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Complaints
Firstly, you will need to report the crime to the police, who will give you a crime reference number. You then need to contact us and we will arrange for the work to be completed.
For help with this matter, please contact our reception on 0800 054 6710 and ask to speak to someone in Property Services or 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 by clicking here.
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”.
To find out more, click here.
There are a number of ways that you can tell us about your complaint. Formal complaints do not have to be in writing. To find out more please click here.
To make a formal complaint, please call our switched on 020 8680 7532 and ask to speak to someone from the Customer Investment Team.
Alternatively, you can make a complaint online by clicking here.
You can also write or email us your complaint.
Email us: complaints@ccha.biz
Write to us at: ccha, 6th Floor, Norfolk House, Wellesley Road Croydon CR0 1LH.
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. See here for 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.
This 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 this 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.
You can find more information on the RICS website here.
You can call our customer services advisor on: 0800 054 6710 if you have any concerns about fire safety in your property. You will be put through to someone you 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.
To help you decide whether home contents insurance is right for you, ccha have teamed up with Thistle Tenant Risks, and Allianz Insurance plc who provide the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, a specialist Tenants Contents Insurance policy.
The My Home Contents Insurance Scheme can offer you insurance for the contents of your home including cover for items such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, bedding, electrical items, jewellery, pictures and ornaments.
Call Thistle Tenant Risks on 0345 450 7288.
Alternatively, please visit their website for more information or to request a callback.
The National Housing Federation is an Appointed Representative of Thistle Insurance Services Ltd. Thistle Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 310419. Lloyd’s Broker. Registered in England under No. 00338645. Registered office: Rossington’s Business Park, West Carr Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 7SW. Thistle Insurance Services Ltd is part of the PIB Group.
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 reception on 0800 054 6710 and ask to speak to someone in Property Services or email customers@ccha.biz with your keycode (if known).
Each key costs £8.50 – please bring exact monies when coming to collect, as we do not carry change.
Please contact Alex Boaten, our Tenancy Management Administrator, on: 020 8633 8786 or email: customers@ccha.biz for a copy of the mutual exchange form.
Alternatively, you can contact Customer Services via: 0800 054 6710.
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 the below housing officers.
Steve Thomson – Tenancy Management Officer
SteveT@ccha.biz
Selena Gordon – Tenancy Management Officer
SelenaG@ccha.biz
Melissa Kelly – Tenancy Management Administrator
MelissaK@ccha.biz
Sakib Ajaib – Homeowner & Leasehold Officer
sakiba@ccha.biz
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 and are checked by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), who are responsible for checking that housing associations obey the law and run properly.
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 work in partnership with a number of support providers, including Diagrama, St Mungo’s, Voyage Care, Adelaide Care, Look Ahead Care & Support, 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 Alex Boaten, our Tenancy Management Administrator, on: 020 8633 8786 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
The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is having an unprecedented impact across the world, resulting in ccha having to provide services in a different way .
Our residents’ safety and well being is our number one priority and we hope you find this dedicated FAQ page helpful.
If you would like us to add additional information, please contact us through phone on: 0800 054 6710 or through email at: customers@ccha.biz
Staying safe and staying home
For the most up to date information on guidelines, please visit the NHS website on a regular basis for the latest safety information
Are you self isolating?
If yes, please let us know as soon as possible so we can adjust our services to help protect you, our staff and our contractors. Please contact us at: customers@ccha.biz
Are you shielding?
If yes, please let us know as soon as possible so we can adjust our services to help protect you, our staff and our contractors. Please contact us at: customers@ccha.biz
Repairs service
Repairs are being completed as normal. We appreciate you may not wish to have repairs carried out in your home, so please consider the repair that is being reported and its location as this may affect whether you are comfortable having contractors in your home. When staff attend, please ensure your home is well ventilated and we recommend wearing face covering. If you are self-isolating, please let us know before our contractors attend.
Gas servicing
The Government and the HSE have recognised that there is still a requirement for us to continue to ensure that our residents homes remain gas safe. We will therefore be continuing with the annual servicing of gas appliances and we ask for your co-operation in doing so.
Our gas contractor Smith & Byford have provided all engineers with PPE and they have been given guidance on how to undertake gas services in a safe way for both you the resident and themselves.
If your gas service is due for renewal and you have concerns please contact either Smith & Byford or ccha who will be happy to assist you.
Please notify the repairs service if you are isolating when you call to book your repair.
Our contractors will endeavour to deliver services as usual, however, please be advised that there may be challenges due to operatives having to self-isolate.
General Needs, Supported Housing & Older Persons Housing
Estate inspections are taking place and Tenancy Management Officers will continue to carry out the quarterly fire safety checks wearing appropriate PPE. If you have any concerns, please speak to your Tenancy Management Officer, Steve Thomson on SteveT@ccha.biz or Selena Gordon on SelenaG@ccha.biz. We appreciate there may be a backlog of issues that need to be dealt with, so please bear with us whilst we catch up.
At our Older Persons Schemes, the resident’s weekly welfare checks will continue to being carried out via the telephone. Staff are now visiting sites on a weekly basis and will be conducting some face to face welfare checks based on vulnerability and/or need. Any health and safety checks will be adjusted accordingly and you will be advised about this.
When staff are visiting schemes, they are required to follow the guidelines and precautions set out by the Government and NHS: Hands, Face, Space. We would ask residents to do the same to keep everyone as safe as possible.
At our Supported Accommodation, staff will continue to undertake the building compliance checks following an adapted schedule to ensure the safety of both staff and residents.
Please continue to report any issues you have by phone and/or e-mail rather than approaching staff in person, where possible. You can email ccha’s Wellbeing Maintenance Assistants & Maintenance Assistants on MaintenanceWellbeing@ccha.biz.
Although we have revised our working practices, we are continuing to work with our local authority partners to let accommodation to new residents, ensuring they have a safe and appropriate place to call home. This means our contractors will be carrying out works in our empty homes but will be taking appropriate measures to keep people safe.
ccha Staff on Site
ccha staff, including surveyors inspecting repairs or works, may be visiting properties. If you do see any staff on-site, for your and their safety, please do not approach and where possible call or email ccha regarding any issues. If you do need to approach a member of ccha staff, please ensure you wear a mask and keep to a safe distance.
Grounds maintenance and cleaning will resume as normal, with PPE and social distancing measures continuing.
Paying your rent
We understand that this is a very worrying and upsetting time right now. We have put some information together to help you claim the benefits you may be entitled to throughout this current crisis.
Please click here for step by step guidance on making a new claim.
Coronavirus and claiming benefits
Please call to make a new claim for Universal Credit on 0800 328 5644. For more information on benefits and Coronavirus please click here
Keeping your energy costs down
- Check comparison websites such as Uswitch for the best energy deals
- By turning the thermostat down by 1C, you can save £75 to £80 a year.
- Wear jumpers, socks and slippers around the house and put an extra blanket on the bed so you won’t be tempted to turn the heating up.
- Don’t leave anything plugged in, or on, that is not being used. Some appliances such as fridges need to be kept on all the time, but many others are left on that do not need to be.
- When making cups of tea, fill the kettle only with the water you need. The kettle uses roughly 6% of all the electricity supplied to British homes. By filling the kettle correctly, the typical UK household could shave £19 off their annual bill.
What will happen to my home if a family member dies of Cornavirus?
At this current time of uncertainty, understandably you may need to understand what would happen to a family member’s tenancy should anything happen to them.
Here’s what you need to know if you think someone may be eligible to take over the tenancy.
Q. What is a succession? Succession is what happens when another person is eligible to take over an existing tenancy when a tenant has died. The person who takes over a tenancy in this way is called a successor. A person only has the right to succeed if certain criteria are met.
Q. Do succession rights vary? In our tenancy agreements we have set out the succession rights the law says should apply and the additional succession rights that we have agreed. Succession rights vary depending on whether the tenant had a secure, assured, or a starter tenancy.
Q. Can succession happen more than once? A succession can only happen once. This means if the deceased person was already a successor (including a previous joint tenant), there cannot be a succession by another family member. Where a succession has already taken place and a further request is received, we will provide you with more information about how we will deal with the tenancy.
Q. What happens if it’s a joint tenancy? If the deceased was a joint tenant, the only person who may be able to succeed to the tenancy would be the remaining joint tenant. The remaining joint tenant must be living in the property as their only or principal home.
Q. What happens if it’s a sole tenancy? If the tenant who died was a sole tenant, if they were married or in a relationship, their spouse or partner may be able to take over the tenancy as long as there was no previous succession and they were living at the property as their only or principal home at the time of the tenant’s death.
Q. What happens if a sole tenant did not have a spouse or partner? It may be possible for another family member to take over the tenancy. They would need to be able to demonstrate they have been living at the property for at least 12 months before the tenant’s death. This won’t be possible if it was a starter tenancy.
Q. Which family members may be eligible to succeed? We will only consider requests for succession from the following family members.
• Parent, child or stepchild. • Brother or sister. • Niece or nephew. • Grandparent or grandchild. • Aunt or uncle.
Q. If I succeed to the tenancy, can I stay in the property permanently? When a person is eligible to succeed to a tenancy, we will always review whether the type and size of accommodation is suitable to the needs of the successor. If the property was designed or adapted for a person with needs and the successor doesn’t require this type of accommodation, we will ask them to move to something more suitable.
Q. What happens to someone who lives at the property and can’t succeed? If someone lives in one of our properties with a tenant who has died and they are not eligible to succeed, they can ask us about having their own tenancy. We may be able to use our discretion to give a person, in this situation, a new tenancy. Our decision will be based on an assessment of their housing need. If we are not able to help, we will provide them with our reasons and give advice about moving out and finding somewhere else to live.
Victim Support information – Coronavirus and fraudsters
Click here for tips on how to keep you and those you care for safe and free from fraud and scams.
Click here for more individual information on staying safe and free from fraud and scams.
Common covid-19 scams.
Victim Support information – Domestic Violence
Are you suffering domestic abuse? Contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on: 0808 2000 247 or visit their website here.
To find out what to do if you need urgent police help but are unable to speak, please click here.
All Boroughs
Community Groups:
Find local community groups offering help and assistance by clicking here
Government assistance for those with medical conditions:
If you have a medical condition which makes you extremely vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19), register with the government here
You may have received a letter from the NHS telling you that you’re clinically extremely vulnerable or been contacted by your GP or hospital clinician. If this has not happened, contact your GP or clinician after you register with this service.
It may take time for any support offered through this service to arrive. Wherever possible you should continue to rely on friends, family and wider support to help you meet your needs. You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else.
Food deliveries:
Click here and enter your postcode to find local food suppliers
Click here for fresh fruit and vegetable deliveries various companies
Croydon
Council:
Helpline: 020 8604 7787
E-mail – covid19support@croydon.gov.uk
Food deliveries:
Addiscombe Fruit and Veg – 07860860472 and 07921658147
Age UK:
Age UK are providing a hub for food and essentials. Click here to find out more.
Sutton
If you are in need of help, and are not sure who to talk to, there are three ways to get in touch.
1. If you or someone you know needs this support, please fill in our request support form and we will contact you. You can complete the form at any time.
2. If you need support from a charity in Sutton, email Community Action Sutton at enquiries@communityactionsutton.org.uk, they’ll forward you the right charity.
3. Call us at 020 8770 5000, option 6. If you are an extremely vulnerable person, please call us in the first instance so we can provide immediate support.
Shopping and Food
If you are an older person, Age UK Sutton can provide support. Get in touch via info@ageuksutton.org.uk.
Socialising and community
If you want to talk online to other Sutton residents
Sutton Coronavirus Support and Action Group is a Facebook group you can join with 3,000 local residents.
Help with social anxiety and need telephone befriending
Sutton Befrienders can offer support. Get in touch via befriending@vcsutton.org.uk
Bromley
Council:
Click here for an online request assistance form or Telephone on: 0208 313 4484
Age UK
In an emergency Age UK Bromley & Greenwich may be able to help with a one off emergency shop – you will be asked if you have any other support and what food you have in the house as we have very limited capacity for this service. Contact us on 020 8315 1850.
Food delivery companies – Click here for companies who are delivery food throughout the Borough
Fare Share – Food parcels and shopping service
You can download a form with options here to build your shopping list or request a food parcel. When you call they will complete the list, take payment and deliver the list with your items. Please note that due to high demand they may find that not all items are available, but they will do our best! All drivers are DBS checked and vetted by Care Outlook.
If you would like to place an order please contact 020 8695 9008 where their dedicated team would be delighted to assist you.
Housing advice, benefits & legal support
Citizens Advice Bureau – 03444 111 444
Housing & homelessness
Crisis – 020 7426 5685
Shelter – 0800 800 4444
Financial advice
Money Advice Service – 0800 138 7777
National Debtline – 0808 808 4000
Domestic abuse & violence
National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247
Men’s Advice Line – 0808 8010 327
GALOP (LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline) – 08009995428
Disability & impairment
Disability Living Foundation Charity – 0300 999 0004
Disability Rights UK – independent living and carers – 0330 995 0404
Refugee, asylum & immigration support
Migrant Help – 0808 8010 503
British Red Cross – 0344 871 11 11
Mental health support
Samaritans – 116 123
Mind – 0300 123 3393
SANE – 020 3805 1790
Support for children
NSPCC – 0808 800 5000
Animal welfare
RSPCA – 0300 123 4999
Food support
Trussell Trust – 01722 580 180
Fareshare – 0131 608 0967
General advice
- General health advice for individuals, available from the NHS website.
- Click here for Stay At Home guidance, for people with confirmed or possible COVID-19
- For information and updates from Croydon council, click here
- For information and updates from Bromley council, click here
- For information and updates from Sutton council, click here
- For the latest ccha specific news, please click here
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 07384 255 630 . 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 the delivery of an increased programme of genuinely affordable quality homes.
To do this, we aim to build 50-60 new homes a year, with half being available for affordable rent, and the other half a mix of Shared Ownership and private sale. We have this mix of housing so the money we make from sales or Leasehold goes back into the services we provide to you. This also helps to fund the Social Housing developments.
Shared Ownership, London Living Rent and Help to Buy are also types of affordable housing for those who cannot afford a full mortgage. These help residents get onto the property ladder or save money in order to do so. You can read more about these options here.
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 build of more affordable homes.
You can access our affordable rent and home buying options on our website nuviva. nuviva was 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 for 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 lists. 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 and will allocate residents in need of social housing on their waiting lists to those properties. For more information, click here.
If you are a ccha resident and would like to move, you need to visit our Transfers & Mutual Exchanges page to find out if you are eligible and complete a transfer request form, although we cannot guarantee you will move into a new build property.
If you know of another resident who would like to move, you can complete a mutual exchange request to swap properties. Visit our Transfers & Mutual Exchanges page for more information.
If you are able to buy or rent privately, you can visit Homes for Sale & 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 have 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 2022.
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.