank details are;
Bank: NatWest
Sort Code: 605001
A/C Number: 10306706
Telephone: 0800 054 6710
Call us if you need assistance with;
• Paying by direct debit
• Paying by debit card
• Requesting a direct debit/standing order form
• Ordering a new rent card
We set our rent according to the government’s rent policy. This says that rent must be based on market (estate agent) value of your home and the average income of working people living in the same area: in this case, London. The number of bedrooms and the amenities of your home have an influence on the calculation. The association has little choice on how rents are set.
Service charges are the costs for maintaining the communal aspects of a property. It is used to cover services such as cleaning, gardening, electric, window cleaning and various other items. On the breakdown you receive there will be a split for ‘service charges eligible for Housing Benefit’ and ‘service charges not eligible for Housing Benefit’. If you have charges which fall into the first category and you are receiving Universal Credit or Housing benefit, you should contact them to advise of this and the increase so this can be reviewed and reflected in the amount you receive.
The majority of our residents have their rent reviewed on 1st April. However, residents who have been with us a long time will have their rent reviewed on the anniversary of their tenancy start date.
ccha works in partnership with a number of support providers, including Diagrama, St Mungo’s, Voyage Care, Adelaide Care, Hestia, and Keyring, who provide on-site support to the residents. The support provided is designed to help residents develop the skills to live independently.
The Intensive Housing Services team works to ensure that the ccha Supported and Older Persons accommodation is safe, secure and complies with Health and Safety regulations.
They carry out regular inspections of the buildings and grounds across the services located in Croydon, Sutton and Bromley and monitor the Estate Services.
Residents of the Older Persons Independent Living Accommodation in Sutton and Croydon are also offered a weekly welfare contact to ensure their wellbeing.
Our cyclical maintenance programme is in place so that every seven years your communal areas are inspected, and where necessary, we will carry out redecoration works as required.
We aim to undertake a full stock condition survey every 5 years and produce our planned maintenance programmes based on this survey information to ensure that our housing stock remains in good condition. Our Planned Maintenance Programme includes works such as replacement kitchens, bathrooms, roofs and re-wires.
Before you request to be placed on our transfer list, please ensure that you are a ccha resident and that ccha is your landlord.
To download a copy of our transfer form, please click here.
Alternatively, to request a copy please contact our Tenancy Management Administrator on: 0800 054 6710 or email: customers@ccha.biz.
For residents who live in our Older Persons schemes, please contact Melissa Kelly, our Tenancy Management Administrator, on: 020 8633 8724 or email: customers@ccha.biz
We need to collect, process and store personal information about you and other household members in order to operate as a registered provider of housing and deliver efficient and effective services. Further details about how we process your data, including the legal basis and type of information we hold, is in our privacy statement, which we can be found in the useful documents section of our website.
All the information you provide is held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your data will be treated fairly and lawfully. We will ensure that it is: processed for limited purposes; kept up-to date and accurate, only kept for as long as it is needed and kept secure.
You can read our full Privacy Notice by clicking here.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) oversees data protection legislation in England. Find out more about your rights by visiting their website here: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/
One of the things we want to do is to improve the way in which we deliver our services to our customers. To help us build an accurate picture of the people who live in our homes, we need to obtain the correct information about you. This information is referred to as customer profiling.
Obtaining this information may help us to provide hearing loops, translate documents and send out relevant information that interests you and so much more.
If you would like to find out more about customer profiling, please contact the Customer Investment Officer, on: 020 8633 8735 or email: customers@ccha.biz
ccha Group has a duty to protect the personal information we hold on our residents. When you phone in to our offices to request information regarding your tenancy, we will need to ask you a series of questions to verify you are who you say you are.
The questions will relate to everyday information we hold about your home and tenancy.
If you visit our head office and request information, you will be asked to provide identification before we can help you. This is also to ensure we are talking to the right personal before releasing any personal information.
If you’d like to know more about how we handle requests for personal information, please contact at: customers@ccha.biz
In line with your tenancy agreement, we are able to increase the rent once a year – in April. We do this to enable us to be able us to continue providing all the services we deliver such as repairs, compliance checks, tenancy management and planned improvements to sites and individual properties, all of which the costs rise in line with inflation. Any money we receive through rent increases goes back into providing and improving our services for residents.
If you have any concerns about paying your rent, please contact us. We have an in house Welfare and Benefits Advisor who can offer some support. You can contact Jane White on JaneW@ccha.biz or call 0800 054 6710 . If you are receiving Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, you should contact them to let them know about the increase so that your benefits can be reviewed to reflect this. Other things you can consider if you are have financial difficulty are:
Some residents pay service charges within their rental amount rather than separately and so don’t receive a service charge schedule as the amount is a fixed sum. If you are on an Affordable Rent or London Living Rent, you won’t receive a separate service charge schedule.
Our service charges are based on invoices we receive from contractors who are providing these services. We check invoices carefully to ensure they match with what we are expecting to receive and that the costs are attributed to the correct properties.
If you have any queries, please contact your Tenancy Management Officer.
For any gas or heating related queries or to report a boiler repair, please contact Smith & Byford on: 0800 169 7703 or 0208 652 7016.
For a demonstration on how to use your boiler, please contact Smith and Byford on 0800 169 7703 or 0208 652 7016.
As a responsible landlord, ccha strive to ensure the communal areas are safe for residents and visitors.
As staff are not based at our estates, we are not always aware of an issue or a repair that may be required in communal areas. If you come across an issue or a repair that requires our attention, please contact us on 0800 054 6710. Reporting issues and repairs helps us to work together to safeguard residents and visitors using those areas and to prevent any accidents.
In 2021, we launched our Corporate Business Plan, #ccha2025. Objective 4 of the business plan is our More Affordable Homes Pledge. We are committed to being resourceful and innovative in delivering an increased programme of affordable homes.
Our strategy is to construct 50-60 new homes annually, with half earmarked for affordable rent, and the other half a blend of Shared Ownership and private sale. This housing mix is not only a testament to our commitment to you, but also a responsible financial approach. The revenue generated from sales or Leasehold is reinvested into the services we provide, and also aids in funding the development of Social Housing.
Shared Ownership, London Living Rent, and Help to Buy are among the various types of affordable housing we offer. These options are designed to assist those who may not be able to afford a full mortgage, enabling them to step onto the property ladder or save towards it. Check out more information about these options.
In line with our aim to build more affordable homes, we are looking at opportunities to utilise land we already own where possible. This is a cost-effective and time-efficient way to support the building of more affordable homes.
You can access our affordable rent and home-buying options on our website nuviva. nuviva launched in 2020 to market our home ownership products and provide information to help local residents get on the property ladder.
You can register your interest in our properties on the website, and our Sales Consultants, Red Loft, can help advise about options and eligibility.
Visit the nuviva website to find out more.
You need to register and be accepted on your local council waiting list. We cannot guarantee you will be given a ccha property, but the local councils will usually have 100% nomination rights for our new build developments. They will allocate residents needing social housing on their waiting lists to those properties—access for more information.
If you are a ccha resident and would like to move, visit our Transfers & Mutual Exchanges page to determine eligibility and complete a transfer request form. However, we cannot guarantee you will move into a newly built property.
If you know of another resident who wants to move, you can complete a mutual exchange request to swap properties. Visit our Transfers & Mutual Exchanges page for more information.
If you can buy or rent privately, visit the Homes for Sale and Homes for Rent pages on the Nuviva website to see our upcoming developments and current homes for sale and rent. Contact us for more information, and our Sales Consultants, Red Loft, can help advise whether you are eligible.
ccha has contracted Acorn Environmental to undertake the cleaning of external windows at our blocks and sites once every 3 months.
They clean the external windows using a Pole and Brush Cleaning System. They do not clean individual homes or internal windows.
Acorn provide an annual schedule detailing the dates they will be attending each site to clean the windows. This can be found displayed on your scheme noticeboard and here: Window cleaning schedule 2024.
The operative uses Pure Water which is pre-treated by reverse osmosis at their depot. This is then taken to the location in a 1000 litre tank located on the van. A pump, located on the van, then pumps the Pure Water through hoses up to the window via a pole and brush head.
The window is washed and rinsed with the Pure Water.
The clean water left on the window then dries naturally.
Chequers, our cleaning contractor, are responsible for the cleaning of internal windows in communal areas.
Acorn do not clean windows that have been left open. This is because the water could go into the property and cause damage. The operative will call out to ask for a window to be closed, however if there is no response, they will not clean that window.
Acorn send ccha a report every quarter that details sites that have had their windows cleaned. This report includes any windows that weren’t able to be cleaned as they were open or obstructed.
Ladder-less window cleaning is a safer and more efficient way of cleaning windows. Acorn also do not use cloths or squeegees as these methods do not offer value for money for the number of windows they are contracted to clean.
The operative will wipe down sills on the ground floor, however this is not possible on the higher floors due to the Pole and Brush System they use.
During previous resident consultations, cost was an important aspect of providing this service. As a compromise, ccha offer window cleaning on a quarterly basis to ensure windows remain in a reasonable condition at a minimum cost to residents.
If as a block or scheme you would like this to be more frequent, please speak with your Tenancy Management Officer or Maintenance and Wellbeing Assistant.
Hestia supports adults and children in times of crisis delivering services across London and the surrounding regions, as well as campaigning and advocating on issues that affect the people they work with.
Hestia is supported by nearly 950 volunteers across London who provide specialist skills such as art therapy, yoga, IT, gardening and cooking, as well as befriending and fundraising.
Winter is a difficult time for preventing mould. The best way to prevent it is to ensure your home is well-heated and ventilated, which may be more difficult due to the increased Cost of Living.
Mould is caused by excess water and is often the result of condensation. If mould is not dealt with it can lead to problems which can damage the condition of your home and even affect your health.
However, the good news is that most problems with condensation and mould can be sorted out quickly if the moisture in the air is reduced and mould is cleaned away properly and regularly.
Adding moisture to the air is inevitable – when you sleep your breathing can release up to a pint of moisture into the air. But the main causes of condensation at home tend to be due to everyday living such as heating water for cooking, baths, or showers.
In addition, building defects such as leaks, insufficient ventilation, or faulty extractor fans can also increase condensation – these should be reported immediately.
Mould can grow on any surface, so if you spot any mould, it’s important to take early action as it can spread quickly.
Mould can typically be found on or next to windows, in the corners and edges of rooms, and behind and inside wardrobes and cupboards (especially if they’re against an outside wall). It can even grow on clothes, bags, and shoes if they’re put in wardrobes when wet or stored too tightly to allow air to circulate.
If your home has condensation, damp, or mould, it’s important to take steps to manage it. If condensation, damp, or mould are identified, please make sure to let us know so that we can work together to resolve the issue.
Please contact Axis on 0800 056 7068 or email ccharepairs@axiseurope.com and they will arrange a visit to assess the situation and arrange any remedial works and repairs.
ccha provides a variety information available for residents on its website.
Please do read our Privacy Notice and information.
Our business plan, strategies, policies and key information is available in the useful documents section of the website.
Founded as Croydon Churches Housing Association in 1967, ccha owns and manages around 1500 homes across the London boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Bromley. We provide a variety of homes which include social housing, shared ownership and outright sale.
Our registered address 29 Sheldon Street, Croydon CRO 1SS. Incorporated under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 17772R and HCA No 0945. Croydon Churches Housing Association Ltd is an exempt charity and is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing.
We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in relation to our status as a Co-operative and Community Benefit Society. Check out www.fca.org.uk/firms/mutual-societies for more information. Check out information on who we are regulated by.
Our Corporate Business Plan ccha 2025 provides information on our current and future plans and we update our progress annually.
Our Annual Report provides an update on how we have performed in the preceding financial year which runs from April to March.
Our Strategies offer more detail of our goals and priorities as well as actions to achieve them.
- Asset Management Strategy
- Community Strategy
- Development Strategy
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (plus Statement)
- ICT Strategy
- People Strategy
- Treasury Management Strategy
- Value for Money Strategy
We collaborate with residents to support key policy review. If you are a resident, and wish to participate please contact Customers@ccha.biz.
The governance and strategic direction of ccha is the responsibility of our Board. View our Board members and register of interests details on our website.
ccha does hold ‘meet the Board’ opportunities, to share information and hear your views.
Each year we publish our Annual Report.
This provides our stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of our performance and activities in the previous financial year.
Our website provides details of resident facing policies and procedures.
In addition to policy and process we aim to provide helpful guidance on our website with the following dedicated pages.
- Repair Services
- Rent and Financial Advice
- Right to Acquire
- Transfers and Mutual Exchange
- Complaints and Compliments
- Report Anti-Social Behaviour
- Resident Newsletters
We offer additional advice and services to support residents.
Incorporated under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 17772R and HCA No 0945.
ccha aims to be open, honest, and transparent in the information we can reasonably share. If we withhold information, we will let you know why. We are registered with the ICO and comply with the guidance and regulations set down in law for accessing information, whether under Access to Information for our residents or personal information under a Subject Access Request.
ccha strives to make accessing information easy for our valued residents and stakeholders. We publish key stakeholder information on our website for your convenience. Moreover, we are more than happy to provide our information and leaflets in other formats or your home language upon request. Email Customers@ccha.biz, and we’ll be glad to assist you.
If providing particular information or providing information in a particular way will be expensive or time-consuming, we will explain this and try to reach a satisfactory alternative solution. We reserve the right to charge at cost for large-volume copying and for postage of paper items.
