Coronavirus: continuing our services during the second lockdown

Coronavirus: continuing our services during the second lockdown

Thank you for continuing to work with us during these exceptional times.  Our teams are working hard to continue business as usual as much as is possible.  We thank you for your cooperation.

The country has entered a four-week lockdown period and I wanted to write to you to update you on what that means for our services.

Throughout this pandemic our continued priority has been your wellbeing and that of our staff and this will continue as the weeks and months move on.

The guidance issued by the Government as at 5th November 2020 is that the services provided by housing associations such as Teign Housing should not be changed by the latest lockdown restrictions.

This means that the following will apply to our services:

  1. At the beginning of the pandemic we formed a recovery planning team. This team continues to meet at least fortnightly to review the Government advice and to ensure our services continue to operate in line with official guidance.
  2. Our head office remains closed to the public. You can continue to contact us via My Teign Account, by calling us on 01626 322722 or emailing us at customerhub@teignhousing.co.uk
  3. Our community rooms remain closed to residents and the public, though you may see staff occasionally accessing them to use work facilities.
  4. Essential services in and around your home continue. We continue to take bookings for, and carry out, routine repairs. These will be carried out in line with government guidance. We have steps in place if we visit your home, so your household and our team members are safe. We respectfully ask you to keep your distance from our staff while in your home and to please wearing a face covering. If you are worried about a visit, please call us, we are happy to talk through our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and approach so you can make an informed decision.  If you are experiencing COVID symptoms or are self-isolating, it’s important you let us know so we can reschedule your visit and keep our staff safe.
  5. Our construction contractors are continuing to work, building new homes and completing regeneration activity. We are continuing planned repairs such as the replacements of kitchens and bathrooms.
  6. We continue to carry out regular servicing and maintenance of safety related systems in communal areas of our properties, for example, fire alarm systems, emergency lighting and passenger lifts.
  7. Our winter grounds maintenance programme continues, again following all of the government’s current guidance on safe working.
  8. We continue to let our empty properties to those waiting for a new home. Our lettings service is now mainly delivered on-line to ensure everyone’s safety.
  9. You will continue to owe rent during this time. Please contact us on 01626 322722 if you have any concerns about your ability to pay rent or would like to discuss the types of benefits that you may be entitled to.

The situation can change rapidly, so this information is correct as of 10th November 2020. Our website www.teignhousing.co.uk and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/teignhousing will be updated more often.

We will also continue to keep an eye on residents we know may be isolated or at more risk of COVID-19 and ask that all our communities support us in this by considering others.

If you have any questions about this update, you can call us on 01626 322722 or email us at haveyoursay@teignhousing.co.uk

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Jo Reece

Chief Executive