Customer Promises

Our promises

We check our performance regularly in a variety of ways – from satisfaction surveys and resident and staff mystery shopping, to external audits and the feedback we get from you. And every year we report back to you, to let you know how well we’ve been keeping our promises.

We know your needs and expectations can change. So from time to time we will check with you that our promises are still in tune with what you’re looking for from East Thames.

Our behaviour

Our promise to you – we will be professional and approachable.
We will:

wear our name badges and give our names clearly on the phone

listen to you and do our best to give you what you need

offer friendly and effective services – finding the best and most efficient way to get in touch with you

We will also make sure we train our staff to deal with your questions or problems, or to point you in the direction of someone who can.

In return – we ask that you please treat all of our staff politely, and with respect.

When you call us

Our promise to you - we aim to deal with your enquiry straightaway. If we can’t, we will get back to you promptly with an answer.

We will answer our phones during office hours and we will only use answer phones if we really need to.
If you do have to leave a message, we will call you back by the next working day.

When you write to us

Our promise to you – we will acknowledge your letter or email within three working days and answer it within ten.

If we can’t give you a full response within ten working days, we will write to explain why and let you know when you will hear from us again.

Our letters and emails will include the name, job title and direct phone number of the person replying to you, so you know who your contact is.

When you come to our offices

Our promise to you – during office hours, you will be able to speak to a member of staff who can help you.
Our reception areas will:

be welcoming, with private areas available

be accessible for wheelchair users and have facilities for people with hearing difficulties

have up-to-date information about the services we and other relevant agencies can offer

display news about our performance

Appointments

Our promise to you – we will see you within five minutes of your appointment time.

If you haven’t made an appointment, you won’t have to wait any longer than ten minutes to speak to a member of staff who can help you.

If you would like to meet us but are unable to come to our office, we’d be happy to visit you at home. Please contact us to arrange a home visit.

In return – we ask you to keep your appointment or let us know as soon as you can if you won’t be able to make it.

When you move in

Our promise to you – we will make sure your new home is clean and tidy, and give you the support you need to settle in.

We will:

prepare our empty homes to the high standards we agreed with tenants’ representatives

not leave our homes empty for too long

explain the conditions of your lease or tenancy agreement to you before you move in

give you a welcome pack with all the information you need

meet you within eight weeks of your moving date, if you are a new tenant or shared owner

In return – we ask you to keep your property in good condition and meet your responsibilities as set out in your tenancy agreement or lease.

Improving your home

Our promise to you – in line with the government’s Decent Homes Standard, we will make sure your home is safe and warm.

We will:

make sure all of our properties – except those with plans for major work – meet the Decent Homes Standard by April 2010

make sure all our START properties meet the standards for temporary accommodation

contact you before we start any repairs or replacements, to agree what needs to be done and when we will start and finish the job, keep you up-to-date on how the work is coming along and let you know if there are any problems that will affect it

give you a choice of fixtures wherever we can, if we replace your kitchen or bathroom

check your gas appliances every year to make sure they’re safe

We are not responsible for leaseholders’ appliances. If you are a leaseholder, we strongly advise you to arrange your own annual gas service.

In return – we ask you to let us in when we have arranged to check and service your gas appliances.

Repairing your home

Our promise to you – we will complete repairs correctly the first time whenever we can.

We will:

let you know if we can’t complete a repair on our first visit. We will explain why and keep you up to date on what happens next

make an appointment for all urgent and routine repairs. If we can’t keep the appointment, we will call to let you know, and arrange another one with you, let you know which category your repair comes under and the timescales for the work

complete emergency repairs in 24 hours, urgent repairs in five calendar days and routine repairs in 21 calendar days

We have also set standards for all our contractors and staff.

They will:

introduce themselves, show their identification and tell you why they’re visiting

treat you and your home with respect

clean up at the end of every day, and when they have finished the job

follow health and safety guidelines

In return – we ask you to:

make any repairs you are responsible for in line with your tenancy agreement or lease

keep your appointment for repairs or improvements to your home or let us know as soon as you can if you won’t be able to

report any repairs needed in the communal areas of your property

Your rent and service charges

Our promise to you – we will give you clear information and advice about paying your rent and service charges.

We will:

send you a rent and service charge statement every quarter, and whenever you ask for one

give leaseholders an itemised service charge bill every year

explain how we work out your rent and service charges every year

give you a month’s written notice to let you know about any changes to your rent and service charges

give you confidential advice if you need help working out or applying for housing benefits

help you in any way we can if you have problems paying your rent, service charges or mortgage payments

set up a sinking fund for leaseholders to help pay for any major work

In return – we ask you to pay your rent and service charges on time and make sure your housing benefit claims are kept up-to-date.

If you are finding it difficult to pay your rent and service charges, please talk to us – we may be able to help.

Keeping you involved

Our promise to you – we will give you lots of opportunities to get involved with what we do and the services we offer, in a way that suits you best.

We will:

help you to help us shape and monitor our services and improve the area you live in

advertise vacancies for our Board, committees and our advisory groups in StreetbyStreet and on our website. And we’ll help you to become an active member

let you know how residents’ views have helped us improve our services

review our Resident Involvement Strategy with you, and work out how we can make it even more effective

In return – we ask you to please get in touch with us if you want to be more involved. And to tell us how you think we can improve our services.

You can contact the Community Involvement Team on 0845 600 0830.

Keeping you up-to-date

Our promise to you – we will provide regular and clear information about our services, including any changes to our members of staff who you’re normally in touch with.

We will:

provide clear factsheets that explain our services and your responsibilities as a tenant, leaseholder or shared owner

publish an annual report about our performance and send out regular resident newsletters

make sure our websites are up-to-date

make sure all our information is easy to find and easy to read – written clearly, in plain English

give you documents in large print, Braille, pictures or other languages or on tape or CD if you need them

arrange interpreting and translation services during office hours, for residents who don’t have English as their first language

arrange a minicom service when our Customer Contact Centre is open, for residents who have difficulty hearing. The number for this service is 020 8552 2006

Handling complaints

Our promise to you – when things go wrong, we will put them right as quickly as we can. And we will learn from our mistakes.

We will:

handle complaints in writing, over the phone, by fax, email or in person at any of our offices

provide a complaints form when you ask for one and make them available on our website and at our offices

acknowledge your complaint within three working days

fully respond, addressing everything in your complaint within three weeks

explain the reason for any delay. Sometimes a complaint may need a more thorough investigation. So if we need to look into it in more detail, we will let you know when to expect a full answer

give you details about any changes we have made to our services and facilities after taking on board residents’ complaints and comments

Anti Social Behaviour

Our promise to you – we will not tolerate antisocial behaviour. We take it very seriously and will act firmly against those who are a nuisance.

You do not have to put up with antisocial behaviour. It’s your right to lead a peaceful life in your neighbourhood and we will do everything we can to help you do that.

If you report antisocial behaviour to us, we will:

get in touch with you to talk about what’s happened and agree with you what to do next

stay in regular contact with you to keep up-to date with the situation and collect evidence at every stage

take action against anyone who has behaved in an antisocial way, once we have proof

support you alongside other groups like the Police, Environmental Health officers or independent mediation services if they can help

In return – we ask you to:

get in touch with us if you experience antisocial behaviour, so we can tell you what you need to do

keep evidence of everything that has happened in a diary so it’s clear in your mind

report any incidents to the Police or to any other party who may be able to help with your complaint, like an Environmental Health officer

Care and Support Services

You are entitled to lead a full and independent life within your home and the community. We will work with you to help you to do that, taking into account your rights and responsibilities.

Our first promise to you – we will offer you choice and control over how and where you live, planning care and/or support to meet your needs.

We will review your care or support plan with you at least every six months – to make sure this still works for you.

Our second promise to you – we will support and help you manage your daily life so you can live safely and comfortably.

We will help you identify any risks you face through a needs and risk assessment process. This will be reviewed every six months or as and when your needs change. Support can be increased or decreased in agreement with you.

If we receive any report of abuse, we will investigate promptly and fully. We will set up timescales for every stage of the process and make sure we do everything we can to handle the situation correctly and effectively.