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Each year we review customer rents, and we wanted to make you aware of upcoming changes from Monday 3 April 2023. 

Rising costs mean that we have to take the difficult decision to increase rents, so that we can continue delivering services for our customers, maintaining homes and developing new ones to play our part in addressing the housing shortage in the region. 

Based on government guidelines, which housing associations have been working closely on, rent for social landlords, such as LiveWest, will be increasing by 7% from Monday 3 April 2023. 

We will be writing to you in February with more details, including exactly how much you will pay for your rent. There is also more information in the video below. 

We understand that the cost of living crisis is continuing to affect many of our customers, and we are committed to supporting anyone that needs help. Since April 2020 we have provided 3,249 grants worth £609,000 to support customers with food, energy and other costs. 

We have set aside a fund of over £800,000 to support our customers with living costs. Of this, £350,000 will be allocated to the LiveWest Tenancy Support Fund (TSF), to help those who are affected by the increase in rent payments from April 2023.

There is also a range of information on the cost of living section on our website, including the support we offer, as well as the government and other charities or organisations. 

More information will be provided in February when we will write to you. 

We take damp and mould seriously and are here to help any customers experiencing issues with this. 

What should you do if you have damp and mould in your home? 

If you have problems with damp and mould, please report this to us so that we can support you. 

We have a range of advice on our website to help you treat damp and mould, reduce moisture and tips for preventing it returning. We also have a hints and tips guide which you may find useful when dealing with issues. Our damp and mould policy also explains in more detail how we will support customers.

Heating your home, especially in colder months, is an effective way you can reduce the risk of damp and mould building up. It is also important to reduce moisture, which can be done by drying clothes outside where possible, keeping windows open and putting lids on saucepans whilst cooking. 

Ventilation devices are also installed in some homes, which are designed to reduce moisture. Ventilation devices are not expensive to run, and will not cause your energy bills to rise by much, so it is important you do not turn fans or ventilation devices off in order to save money. A 30 watt fan currently cost around 1p per hour based on current rates, so the small savings you would make will not be worth the risk of damp and mould building up. 

Take a look at our advice for dealing with damp and mould here. 

Did you know that providing false information to gain a property, subletting a property or not using a social housing home as your main home is a type of fraud? 

Tenancy fraud can be a criminal matter and can lead to prosecution, so it should be avoided. 

Why is tenancy fraud a big issue? 

There is a shortage of affordable housing and waiting lists for social housing across the country are lengthy, with people waiting up to 10 years for affordable housing in some instances. 

Due to the high demand, instead of giving up the tenancy we have seen an increase in customers trying to retain these homes to pass to other family members and friends. 

This prevents families in housing need from securing a home. Social landlords exist to make sure that these homes are let to those in housing need registered with the local authority, which is why subletting is a criminal offence.

Recent cases

We took action in two separate cases in West Devon and North Somerset recently which were reported to us through fraud reporting online.

In both cases tenants had left the property but decided to sublet rather than let us know they would no longer be using the property. 

If you are committing tenancy fraud but did not know how serious it is, we are always happy to work with customers to resolve the situation and are much less likely to take criminal proceedings in these instances. We also hold key amnesty’s, which gives customers the opportunity to surrender their tenancy without further action being taken. 

Get in touch with us if you would like to discuss tenancy fraud in a LiveWest home. If you would like to report tenancy fraud, we will always maintain complete confidentiality in our investigations. 

If we have made an appointment with you, please remember to keep it. It is really important to allow us access when you have a repairs appointment. If you do need to cancel or amend an existing repair appointment, please contact us at your earliest convenience to let us know.

We are currently experiencing a much higher than normal number of repair requests, so ensuring you are in for your appointments will help us deal with this. 

Some appointments we make are also essential for us to complete, so it is important we are able to access your home. Electrical testing (for example Electrical Installation condition reports), gas checks and other similar jobs are a requirement and help to keep you safe in your home. 

If you are at all concerned about letting anyone who claims to be from LiveWest into your home, please ask to see their identity card. If they do not have a card, or if you are worried, do not let them into your home. Call us and we will be happy to confirm if someone from LiveWest was due to call. 

We are delighted to have helped a military veteran, Adrian Colwill, build his own home which he has recently moved in to just in time for the New Year. 

Adrian Colwill, 47, a former Royal Artillery soldier from the age of 16, experienced some mental health challenges when he left the forces, and had been at risk of becoming homeless until the opportunity at Stirling House in Plymouth was offered, where Adrian now lives with his family. 

We partnered with Plymouth City Council, veterans’ charity Alabaré and Coyde Construction to give former military personnel new homes, as well as skills in construction to help start a new career. 

Stirling House, which began construction in July 2021, is providing 25 self-contained affordable homes for rent with 12 of those being self-built by former service personnel in need of housing.

Each finished home is fully electric with air source heat pumps and high energy efficiency.

Adrian said: “This is the ultimate New Year’s gift and now I feel like I have not just got a house but a future.

“It has been an emotional time for me and my family and we burst into tears when we found out we would be given the keys.

“My son cannot wait, he is so excited. He has already started planning how he is going to kit out his bedroom.

“It is more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Hear more from Adrian in the video below. 

Adrian is now looking forward to the future and plans to carve out a career in the construction sector having developed a wealth of skills during the project.

Congratulations to Adrian, his family, and all the other veterans who have been involved with the Stirling House project. 

If you are looking for a new home, you can find out what we have available here. 

The cost of living crisis is continuing to affect many households across the region  with increased pressure on their budgets. Everyday costs including food, fuel and energy have seen sharp rises recently, much quicker than the average person’s income is rising. 

To help support you, we have launched the cost of living section on our website. This includes information on what we are doing to support you, the government support available and help from other charities and organisations to help you if you are in financial difficulty.  

We have also created our Slow Cook, Low Waste recipe book, which was made using tips submitted by LiveWest customers for reducing food waste. Slow cookers are a low cost way to cook tasty meals, so it is definitely worth considering using one to reduce your energy costs and food bills.  

As part of our efforts to make our workforce more diverse, we are delighted to have welcomed 12 female trade apprentices in the last 18 months, bringing the total number of women in our trades team to 24. 

This means women make up 6% of our trades workforce, however we have a target of 8%, so we look forward to continuing making progress towards this. 

Our Women in Trades campaign has played a large part in this. The recruitment campaign was created to provide opportunities for women looking to start a career in a trade. This included holding a taster day where women could try their hand at carpentry, bricklaying and painting and decorating, and led to a number of women applying for and beginning apprenticeships with us. 

This includes Georgia, who had served in the Royal Navy and also as a nurse, but had ambitions to try a career in a trade, which she has been able to do as part of our apprenticeship programme. 

Georgia, 31, said: “I thought my dream had gone as I am in my 30s and couldn’t really afford to start again as an apprentice.

“I am someone who used to do DIY around the house when I was younger. I always like doing practical jobs and trying my hand at different things.

“Since joining LiveWest, I have loved every minute of my job. Everyone is so supportive, I have got a great mentor and there are some fantastic opportunities here."

Apprenticeships are an important part of our workforce, and we are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week from 6 -12 February. 

Liane Sheppard, Director of Property Services for LiveWest, said: “Women are not well represented in skilled trades and we have taken steps to address that by giving them opportunities at LiveWest.

“We have some great female role models already working across our trades, but we want more.

“We want to empower more women to pursue a trades career.”

If you are looking for a new career, take a look at our job vacancies. 

We are looking for customers to join our InFocus group, which helps to shape and improve our services. 

If you have ideas for how we could improve what we offer to customers or want to make sure your voice is heard, joining our customer scrutiny group, InFocus, could be the perfect opportunity for you.

What is InFocus?

InFocus is a group of customers who work with us to help improve the services we offer. It provides an opportunity to share ideas and get your feedback heard, with the group having had a huge impact on a number of projects and services. Recent work includes reviewing our Customer Services Strategy, our 2022 rent review communications, our Housing Ombudsman Complaints Handling self-assessment, and our updated Tenure Policy. 

There are a number of benefits you will get from joining InFocus, including meeting other customers, building confidence, improving LiveWest homes and services, hearing others views and experiences and finding out more about the work we do at LiveWest. You can give as much or as little of your time as you would like. 

The Chair of InFocus, James, recently talked about his experience of being part of the group: 

You can find out a bit more about InFocus here, or apply to join here. 

We want to provide our customers with high quality services. We have launched a new tool so that we can complete some types of repairs faster than before and help us get things right the first time. 

Using remote diagnostic tool technology, we can quicky diagnose any repairs needed in our customers’ homes. The visual help tool widely used by many companies to provide better customer service. 

When you call us to report a repair our Customer Service team may offer you the choice to speak to one of our specialist repairs advisers over a video call using remote diagnostic technology.

When on the video call our specialist repairs advisers will be able to see exactly the repair issue in your home through your smartphone camera. We will always ask your permission first to do this. 

Our advisers can then help you with your issue, and in some instances, we will be able to help you with the steps you need to take to quickly and safely resolve your repair, saving you time and avoiding the need to book an appointment for us to visit your home. Or if we need to visit your home, it will help us accurately diagnose the issue, enabling us to get things right first time. 
 
If you need to report a repair in your home, please contact us here.  

Keeping you safe in your home is one of our priorities. As part of this commitment, we are continuing to provide you with safety advice for seasonal and year-round risks. 

Cold weather 

Slips and falls in icy conditions are a common problem and can lead to injury, so it is important to take extra care when outside your house and in the local area. Pavements, paths and steps at your home are all at risk of becoming slippery when icy. Find out more about staying safe during cold weather here. 

Heating your home safely

With the cost of energy bills increasing for many households recently, some people are turning to other sources of heating in order to try and save money, for example portable gas and paraffin heaters. This can be extremely dangerous, and we strongly advise against this. Find out more about heating your home safely here. 

Candles

Candles are a common feature in many homes, with a wide range of scents and styles readily available, as well as being a popular way to mark special occasions or religious holidays. Find out more about how to make sure you are using candles safely here. 

Visit Your safety for more safety information, including fire, gas and general health and safety advice.  

Registering your appliances

If you have bought new appliances new or second hand, make your you register it so you are notified of any repairs or recalls. You can register it here.