Christmas Newsletter 2019 by Ayrshire Housing

Christmas Card Design 2019 This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design has been created by Sophie McMillan,

a P7 pupil at Ballantrae Primary School We are delighted to support Ballantrae Primary School this year - our donation will help the school to take the children to the pantomime. We will also be making donations to the fantastic work of the following local charities:

FROST PREVENTION INFORMATION Make sure that your home is adequately heated. Find out where your stopcock or surestop switch is - itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually under the kitchen sink or in a downstairs toilet. Closing the valve will stop the supply of mains water into the house, helping reduce damage in the event of a burst pipe.

Seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greetings from all at

What to do if you have a frozen pipe Turn off the water at the stopcock/surestop switch. Remove or protect any possessions that could be damaged by a burst pipe. Gently heat the frozen section of pipe using a fan heater, hairdryer, hot water bottle or heated cloths - never use a blow lamp or naked flame.

OFFICE CLOSURE AND EMERGENCY REPAIRS Our office will close on Tuesday 24th December at 12.30pm and re-open on Monday 6th January 2020 at 9.00am

What to do if you have a burst pipe Call the office or the emergency repairs service. Turn off the water at the stopcock/surestop switch and open all taps to fully drain the system. Switch off the central heating if the burst pipe is affecting the heating. Switch off any electrical appliances or switch off the power at the mains if the flooding is extensive. Warn neighbours who might suffer damage due to a burst, especially if you live in an upper floor flat. Minimise damage - if water is coming through the ceiling, put buckets and basins underneath and move items that might be damaged by water. If the ceiling starts to bulge, pierce the plaster to let the water through without the ceiling collapsing.

Please note that if you need to report any emergency repairs when our office is closed you should telephone our contractor:

GasSure on 01294 468113 They will arrange for a tradesperson to respond if the request is an emergency. It is important that this service is only used for genuine emergencies. Examples of these include: burst pipes, no heating or hot water, no electricity or gas, dangerous electrical fittings such as switches or sockets, insecure doors or windows at ground floor level, toilet not flushing (if there is no other toilet that you can use in the house), blocked sink, bath or drain.

Christmas Card Design 2019 This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design has been created by Katie Butler,

a P3 pupil at Ballantrae Primary School We are delighted to support Ballantrae Primary School this year - our donation will help the school to take the children to the pantomime. We will also be making donations to the fantastic work of the following local charities:

Seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greetings from all at

OFFICE CLOSURE AND EMERGENCY REPAIRS Our office will close on Tuesday 24th December at 12.30pm and re-open on Monday 6th January 2020 at 9.00am Please note that if you need to report any emergency repairs when our office is closed you should telephone our contractor:

Friday 13 December 2019

Dear Tenant Annual Rent Review 2020-2021 Introduction Ayrshire Housing is committed to consulting with all our tenants on the quality of our services, the standard of accommodation we provide and any changes to the rent that we charge. We also regularly seek tenants’ views on what services are most important and what additional services might be worth consideration. An example of how we responded to such consultation was when we introduced our in-house money advice and welfare benefits service funded directly from the income we receive from tenants’ rent payments. This service has resulted in financial gains for our tenants of almost £1.25million in the last financial year and assisted about 400 tenants during that period. We also commissioned an independent tenant satisfaction survey this year and we are delighted to report that 86% of tenants rated our rents as providing either very good or fairly good value for money. Our Approach to Setting Rents At its meeting in February 2020 the Board will require to set a budget for the forthcoming financial year. This budget will include the rent that the association needs to charge to ensure that it can meet all the costs of managing, maintaining and improving the housing stock. All the income we receive is used for these purposes, as well as covering the repayment of loans to pay for building the home in which you live and for new houses. We are also building more homes to address the increasing demands from applicants who either wish to become one of our tenants or those current tenants who require the opportunity to move to accommodation which is more suitable to their needs. Here is a breakdown of our likely costs for this year: AYRSHIRE HOUSING TOTAL COSTS 2019/20 Maintenance and Improvement Works Management Costs Loan repayments Interest on Loans Depreciation Insurance Costs Voids and Bad Debts Total

% (rounded) 35% 22% 15% 16% 10% 1% 1% 100%

£ 2,657,948 1,654,814 1,124,711 1,221,082 821,300 60,000 89,646 7,629,501

Between this current year and next we are planning to spend £5,317,758 on repairs, maintenance and improvements to our houses. This expenditure includes provision for replacement doors, kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems, all of which should improve the living conditions for tenants and help ensure that our houses are energy efficient. We have also begun a programme of upgrading our smoke and heat detection alarm systems in all our properties in order to meet the new and improved standards introduced by the Scottish Government. This level of expenditure is dependent on us having the required income through rents to enable us to afford such works. We are, however, in a period where costs are increasing and, as such, our ability to keep rent increases limited to inflation only is becoming increasingly difficult. The Proposal The Board is suggesting an increase of no more than 2.9% which, for a typical 2-bedroom house, would mean no more than £2.60 a week. Using this percentage increase as a maximum we have, once again, sought to try and reconcile the financial pressures facing our tenants with the value they place on us continuing to provide high standards of services. From information being shared by many of our peers in the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations our proposed increase is within the range of figures being consulted on by many members of that Forum. What Happens Next? At its meeting in February the Board will make a final decision regarding the rents to be charged from 1 April 2020. It wants to hear your views first, though. You can comment in the following ways: • • • • • •

By completing the enclosed rent consultation survey. By writing to the association. By completing the survey online using your My Home account or on our website at www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk By emailing the association at info@ayrshirehousing.org.uk By contacting your Housing Officer and asking for your views to be passed on. By posting your comments on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ayrshirehousing/

If you wish to be entered into a prize draw for a £25.00 shopping voucher, please complete and return the survey form in the pre-paid envelope provided. There will be 5 lucky tenants who will each receive one of these vouchers. In order to take part in the draw your completed survey should be received in this office by close of business on Friday 7 February 2020. If you give us your views by any other means such as email, telephoning us or by speaking to your Housing Officer please let us know if you also wish to be included in the prize draw. We will report your views to the Board which will allow them to make an informed decision. After the Board has taken its decision, we will write to you no later than 1 March 2020 advising as to what your rent, including any service charges, will be from 1 April 2020 which is payable monthly in advance. Yours sincerely

David McGivern Head of Housing Services

RENT CONSULTATION SURVEY 2020 - 2021 Every year the association has to ensure that the rents are set at a level that will bring in sufficient income to cover all of the following financial commitments: •

• •

Management Costs and Interest – we need to borrow money to allow us to build new houses and the interest and capital on these loans needs to be repaid. Management covers the costs of employing staff and associated costs to provide our services. Maintenance – the ongoing costs of maintaining all our properties to the highest possible standard. In addition, the costs of replacing major items such as kitchens and windows in our properties. Insurance – the costs associated with the insurance of our properties and having Public Employers Liability cover in place.

As you can see, a large part of the association’s income from rents goes on managing and maintaining our houses and on paying interest on the loans we have taken out to build the homes in which you live.

When considering the increase to the rents there are three options, but each has a consequence for the association as a business. Looking at each of the options detailed on the table (see over) and the consequences for the association, please indicate which option you believe the Board should consider. PTO

Please indicate your preference in the table below and return the completed form in order that you can be entered into a prize draw for a £25.00 shopping voucher. There will be 5 vouchers drawn this year. Option No Increase

Increase set below our proposal (less than 2.9%)

Increase set at our proposal (2.9%)

Consequences • The association would not be able to meet all of its financial commitments. • The range and quality of services provided to tenants would need to be reduced (e.g., longer to carry out repairs, less improvement works). • The association could not build any more homes for people in housing need and tenants needing a transfer. • The association might not be able to meet all of its financial commitments. • The range and quality of services provided to tenants might need to be reduced (e.g., longer to carry out repairs, less improvement works). • The association could not build any more homes for people in housing need and tenants needing a transfer. • The association would cover its costs. • The association could build more homes for people in housing need and tenants needing a transfer. • The association could continue to improve on the services it currently provides (e.g., more improvements to the properties). • The association could offer more services to help and support our residents.

Any other comments:

Name: Address: Postcode:

✓

AYRSHIRE HOUSING TENANT SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS 2019 During September and October 2019, Ayrshire Housing invited Knowledge Partnership, an independent market research company, to carry out a tenant satisfaction survey to establish how tenants feel about our services and where we might be able to do better. A total of 600 tenants (41%) from all housing areas were interviewed in their homes, and as the survey analysis is now complete, Knowledge Partnership has prepared the following results summary. If you would like to find out more about the survey, please contact David McGivern, Head of Housing Services, Ayrshire Housing on 01292 880120. Overall Satisfaction

Your Neighbourhood

Taking everything into account, 89% of tenants are satisfied with the service provided by Ayrshire Housing. This is a very good result and compares well with other social housing landlords that we have surveyed.

The majority of tenants (89%) are satisfied with the way in which Ayrshire Housing manages their neighbourhood. This is a positive finding that compares well with the results for other landlords.

Overall Satisfaction with Services

Neighbourhood Management

60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

54%

35% 4%

60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

52% 37% 6%

The Repairs Service

Housing Quality

Most studies indicate that ‘effective repairs’ are tenants’ number one priority when it comes to rating landlord services. In the case of Ayrshire Housing’s repairs service, tenants say that they are largely satisfied (87%) with this key service.

On balance, 88% of tenants are satisfied with the quality of their home. This is a good result overall, although a small minority of tenants would like to see improvements made to their kitchens and bathrooms.

Fairly dissatisfied, 5%

Quality of Housing

The Repairs Service

Neithernor, 3%

Very dissatisfied, 5%

Very satisfied

49%

Fairly satisfied

Fairly satisfied, 29%

Very satisfied, 58%

39%

Neither-nor

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

20%

40%

60%

As well as asking tenants about their home and services such as repairs, the survey also explored how effectively you feel that Ayrshire Housing keeps you informed and involved as a tenant. In addition, as rent payers, Ayrshire Housing needs to know whether the services they provide you with are value for money. We present the results for these three aspects of the survey below. Information on Services and Decisions

Tenant Opportunities to Participate in Decisions

Our tenant survey has revealed that 92% agree that the information provided by Ayrshire Housing in relation to housing services and decisions is either very or fairly good. This is a positive result and matches the performance of other landlords we have surveyed.

On balance, 87% of tenants are satisfied with the opportunities they have for participating in the housing decisions of Ayrshire Housing. This is a good result and represents an increase on the figure reported during the last survey as well as being on a par with the Scottish average.

Information Provided

Tenant Participation

Fairly poor, 2%

Very poor, 1%

Neithernor, 5%

50%

46% 41%

40% 30% 20% Fairly good, 40%

10%

Very good, 52%

9% 2%

Is Rent Paid Value for Money? Tenants clearly need to feel that the rent they pay to Ayrshire Housing represents value for money for the housing and related services they receive. As illustrated, value for money is higher amongst Ayrshire Housing tenants (86%) than the Scottish housing average (82%).

% Tenants Saying Rent Provides Very or Fairly Good Value for Money 100% 90%

1% 5% 8%

2% 5% 11%

80% 70% 60%

43%

46%

50% 40%

Ayrshire Housingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Staff Team is currently reviewing the survey report. They will use the information it contains to assess their performance overall including identifying areas for improvement across key services such as repairs, and housing quality. Staff at Ayrshire Housing can provide you with further details. Thanks to those tenants that participated in the survey. Alan Kennedy Knowledge Partnership

30% 20%

NEXT STEPS

43%

36%

10% 0% Ayrshire Housing

Scottish Housing Association average