We wanted to give you an update on our current services as we get closer to the festive period and following the latest government guidance on the Covid-19 pandemic.
In line with the latest government guidance, the majority of our colleagues are now based at home, and like many of you, working in what is a very challenging environment.
Like businesses across the country, we are experiencing an increasing number of staff absences due to Covid and this is having an impact on our services. We are recruiting further staff and using external contractors to help us, but there are still delays to some services. We anticipate that this situation will continue until at least the end of January.
If you try to contact us by phone, we know it is taking longer for you to get though and speak to our teams right now. We are sorry about this; our teams are working really hard to answer calls as quickly as possible. If you can contact us using email, our website, or social media this helps us to prioritise calls for emergency and urgent enquiries. You can report non-urgent repairs at any time by contacting repairs@livewest.co.uk. If you give us all the repair details and include any photographs you have, the team will raise your repair and be in touch with you to make an appointment.
Our repairs service
We are managing a larger than usual number of repair requests and are therefore prioritising emergency, urgent and safety work. Managing the current high volume of work means that it is likely that you will have to wait longer than normal for us to complete your repair. We understand that this is frustrating but please bear with us and we will get to you as soon as we can.
We appreciate how disappointing it can be waiting to get through on the phone to an adviser and then being told that you have to wait for a repair. Whilst we know that not everyone will understand the challenges we are currently facing, unfortunately our teams are reporting more incidents of abuse when they are at work and the actions of a really small minority of people are having a significant impact. We are committed to providing services to all our customers, and would ask that we work together, recognising the challenges we are all facing, during these unprecedented times.
Keeping everyone safe during appointments
We remain committed to delivering all our services in a Covid safe way. Following recent developments and the increasing spread of the latest variant, we are taking extra steps to protect you and our team when we visit your home. When we visit your home, our staff will wear a mask and will ask you to do the same unless you have a medical exemption. They will also put on disposable or protective gloves depending on the job. They may ask you to stay in a different room to the one they are working in. If this is not possible, they will always keep at least two metres away from you and they will ask everyone in your home to do the same for them.
Where you can, please open any doors and windows to make sure your home is as well-ventilated as possible during our visit.
Our housing officers
Our teams are out and about visiting customers and are available to help and support you. We are accepting mutual exchange requests; however, demand is still high since Covid restrictions were lifted earlier this year.
Supporting you
If you have any concerns or are struggling to manage and need some help or advice, please contact our Tenancy Sustainment team on the numbers below, or you can complete an online self-referral form. We understand that many of our customers may be under financial pressures for example due to job changes or reduced hours. We can and will help and support you if you contact us.
West of England and Somerset Duty Line – 01934 526 444
Devon and Cornwall Duty Line – 01392 302 444
Our current services
Our opening hours over the festive period can be found here.
The past two years have been difficult time for all of us. We hope that you are all able to spend the festive season with family and friends, stay safe, and that 2022 is a better year for everyone.