Here for you in difficult times

We are doing everything we can to provide as wide a range of services as we can during the new national lockdown introduced on 5 January, 2021.

The tighter restrictions and the over-riding need to limit the spread of the virus are, however, impacting some of our services. Our priority, as always, is to keep customers and our staff safe.

Please remember we’re here for you 24/7 and will do everything we can to support you and your family through the challenges you’re facing as a result of the pandemic.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we work together to combat Covid-19. Please continue to check our website regularly for the latest information on our services and get in touch if you have any questions.

Here we explain how our services are currently affected.

Housing office and staff

Our housing offices are still closed, and our housing officers are working from home in line with government guidance. They are supporting customers daily in a wide range of ways by phone and online.

Housing officers will only be able to visit people at home in exceptional circumstances, such as where there are serious welfare concerns.

We are still here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the phone and online.

Repairs

The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority and as a result we are concentrating on carrying out essential repairs where we can do so safely.

Essential repairs are where there is a risk to the health and safety of customers and their homes. This includes things like repairing heating and lighting, sorting a persistent leak, and repairing security entry doors and controlled entry. We always take the circumstances of the household into account and if we can’t do something right now, we’ll try to explain why and make arrangements for work to be done when it is safe to do so.

Unfortunately, it’s just not possible for now to do repairs where it’s difficult for our tradespeople to socially distance. Thanks for your understanding on this.

Please be assured staff follow strictly all health-and-safety guidelines, including wearing Personal Protective Equipment – as and when appropriate – while carrying out essential repairs.

If you need an essential repair, call us on 0800 011 3447 or speak to your housing officer.

Keeping you safe

Annual gas safety checks are not only essential, but a legal requirement. Please do all you can to ensure yours goes ahead – when it’s arranged – at the time we’ve agreed with you.

Our programme of electrical inspections and upgrading heat and smoke detectors in tenants’ homes is also continuing. Again, please be at home at the agreed time to ensure your smoke and heat detection system is fitted to the current standard. You’ll receive a letter with an appointment, and how to rearrange it if it doesn’t suit.

Remember also our Home and Fire Safety teams are available to give you information and advice on keeping your home safe and secure.

Home improvements

We are continuing to carry out investment work to the external areas of homes, such as roofing and installing external wall insulation. However, some customers were due to have improvement work carried out inside their homes, such as heating works, kitchen and bathroom replacements and new windows.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to do these works safely where we would be required to spend time in customers’ homes.

This work will be rescheduled and we’ll be in touch with you about this at a later date.

Letting homes

We are continuing to let homes as before and continuing to prioritise letting homes to people most in need, including the homeless, those living in overcrowded conditions or who need an adapted property.

Our online housing application system, Homes4DG, is available if you want to apply for a home or update your application.

Anti-social behaviour

Our anti-social behaviour officers are working hard with housing officers and others to deal with issues that cause upset and alarm.

As your landlord, we take this responsibility very seriously and work closely with Police Scotland and the local authority to ensure our communities are great places to live.

If you’re affected, call the police on 101 and let us know too.

Environmental services

The new variant of Covid means there is a greater risk working in communal closes and stairwells, where it is more difficult to socially distance. As a result, we’re having to pause our cleaning services for safety reasons.

If you have an urgent issue, call us on 0800 011 3447 or talk to your housing officer.