Your Neighbourhood
This section covers some of the common questions you may have about the communal areas in and around your home.
Common questions and queries about your neighbourhood
Who is responsible for my neighbourhood?
We may be responsible for some of the paths, grassed areas, street lights and roads on our schemes. It does depend on the area, so if you are in doubt about who is responsible, contact us and we will see how we can help.
How can I be a good neighbour?
Get to know your neighbours. Try and be considerate.
- Keep the noise down – especially late at night and early in the morning
- Let them know if you are planning a party or noisy DIY
- If you have visiting children, make sure that they do not cause a nuisance when playing outside
- Make sure that your visitors come and go quietly without annoying neighbours
Remember that your Tenancy Agreement makes you responsible for all members of your household and your visitors.
Good neighbour awards
You can show your appreciation for your neighbours by nominating them in our ‘Good Neighbours Awards’ that we hold each year. Thanking someone for the support they have given as a neighbour is easy. All you have to do is fill in a nomination form which you can request from your Sheltered Housing Manager.
Shared entrances
If you share an entrance hall, stairs, rubbish areas, walkways or paths with other tenants, you share responsibility for keeping them clean and clear.
In all sheltered housing schemes, we provide a cleaning service to shared areas which you pay for through a service charge. We carry out regular checks to make sure the cleaning is being done properly.
Keep all stairs, corridors, doorways, and landings clear – do not block them with bin bags, bikes, scooters, pieces of furniture or any personal possessions; and let us know if there are any problems.
Scheme inspections
Every three months, tenants can get together with their Sheltered Housing Manager to carry out a neighbourhood inspection of their scheme. We would like you to come on these walkabouts to make sure that we know about problems and check that we are taking action.
Improving my neighbourhood
Creating places where tenants can enjoy a great quality of life can be more than just about the local environment. Our staff work closely with tenants and other organisations to improve our neighbourhoods. This can mean:
- Supporting tenants and community groups
- Supporting community centres
- Helping develop activities
- Working with the police, social services and voluntary organisations
- Supporting learning, training and employment projects
We target our action on neighbourhoods that are most in need. We put together plans and projects after consulting local tenants and partner organisations.
Graffiti and vandalism
We will remove all graffiti on our property as soon as possible after we have been told about it. We will give priority to removing racist, sexist or other particularly offensive graffiti. We aim to remove this type of graffiti within 24 hours of it being reported. We take action where we can against people who cause damage.