Information and services in your area

Anti-social behaviour (incl Graffiti)

Buying a home

Community development

Complaints and compliments

Customer service

Funding opportunities

Handyperson service for Camden and Islington
Involvement

Moving home

Subletting

Repairs and Aids & Adaptations

Tenants handbook

Tree pruning

Welfare benefits advice, money and rent problems

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

SPH Housing's aim is to improve the quality of life for all our tenants and act to stamp out and prevent all forms of anti-social behaviour by using our powers and by working together with other agencies.

We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour; whether it affects residents, their visitors or staff of the housing association. Where a tenant's behaviour unreasonably interferes with other tenant's rights to quiet enjoyment of their home or adversely affects the quality of life of the local community, the association will seek to co-ordinate a multi-agency approach to tackle the cause, take action against the offenders and support and protect tenant victims.

We will take action where ASB affects not only our own tenants but also where it affects others in the community, such as local authority tenants or owner-occupiers, where possible.

We wish to resolve all cases of nuisance as quickly as possible without resorting to legal action. However, in serious cases where there is sufficient evidence legal action will be taken.

Other remedies, which would prevent and rectify nuisance, will be considered for example:

Promoting the association's policy
Publicising the availability of play/youth facilities
Tenant induction sessions
Mediation
Floating support
SPH Gold Reward Scheme
Deployment of police patrols
Tenant association/estate events to facilitate contact between different community groups
Liaison with other services such as council social services and health departments
Minor repairs - erecting fences/renewing locks
Security initiatives
Develop and support local youth initiatives such as summer play-schemes
Where appropriate SPH Housing will consider the use of professional witnesses

Read our leaflet Tackling ASB by clicking here.

SPH Housing is one of the first social landlords to sign up to the government's national Respect initiative. It has programmes underway in 66 areas such as accountability and commitment, empowering residents, focus on prevention and working with partners.

Graffiti

Offensive graffiti will be removed within 24 hours. To report graffiti on this scheme contact your estate officer on 0800 040 7989 or 020 8345 7975.

Buying a home

In some circumstances, existing SPH tenants may also be eligible to buy all or part of a new home of their own. This would usually be the case if you have enough money to invest in a home but cannot afford to buy a home outright on the open market.

Find out more from our sister organisation and specialist shared ownership provider Griffin Homes.

Community development

Click here to find out more.

Complaints and compliments

Click here to find out more.

Customer service

Click here to find out more.

Funding

We can provide funding for projects that benefit your community. If you have an idea for a project then let the Community Development team know on 0800 040 7989.

Irene Barclay Fund
Overall cash available	£5,000 every year
Maximum payout per application	£500 per successful bid
What's it for?	For tenant groups or individuals for environmental projects. This is for anything that will benefit the communal areas you live in.
SPH Project & Opportunities Fund (POP Fund) (previously called Community Chest)
Overall cash available	£64,000 every year
Maximum payout per application	£5,000 per successful application
What's it for?	Projects that will be a benefit to your local community. This could be'fixed goods' like a bike shed, or a 'one-off project' like paying for a group of tenants to go on a horticulture course to improve the upkeep of communal spaces.
Awards For All
Overall cash available	Not set
Maximum payout per application	£300 - £10,000
What's it for?	This is a National Lottery scheme for community projects. Community Development will help you with your application.

Involvement

Click here to find out more.

Moving home

For more details click here.

Subletting

Subletting and 'unauthorised occupancy' is defined as one of three things: -

Trespass or squatting - where the person(s) has entered the property whilst it is void, usually by breaking in.
Unlawful subletting of the whole property - where the person(s) has entered the property with the tenant's permission and is paying rent to the tenant or an agent of the tenant for the use of the entire property and the tenant is not in residence. In these cases the tenant has attempted to keep their interest and create a new sub-interest in the whole property. Unlawful assignment - where the person(s) has entered the property with the tenant's permission and has been given use of the entire property and the tenant is not in residence.

These situations can arise in various ways:

The tenant has sold their keys.
The tenant may be sub-letting i.e. living elsewhere but collecting rent.
The tenant may have died leaving a family member or friend in the property that does not qualify for succession.
The tenant may have moved elsewhere leaving a friend or family member in the property.
The tenant may have gone away for a period of time and be intending to return to the property without informing the Association.

If you suspect subletting or illegal occupying on your estate, please phone our confidential reporting number on 020 7209 9333. Your estate officer will fully investigate all reports.

Repairs

To report a repair:

Telephone 0800 783 7903 24 hours a day. Calls are diverted to our 'out of hours' service after 6pm on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays.

Click here to report a repair by email.

Technical Services spends over £8.5 million a year maintaining, improving and remodelling tenants' homes to a high, modern standard. We strive for economy, efficiency and effectiveness. To deliver this high quality maintenance service we have:

Improved partnering arrangements with our main responsive repairs partnering contractor
Strengthened gas servicing management
Achieved consistency in quality standards in communal areas
Improved void management and
Developed procurement arrangements to increase efficiency and quality of service

Click on the Repairs button in the side menu for information about:

Reporting a repair
Booking a gas check
Handy hints
The cyclical decorations and major refurbishments programme for April 07 - March 08
The major refurbishment of SPH's Holborn mansion blocks

Aids and Adaptations

As a tenant of SPH Housing you can get aids and adaptations fitted to your home where these are needed to enable you continue living in your home independently.
Aids & Adaptations leaflet
If you need to speak to someone about aids and adaptations in your home, please contact Richard Johnson, our Adaptations Co-ordinator, on 020 7284 5450 or by email at richard.johnson@sph.org.uk.

Tenants handbook

There are some important issues to understand as a tenant. The following links take you through to them:

Tree pruning

For our cyclical tree pruning programme for 2006-10 there are three approved contractors and each works in specific areas. Budgets do allow for ad hoc work if identified. Talk to your estate officer if you know pruning that needs doing.

Welfare benefits advice

Having problems paying your rent? Need advice on how to manage your money? Are you claiming all the benefits you could be entitled to?

The Welfare Benefits Service at SPH Housing can offer you advice and assistance on all of these matters.

Welfare benefits
We can look at your current income and see if there are more welfare benefits you should be claiming. If we find you are missing out we can help you make a claim. This could help increase your weekly income and make it easier for you to manage each week.

Housing benefits
If you are struggling to pay your rent we can check you are receiving the correct amount of housing benefit or help you make a claim. If housing benefit has been overpaid we can make enquiries for you and ensure that the decision is correct.

Debt advice
If you are experiencing problems meeting all the bills that you have to pay each week then we can offer you assistance with managing your money. We can refer you for free, confidential and independent advice with a debt adviser.

In all these cases we can, if necessary, refer you free of charge to specialist agencies who can offer more help.

We can also advise you about claiming for help with things like buying basic household items such as essential furniture and kitchen appliances.

If you do not contact us, we will not know that you are experiencing problems so please talk to us. We will do our very best to help you to sort the problem out.

More information
Information sheets on some benefits are available as follows:

Attendance Allowance
Carers Allowance
Child Benefit
Debt Advice
Disability Living Allowance
Housing Benefit
Incapacity Benefit
Income Support
Job Seekers Allowance
Pension credit
Tax Credits

How to get in touch
If you are an SPH Housing tenant and you would like some advice please get in touch. Our service reflects a strong commitment to equal opportunities and is completely confidential.

To talk to us, call free on: 0800 040 79 89 or email neighbourhood@sph.org.uk