Decent Homes Programme - Frequently Asked Questions

The questions and answers are listed under 5 categories:
1 The Programme
2 The Scope of the Works
3 Resident’s Choices
4 Help for Residents (including special circumstances)
5 Costs
6 Complaints

1 The Programme

Q. When will I get my new kitchen and / or bathroom, etc?
A. We have been busy planning the works into a five year programme based on which areas are in the worst condition. The first year programme has now been finalised and the residents whose homes are on the list have been informed. We will publish a full five year programme by the end of March 2011.

Q. Who will contact me? When and how will I be contacted?
A. Our contractor’s Resident Liaison Officer will write to you at least 8 weeks before any work is carried out to your home. The letter will ask you to contact the Resident Liaison Officer and make an appointment for them to visit you. When they visit you, you will be given a full information pack and will be able to discuss the scope of the works and the choices you will be offered.

Q. How much notice will I get?
A. You will receive a letter informing you that we intend to do works to your home a minimum of eight weeks prior to the work being carried out.

Q. Why do I have to wait for my kitchen or bathroom?
A. To achieve the ‘Merton Standard’ we need to invest over £100 million in the housing stock. This takes time and we have given ourselves, with central government approval, 5 years to achieve this. We are planning the programme on the most needed first. The first year programme has now been finalised and the residents whose homes are on the list have been informed. Click here to see the Year 1 Decent Homes Programme (580 KB). We will publish a full five year programme by the end of March 2011.

Q. My neighbours are on the Year 1 programme, yet my kitchen and / or bathroom is in worse condition. Why am I not included?
A. The programme is based on surveys we carried out to part of the stock and that information has been applied to all of our stock. This means that we may not have identified and programmed all of the worst kitchens first, which would account for why your property is not on the list for this year. However we will be carrying out the works for the next 5 years and we will get around to renewing your kitchen in that time.

Q. My bathroom and / or kitchen is so bad it cannot wait for another year; what can be done?
A. If you feel your bathroom or kitchen is in need of maintenance prior to us doing the refurbishment work, you will need to telephone our Repairs Helpline and explain the problems you are having to them. They will then do any necessary repairs to tide you over until we can fit the new bathroom or kitchen.

Q. Can the works to my home be postponed? I would like them moved back a year, as it is currently inconvenient.
A. We will look at each case individually and if you have a valid reason why the works cannot be done at the time we would like to carry them out we will do all we can to accommodate your request. However we are on a time limit to meet the Government’s ‘Decent Homes’ standard by 2015 so this may not always be possible.

2 The Scope of the Works

Q. How long will the works take and how flexible is the start date?
A. The works will take approximately 3-4 weeks to complete and you can agree a start date with our contractor’s Resident Liaison Officer. The contractor will try to pick a start date which suits your needs, but that date is not infinitely variable as they have targets to finish work within the area they are working in.

Q. How long will I be without a kitchen, toilet, washing facilities, electricity etc?
A. The works to refurbish your home internally will take 3 to 4 weeks, but you will not be without a working kitchen sink, WC or washing facilities for more than one day at a time as the contractors will ensure you are left with working facilities at the end of each day.

Q. Will I need to take time off work to be at home for the duration of the works or can I provide a key for access?
A. You may be required to take the odd day off from work, but you can arrange for the contractor to have access to your property if you cannot be there. The contractor has a ‘Safe Key’ procedure which means you can leave a key with them if you wish.

Q. How much disturbance will there be and how should I prepare?
A. The amount of disturbance will depend on what you are having done, but it is fair to say that whatever is done it will create extra dust. Our contractors will try to minimise this by laying dust sheets and fitting dust screens where appropriate. It would be helpful if you could remove all personal items from the area they are going to work in. The contractor will offer help with moving large pieces of furniture but will not accept responsibility for any accidental damage which may occur as a result.

Q. What do the external works include?
A. The external works will vary from property to property, but may include renewing the roof, guttering, windows and doors, re-pointing of brickwork and painting all previously painted surfaces.

Q. Will the communal hallway be painted as part of the external decorations?
A. No, it is likely that the communal areas will be done as a separate programme but this cannot be confirmed at this stage as we are still in the process of finalising the programme of works.

3 Resident’s Choices

Q. What happens if I don’t want the work done?
A. You have the right to refuse any of the work we offer unless we complete it to protect your, or someone else’s, health and safety. When the surveyor visits to carry out the validation surveys they will discuss with you what they are going to do and you can say then whether you want it done or not.

Q. Will I get a choice of fixtures and fittings?
A. Yes, all residents will be able to choose from 5 different styles of kitchen which will include choices of worktops, doors, drawers, handles, wall tiles, flooring and paint. We will offer a choice to our residents in every aspect of the works whenever possible.

Q. Will I be able to keep my existing tiles, taps, etc?
A. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to keep your existing tiles, taps etc. as we will most likely have to disturb them when carrying out the works. This could lead to unavoidable damage, which may mean we cannot refit them. We cannot accept responsibility for the fixtures and fittings you have fitted whilst we carry out the works so the only way you can ensure that you keep your existing tiles, taps etc. is if you remove them yourself prior to the start of the works and refit them once the works are finished.

Q. Can I buy new appliances for my kitchen /bathroom?
A. Once we have finished the work you can buy any appliance you would like. If you know what you are going to buy before we start work (for example, a dishwasher) we will do our best to allow space for it in the design. Please bear in mind that some of our kitchens and bathrooms have very little space in them so it may not be possible to fit everything you want.

Q. Can I buy new tiles, vinyl flooring, lighting etc for the contractor to install?
A. If your choice of flooring, lighting, etc. is different from what we offer we may be able to install it for you as long as it would take no longer to install than we would have spent on fitting our flooring, lighting, etc. However we will not take responsibility for any accidental damage of the goods supplied and it would be your responsibility to ensure there are sufficient goods to finish the job and allow for wastage.

Q. Will I be able to choose the layout of my kitchen and bathroom?
A. We will work with you to design a kitchen and bathroom that you want. However this may not always be possible due to us having to comply with building regulations, health & safety, which may compromise the design you want.

Q. Can I have a shower instead of a bath, or both?
A. Yes, you will be offered a choice between a bath with an overhead shower or a shower cubicle.

Q. Can I choose which parts of the work I wish to be carried out and refuse other parts?
A. You have a right to refuse any work we offer as long as it does not affect our compliance with health and safety. Works which are related to health and safety are mandatory and must be completed.

Q. I live in flats with entrances in an enclosed communal area. Can I keep my front door even though it isn’t fire rated?
A. No, we must fit a fire rated door to your property to comply with legislation related to fire safety. This enhances safety for you and your neighbours.

Q. I’ve changed my mind concerning the colour choices, etc that I selected. Who should I contact?
A. You should contact your contractor’s Resident Liaison Officer immediately to inform them of the change. This needs to be done within the ‘cooling-off period’ they specified when you made your initial choices.

4 Help Available

Q. I do not speak English. How can you help?
A. When the Resident Liaison Officer turns up they will ask which is your preferred language and will provide all correspondence in that language from then on. We also have access to Language Line which will provide an interpreter to help us communicate with you.

Q. I am elderly and/or disabled and will need help whilst works are carried out to my home. How can you help?
A. The contractors Resident Liaison Officer will visit you in your home and discuss your needs prior to the work being carried out. They will do all they can to help you whilst the works are being carried out and if necessary they will come back to us and explain the problem so we can see if there is anything we can do to help.

Q. I am ill and cannot be present when the works are carried out. Can I be temporarily re-housed?
A. We would only re-house a tenant from their property if we could not carry out the works with them in occupation due to the property becoming uninhabitable. However our Contractors will be doing all they can to help you throughout the work by offering respite facilities where you could spend the day. If this is not a suitable option and your illness is of a temporary nature then we will make arrangements for the works to be carried out at a later date when you have recovered.

Q. Can I have an adapted bathroom and /or kitchen or do I have to have an ordinary one?
A. If you meet the criteria to be given help under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) then we will carry out a full assessment and fit a bathroom or kitchen to suit your needs. If you do not qualify for this you can choose the most suitable options to meet your needs from the options available.

5 Costs

Q. Will I have to pay for any of the works or will my rent go up?
A. If you are one of our tenants, you will not have to pay for any of the works and your rent will not be increased as a result of the works we have carried out.

Q. I am a leaseholder and I feel the redecoration works have been neglected over recent years. I’m not going to pay for any works that are completed under this programme.
A. You have a legal obligation written in your lease to pay the charges which arise through us carrying out work to maintain the property. If you feel that the charges are unfair you will need to provide evidence that if we had regularly maintained the property the cost would have been less than we are currently charging you.

6 Complaints

Q. I am unhappy with the response from the contractor, the performance of the contractor, the quality of the workmanship, etc. What should I do?
A. Please speak to a member of the Major Works team for your area and tell them what your issues are with the contractor so they can investigate and come back to you with a response. In addition, you will receive a Resident Satisfaction form on completion of any work, where you will be invited to comment on any element of the service you received.

Q. My carpet, wall decorations, etc. have been damaged by the contractor. What should I do?
A. The contractor will take every reasonable step possible to protect your personal possessions. If the damage was caused by neglect on the behalf of the contractor then you will need to claim for the costs through them by contacting their Resident Liaison Officer. However, if the damage was accidental and all reasonable steps have been taken to protect your possessions then you will need to advise your own insurance company.

Last modified 04/01/11