As COVID-19 restrictions continue to be eased, Eden Housing Association is making good progress with our approved contractor, Warm Front Limited, in carrying out energy assessments of our homes. The inspections completed so far have enabled us to identify any energy-saving improvements that can be carried out which will result in lower fuel bills and reduced CO2 emissions. Warm Front Limited will be continuing with surveys throughout the summer of 2021, and energy efficiency improvement works are now underway, with a strong focus on rural properties. Surveys should take no longer than an hour, and the surveyor can also provide tenants with energy-saving advice and guidance on how to reduce fuel bills during the visit. Warm Front Limited are leading providers of insulation and energy efficiency measures in the UK. They are the only company authorised by Eden Housing Association to carry out these surveys and potential energy efficiency measures to our housing stock. More information on the company can be found on their website. With a lot of similar programmes being run by other companies and organisations at the moment, It is important to remember not to let anyone in to your property without first seeing valid identification….

Two electric vehicle chargepoints and two charging sockets for e-bikes have been installed at our office at Blain House in Penrith. The electric vehicle chargepoints are the latest in a series of similar installations by Lancaster based community benefit society Charge My Street who, over the past year, have launched chargepoints in Carlisle, Kendal, Barrow and Aspatria among others. This is the first of the installations to have integrated charging facilities for e-bikes, a prospect that Richard Ingham, Cumbria’s bicycle mayor saw as an important step forward. He said: “it makes a statement that cyclists, whether they be on e-bikes or non-assisted bikes are welcome here which is important for Penrith because it lies on the coast-to-coast, the UK’s most popular cycle route. “It’s becoming increasingly apparent that transport has a very large contribution to our carbon footprint and poor air quality in town centers. Cycling and walking for our daily short journeys is a really good way to reduce our car use and tackle those issues. Cycling and walking to school, work and local shops is also a great opportunity to be more active and healthy”. The chargepoints are located at Blain House, headquarters of Eden Housing Association on…

Eden Housing Association (EHA) was delighted to be given the opportunity to present at the Scottish Rural Housing Summit on the subject of community-led housing. Presenting together were EHA’s Land and Development Manager Martha Shields, and Madeline Teasdale from Patterdale Parish Community Land Trust (PPCLT).  The presentation focused on approaches to community led housing, and the affordable housing project being developed in Glenridding was used as a case study.  The project is a collaboration and joint working between EHA and PPCLT. Speaking after the event, Martha commented “The conference is a fantastic event that showcases the breadth and depth of work being carried out across the UK to deliver rural affordable housing. So much can be gained from sharing ideas, listening to each other’s story’s and collaborating to resolve what is a nationwide challenge. Thanks to the Rural Housing Summit for giving us the opportunity to share our journey.” The Scottish Rural Housing Summit has been organised by Rural Housing Scotland, a national charity which supports community action on rural housing issues.  The summit takes place over five days, from Monday 22 February, and includes a mix of panel discussion, interactive workshops, webinars and one-to-one sessions.  Sessions are free to…

The Housing Ombudsman has published a Complaint Handling Code, which sets out good practice and allows landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly. All member landlords have been asked to self-assess against the Code by 31 December 2020 and publish the results on their websites.  You can find our self assessment by clicking the link here.  You can view the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code by clicking here. If you have any queries or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Manager on 01768 861400 or by email at [email protected].

Every year the first period of cold weather can cause large numbers of tenants to lose their heating and hot water as they have forgotten to check their condensate pipe from their boiler. Please remember to follow the advice below: If caught early enough, this issue is often quick and simple for someone to solve for themselves without having to wait for a heating engineer to attend. If you get your heating and hot water from a gas or oil combi boiler, it will most likely have a condensate pipe – this will usually be white plastic and will run away from the boiler to a drain – often going to an outside wall and looking like an overflow pipe. In cold weather the small amount of water that runs from this pipe can freeze up, eventually causing the boiler to shut down and stop working. By defrosting the pipe and removing the frozen blockage, you can get your boiler working again. How to defrost a frozen condensate boiler pipe Warning If in any doubt, phone our Customer Service team on 01768 861400/0800 358 1401 The following short video from Worcester Bosch demonstrates how to safely thaw the pipe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iFyHf4in8k&noredirect=1

Life in lockdown has revealed some hidden talents amongst Eden Housing Association residents, especially in the Assisted Living Schemes. Poems and paintings have surfaced and two residents from Carlisle and Kirkby Stephen have showcased their offerings. Retired Teacher Clem Greenhow put pen to paper and created a poem titled ‘A War Without Bullets’, describing his take on life in lockdown – the first verse summing up: The World is experiencing World War 3 Corona Virus the common enemy A reliable vaccine we must see Before from lockdown we will be free 83 year old resident Donald Walker put colour to paper and has produced a series of watercolours from the town of Kirkby Stephen, which will be displayed along the corridors and communal areas of the Assisted Living Scheme at Mill Gardens. It is intended the pictures will create a more homely look and feel, and can be interchanged within the scheme, giving everybody an occasional change of scenery. Donald has been resident at Mill Garden since the scheme opened in May 2015, and became interested in painting in his early 30s, encouraged by his father who was an accomplished amateur artist. Donald’s early paintings were in oils, and he…

We are about to start writing the new plan to steer EHA through to 2025.  Before we start, we want to make sure that we understand what is most important to our tenants.  Please take a few minutes to complete our quick survey by clicking here If you add your contact details, we’ll enter you in a draw for vouchers to spend locally – you’ll receive them before Christmas.  Deadline for entries is 5pm on Tuesday 3 November.

We’re pleased to be working with Lazonby Parish Council and Eden District Council to find out whether affordable housing can be built on the former Egg Packing Shed at Lazonby.  The Parish Council has provided more information on a flyer, asking for resident support and comments. Following on from the article in the Herald at the weekend, if anyone has any comments, feedback or letters of support, you can contact the Chair of the Parish Council at 4 Lamb Lea, Lazonby, Penrith CA10 1BB or email [email protected]. You can check out the flyer by clicking here, and the Herald article and photo here.

Eden Housing Association Proposed Rent Increase – April 2021 Consultation September 2020 Introduction At their next meeting, our Board need to make a decision about what increase to apply to rents next year.  We are recommending a CPI plus 1%increase, equivalent to the Government’s expectation for housing associations. We think this is the minimum required to keep the business running and meet tenants’ priorities.  Our Board are keen to hear what tenants think so they have a clearer picture before considering our recommendation. What do you think about a rent increase in April 2021? How rents are calculated Before you answer that question, we would like to try and explain a little more about how rents are calculated and what has been happening with rents in the last few years. As a housing association we can’t just choose to charge what we like. The formula for calculating rents is set by the Government, and they tell us what we can charge (Links to Government Documents: Rent Standard: https://tinyurl.com/y66e3h9p Rent Standard guidance: https://tinyurl.com/yyh9jq26 MHCLG Policy Statement: https://tinyurl.com/y56sumrv) Most commonly, rents have increased every year with increases in charges usually being calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price…

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day – #WSPD – which provides the opportunity for people, across the globe, to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention. Over 800,000 people die by suicide annually, representing 1 person every 40 seconds Not just today, but every day, take a minute to reach out to someone – a complete stranger, close family member or friend – this can change a life. We are all part of a community, linked to family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours or teams. Sometimes we become isolated and disconnected from our communities – reach out to those in our community. If you are worried about someone in your community reach out and ask them “are you okay?” By simply checking in with them and offering non-judgemental support you can make a difference. Tonight, on World Suicide Prevention Day, light a Candle near a window at 8pm to show your support for suicide prevention, to remember a lost loved one, and to show support for survivors of suicide. Local Charity Suicide Safer Cumbria has a great website with lots of information – https://www.every-life-matters.org.uk/ HELP IS AVAILABLE – For more support or to talk: Carlisle & Eden Mind for suicidal thoughts…

Hot off the press is our Summer Edition of Viewpoint. Click here to check out all our latest news.

To celebrate the launch of TPAS’s first ever Scrutiny Week, we are sharing some of our Scrutiny Panel’s achievements over the past 12 months. Our Scrutiny Panel acts as the Association’s ‘critical friend’ – reviewing services and recommending improvements. This year, the Panel has reviewed general needs service charges, and the Association’s empty property process. Service Charges – EHA spends £75,000+ every year on services like grass cutting, cleaning & lighting without the tenants who benefit paying anything towards the costs. (In assisted living schemes, all tenants pay towards these services). After looking at financial information, case law, policies and visiting some affected sites, the Panel recommended service charges are brought in for all new applicable tenancies, to reduce financial losses. They also recommended we start our own ‘Caretaker’ Service. Board accepted all of the recommendations, and work is ongoing to put them in place. Empty property processes – the Panel inspected two properties before and after repair work. They also reviewed policy documentation and carried out a survey of new tenants. The Panel helped save around £100 on each empty property by recommending changes in how we do things. We now have a void officer who manages each empty…