Rent Consultation Results 2024

We consulted with tenants over December 2023 and January 2024 on options for increasing 2024/2025 rent levels.

The consultation involved us sending a rent consultation newsletter (available at CHA Rent Options 2024-2025) and an individual letter to every tenant detailing how the two rent increase options would impact on their future rent charge. A paper feedback form was also contained in the newsletter along with a pre-paid envelope for tenants to advise us on their preferred option. Other forms of feedback available to tenants included a text message feedback form, calling us, emailing us and using the contact form from this website.

The consultation presented two rent increase options: 5% or 8.7% (September 2023 Consumer Prices Index + 2%)

Participation Levels: Participation levels in the consultation were our highest ever: 349 tenants participated, i.e., almost 48% of all tenants.

Consultation Results: 327 tenants (97% of those who took part) told us that they had a preferrance for a 5% rent increase. Only 22 tenants (6% of those who participated) told us that they thought an 8.7% increase was appropriate.

Rent Increase Decision: Our Management Committee met on 21 February 2024 to review the consultation results as part of the final rent increase decision-making process. Based on the detailed financial plans, rent affordability levels and this feedback received from tenants, The Committee decided to limit the 2024/2025 rent increase to 5%.

All tenants have now received formal written notice of what their new rent will be.

Tenants who think they might face difficulty in paying the new rent charge should contact our Housing Management Team on 0808 175 6288 for advice and support.    

 

Keeping you safe in your home

Keeping your home safe

Our Technical Services Team are working hard to ensure your homes are safe and that we are meeting our obligations according to the law and all housing regulations for landlords.

Electrical Safety

CHA also has a responsibility to carry out basic safety checks to ensure electrical installations work safely.  The law requires us to ensure the installations in our homes are safe when a tenant moves in.

You should never try to carry out your own electrical repairs and always let us know if you suspect an electrical problem in your home.

During your tenancy we may also carry out a periodic electrical inspection.  These are recommended to take place every 5 years to make sure there is no deterioration due to damage, wear and tear or other environmental factors such as overloading or corrosion.

Gas Safety

As your landlord, we’re responsible for making sure any gas appliances and pipework in your home are safe and working normally. So, we carry out annual gas safety checks in all of our properties with a gas supply. The law also applies to you in ensuring that you allow us access to your home to carry out the annual Gas Service Inspection.

To ensure we meet our obligations, we program gas servicing every 10 months.  This allows time for any replacement parts that might be needed and to work around your availability.

Help us keep you safe by allowing access to your home promptly.

When your next safety check is due, our contractor will send you a letter with an appointment date and time. Please use the contact details on the letter to inform the contractor if this date/time is not convenient for you so that the appointment can be rearranged. Failure to comply with the gas safety appointment could result in legal action being taken against you/your tenancy.

On completion of the Gas Service, we’ll provide you with a copy of the relevant certificate within 28 days, so you too have assurance that your gas appliances are safe to use.  

Asbestos safety

The use of asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, however, a lot of our housing was built or refurbished before this time and some properties may contact asbestos materials. Products containing asbestos can look the same as those that do not, so you should always be careful.

In line with legislation and Health and Safety Executive’s guidance, it is our policy to leave asbestos containing materials that are in good condition in place. We ask our contractors to assess homes for asbestos during improvement or alteration work and will tell you about any possible risks.

CHA operates an asbestos management system which allows us to monitor and manage the presence of asbestos containing materials within our housing stock. This system is reviewed regularly to ensure our contractors’ and tenants’ safety. We will make sure that any material containing asbestos is kept in a safe condition. If we need to remove any material containing asbestos from your home, we will use a specialist contractor.

The asbestos found in houses presents a low risk and is unlikely to harm your health. It is important to remember that as long as asbestos containing materials are in good condition, they do not pose a significant risk to health.

Other safety inspections and servicing requirements exist for services such as:

  • Fire alarms and emergency lighting systems
  • Water Hygiene and the prevention of legionella

It’s important you allow access whenever asked so we can identify any potential risk to your home and your safety.   

If you have any queries about gas or other safety inspections, you can call our Technical Services Team on 0808 175 6288 option 1.

Make a Payment

Our rents are due to be paid on or before the 28th day of each month and are charged monthly in advance – this means for example that the April rent is due to be paid by the 28th of March.

Paying Your Rent on Time– it’s simple and convenient

 It’s important to pay your rent on time. Every tenant is due to pay their rent on or before the 28th day of every month. We use the money we collect to deliver the services we provide – like a quicker repairs service and making improvements to your homes. There are 7 simple ways to pay your rent.

Post Office/Paypoint/ Payzone– using your Allpay card. Your nearest outlet can be found on http://allpay.net/outlet  
24/7 Telephone – Allpay on 0330 041 6497. It has secure and authorised payment processing, and you can make payments by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You must have your Allpay number.
Internet – online at www.allpayments.net using your debit or credit card – you must have your Allpay card number.
Standing Order – contact us on 0808 175 6288 to have the standing order form sent to you.
CAllpay – Contact us (during office hours) on 0808 175 6288. Payment can be made using your debit or credit card.
Cheque – posted to the office and made payable to Clydesdale Housing Association. Please print your name, address, and reference number on the back of your cheque.
Direct Debit – contact us on 0808 175 6288 to arrange this, having your bank details to hand.

 

Problems Paying Rent

Our tenants and shared owners should contact us as soon as they experience difficulties in being able to afford making rent payments. We can check your entitlement to Housing Benefit/Universal Credit, provide advice and assist you with form-filling. We can also arrange for you to meet with a Money Advisor who will help you organise the repayment of rent arrears and any other debts you may have. The Money Advisor will also provide Benefit entitlement advice.

We have arrangements in place with South Lanarkshire Council’s Money Matters Advice Service – South Lanarkshire Council and Clydesdale Citizens Advice to offer qualified advice to tenants. Clydesdale Citizens Advice also provides outreach services in local communities.

Alternatively, you can use this self help guide from the Money Advice Service or get online benefit entitlement advice from Turn2us.

Rights and Responsibilities

What is a Scottish Secure Tenancy?

Most housing associations, housing co-operatives and council tenants have a Scottish Secure Tenancy. It is a legal contract between a Tenant and us that provides a right to the Tenant to live in the property. It imposes rights and responsibilities on each party e.g., that the tenant pays the rent, and that the landlord carries out repairs when required. A Scottish Secure Tenancy also provides security of tenure to the Tenant i.e. the landlord cannot end the tenancy without obtaining a court order – usually after proving to a court that the Tenant has breached the terms of the tenancy.

What are our responsibilities as a landlord?

  • We will ensure that the houses we rent are wind & watertight and fit to live in.
  • We will keep the property in proper working order, i.e. the structure & exterior of the home, any installations in the house provided by us for services such as, water, gas & electricity, sanitation, hot water heating and central heating.
  • We will ensure repairs are carried out within set timescales.

We have the right to set and change rent charges, which we do on an annual basis, but we will always consult with Tenants first. We also have the right to enter a property to do repairs and inspections. We will always ask Tenants when we can enter their home before we visit, but in the case of an emergency we have the right to force entry, if necessary.

What are the responsibilities of Tenants?

  • pay rent on time, or make an arrangement if payments fall behind.
  • make sure that occupants and visitors do not cause nuisance or anti-social behavior.
  • let us know about changes within the household.
  • do not cause damage to the house or estate, or any neighbors’ houses.
  • do not use the house for running a business unless we have given written permission to do so.
  • report repairs as soon as possible and provide us with access when requested.
  • do not rent out the house unless we have given written permission to do so.
  • keep gardens and any common areas clean and well kept.
  • Let us know if the Tenant is going to be away from the house for more than four weeks.
  • tell us if there is a wish to terminate the tenancy.

Tenants who break any of these responsibilities will be in breach of the tenancy agreement and could lose their home.

Anti-Social Behaviour

It is the right of everyone to live peacefully in their home, free from harassment and nuisance.  If the enjoyment of your home or the estate you are living in is being disturbed, please contact us.

We will investigate allegations of anti-social behaviour confidentially and impartially. Complaints should generally be made in writing, otherwise it may be difficult for us to pursue them. However, there may be circumstances where it is appropriate for us to respond to verbal complaints.  We will discuss complaints in a location where tenants feel comfortable, and details of the alleged anti-social behaviour will be treated confidentially.

Our approach to dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour complaints falls into the following three categories:

  • Anti-Social Behaviour 1: first time offender or repeat Estate Management offender – we aim to conclude these cases within 5 working days of receiving the complaint.
  • Anti-Social Behaviour 2: cases escalated from Anti-Social Behaviour 1- or first-time complaints of a serious nature – we aim to conclude these cases within 10 working days of receiving the complaint.
  • Estate Management: environmental issues such as fly tipping, stair-cleaning – we aim to conclude these cases within 15 working days of receiving the complaint.

More serious or prolonged antisocial behaviour may be addressed through a partnership approach involving other agencies such as South Lanarkshire Council and Police Scotland.

Our initial response to antisocial behaviour will be determined by the seriousness of the situation.  Our approach is usually one of escalation through a variety of options including mediation, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and Antisocial Behaviour Orders before the ultimate sanction of eviction is considered.

Tenants and Residents experiencing noisy neighbours during non-working hours can phone South Lanarkshire Council’s freephone noise hotline service on 0800 24 20 24.

Where antisocial behaviour involves criminal activity, this should be reported to the Police first on 999 for emergencies or 101 for non-emergencies. Please let us know when you have had to report an incident to the Police.

The Antisocial Behaviour form can be found here.

Management of Estates

We work hard and invest heavily in creating and maintaining living environments that benefit residents and the wider community. Work on the management of our estates includes:

  • Creating and maintaining balanced and sustainable communities through the allocation of housing.
  • Ensuring that estates are attractive and safe places to live.
  • Implementing effective approaches for combating anti-social behaviour.
  • Maintaining common soft and hard landscaping.
  • Providing good lighting.

To deliver these outcomes we:

  • visit and inspect the condition of each estate at least twice each year and take necessary action to resolve the issues we identify.
  • Ask a resident to check and sign our estate inspection documentation at the end of each visit and record the issues raised by that resident on the documentation.
  • regularly inspect the quality of workmanship by our repair contractors.
  • regularly inspect the quality of work carried out by our landscape contractor.

Service Complaints & Compliments

 A quick guide to our complaint’s procedure

You can make your complaint

In person, by phone, by e-mail or in writing. We have a two-stage complaints procedure. We will always try to deal with your complaint quickly. But if it is clear that the matter will need a detailed investigation, we will tell you and keep you updated on our progress.

Stage 1: Frontline Resolution

We will always try to resolve your complaint. You can ask us to consider your complaint at stage 2.

Stage 2: Investigation

We will look at your complaint at this stage 1. We also look at some complaints immediately at this stage if it is clear

that they are complex or need detailed investigation. We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will give you our decision as soon as possible. This will be after no more than 20 working days unless there is clearly a good reason for needing more time. 

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)

If after receiving our final decision on your complaint, you remain dissatisfied with our decision or the way we have handled your complaint, you can ask the SPSO to consider it. Our Complaints leaflet gives you more details on how to contact the SPSO.

Our Complaints leaflet can be found here

Click on the link to view our complaints summary for the period 1st of April 2024 to the 30th of June 2024

 Significant Performance Failures

Tenants can also report a significant performance failure (SPF) to the Scottish Housing Regulator.  SPFs can be reported by a group of tenants or an individual acting on behalf of tenants, such as a representative of a registered tenants’ organisation. An SPF would be where we have:

  • consistently and repeatedly fails to achieve outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter or outcomes agreed locally with tenants; or
  • has not reported its performance annually to its tenants or the annual reported performance does not reflect actual performance; or has materially failed to meet our Regulatory Standards; and
  • the landlord’s action(s), or failure to take action, puts tenants’ interests at risk and this significantly affects a number of the landlord’s tenants.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has a Factsheet on SPFs and an online form for reporting SPFs to them. These are available here.

 

Household Changes, Succession, Assignation, Lodgers & Permission to Reside

Tenancy Successions
Applications to succeed to a Scottish Secure Tenancy on the death of a tenant will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010.

In the absence of a ‘qualifying person’ (i.e. a family member over the age of 16 who has lived permanently at the property at the time of the Tenant’s death), an application from a non-qualifying person who was normally resident with the tenant at the time of death will be considered based on the circumstances of the case.

In all cases where the property is of a type specifically designed or substantially adapted for special needs, succession will not apply unless the proposed successor, or any member of their household has special needs requiring accommodation of the kind provided by the dwelling.

Assignation of Tenancy, Sub-Letting & Lodgers
We recognise the right of secure tenants to assign, sublet, or to take in lodgers. Requests to assign, sublet or take in lodgers must be in writing and Tenants must provide any additional information required to allow proper consideration of their request. Approval will not be unreasonably withheld but may be granted subject to certain conditions.

The Tenancy Assignation Form can be found here.

Permission to reside
You must let us know if someone moves in with you.

The tenancy agreement requires tenants to provide us with an accurate record of the members of their household at the address stated.  It is a condition of the tenancy agreement that the tenant must update their landlord immediately of any changes to their household information.  We call this seeking ‘permission for persons to reside’ at the house.

Clydesdale Housing Association will want to check the details tenants provide for the prevention of tenancy fraud.  If the tenant has not confirmed, in writing, all of their household members, this will affect any later application to change the tenancy details, apply for assignation or succession to tenancy.

Clydesdale Housing Association can take up to 28 days to make a decision and tell the tenant of the outcome but will only refuse permission if it is reasonable to do so.

The Permission to reside Form can be found here.

Changes to Your Home: Improvements & Adaptations

Improvements:

Tenants can make improvements to their home such as fitting a shower or a new kitchen. However, they must obtain written permission from us before carrying out this type of work. The Tenancy Agreement states that written permission must obtained before they:

  • alter, improve or enlarge the house, fittings or fixtures.
  • add new fixtures or fittings (for example kitchen or bathroom installations, central heating or other fixed heaters, double glazing, or any kind of external aerial or satellite dish).
  • put up a garage, shed or other structure.
  • decorate the outside of the house.

Requests for permission will be responded to within one month. In that reply we will advise on the outcome of the application and whether any conditions are attached to an approval.

Medical Adaptations:

Tenants with disabilities or medical conditions can request that their home be adapted to suit their needs, e.g., replace a bath with a level access shower, install handrails, disabled parking spaces.

Tenants should make the initial request to South Lanarkshire Council’s Occupational Therapy Team at. Disabilities – South Lanarkshire Council

An Occupational Therapist will usually visit the tenant and then contact us with details of what is required. 

Our ability to carry work out can be limited by the physical constraints of the property or the level of funding available to us.

Use of CCTV:

More tenants are contacting us seeking permission to install CCTV systems to improve home security. We recognise that CCTV can have a positive effect on the feelings tenants have about security and safety.

Tenants wishing to install CCTV should visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website and read their guidance on using CCTV in and around your home. We and the ICO recommend that you use CCTV in a responsible way to protect the privacy of others.

You will not normally require to apply for permission to install CCTV in your home as long as you are only capturing footage inside your home and garden area. Modern CCTV systems are easy to install and are wireless, so they will not disrupt the fabric of your home any more than hanging a picture on your wall. Such systems are exempt from the Data Protection Act.

If you intend to capture footage outside the boundary of your property, e.g., car parking areas, you will need to apply to us for permission. We will not unreasonably withhold permission, however, we will require evidence from you to show that you are not capturing footage of other people’s homes or other private areas – our application process will normally involve a resident consultation process before we make a final decision.

Please contact us on 01555 665316 if you have any questions.

Home Contents Insurance

Tenants and residents are responsible for insuring against the loss or damage to decoration, furniture, and personal possessions. Damage or destruction of belongings caused by a burst pipe or flooding from a neighbour above happens all too often. Tenant and resident contents insurance gives you peace of mind that should something like this happen, you are protected.

With a special scheme arranged and administered by Thistle Tenant Risks, our tenants and factored owners can protect their belongings and gain peace of mind knowing if the unexpected happens they have cover. This scheme offers:

  • Flexible regular pay-as-you-go payment options
  • No fuss, quick and easy to apply either through the post or over the telephone
  • No excess (you don’t pay the first part of the claim)
  • Cover for fire, theft, flood, water damage and other household risks
  • Cover for all postcodes
  • Cover for damage to internal decoration and accidental damage to sanitary fixtures such as toilets and washbasins
  • Cover for damage to external glazing for which you are responsible
  • Cover for lost or stolen keys
  • No minimum-security requirements
  • Cover for theft from sheds and garages as standard

Click here to find out more.

Pets

Except where the tenancy agreement otherwise specifically allows, Tenants are required to obtain prior written permission for the keeping of pets. Such permission will not be unreasonably withheld but may be subject to conditions.

As a minimum, it will be a condition of every approval granted to keep a pet that:

  • The animal is always kept under proper control.
  • It will not be allowed to cause a nuisance or annoyance to other residents.
  • The animal will not be allowed to foul in the garden of other tenants /residents, or in common landscaped areas.
  • That ‘poop scoops’ will be used for the proper disposal of pet ‘mess’.

Failure to comply with the approval conditions will result in the withdrawal of permission to keep the animal.

Private owners who fail to exercise control over their pet in accordance with the above standard, are to be formally reported to the police as causing a public nuisance.

Ending Your Tenancy

Tenants wishing to terminate their tenancy are required to provide 28 days’ notice – either in writing or verbally.  Tenants terminating their tenancy will be required to complete a Termination of Tenancy Form.

We will:

  • offer advice about moving out.
  • explain how much rent will be payable up to the tenancy termination date and offer Housing Benefit advice.
  • advise the outgoing tenant on the condition which the property is required to returned in.
  • sometimes inspect the property and advise the outgoing tenant on repairs they will be responsible for before returning keys.

An End of Tenancy Checklist and Leaflet are available on the left for use by tenants thinking about terminating their tenancy with the Association.

The Tenancy Termination Form can be found here.

Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by CHA.

CHA is committed to holding your personal information securely. This means only those of our colleagues and contractors that need to see it have
access.

If we store your personal information and can do so solely on computers we will, however there will be cases where we have paper copies instead, or in addition to this. All computers are kept in a secure location and are password protected, our electronic files kept on shared network accessed by our computers are controlled by strict access permissions, so data is only available to those who need to use it.

Paper files containing personal or sensitive information will be kept in locked cabinets. Our computer systems are in our offices in Lanark, but we occasionally may use computers (including laptops and tablets) offsite, however they will always remain secure and under our control. We will keep your personal details for no longer than necessary. Once the information is no longer required for the lawful purpose for which it was obtained it will be destroyed.

Your Rights

If at any point you believe the information, we hold is incorrect you may request to see it, have it corrected or deleted. You are entitled to request a copy of any personal data we hold of yours.

You have the right to ask us not to process all or part of the personal information we have received, however we may be unable to provide our service to you if we are unable to record and process certain details. If you wish to complain about how we have handled your data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter on your behalf. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may submit a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Our Data Protection officer can be contacted at elizabeth.miller@clydesdale-housing.org.uk.  A full Fair Processing Notice including details of how
we retrieve, use, share and manage data from all client groups and can be found on our Downloads page.

We are notified as a Data Controller with the Office of the Information Commissioner under registration number Z5173610 and we are the data controller of any personal data that you provide to us.

 

Avoiding condensation

Avoiding condensation

Condensation is the most common form of unwanted dampness in buildings and occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with a cold surface.

Keep homes winter warm

We all find that the winter months can be a struggle. With cold, wintry weather; shorter, darker days, we spend more time at home and feel the impact of winter bugs all at this time of year.

On this page you’ll find information, advice, and links to support available to help keep you, your home and family more comfortable over winter.

Condensation tips

Keeping your home warm, dry and reducing condensation at this time of year can be challenging, particularly when people cut back on heating and appliances that can cause energy costs to rise.

Condensation is the most common form of dampness in buildings and occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with cold surfaces such as walls and ceilings. Moisture builds up during everyday living including when you cook, dry clothes and shower. When condensation appears wipe it dry dry to avoid a build-up of black mould growing on walls, curtains, and woodwork. It’s important you take steps to limit the moisture in the air.

There are four main causes of condensation:

  • lack of heat
  • lack of insulation
  • lack of ventilation
  • moisture production

There are a number of ways you can reduce condensation. Try implementing this advice at home:

  • Keep ventilation vents free from obstruction
  • Where possible, use your heating system efficiently and effectively. It’s more effective to have heating on a low setting for longer to maintain a minimum temperature rather than heating to high temperatures at short bursts
  • Open windows a little when cooking and showering
  • Make sure tumble dryers are vented outside

Winter health

Damp and mould can affect you and your family’s health by causing respiratory infections, allergies or asthma and can also affect the immune system. Some people are affected more than others including children and babies, older people, people with skin problems and respiratory issues.

Keeping in heat

  • Close the curtains early evening and tuck them behind any radiators (except gas wall heaters).
  • Move furniture that blocks heat from radiators.
  • Cover up draughty gaps around letterboxes, keyholes and doors.
  • Open internal doors of rooms which get most of the winter sun to allow warm air to travel through and heat your home naturally.

Condensation and new windows

For those of you with new windows fitted recently, you may see more condensation appearing on the inside of the windows.   The reason being is that replacing your property’s original double-glazing windows with new is not enough to eliminate the problem of condensation. Although the inside of your new windows will be warmer and your property itself will be warmer, the new glazing will eliminate draughts that used to wick away moisture from the surface. You may see an increase of water on the surface of the glazing until you get used to new regime of heating and ventilating. It is important to ensure that you heat your home and leave your trickle vents open particularly after showering and cooking liquids to allow excess moisture from the home to ventilate out.

You may also see beading of water around the window cill or at the junction of the frame that you did not have before, again this is because there will always be colder spots around the new window at the junction of the brickwork and this is where moisture in the air will form, at this slightly colder spot from time to time, particularly on colder days. Again, heating your room, improving ventilation, and ensuring tumble dryers are vented outside will help keep condensation away.

Take a look at Energy Savings Trust’s useful video on minimising condensation at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypB2Y81BP7w&t=21s