Adaptations and improvements

Improvements

Sometimes, we may identify that your home needs improvement works. We’ll always write to you to discuss what this means. It could be work inside or outside of your home.

We’ll carry out a survey before we begin any work, helping us to determine what improvements may be needed to keep your home as secure, safe and comfortable as possible.

We are passionate about being the best landlord we can be, and hitting the high standards we aim for, always maintaining your home to the Governments Decent Homes Standard.

Your safety is our top priority, and we will always deliver works using approved contractors and trained trades people, ensuring health and safety is paramount when repairing or improving your home.

We’ll make sure to keep disruption to a minimum and we will always undertake any tests necessary to your home after completing work to ensure your safety such as gas or electrical tests and inspections.

When we deliver work on your home, you’ll be provided with a named person to answer any questions or concerns, all our projects have scheme engagement staff, and we’ll ensure the work is checked and delivered to the correct standard.

Can I make my own improvements to a ForHousing home?

Often the answer is yes – but we need to chat to your first to make sure they’re safe and will not cause any lasting damage. Contact us and we’ll come up with a plan together.

Please do not carry out work on your home without permission as you could be putting yourself, and your community, at risk.

What kind of improvements might you make to the inside of my home?

This could range from works on your bathroom like installing a new bathroom suite with an over-bath shower, laying vinyl flooring, and tiling the walls, to replacing your kitchen to install new kitchen units.

We’ll discuss with you a suitable, safe layout and offer you a choice of colours. Any demolition work, like removing walls, will be completed by us, as will any electrical, plumbing or gas pipework alterations.

We might also want to improve your heating and electrics. This would include projects like installing a new heating system, gas fires, replacing gas warm air systems and electrical heating systems, or installing a new energy efficient boiler.

We may want to make electrical installations safer, replacing old fuse boxes with modern circuit breakers, or replace old electric wiring.

What kind of improvements might you make to the outside of my home?

This could range from removing and replacing existing timber doors, single glazed or defective windows, roof tiles or slates, gutters and downpipes, or works to improve boundaries to your home.

We’ll also ensure that your roof insulation meets our thermal standards and your home is suitable install cavity wall insulation.

What else do I need to know?

To ensure you’re living in the best home possible, we carry out cyclical maintenance works. This covers jobs like checking and repairing gutters and downspouts, painting exterior woodwork, checking window seals, repointing and cleaning exterior uPvc.

We’re committed to continually improving your home to be environmentally friendly and ‘green’. We will adopt a ‘fabric first’ approach such as improving wall insulation to ensure your home is thermally efficient.

We will evaluate new technologies as they are developed to see if they are suitable for installing in ForHousing homes. Our aim is to ensure ForHousing homes reduce their environmental impacts and make them cost effective for our tenants to live in.

Your neighbourhood environment is important to us too, we may make improvements to your property such as installing new boundaries or create communal improvements to green spaces or to ensure we provide safe adequate parking.

Is there anything I need to do?

There may be times where we need a helping hand from you to make sure the works are completed as smoothly, and efficiently, as possible.

This may include:

• Provide access to all rooms in your home, as needed
• Taking up floor coverings like carpet, and refit them afterwards or, alternatively, lifting laminate flooring.
• Moving furniture or garden plants away from areas where work is being completed
• Packing away valuables, ornaments, pictures, mirrors, clocks, and other loose items

Also, there may be times where we need to turn off the water supply, so keep a kettle filled with water for your tea or coffee and pop your microwave into another room so you can keep using it.

You need our written permission to make improvements or alterations to your home.

Otherwise, we may need to ask you to reverse the changes you have made or charge you for any work that needs to be carried out to return your home to its original condition.

Please note:

• It is important you do not carry out any act that may be a breach of current planning or building regulations governing the use of your home.

• You also need written permission to build a shed, greenhouse, garage, car port, lean-to, conservatory or anything similar.
• You need our written permission before installing a satellite television dish or aerial. We ask that you do not install a satellite television dish or aerial if your home is served by a communal aerial system which includes the reception of satellite television.
• You must not interfere or allow anyone else to interfere with property belonging to a supplier of gas, electricity, water, telephone, cable television, or other services.
• We ask you not to fit any floor coverings such as laminate flooring or carpet that cannot be easily lifted for maintenance work to be done, unless you agree in writing to take responsibility for taking up and replacing the floor covering when work is carried out.

If you have any questions about improvements, contact us.