to think housing associations are going to have to start doing checks outside office hours.

[JenniferBooth]

The amount of checks HAs have to do is increasing
Gas safety checks are once a year and have been around for a while. Electric checks are every five years so not as often.

Last month a new rule came in for fire door checks. fireconsultancyspecialists.co.uk/fire-safety-regulations-2022-fire-door-requirements-from-23-jan-2023/

There seems to be some confusion whether its once a year or every three months but tenants will also need to be in for this if the door of their actual flat is a fire door so they can test it to see if it closes by itself.

There will highly likely be checks brought in for mould so that will be another inspection that tenants will have to be in for.

Tenants should not be expected to use up annual leave to facilitate all this so either employment legislation needs to change so tenants have a right to time off for all this in law or they need to start working round tenants schedules.

I'd love to have that many opportunities to arrange something, or in fact just be aware it's been arranged in the first place!

The way that would likely go with my HA would be that they would arrive to change the security system, without telling anyone, and then when you got home and discovered you couldn't get in, charge you for someone coming out to let you in,, because you weren't there to get your new key fob, but they won't actually be able to give you a fob, you have to ring the next day to arrange to get one, you ring to be told someone will be round tomorrow (to the place you can't get in) to give you a key fob, but you're at work and need to give a months notice for a/l. You're then put down as 'refusing' to collect your new key fob.

The difference is you did everything you can to get a new fob to those tenants, unfortunately my ha, along with some who are on this thread, don't view us tenants as customers at all.
Renters in general aren't viewed as customers, and especially not ha tenants, it's the only area where you pay money for something and if you're given a poor service in return, you're expected to suck it up and still be thankful that you've been allowed to live somewhere at all. It seems to be forgotten that you're actually paying money for this and in the case of some people, actively denied because they think all social housing is 'free'.

As an private tenant of 15 years in London I can well believe you!

TBF our Building Mananger does try and do things quickly and we are often reminding him people need more time or notice. Last week he sent someone to do the annual fire alarm system check (which involves a number of alarm tests etc..) and "forgot" to tell us 🙄 Cue loads of people panicked because the fire alarm kept going off over a short period of time. I suppose the difference is we residents own the freehold and employ him, so ultimately he knows what side his bread is buttered on!

But you are free to decline their services and find somebody else if you can't agree a mutually convenient day/time. I have to accept whatever day/time I'm given regardless.

Tonight 11.05pm Channel 4

www.tvguide.co.uk/detail/5010687/81717117/untold-help-my-home-is-disgusting

The tenants can buy their own meter keys, just like everyone else often has to. They are not exactly some rare, specialist product.

Are you not aware of the massive supply issues regarding electronics at the moment?

With the car park, the door intercom, the lack of meter keys for the imagined elderly tenants, are they bothered or are you just wanting an opportunity to be annoyed, again, at the HA?

Oh and fwiw I had an electrician in last week, he still had to go out and get an alternative part as the one he had wasn't right, it is just how it is sometimes.

Are you not aware of the massive supply issues regarding electronics at the moment

Do you have trouble with comprehension or reading. Go back and read the thread again. This happened in March 2019 TWENTY NINETEEN FOUR YEARS AGO. And it was a job that tenants had to comply with (although we were the only tenants that did comply) a job that was forced on us via the new rules post Grenfell Fair enough for safety I suspect if i was a home owner or a private tenant you would be singing a different tune, That they shouldnt start a job without all the materials. Its not a meter key either Its the key to the CUPBOARD that HOUSES the meter as i made clear upthread. You can only get these via the HA.

Saints preserve us from people who want to denigrate HA tenants so badly that they a, see what they want to see b. gaslight and c make shit up.

See how it says key to the cupboard of the meter here.

JenniferBooth · Yesterday 15:53
The door to our flat is a self closing fire door. It was fitted in March 2019 We were the ONLY ones that co operated. Other tenants refused. Our thanks for this? We were told we would have to share the key to the cupboard of our electric meter with the druggie who lived downstairs at the time. The doors on the cupboards which house the electric meters were changed as well.
Fast forward to 2022 and our HA sent letters out saying our front doors would need to be changed to fire doors. Ours had already been done but they wouldnt accept this. DH had a heated discussion with a housing assistant who insisted it had to be changed DH pointed out that if there was something wrong with it you get the same company back to fix the mistake A different contractor was used this time. I spotted one of them in the car park told him what the HA said and he came up and took a look. "there is nothing wrong with this we cant better it" he said.
So please stop assuming that social housing tenant = obstructive.

Are you this difficult when speaking to your HA? They are not out to get you or make your life difficult, at the end of the day they are doing a job just like everyone else. The vast majority do not go into the job with the sole intention of pissing off tenants, funny enough they do actually care about them, especially as a fair few are often HA tenants themselves. HA's are currently working bloody hard to try and make sure that no child suffers like Awaab Ishak did. This means taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut approach, it means visiting people who don't need or want a visit with the aim of finding those living in damp conditions who have maybe never even reported it. If one death is prevented then it is worth it, and I make no apologies for that.

Which is the correct one?

My friend is still waiting for the control panel at the front of his building to be replaced when they started replacing the flat intercoms. There has been a piece of cardboard with ON ORDER written on it in place of the control panel for the last FIVE WEEKS.

or

This happened in March 2019 TWENTY NINETEEN FOUR YEARS AGO.

You are incredibly angry about the perceived issues that tenants are having whether they are real or not.

Are you always this aggresive when you have been caught out not reading something properly and gaslighting You are the one wanging on about the CURRENT shortage of electronics when this was done in 2019 and you are also the one who said it was the meter key when i made it clear from the outset that it was the key to the meter CUPBOARD I believe what you are doing is called doubling down.

I appreciate that this is frustrating, but certain maintainance must be down and annoyingly, sometimes that requires using leave. It is the same for homeowners and other types of tenants.

Indeed. I live in a privately owned and managed block and we have been waiting for 7 weeks for replacement lights in our communal corridor due to electronic component supply issues.

I don't doubt there are shit HAs, but sometimes life happens.

Apologies for misunderstanding about which key it is, but I'm not the one being aggressive.

Other people who own or privately rent have to take AL to let in tradespeople, why are you special?

Workingfromhomerocks the difference is the way housing associations organised these things- in my experience they want a contractor to work in flat number around a number of blocks and estates- so when I was housing association I was given no choice about the day, no idea of what time, and in fact often they would then turn up on a different day. Now I own I have much more control- tradespeople around here will tend to ring/ text when they are on their way and I can tell them days I can't do- also I am organising the work so if its not super urgent I can put it off until a better time- if it is super urgent I can be justified in asking my boss for home working.

As I've said to another poster, I assume you know that you've actually got the appointment and have the opportunity to actually even try to get AL? And then don't get threatened with eviction or a service being cut off because you're not in for an appointment you didn't know you had?

Or you are at least able to attempt to arrange it for a time and date mutually suitable, not told a day or two before (or in some cases after ) that's when they're coming and if you can't arrange a/l at such short notice then tough, you're refusing entry.
Presumably if you called someone to fix something or service your boiler etc and they said I can come tomorrow at 2pm but you are at work and know there's no way you can get the time off, you're at liberty to say no, that doesn't work for me and arrange another time (even if it means taking a/l to do so) without someone threatening to cut off your supply or evict you and label you as obstructive?

Or being told it's X date and X times to use a days al or lose a days pay and they don't arrive that day, they arrive the next day and you're not in and oh look, there you go refusing entry again!

That's the difference, I have no objection to taking leave or requesting the day as my day off if I'm actually given the opportunity to do so and they turn up when I have done so, or don't threaten and blame me when they don't tell me they're coming, don't allow me to change a short notice appointment of their choosing when I have to work, or actually turn up when they say they will and I've lost a days a/l or pay to be in like they demanded.

Imagine the moaning and AIBU from parents on here if it was their teacher or teaching assistant of their little darlings who had to keep taking time off to allow for HA disorganisation and cock ups

People who own arent usually on precarious ZHC either. Already forgotten who it was that brought them their shit during the lockdowns. I never bought in to the "we are all in this together" crap.

I inagine it is difficult and the lack of control makes it even more so.

Things aren't always so rosy on the other side either. I am a home owner and had to get my washing machine replaced last month.

Firstly we had to have an issue with the kitchen pipework fixed. First appointment the plumber failed to completely resolve the issue, second appointment he didn't turn up as his previous job was more complex than originally thought and over ran third appointment fixed it.

Then we bought a replacement washing machine. Earliest delivery was in two weeks time. Took the morning off and just at the last moment they cancelled as the new washing machine door was broken. I had to reorder but our preferred model was out of stock. Got a similar model. First delivery was in another week. Guys turned up but could not fit the door flush so had to come back a third time with different hinges.

I then had to cut one of the kickboards down tne size myself as the new pipe installation caused it not to slot in easily as before.

Four weeks without a washing machine, six mornings at home waiting on appointments and £1000 later I had a working washing machine.

Well the fire door check on the door to the flat was done early on a Friday morning with no notice getting DH out of bed. Altogether in recent months we have had five unannounced vists for different things

It is different though as a home owner can choose if or when they get work done a tenant is legally obliged to allow access

And four months later @Maverickess

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5202467-housing-association-to-fit-new-flat-fire-door-and-new-locks?page=1

@Maverickess

https://shaction.org/housing-in-the-workplace-survey/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIoXfZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcG3rJxvf2eW7fqUp-i7QP45bVfhv35cTnavIg7VWHPKOHwWifTVaXT2aA_aem_sCU47JkClN8FAvx-QZKV-Q

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/2024/05/16/sanctuary-review-nearly-4000-cases/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKFpvRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmFlKRGbgVWM8TCNmFi0-J2aD3_bDwn6Kq-EoVw80lQrs4aPUV6-kXTnhSi__aem_D-hJCPLUeWBeaBVTjaGPOg

https://www.the-londoner.co.uk/notting-hill-genesis-london-biggest-landlord/?ref=the-londoner-newsletter&fbclid=IwY2xjawKFtJxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnFJ2WcW9xE0gowGtaXO3_w9sdF6OZspXbbNL260mBcLdGZlUgOXuciC9e2v_aem_tddZKqyV5kEVplioFyMfrg

It seems the big London HAs have been, and continue to be, extremely problematic. I read a recent piece by a person living adjacent to a Peabody house (converted to flats) that had had scaffolding erected for 9 years and no work done. Some are utterly catastrophic management failures.

Mine in the SW has had more issues than it should but is slowly becoming more interactive with residents and willing to change policies and procedures after feedback. Eg we now have two checks per year - one gas boiler, alarms & radiator check, one ‘general purpose home safety’ check looking for mould, small jobs that may have arisen, window function etc.

Having said that, I did have to complain to the Housing Ombudsman about a 3-year failure to repair a roof leak and was awards a considerable compensation payment plus supervised repair programme.

Taking part in tenants’ forums etc really helps imo and emphasise your concern at the property condition ie if you moved out tomorrow would they be able to relet quickly, they hate voids. Also your Ward Councillor and ultimately MP can kick people up the bum. Keep diaries and notes of EVERYTHING. Photos where appropriate.

Lastly, I am grateful for the checks. Without them we risk more Grenfells, or Rackmans slums.