Coronavirus Important information on the Coronavirus outbreak

2 July update

As you will be aware, during the Coronavirus outbreak, we have been working hard to deliver an Emergency Repairs Plus Service to our customers.

Whilst we are not yet able to resume a full repairs service, from Monday 13th July, we have mobilised our workforce to work through the outstanding repairs, which have been reported to us during lockdown, but that did not qualify as Emergency Plus repairs.

We received over 3,000 of these calls and, as you can imagine, it will take us several weeks to work our way through.

While we catch up on these repairs, we will continue to operate our Emergency Repairs Plus Service.

So, if you reported a repair to us that didn't qualify for our Emergency Repairs Plus Service, there is no need to contact us again, as you will receive a call from us to confirm an appointment, as soon as possible after the 13th July. This will help us return to normal services as quickly as possible.

We really appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to bring our services back to normal.

As the government reduces restrictions that were put in place as part of the Coronavirus outbreak, we are now able to begin bringing back some of our services.

16 June update

Following government advice and guidance for people who are shielding, During the last couple of months we delayed carrying out the annual Gas Safety Checks in customer’s homes who informed us they were shielding until the isolation period ends.

Despite the lockdown, as your landlord it remains our legal duty to continue to complete your annual gas service to make sure you are safe in your home.

The government has now updated its guidance for people who are shielding as part of the COVID-19 outbreak, as the disease’s levels have decreased over the last few weeks.

The changes in government guidance mean there are now extra precautions we can take to undertake your Gas Safety Check.

We are currently telephoning affected customers to inform them further. These steps include:

• Planning our visit around daily walks, so customers give us access to their homes but are out of the property when we perform the check
• The customer staying in, but moving to an alternative room in the property, whilst the gas safety check is carried out
• If a customer has a garden, this can be used to socially distance while the gas safety check is carried out
• We can help put chairs outside customers’ homes to sit on whilst the check takes place

Remember, we perform gas safety checks to make sure homes are compliant with Health & Safety regulations but also because we really want to keep customers safe.

To find out more about the latest government information on shielding, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/.

29 May update

From Monday 1 June, we will be restoring some of our services that we had to pause because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Our Emergency Plus Repairs service will remain in place and we will now be undertaking external repairs where it is safe to do so – please be mindful that we have a huge backlog of repairs to work through, since the government restrictions were put in place on Monday 23 March.

We will also be undertaking work on our void properties to make them ready to-let, in preparation of this service resuming in the future.

(If there is capacity to do so, repair jobs will be reviewed and analysed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they can be carried out safely.)

We have also resumed our lettings service, in line with the government’s revised guidance.

• We are advertising properties in the usual places
• We are shortlisting applicants for properties
• Viewings will be undertaken following social distancing guidelines
• Please do not bid on a property if you are unable to move at the present time, i.e. you’re shielding as part of the coronavirus outbreak
• Sign-ups will be done remotely where possible. If the applicant does not have the technology to do this, then we will perform the sign-up by following social distancing guidance

We appreciate that some people may be anxious about moving at this time – we want you to be assured that you can move when you are ready and able to do so.

As part of our lettings service, we will be asking applicants their state of health, level of vulnerability and their arrangement for moving (including any assistance required), before proceeding with the move.

18 May update

Coronavirus symptoms: UK adds loss of smell and taste to list

Loss of smell or taste have been added to the UK's list of coronavirus symptoms that people should look out for and self-isolate with.

Until now, only a fever and cough were triggers for people to shut themselves away in self-isolation in case they had and could spread the infection.

Ear, nose and throat doctors had been warning for weeks that more symptoms should be included.

Scientific advisers told the government to update the advice.

If you or someone you live with has any of these symptoms - a new, continuous cough, fever or loss of smell or taste (also called anosmia) - the advice is stay at home for seven days to stop the risk of giving coronavirus to others.

Cough and loss of smell or taste can persist after seven days. You do not need to keep self-isolating after seven days, unless you have a high temperature or are unwell, says the advice.

Loss of smell and taste may still be signs of other respiratory infections, such as the common cold. Experts say fever and cough remain important symptoms of coronavirus to look out for.

Read more online at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/

15 May update

You will be aware from the government announcement of Sunday 10 May, regarding the Coronavirus, that there have been some changes to the way we conduct our daily lives, following on from the original lockdown announcement in March.

Those changes from government have had no impact on LHP’s current situation regarding services. As part of our commitment to you, the customer, we have put together the below infographic detailing which of our services are currently running and what we are able to deliver currently.

We want to reassure you that we are continuing to follow government guidelines on social distancing and the health and safety of our customers and staff are the most important thing to us.

As the coronavirus situation continues to develop and the government makes further announcements, we expect to be able to provide more of our regular services to us and we will update on this in due course.

The most up-to-date information on our services can be found in our dedicated coronavirus hub on our website. In the meantime, if you do need support, please reach out to us on social media or call 0345 604 1472.

30 April update

Update from Anglian Water

BLOCKED DRAINS CAN BE A NUISANCE, BUT THEY CAN BE AVOIDED BY FOLLOWING THESE TOP TIPS

• Do not flush rags, cotton wool, sanitary products, baby wipes, nappies, plastic or similar materials down the toilet as they will block the drain. Put them in the bin instead.
  • Do not put cooking fats, oils, grease and food waste down the sink, plugholes or your outside drains. Allow this waste to go solid and then dispose of it in your bin.
  • Only use recommended amounts of washing powder for your load. Washing powder can solidify and cause the drain to block.
  • Don’t leave food waste on plates and cutlery when using a dishwasher. This will be flushed down the drain and could cause a blockage over time.
  • Try to keep your guttering and drains clear of leaves and garden materials.
  For more information, click on the link below

https://www.lincolnshirehp.com/your-home/repairs/blocked-drains/

27 April update

Social isolation gathering update

We want to reassure our customers that we take reports of social isolation gatherings seriously, as well as offering some advice on the best way to deal with these situations, if they are happening in your community.

Although these reports are not something we can deal from a Housing or ASB point of view, you can do this directly online to the police, who have the correct powers to disperse any gatherings.

If you do need to report an isolation gathering, just visit: https://www.reportingcrime.uk/HPBreachOfCovid19Guidance/index.html and fill in the relevant details.

22 April update

Warden update

If you are a customer in one of our sheltered schemes that has a warden, they are on hand during the Coronavirus outbreak to give you support via phone, rather than the usual daily scheme visit.

The warden will attend in the event of an emergency during office hours and Age UK, who provide our out of hours service will also continue to attend in the event of an emergency. You may also see a warden around the SHU on Wednesday’s when they attend to complete the necessary Health and Safety checks.

17 April update

The Coronavirus outbreak has seen the terms self-isolation, social distancing and shielding become part of our everyday language. But what do they mean and what is the difference between them?

It's important that we all understand the differences between the three terms, particularly when customers are contacting us and vice-versa, as the status of a person could affect the service, we are able to deliver to them.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

The latest government guidance means that everyone should be social distancing as a bare minimum during the Coronavirus outbreak. That means if we do need to go into the office for any reason or enter a customer's home, we need to respect the social distancing guidelines of two metres between people.

SELF-ISOLATION

Self-isolation is the most effective way of preventing coronavirus spreading. Government advice is to self-isolate if you have any coronavirus symptoms, might have been exposed to it, or live with someone with symptoms.

SHIELDING

Shielding is like self-isolating, but for longer, and is for people who are deemed extremely vulnerable due to a specific health condition.

For the latest NHS advice on the Coronavirus outbreak, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/. 

15 April update

Money Support service

We understand some of you may have concerns about paying your rent, if your financial situation changes due to this outbreak.

We do have a Money Support Service – available through the Income team, who can offer advice, guidance and discuss your options with you. Please make sure you get in touch with us as soon as possible, if you are struggling to pay your rent.

Please contact us on 0345 604 1472 and ask for the Income Team or go to the Money Support page on our website for further information - www.lincolnshirehp.com/moneysupport

If you are in self-isolation or are unable to leave your home and are looking for an alternative way to pay your rent, please visit our information page: www.lincolnshirehp.com/waystopay

8 April update

Void properties

As part of the services we are providing during the Coronavirus outbreak, we are committing to continuing work on our void properties.

This is because these properties can potentially be offered to those in urgent housing need during the outbreak, or if we are approached to house key workers who want to reduce travel between their home and their job.

We continue to liaise with our partners about the availability of properties and we want to reassure you that staff working on these properties are taking all the necessary safety steps, as outlined in government guidelines.

7 April update

31 March update

As you will be aware from our previous correspondence, the Coronavirus outbreak is a very significant risk to us all, and here at Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP) our priority is to maintain the safety of our customers and staff.

This means there are several vital services that we must continue to provide to you, even if you are self-isolating, social distancing or shielding, as part of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Health and safety checks

It is important we continue to keep you safe in your home. The current guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is that we should continue to carry out any property-related health and safety checks.

This means if you have a gas boiler or appliance, solid fuel heating system or adaptation which requires an inspection, we will continue to carry out the legal compliance visits in the normal way.

• If you are self-isolating because you have symptoms, we will arrange for the visit to take place after you have been symptom-free for seven days
• If you are shielding for an extended period, based on government advice around vulnerable categories, we will carry out a risk assessment that will enable us to keep you safe, whilst the inspection is completed
• In all cases, we ask customers to respect the government’s guidelines on social distancing and be in another room, whilst the inspection is completed

If you live in a block of flats or a sheltered scheme, we will continue to carry out the required health and safety checks in communal areas. These are for:

• Legionella
• Fire Safety
• Asbestos
• Communal lifts
• Electrical safety

Testing you can do yourself:

• Make sure that you regularly test the smoke detectors in your property
• If you live in a residential block and there is a problem with the door closer, please report it as an emergency repair, so we can keep you and your neighbours safe, in the event of a fire.
• If you plan on doing any DIY, remember to check with us before you drill into any walls, just in case there is some asbestos that is safe unless you disturb it.
• If they are any taps in your property that you do not use regularly, run them for at least two minutes, once a week to avoid any build-up of bacteria.

Cleaning

Our cleaners will be still be coming to site to provide this invaluable service and they are undertaking an enhanced cleaning programme, as part of the Coronavirus outbreak.

If you have any concerns about the standard of the cleaning service, please contact us on 0345 604 1472.

Laundry

If you live in a scheme which has a laundry room, these are still in use, but we ask you to follow the government guidelines around social distancing.

ASB reports

Due to the government restrictions in place because of the Coronavirus outbreak, most schools and many workplaces are closed. This means that more people are at home and in their gardens and there may be additional noise during the day. We are asking all tenants to be considerate and a bit more tolerant. However, if you have any genuine ASB issues to report, please let the team know on 0345 604 1472 or email ASB@lincolnshirehp.com.

Emergency Escape Routes

Please remember to keep all communal corridors, stairways and emergency exits clear. This is important for the safety of all residents and staff. We appreciate that there may be extra rubbish generated due to the government’s social distancing guidelines, so if you are struggling with waste disposal, please call us on 0345 604 1472 to discuss this further.

Bogus callers

We are aware that there is a heightened risk of bogus callers during the Coronavirus outbreak. If you have any concerns about a member of staff, please feel free to ask them to show you their LHP ID badge from a safe distance or you can call the office on 0345 604 1472 to confirm that the visit is legitimate – please rest assured that our staff will not take offence if you choose to do this.

There are lots of reports of scam phone calls too – don’t be caught out. One example is calling you and asking you to donate money to help fund vital medical equipment over the phone. You may also get calls about a problem with software or internet and they might ask you to log on to your computer, iPad or other device. Your internet provider will never call you and ask you to do this. Just end the call.

All our staff and contractors are following governments guidelines on social distancing. If you do see them working, please ensure that you always stay two metres from them.

And finally, please be kind and understand these are difficult times for our staff too.

If you require any further information on the services we are providing during the Coronavirus outbreak, please visit our website www.lincolnshirehp.com/coronavirus or call 0345 604 1472 for any updates.

25 March update

Service Charges – LHP provide a number of services to our customers such as ground maintenance, communal cleaning, window cleaning for which customers receive a charge for payable through either a fixed or variable service charge.

We are continuing to work with all our contractors who provide these services to ensure that they are able to continue to provide these service as usual  where it is safe to do so in line with the governments COVID-19 advice.

24 March update

• In line with government guidance on the Coronavirus outbreak and for the safety of our customers, we have decided to close all communal areas in our sheltered schemes for the time being. Please rest assured that these areas are still being extensively cleaned and will reopen to residents once safe to do so.
• You may have noticed that recently we have not advertised any properties for sales or lettings. This is due to our lettings process being on standby due to coronavirus. The service will resume as normal once it is safe to meet with those of you who may be interested in viewing one of properties.

23 March update

As you will have seen from our previous correspondence, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership’s main priority as part of the Coronavirus outbreak is to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.

It is with that in mind, and the government guidance on social distancing, that we have made the decision to move to an Emergency Plus Repairs service only from 5pm on Monday 23 March.

We will continue to provide the following repairs services to all customers:

• Heating and hot water
• Sanitation, including running water
• Power
• That properties are secure: doors and windows
• Fix anything which is causing significant damage to the property

As we are unable to predict how long we will be delivering this limited service for, we are committing to ensure that all key services are returned to an operational state by the end of the repair.

If you have a current appointment scheduled with us, one of our Planning Team will be in touch to postpone your appointment and we will reschedule these once our normal repairs service resumes.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you, but we are sure you will recognise that, with the Coronavirus outbreak, this is the safest course of action for both staff and customers. We would like to thank you for your cooperation and if you have any queries, please call us on 0345 604 1472, email info@lincolnshirehp.com or direct message us through social media.

20 March update

We would like to reassure everyone that we will not evict customers for rent arrears caused by the impact that the Coronavirus outbreak may have on their personal lives, and we will continue to support our customers through our Income Team and Money Support Services.

If you are struggling to pay your rent for any reason, including the Coronavirus outbreak, it is important that you contact us. Please call 0345 604 1472 and ask to speak to the Income Team or visit www.lincolnshirehp.com/moneysupport/.

Keeping on top of your rent is really important, and there are many ways you can choose to pay – please visit our website www.lincolnshirehp.com/waystopay for more information.

18 March update

At Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP), our priority is ensuring the safety of our staff and customers, and the most effective way to do that is by following the advice given by Public Health England and the NHS.

In the interests of keeping our customers and staff safe, it is vital that you let us know if you or anyone else in your household is self-isolating.

Please contact us on 0345 604 1472 or use the Contact Us form on our website.

What we are doing

We want to reassure you about the steps we are taking at LHP to reduce the risk of this virus taking hold. We are ensuring staff have appropriate protective equipment and are self-isolating if they display any symptoms. We can let you know that we currently have no staff members confirmed with the virus.

Although we will make every effort to continue to deliver all of our services as usual, if the  outbreak escalates in the UK, we will need to put some measures in place to help minimise the risk of further spread and keep our staff and customers safe.

We know that these measures will cause a disruption to our normal service, including delayed routine repairs and longer wait times for calls. Your understanding and co-operation at this time is greatly appreciated.

If you are self-isolating, we will continue to provide the following emergency repairs

Paying your rent

We understand some of you may have concerns about paying your rent if your financial situation changes due to this outbreak. We do have a Money Support Service – available through the Income Team, who can offer advice, guidance and discuss your options with you. Please make sure you get in touch with us as soon as possible, if you are struggling to pay your rent.

Please contact us on 0345 604 1472 and ask for the Income Team or go to our website at www.lincolnshirehp.com/moneysupport for further information.

If you are in self-isolation or are unable to leave your home and are looking for an alternative way to pay your rent, please visit our information page: www.lincolnshirehp.com/waystopay.

11 March update

We would like to share the following information regarding the Coronvirus with you:

1. If you have been told to self-isolate, please let us know as soon as possible. This is especially important if we have appointments planned with you
2. Please follow the latest NHS and Public Health England advice. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Call 111 if you have symptoms or have travelled to somewhere affected by the coronavirus. The latest advice is available online at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
3. Please contact us if you have any queries or concerns. Our contact methods are available online here: https://www.lincolnshirehp.com/contact-us/ or you can contact us through Direct Message on social media