We are pleased to announce that we have installed external wall insulation on our properties in Rokeby:
Selected council properties in Rokeby and Long Lawford have received external wall insulation (EWI) as part of the Social Housing Decarbonization Fund. RBC have worked with E.ON to install external wall insulation on these selected properties as part of a 2 year project.
Rokeby was the first to receive external wall insulation. Please take a look at the pictures below to see parts of the process of the works! This is what would be involved in the installation:
The scaffolding put up on the property. The scaffolding goes at the front and the back of the property. This is done after the property has had assessments completed.
The EWI being installed. This process involves arranging the blocks of external wall insulation to cover all relevant parts of the property which will ensure that the property is retaining its heat.
This is what the EWI looks like with once completed with its finished render!
St. Patricks day at Albert Sq
11 residents at Albert Square got together to celebrate St. Patricks day on 15/03/2024. They celebrated with Irish apple cake and sampling some of the Guinness. This was a great chance for the residents to get together and start the weekend in a positive way!
Mosaic table celebrations
19 people attended the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum on 20/04/2024 to celebrate the display of their loely mosaic table that was hand crafted by the residents at Edmonson Court.
The stunning design of the table is inspired by nature, bursting with colour and depictions of birds, bees, the sun and an array of other animals - made with thousands of tiles which took 4 months to complete.
If you and other tenants at your scheme would like to get involved in similar projects, please contact your ILC or email rbc.tenants@rugb.gov.uk
Tenants panel meeting
We would like to thank those who attended the latest tenant's panel meeting on 7 February 2024 at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum. These meetings give us the opportunity to work with tenants to improve our services.
At the latest meeting there was a focus on:
The Housing Services Performance data
The draft Rent section of the Tenants Handbook
The draft Terms of Reference for the Tenants Panel
The draft Code of Conduct for the Tenants Panel
This allowed tenants to have a deeper understanding of RBC's tenant handbook and what they can expect in the future. Tenants also got to review how we are doing by taking a look at our performance data.
Our next Tenants Panel meetings will be held at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum on:
Wednesday 8 May
Wednesday 11 September
Wednesday 13 November
Wednesday 12 February (2025)
Rent clinics
Rent clinics and Estate Management drop ins at the Town Hall:
There will be a general duty day offered by Estate Management Team every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10am - 4pm at the Town Hall. So please drop in to have a discussion with a housing officer.
It is important to keep up to date with your rent, if you have any questions regarding your rent, there will also be a Rents duty day offered every Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 4pm.
Bedworth Rugby and Nuneaton Citizens Advice Beurea here to help:
BRANCAB is a major provider of quality assured advice and information in the Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton Warwickshire area. The service is delivered by a team of highly trained volunteer advisers from the local community.
They are supported by a dedicated number of qualified advisers, as well as our national organization, Citizens Advice. For more information on how they can help, please visit: BRANCAB or call their free advice line MONDA to FRIDAY 9am - 5pm on 0808 250 5715.
Rugby in bloom
Rugby in bloom - look out for the chance to apply!
The Rugby in Bloom campaign is run by Rugby Borough Council with the co-operation of many local organisations, groups and individuals without whom it would not be possible - a big thanks to all involved. Rugby in Bloom is hugely successful with the aim of the competition being to encourage all sectors of the community to brighten up the environment. There are various trophies and prizes awarded with the judges looking for a good choice of plants, quality of design and maintenance and good use of space.
If you are a tenant residing in a sheltered housing scheme, please contact your ILC if you would like to get involved.
Applications for Rugby in Bloom will be open soon so keep an eye out! If you are interested, email rbc.tenants@rugby.gov.uk for more information.
Crystal insurance
Crystal insurance:
Home contents insurance is designed to provide cover for the contents of your home. No matter how careful you are, there's always a risk that your possessions could be taken, damaged or stolen.
When you rent from your landlord, your rent payment does not include insurance for your home contents. It's your responsibility to make sure the contents of your home and your personal belongings would be covered in the event of loss or damage.
The crystal Insurance Scheme was designed for tenants and residents in social housing, and provides cover for damage to, or loss of your furniture, belongings, and decorations. This includes events that as a tenant you may be affected by and financially responsible for, such as damage to the council's fixtures and fittings.
The pay as you go policies offer flexible payment methods, and low minimum sums insured, meaning you only pay for the cover you need.
When selecting a home contents insurance policy, it's important to select the correct sum insured:
It is important that your sums insured remain adequate in the event of a loss to avoid underinsurance, and therefore you should assess the value of your home contents and personal belongings every year.
Having the right level of cover is almost as important as the cover itself. It means if you ever make a claim, you wont find yourself at a loss.
For example, if your contents are worth £20,000 but you only valued them at £10,000 on your policy, you wont be underinsured. If you needed to make a claim, insurers would proportionately reduce the amount of any claim payment made by the percentage of underpayment of premium which has arisen as a result of the shortfall in the sum insured and would only pay 50% of your claim.
How to work out your sum insured:
Make a list of belongings and note the cost of replacing them at the full replacement cost, which is the cost of replacing all contents as new. It may be easier to review a room at a time, not forgetting items in drawers and cupboards, and don’t forget to include hallways, lofts, cellars, and outbuildings. To assist you Crytsal Insurance have created a helpful sum insured calculator on their website here: https://www.crystal-insurance.co.uk/calculator-form
To find out more about the Crystal Insurance Scheme or to get a quote:
Stock condition survey
Frequently asked questions:
What are we doing?
Rugby Borough Council is working with ARK Consultancy to check the condition of its Housing stock. We own 3,500 homes, and it’s important that we check the internal and external condition of all the essential parts of home. We’ll be using the results from the survey to set plans and budgets for long term replacements and improvements.
What will happen with the results?
The results will be used to identify when and where homes and schemes will need planned works doing. and how much this is likely to cost in future years.
Who is doing the stock condition surveys and when do they start?
We’ve appointed ARK Consultancy to check the condition of our homes across all areas. We will be giving our Housing Officers and Independent Living Co-ordinators a schedule of the surveys at each scheme so that they know when to expect surveyors. ARK Consultancy will use between 3 to 8 surveyors at any one time.
How long will this project take?
We plan to conduct the surveys at all residents’ homes within a 4-year period. After that, we will have plan to survey around 20% of the properties every year to ensure that we maintain the data that we hold.
How will we get access to customers’ homes?
The letter sent with these FAQ’s will be sent to all properties before an ARK surveyor visits your property. ARK will send a further letter nearer the time of the planned survey and also confirm by telephone where RBC have a current phone number, 24 hours before the survey to provide an AM or PM time for their visit. The surveyors will have photo ID and will also quote your unique reference number at the top of your letter.
Are evening and Saturday appointments available?
No, unfortunately not. Surveys will take place Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5.30pm.
How long will the survey take, and which part of my home will be surveyed?
The survey will usually take about 30 minutes and will include a visual inspection of the inside and outside of customers’ homes. ARK Consultancy will also be surveying all communal areas where RBC are responsible for repairs. The surveyor will not need to move furniture or carpets when in customers’ homes but may look in the loft (if you have one), as long as it’s reasonably safe to access.
Do tenants need to make any special arrangements?
We appreciate that things may crop up and you must leave the property at the time of a pre-agreed survey. ARK Consultancy have a survey list where at least one alternative property is provided. The surveyors will move on to another property if customers are not at home when they call.
Are they doing any other surveys?
As part of this survey, ARK Consultancy will look for any immediately dangerous or Health & Safety repair items and report these back. ARK will also be conducting energy surveys on our behalf, but this may not be at your property, at this time. We have pre-agreed the items with ARK that we want them to record, and they will do this in a pre-agreed format and approach.
Are we doing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)?
Yes. We want to understand which homes have missing EPCs. We will carry out EPC surveys on these homes later this year (2023). We’ll arrange access to these homes separately and involve relevant Rugby Borough Council and ARK staff at that time.
Are ARK Consultancy taking any photographs of homes?
As part of the survey, if our surveyors identify any emergency repairs, they’ll report them to RBC so that they can be dealt with. Surveyors will take a picture of these emergency repairs to include in their report back to us & may also take photographs of the main components they have been asked to look at. The surveyors are trained to ensure that they do not capture individuals, personal information or personal items within the photographs. The photographs will be held within our asset database & used to quality control the information being relayed. If you do not wish for any photographs to be taken – please inform the surveyor on the day.
How can customers contact ARK Consultancy?
If customers have any queries, they can contact Rugby Borough Council in the first instance on 01788 533533. Our Customer Services Team will pass the queries on to ARK Consultancy, and they will contact customers directly.
How can ARK Consultancy surveyors be identified?
The surveyors from ARK Consultancy will have an official RBC photo identification displayed on their persons. All surveyors will carry a letter of authority printed on RBC headed paper. They will also have the unique reference number that the resident was given on their initial letter. If the surveyors do not have RBC identification, do not let them into your home.
Where will survey results be stored?
All data from ARK Consultancy will be stored on Rugby Borough Council’s Asset Management System. This is protected by our data protection protocols.
Are ARK Consultancy aware of this year’s planned investment programme?
No, the surveyors are asked to report on the components as they are when they are viewed. They are unaware of the investment programmes or contractor details. They will not be able to advise you on when your home will be having any open repair jobs or planned maintenance work completed.
Who is leading this project?
The project is being led by Rugby Borough Council, not ARK Consultancy. If you have any concerns prior to or after the survey, please contact RBC on 01788 533533.
Will ARK Consultancy advise tenants and staff when they’ll be getting new kitchens bathrooms etc?
No. The data will need to come back to RBC who will then be developing the planned investment programmes over the next 5, 10 and 30 years.
What happens if residents have a complaint?
Residents should report any issues or concerns through to our main RBC call centre on 01788 533533. We will then be able to solve the issue. Any complaints will be dealt with via RBC’s complaint handling process, by telephoning 01788 533533
Tackling ASB
Success in tackling ASB:
What is a suspended possession order? A Suspended Possession Order is a court order of terms and conditions that must not be breached by a tenant, if they breach these conditions, they will have to leave their property. An SPO was obtained for an RBC tenant. This person has caused alarm, harassment and distress to residents and the wider community. This SPO was granted with terms for the tenant to adhere to. This is a successful outcome to enable the tenant to make changes to his behaviour to ensure the safety of the community. Whilst we always look to support and work with our residents, we do take a firm approach to ASB and consider the impact on our residents and Community.
An Outright Possession Order was also obtained within 14 days, for a resident in a sheltered scheme in Hillmorton, who has continued to cause alarm harassment and distress to the local residents and community. It is our priority to maintain the safety of our residents.
If you would like to report anti-social behaviour, please click here to follow the report process for ASB.
Join our estate walkabouts
Our programme of estate inspections gives you the chance to join council officers on a tour of your neighbourhood and help make a difference to where you live.
Officers from a range of council teams join each inspection, so you have the chance to speak directly to members of our housing team, property repairs service and independent living team.
You can download the estate inspection programme from the link below:
Email rbc.tenants@rugby.gov.uk to confirm your attendance and find out the start time and meeting place for your inspection.
Get involved
Get involved and help make a difference to where you live:
From gardening schemes, home improvements, energy efficiency programmes and a tenant scrutiny panel to a bonfire night, coffee mornings, estate walkabouts and Christmas parties, tenants have helped:
Give feedback to help us deliver a better service
Tackle social exclusion
Increase the use of communal at independent living schemes
If you want to speak to us about your housing, please get in touch with us.
Your feedback allows us to address your concerns directly and gives us valuable information about how we deliver our services.
Whether it's a comment, compliment or complaint, we want to hear from you. You can call us on (01788) 533533 or simply complete an online form on our website.
Report a repair or issues with anti-social behaviour
If you want to contact us to report a repair required at your property or issues with anti-social behaviour from council tenants, please use the online forms on our website to ensure we can deal with your request efficiently and effectively.
If you have an issue with your rent, please call us immediately (01788) 533533 so we can try to help. You can find more information about your rent on our website.
he council has signed up to the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, which aims to enable landlords to resolve complaints raised by tenants quickly.
Under the code, we have published a self-assessment which details how we deal with complaints.
If you make a complaint to us and do not agree with our response, you have the right to appeal. If you remain unhappy with how we have handled your complaint, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman.
The Housing Ombudsman website contains a range of information which you might find useful.