1Link Housing – 08451 400 100

JUNE 2010

newsThe newsletter for Link tenants

Did you knowthat we nowhave a newwebsite with adedicatedTenant Zonewhichcontains awealth ofinformationabout yourtenancy with Link?

Visit the zone atwww.linkhousing.org.uk/tenants-zone to find all thelatest news from Link,information about how to getinvolved with decision-makingand details of how to accesssources of free and confidentialadvice on money, benefits, debt

and energy issues. You can alsouse the website to let us know ifany repairs are needed in yourhome – and much more!

Why not take a look and, ifyou have a couple of minutes tospare, give us your views bycompleting the onlinequestionnaire so we can go onimproving the site. This can befound at http://tinyurl.com/tenant-web-survey.

INSIDE

Involving you

Youth Forum

Tenants visit Newcastle

housingHeard about the

Tenant Zone?

Five year maintenance plan You should have received a copy ofthe latest planned maintenance schedule enclosed with this newsletter. Theschedule highlights the main work that will be carried out to your homebetween now and 2015. If you have any questions about the schedule, or youdidn’t receive one with your newsletter, please contact the Customer ServiceCentre on 08451 400 100 or email csc@linkhaltd.co.uk.

2 www.linkhousing.org.uk

Youth forum

opportunity to indulge in amanicure or Indian headmassage, use the internet café –and lots more!

The daytime sessions will befollowed by dinner and the eventwill be rounded off with ajamming session for those whowould like to take part (pleasebring along your musical

instrument if you have one),before you head back home inthe transport provided.

If you use your own car we willreimburse you at 40 pence permile. Reasonable child/carercosts will be met if required (ifthere are enough childrenattending we may provide acrèche).

If you would like to attendplease complete the formbelow and return it toTenant Liaison Officer,Link Housing Association,Callendar Business Park,Falkirk, FK1 1XR.

Name Address AgeTransportrequired (tick)

Child/carer costsrequired (tick)

Are you a Link tenantaged 16-25? Would youlike to meet otheryoung tenants, pick upsome advice andinformation that’srelevant to you and trysome new things, all forfree? Then the first LinkHousing Youth Forumcould be for you!

The forum is taking place in thePark Hotel, Falkirk, on Thursday5 August 2010 from 12.30 –7pm. It will be opened by amystery guest and a greatafternoon of interestingworkshops and entertainment isplanned. There will also be the

Unlawful subletting

When a tenant of Link Housing Association lets out their home without Link’s knowledge orpermission, they are unlawfully sub-letting. The tenant continues to pay the rent for theproperty directly to Link but charges the person they are sub-letting to at a much higher rate.

We take unlawful sub-letting very seriously – any tenant who sub-lets may be found to be inbreach of their tenancy agreement, which could result in the loss of their tenancy.

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Youth Forum booking form

3Link Housing – 08451 400 100

Link Housing Association hasbecome only the secondRegistered Social Landlord inScotland to receive formalaccreditation from the TenantParticipation AdvisoryService (TPAS) recognisingexcellence in tenantparticipation.

During the five-monthaccreditation process, weundertook a self assessment,explaining how we involvetenants and residents. We thenhad to show evidence of how wecomply with 11 keycompetencies in residentinvolvement, which includehaving an active tenantparticipation strategy in place,involving tenants in decision-making and ensuring staff havea good awareness of tenantparticipation.

TPAS then carried out averification process whichinvolved interviews with tenantsand staff and an assessment ofour performance by anindependent scrutiny panel.

TPAS Chief Executive LesleyBaird who presented us with ouraccreditation said: “We werevery impressed with Link’sperformance. They have workedreally hard and recognise thatwhile not everyone wants to bepart of a tenants’ group, theyhave a right to participate at alevel that suits them – Link has arange of options for tenants toparticipate at the level that suitsthem best. Tenants are at theheart of the organisation andthey’re clearly involved in thedecision-making process.”

EASY WAYS TOPAY YOUR RENT

OnlineYou can log on directly towww.allpayments.net topay your rent. All you needis your Allpay card andcredit/debit card to make apayment on a secure site.

By phoneIf you do not have accessto a computer then we canlog on for you. Simplycontact us on 08451 400100 and have yourcredit/debit card at theready.

By Direct DebitWe can set this up veryquickly over the phone,just give us a call on08451 400 100 and haveyour bank account detailsready. This methodensures you never forgetto make a payment. Wecan also amend your directdebit just as easily if yourcircumstances or yourrent change.

We’re excellent atinvolving you!

(L-R): Link Housing's Chair Angela Currie; TPAS Chief ExecutiveLesley Baird; Link Housing's Director of Housing Maureen Middleton;Link Housing's Tenant Liaison Officer Lenore Suddon.

4 www.linkhousing.org.uk

Last year’s outing to Blair DrummondSafari Park was a ‘roaring’ success sowe have decided to return to thepark for our 2010 summer outing onWednesday 28 July 2010.

This year’s visit will be even bigger and better, witha barbecue, children’s races, competitions, rafflesand much more. The day out will hopefully allow ourtenants to have fun and get to know each other.

Places will be allocated by drawing names “outof the hat”. If you want to attend with your

neighbours, make sure you put all your names onthe same application form. Coach transport,entrance to the park and the barbecue are free – allyou have to do is cross your fingers and hope thesun shines!

To be in with a chance for this great day out,please complete the application form below andreturn it before 9 July 2010 to:

Tenant Liaison Officer, Link HousingAssociation, Watling House, CallendarBusiness Park, Falkirk, FK1 1XR.

Please note that this trip is for Link tenants only.

Summer outing 2010

Name Address Age Contact telephone number

WE WILL shortly be sendingevery tenant a copy of our TenantParticipation Strategy for 2010 -2013. The strategy, which wasproduced jointly by Link staffand tenants, details ourcommitment to our tenants andhow we aim to encourage moreof you to get involved with Link

and its decision making. The publication contains lots

of information we hope you willfind useful. For example, wehave listed the areas whereRegistered Tenants’ Groups andVillage Voices are present anddetails of how to contact them.For those who do not have a

group in their area we haveprovided information on how tostart up your own.

We also detail the manydifferent ways that you canbecome involved with Link.

If you would like to discussany item in the new strategyplease contact the TenantLiaison Officer using the contactdetails on the back of thisnewsletter.

T E N A N T PA R T I C I PAT I O N ST R AT E G Y

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Summer outing booking form

During December 2009 and January 2010, tenant ‘mysteryshoppers’ reviewed how our Customer Service Centre (CSC)provides its services. The tenants were asked to call the CSCwith a query and rate the quality of the response they received.

Details of the results are shown below. We know there is room forimprovement which we are addressing through ongoing trainingand monitoring.

Overall quality of call

● The Link advisor recapped the conversation in 48% of calls● The Link advisor asked tenant for their contact details in

44% of calls● The Link advisor opened the call politely in 88% of calls● The Link advisor ended the call politely in 88% of calls

Technical knowledge of Link advisor rated out of 10

Thank you to all the ‘mystery shoppers’ who took part in the review.If you would like further details on how to become a mystery

shopper please contact the Tenant Liaison Officer using the contactdetails on the back of this newsletter.

5Link Housing – 08451 400 100

M Y S T E R Y S H O P P I N G TENANT-LEDINSPECTIONLINK has recently recruitedseven Tenant Inspectors whowill be reviewing a number ofareas of our work. Theinspectors attended a three-day training course beforegoing on to plan their firstservice review which was ofour Void and Re-letStandard. The standard isset to minimise void periodsand ensure properties arepresented effectively toprospective tenants.

After familiarisingthemselves with our voidpolicy and procedures theinspectors worked alongsidestaff and visited new tenantsto find out about theirexperience of becoming aLink tenant. The review isongoing and the results willbe published in theChristmas 2010 issue ofHousing News.

Tenant-led inspections area relatively new developmentin housing and a way ofinvolving tenants in thereview and development ofthe housing service. TenantInspectors receive expensesand remuneration giftvouchers for taking part inthis worthwhile andenjoyable exercise. If youwould like further details onhow to become a TenantInspector please contact theTenant Liaison Officer usingthe contact details on theback of this newsletter.

Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

% of shopperswho gave thisrating

4 4 24 0 0 4 16 0 0 43

6 www.linkhousing.org.uk

In January 2010 a newHousing Bill wasintroduced to theScottish Parliament.

The remit of this Bill is tosafeguard social housing for theuse of future generations oftenants. The Bill is due tobecome an Act later on in theyear as the Scottish Governmentaims to reform the Right to Buyand improve value for money toall tenants and taxpayersthrough a modernised system ofsocial housing regulation.

The Bill states that the ScottishHousing Regulator shouldinvolve tenant representatives inhow it delivers its functions andestablishes the development of aScottish Social Housing Charter,giving tenants the opportunity toparticipate with the ScottishGovernment to raise housingstandards and services. The newSocial Housing Charter will:

● Set national and localoutcomes

● Provide high leveldescriptions of whatlandlords should achieve

● Be developed bytenants/stakeholders andprovide a framework forassessment ofperformance and valueprovided by landlords

● Allow the Scottish HousingRegulator to assessLandlord’s performanceagainst the Charter

TIMETABLEFOR CHARTERA period of consultation/development has been set asfollows:

● Stakeholders discussionsAutumn 2010

● Discussion paperpublished Early 2011

● 2nd stage stakeholdersdiscussion Spring 2011

● Statutory consultationSummer 2011

● Submission to ParliamentLate 2011

● Charter in forceApril 2012

If you would like to know moreabout this and/or wish to beconsidered to take part in theconsultation discussions withthe Scottish Government, pleasecontact the Tenant LiaisonOfficer using the contact detailson the back of this newsletter.

2010 Housing Bill

Energy PerformanceCertificates

In January 2009, thegovernment introducednew legislation regardingthe energy performanceof all buildings. We cannotnow let a property withoutan Energy PerformanceCertificate (EPC). Thecertificate provides anenergy rating for theproperty and listssuggested works that mayimprove its energyefficiency, which weconsider when planningfor the future.

The informationcollected from the EPCswill inform our plannedmaintenance programmeand we may carry outwork to your home thatimproves its energyefficiency. If you would like to know more aboutEPCs please call theScottish BuildingStandards Agency on01506 600 400.

7Link Housing – 08451 400 100

Judging for our annual garden competition willtake place during the second week in August 2010.

Summer GardenCompetition 2010

This year’s categories are:● Hanging basket or window

box: first prize £15 B&Qvouchers, 2nd prize £10 B&Qvouchers

● Garden, patio or yard: firstprize £20 B&Q vouchers,2nd prize £15 B&Q vouchers

● Communal Garden: firstprize £50 B&Q vouchers,2nd prize £25 B&Q vouchers

● Best Vegetable Patch: oneprize only – £20 B&Qvouchers

If you would like to enter, pleasesubmit your application form byMonday 12 July to:

Tenant Liaison Officer, LinkHousing Association, WatlingHouse, Callendar BusinessPark, Falkirk, FK1 1XR, orgive it to your local areahousing officer.

GOOD LUCK to all who enter!

I would like to enter the Tenants Gardening Competitionand the category I have chosen is:

Garden, patio or yard

Hanging basket or window box

Communal garden

Best vegetable patch

Name ..........................................................................................

Address ......................................................................................

....................................................................................................

Tel no............................................................................................

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RecipesNow that the weather is warmer,why not treat yourself or yourfamily to these deliciousbarbecue treats?

BBQ Lemon ChickenYellow pepper cut into pieces2 large chicken breasts(chopped into 1” pieces)2 oz butterJuice and rind of a lemon2 cloves garlic crushed(more if you like)

Melt the butter slowly in a pan.Take off the heat and add thejuice and grated rind of the

lemon, garlic, yellow pepper andmix well. Pour into a freezer bagand add chicken pieces, give itall a good shake. Leave tomarinate for 30 mins.

Thread the chicken andpepper onto a skewer (if usingwooden skewers, soak them forat least 30 mins in cold water

before use), season with saltand pepper if required andplace on BBQ, turning untilchicken is cooked through.

Classic Fruit Punch12 ice cubesFresh mint leavesBottle of lemonade, chilledBottle of ginger ale, chilledHalf a cucumber cut into smallthin strips1 lemon cut into thin slices1 green apple, thinly sliced10 strawberries, halved

Place all ingredients in a largejug, stir will long spoon andserve. Add more fruit and/or iceif desired.

8 www.linkhousing.org.uk

Tenants visit NewcastleDunedin Canmore HousingAssociation invited Linktenants to join them on a tripto Newcastle in April 2010,along with tenants fromCastle Rock Edinvar and Cityof Edinburgh Council.

The visit, arranged jointly byDunedin Canmore and seniorlecturers at Newcastle andEdinburgh Universities saw thetenants visiting the Byker Estatewhich has won numerousarchitectural awards.

The group, pictured, alsovisited the new Places for Peoplemixed tenure development in theWalker area of Newcastle and hada very productive meeting with

Good advice

representatives and staff from theNewcastle Tenants Federation.

We aim to plan moreexchange visits between tenantsand residents across the country

in order to help improve tenants’knowledge of a variety ofmatters, from mixed tenureand factoring issues to mentalhealth awareness.

If you need advice onbenefits and money thenwhy not contact the LinkAdvice Team?

We are:Approachable – we can helpwith benefits, welfare or debt/money matters.

Diverse – we will do what wecan to help everyone with anymatter relating to their benefits,debt or welfare whether it beabout their income, finances,health, utilities, isolation,adaptations, housing,education, their local area.

Very nice people – who justlove to help and sort things outfor you.

Industrious – many of ourclients have physical andmental health difficulties andwe try to navigate andnegotiate through complexbenefits, welfare and debtsystems. We constantlyevaluate how we do things totry and improve efficiency andthe services we offer.

Confidential – we treat theinformation we receive in thestrictest confidence.

Enterprising – we are verygood at developing newservices and projects.

Tenacious – once we get ourteeth into a problem we will notlet it go.

Enthusiastic – we are veryenthusiastic about what we doand strive to provide the bestlevel of service at all times.

Adaptable – there is no suchthing as a standard day in theAdvice Team. Every client andevery case is different.

Mindful – we are very mindfulof your needs and strive to doour best at all times.

Why not contact us on01324 417174 or visit us aswww.linkhousing.org.uk/tenants-zone/getting-advice to see how we canhelp you?

9Link Housing – 08451 400 100

TENANT PARTICIPATION EVENTS CALENDARJULY

• Tenant summer outing• Tenant Panel tour of

West Region• Sheltered housing tenants’

newsletter (planning)

AUGUST

• Customer Care Policy –consultation

• Committee Skills training• Youth Forum

SEPTEMBER

• Tenant Panel memberelections

• Shared Ownership Policy –consultation

• Tenant open session 3:What it is like to be a tenantinvolved in Link activities

OCTOBER

• Tenant Participation AdvisoryService – National Conference

• Tenant Panel election • Christmas edition of Housing

News (planning) • Equality and Diversity training

for members of RegisteredTenants’ Organisations

NOVEMBER

• Mystery Shopping training• Committee Skills Training• TP Strategy evaluation and

monitoring meeting

DECEMBER

• Service Charges Policyconsultation

• Complaints Policy –consultation

• Tenant groups’ get-together• Mystery shopping exercise• Tenant open session 4:

Shadowing a housing officer/maintenance officer

• Customer Care Policy –consultation

If you would like to take part in any of the above focus groups or activities or would like an informal chatabout what is involved, please contact the Tenant Liaison Officer using the contact details on the back ofthis newsletter.

Free attractions in ScotlandMany of us here at Link have the same concernas you over the school holidays – what to dowith the kids! We have therefore asked staffwhat free attractions are in Scotland whichthey have enjoyed with their families.

The summit of Arthur’s seat is the highestpoint in Edinburgh and is easily to walk to in30-60 minutes by most people in good health.The views from the top are exceptional.

Callendar House, Falkirk tells storiesspanning 600 years of Scottish history and issituated amidst magnificent park andwoodland. Open daily, the 1825 kitchen formsthe centre-piece of this interactive experience

and you can sample authentic Georgian food,listen to stories about life below stairs andwatch kitchen staff go about their daily tasks.

Palacerigg Country Park, Cumbernauld –Palacerigg’s animal collection is unique inCentral Scotland and provides an opportunityto see many rare breeds in addition to otherfriendly farm animals.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum,Glasgow is the largest civic museum and artgallery in the UK, with collections ofinternational importance.

Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh is one ofthe world’s finest botanical gardens (anadmission charge applies to glasshouses).

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10 www.linkhousing.org.uk

How are we doing?The table below shows how we are performing insome key areas. We must report these statistics tothe Scottish Housing Regulator on an annual basis.

We had set more challenging targets for the new repairs contractorfor 2009/10 compared to before and it has been tough to achievethese. Improving the service to you is a priority and we have beenworking with Connaught, our repairs partner, to make sure that wedo that over the coming year. We have managed to deliver more newkitchens and bathrooms and central heating upgrades thanexpected through our planned programme and we have carried out87 adaptations to make houses more accessible.

If you would like more information about our performance, pleasecontact the Tenant Liaison Officer using the contact details on theback page.

Do you know our nextCommunity Star?The search is on for 2010’sCommunity Star. This awardrecognises people who areprepared to “go that extramile” for the good of thecommunity and theirneighbours. If you know ofanyone in your area whodeserves this award andwould like to put their nameforward for consideration,please contact the TenantLiaison Officer using thecontact details on the back ofthis newsletter. The winner will receive a£50 voucher and we willdonate £200 to a charity oftheir choice.

Christmas competition winner The winner of the Christmas competition in the December2009 issue of Housing News was Ms Yuill of Falkirk who received £25 of M&S vouchers.

Prize draw winners The following tenants have each won a £25 voucher for the high streetstore of their choice after entering the planned maintenance satisfaction survey prize draw:Janet Andrew Edinburgh, Joseph Young Falkirk, Paul Morrison Falkirk, James AlexanderFalkirk, Pamela Thomson East Kilbride, William Anderson Camelon, George McIntosh Falkirk,Agnes Clark Airdrie, William Edmond Falkirk.

Stair and windowcleaning contract

We are currently looking toprocure a new contract for someof the stair and window cleaningin our closes. Over the comingmonths, you may see Linkemployees in your close takingdown information andmeasuring up to ensure we holdthe correct details to help createthe contract documentation.

Key Performance Indicators Target08/09

Year endtotal

09/10Year end

total

Lettings Average time properties taketo be repaired and let (When repairsdone, average time to let properties)

15days

20.36

25.34.7

Loss of rent on empty properties 0.60% 0.57% 0.8 %

Average Annual Rent Increase – 3.4% 1.9%

Total Rent Arrears 6.8% 5.5% 3.7%

Repairs

Emergency 100% 96.7% 94.3%

Urgent 96% 93.4% 85.7%

Routine 96% 93.4% 88.2%

Customer satisfaction (repairs)Customer satisfaction withimprovements

95% 83.1%91.7%

82.58%91.23%

Number of planned improvementsachieved 2009/10 (Target for period2009-2014 is 5238 homes)

1197units

1028units

1626units

Complete all gas servicing on orbefore service anniversary date 100% 88% 97%

Last year’s winner,Margaret Tait

11Link Housing – 08451 400 100

Have you had arepair carried outrecently?Our repairs contractorConnaught will now leave aRepairs Satisfaction Survey witha freepost envelope with youafter every job. In order for Linkand Connaught to improve theirservice please fill out the surveyand return it to Link in thefreepost envelope provided –you never know, you might bethe lucky winner of a giftvoucher!

Contents Insurance

Are the contents of yourhome insured?

LINK insures all of itsproperties but this onlycovers the buildingsthemselves, fixtures andfittings, glass (in windowsand external doors) and fixedsanitary ware - bath, toiletand wash hand basin. It isyour responsibility to haveinsurance for your furniture,floor coverings, internaldecoration and personalbelongings.

Some types of homecontents insurance will alsogive you Accidental DamageCover. Some insurance willmake you pay more for this,while others will include it inthe basic cost – it isimportant to check the termsof your policy.

Asbestos

AS a responsible landlord,we hold a register of all ourcommon areas whereasbestos is known to bepresent. Over the comingmonths, a contractor calledScientifics will be visitingthese areas to survey theasbestos again so that theinformation we hold is up todate. If you have anyconcerns about Asbestos,please contact us on08451 400 100.

This year, one of themajor plannedmaintenance projectshas been extensiveworks at our propertiesin Wallace Street,Falkirk.

The living area of the propertiesused to consist of a living roomand extremely small kitchen.Link recognised that the layoutwas not ideal for current andprospective tenants so set aboutholding consultation meetingswith tenants and architects toput forward plans to remodel theliving area.

The results are excellent withthe bottom and middle floor flatshaving an open plan living roomand kitchen with a small utilityarea enclosed at the back of theproperty and the top floor flatsconsisting of a separate kitchen,living room and utility room.

One of the current tenantssaid:

“I'm absolutely delightedwith the kitchen units. Theopen plan layout providesmore room to function andprepare meals. The increasedcupboard & storage space isfantastic.”

YOU SAID, WE DID

12 www.linkhousing.org.uk

Link will produce this information on request in Braille, Audio Tape,Large Print and Community Languages. To find out more, please telephone the

CSC on 08451 400 100. Link Housing Association Limited is a companyregistered in Scotland. Company registration number SC216300. Registered Office:

Link House, 2C New Mart Road, Edinburgh EH14 1RL. Part of the Link group.

Calling the CustomerService CentreWe have recently changed the options you are given when you callour Customer Service Centre. The new recorded message you willhear when you call will ask you to choose from the following options:

● Applying for gas heating and boiler repairs - press 1● Repairs that are not gas heating or boiler related - press 2● Applying for a house - press 3● Rent arrears - press 4● Property management (factoring) - press 5● Any other issue or help directing your call - press 6

Contact the TenantLiaison Officer

Our Tenant Liaison Officeris Lenore Suddon. Shecan contacted in thefollowing ways:

By phone:Customer Service Centre08451 400 100

By email:TLO@linkhaltd.co.uk

By post:Tenant Liaison Officer,Link Housing Association,Watling House,Callendar Business Park,Falkirk, FK1 1XR

Emergency contactnumbers

For repairs to all newboiler or central heatingsystems that are LESS than12 months old callBritish Gas 08459 500 400.

For repairs to any new kitcheninstallations that are LESSthan 12 months old callEAGA 01506 417111.

For any gas central heatingrepairs call Saltireon 08451 400 100pressing Option 1.

For all other emergencyrepairs call Connaught0141 646 3886.

If you experience anyproblems, contact theCustomer Service Centreon 08451 400 100.

Welcome to all tenants of Horizon Housing Associationwhich became part of Link at the end of 2009. Link and Horizon will use their joint strength and experience togo on providing quality housing and to tackle widerneighbourhood issues across a large part of Scotland.

Horizon’s expertise lies in meeting the housing needs ofdisabled people. The new partnership will continue to ensure thathousing for disabled people is fully integrated in the community.

Horizon joins Link