1 - Welcome and introduction
Welcome
“On behalf of the board of management and all the staff may I offer a huge welcome to you and your family. We hope that you will be very happy in your home.
We hope that you find this handbook helpful and that it answers many of the questions or queries you may have. However, we do not expect that it will replace contact with South Northants Homes staff.
We will continue to update this handbook to reflect any changes that affect your tenancy or suggestions from residents. If we update any section or add new information, this will be sent to you, so that you will be able to keep your pack up to date.
Our aim is to provide homes and housing services that make a positive difference to the communities in which we work. We cannot achieve this without working closely with our partners - from the Council to our contractors - to make sure that we deliver high quality homes and services.”
Paul Calland
Managing Director
About this handbook
We have divided this handbook up into different sections to make it easier for you to find your way round it. Wherever “we” is used, it refers to South Northants Homes. Wherever “you” is used, it refers to the tenant.
About South Northants Homes
Tenants of South Northamptonshire Council voted to transfer to South Northants Homes, a new housing association set up for the purpose, and the transfer was completed in 2008. Since then, South Northants Homes has operated entirely separately from South Northamptonshire Council.
We are a local, non-profit making organisation, and all of the money paid in rent goes straight back to improving the quality of our homes, services and environment. We care about the service that we provide and are always looking at ways we can do things better. It is for this reason that we place residents’ views at the heart of our business and encourage residents to work with us. For more information on this, see the ‘Getting Involved’ section.
Our Board and staff
Our voluntary board of management is made up of fifteen members, five are tenant representatives, five are nominees from South Northamptonshire Council and the remaining five are local people who bring a range of business skills and experience to the board. This board makes the top-level decisions; there are also several forums that ensure that tenants are involved in all the choices made. A team of professional staff carry out the day-to-day work.
Our regulators
We are a Charitable Association, registered with the Housing Corporation. The Housing Corporation is a government body that monitors and regulates all Registered Social Landlords in the country to make sure that they give a good service to residents. The Housing Corporation also provides funding to social landlords to build new properties or to improve existing ones. For information please refer to the Housing Corporation’s Charter for housing association residents and applicants.
The Grand Union Housing Group
We are part of the Grand Union Housing Group alongside Aragon Housing Association, which is based in Ampthill and Sandy, and MacIntyre Housing Association which provides specialised housing for adults and young people with learning disabilities.
The benefits of being in a group
The group gives us the benefits of economies of scale when it comes to purchasing and running central services while allowing us to provide a truly localised service for the people of the area. We can also learn from the experiences of the other members of the group and hopefully they can learn from us too.
Confidentiality
We have a Confidentiality Policy to ensure that all personal information about tenants or applicants is handled in a sensitive and confidential manner.
We will not disclose personal information to others without the consent of the tenant or applicant, except in certain circumstances.
Information we hold
You have the right to inspect any personal information that is held by us about you.
If you wish to see any file relating either to you or the property in which you live, please contact the housing officer for your area. Please ensure you give 10 working days' notice of your proposed visit.
An appointment will be made for you, and when you arrive at our office, you may be asked to provide proof of identity. We may charge a small fee for this service and you will be advised accordingly.
It is also important to note that you may not be able to see information provided to us in confidence by third parties. Also, in accordance with data protection legislation you may wish to inspect information about you which is held by us, including computerised data.
In the event that you consider the records to be inaccurate, you will be given the opportunity to correct them or record your disagreement with the information held.
