A group of housing experts in Kent and Medway is backing a Government campaign that aims to empower social housing residents to speak up and get their issues resolved.
The Kent Housing Group (KHG) has praised the launch of the Make Things Right campaign, which reminds social housing residents that their landlord has a duty to fix problems such as damp and mould, leaks, broken locks or adaptations for disabled residents.
The campaign also advises residents on how to deal with anti-social behaviour, such as noisy neighbours.
How to get your issue fixed in three easy steps
- Step 1. Tell your landlord about it. If they don’t fix it…
- Step 2. Make a formal complaint through your landlord’s complaint process. If you’re still not satisfied with your landlord’s response…
- Step 3. Take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
Why contact the Housing Ombudsman?
The Make Things Right campaign assures residents that the Housing Ombudsman is fair, impartial and can order your landlord to take action. If the Ombudsman finds that your landlord has done something wrong, they must show that they are taking action within 6-8 weeks. Last year, the Ombudsman ordered landlords to pay over £1m in compensation to residents. Visit www.gov.uk/social-housing
KHG Chair Brian Horton said:
“A home should be a haven, not a headache. A good social landlord listens to its residents and responds to their complaints promptly and effectively.
“It is disappointing when residents who have a problem sometimes go to no-win no-fee type companies without even telling their landlord about the issue. This only makes things worse, as it takes away resources from services to residents.”
Brian said KHG is urging its members to support the Make Things Right campaign by downloading the free materials in the Government’s toolkit and sharing them with residents and others. The materials, such as posters and leaflets, can be used in community centres, shared spaces in social housing buildings, public service buildings like GP surgeries and libraries, as well as online.
The Kent Housing Group is the voice of the housing sector in Kent and Medway. It has representatives from all 12 Kent local authorities, Medway Council, 13 housing associations, Kent County Council and Kent Public Health. KHG also works with organisations who partner with social housing landlords, such as Homes England, the National Housing Federation, the National Landlords Residents Association and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
Visit http://www.kenthousinggroup.org.uk