MAINTENANCE PARTNERS

The Association works with a range of local and county wide partners to provide maintenance and improvement services to our properties and estates, along with those belonging to Mitre Housing Association and Lowther and District Housing Association, to whom we provide management services.

 Repairs

 Integral – delivering responsive and empty property repairs, gas servicing and gas heating repairs across Eden. You can contact Integral to make an appointment for your annual gas safety check on 0800 183 3949.

 Edenworks – our own in-house team, delivering responsive joinery and plumbing responsive repairs in and around Penrith.

 Garry Simpson – delivering our grounds maintenance and grass cutting service across Eden

 Westfield Housing Association – delivering responsive repairs to our properties in Maryport and to Mitre HA properties in Workington. To report a repair, please call our Repairs Hotline or contact Westfield direct on 01900 602906.

 Planned Improvements

 Bell Group – delivering our rolling external painting programme.

 CONTRACTORS CODE OF CONDUCT

This Code sets out how we want our contractors and partners to help deliver a brilliant repairs service to you:

Look at complaints as opportunities - to fix things and make customers happy, not as threats!

First Impressions - smile, greet, and look the part!

Listening is the key – show respect and concentrate on what customers are saying!

Don’t pass the buck - take ownership of the problem and try to solve it!

Take the problem from here – look forward, not back, and don’t criticise previous decisions, colleagues, contractors or agents!

Keep your promises – and if you can’t, tell the customer as soon as you can! And keep communicating, even if nothing is happening!

Go the extra mile – it’s the little things that make the big differences!

Be a problem solver – don’t ignore problems, try and sort them out!

Treat people as they want to be treated – look at it from outside in, imagine if you were them!

Don’t be afraid to say “Sorry” – when we get it wrong!

CONTRACTORS CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE

Consideration

 All work is to be carried out with positive consideration to the needs of the tenants, the general public and the environment in general. Special attention is to be given to the needs of those with sight, hearing and mobility difficulties, neighbours, visitors and site personnel.

Adjust the working arrangements to suit others

Display signs advising that work is in progress where locations allow

Show consideration to tenants, neighbours, visitors and general public

Be mindful of people with sight, hearing or mobility difficulties

Deal personally with comments or complaints from the public or neighbours

Consider the use of additional signs in languages other than English where appropriate

Consider ensuring deliveries do not coincide with school starting / ending times

Environment

Noise from construction operatives and all other sources is to be kept to a minimum at all times. Consideration should be given in the selection and use of resources wherever possible. Attention should be paid to waste management and the avoidance of pollution. Recycling of surplus materials is to be encouraged.

Enclose an area where dust is likely to be a problem

Ensure that waste is segregated into separate skips and recycled or reused where possible

Ensure that work does not start early or go on until late especially if noise is a problem, be flexible

Protect trees, vegetation and gardens

Keep down noise of plant, vehicles, radios etc

Avoid pollution and wastage at all times

Provide safe passage for pedestrians around the boundary of the site

Cleanliness

The working site is to be kept clean and in good order at all times. Temporary safety barriers, lights and warning signs are to be maintained in a clean and safe condition. Surplus materials, rubbish etc shall not be allowed to accumulate on the site or spill over to the surrounding environment. Dust etc, from construction operations shall be kept to a minimum.

Ensure that a clean supply of dust sheets are available and that they are used

Clean up after all construction operations when working in someone’s home, don’t leave tools and materials laying around

Even if the mess outside your site is not yours the public thinks it is, keep clean all adjacent areas whoever made the mess

Respectful

Respectable and safe standards of dress, appropriate to the weather conditions, shall be maintained at all times. Lewd or derogatory behaviour and language should not be tolerated under threat of severe disciplinary action. Pride in the management and appearance of the site and the surrounding environment is to be shown at all times. Operatives shall be instructed in dealing with the general public.

Provide operatives with suitable clothing with company logo

Provide operatives with a clip on ID card with photo

Maintain respectable standards of dress

Give thought to general public issues i.e

No shouting or swearing

No radios

Proper dress at all times

Procedure when addressed by a member of public

Procedure where the site is in close proximity with a school or elderly people

No ‘wolf whistling’