Home >> Improving your home >> Secure Warm Modern >> What you need to know

What you need to know

During any aspect of decent homes work, there will be some inconvenience.

How long will the work take?

Major improvements to your home will take about four weeks -although some of the work will be carried out at different times.

• There will be workers in and around your home which will affect your privacy and daily routine
• You will be kept informed about timing of all of the works by your contractor
• At times there will be a lot of dust, dirt and noise and your home may be untidy
• Workers will protect your carpets and other things by providing and using clean dust sheets
• You must take extra care because there will be a lot of building materials in and around your home
• If windows and roof works are needed, there will be scaffolding around the outside of your home
• Sometimes workers will need to turn off your water, gas or electricity, but they will always turn it back on at the end of each working day. We will make sure you have the name and contact details for a member of staff if you have any concerns during the work
• You may need to pack a lot of your things away, especially when work involves fitting kitchen units
• Workers will have an ID badge to prove they are working for us - they will not be offended if you ask to see it at any time

Before the work starts

We will send you a letter to let you know when we will be carrying out surveys in your area. We will give you a reasonable amount of notice of this. The surveys will tell us what work needs to be done on the current programme.

After the survey we will send you another letter telling you what work needs doing in your home. If your kitchen and bathroom need replacing, we will work on a new layout with you.

We will contact you about six weeks before starting work on your home to arrange an appointment to discuss the work. This will take about one hour. At this meeting, you will be able to decide what type and colour of kitchen units, tiles and flooring you want. You will be asked to sign a form to confirm your choices.

At this meeting you will also have the opportunity to discuss:

• Any worries or concerns
• Any special needs or requirements
• Access to your home
• Health and safety
• What you will need to do to prepare for the work
• The standards you should expect from us and what is expected from you

Offering a helping hand

This scheme is our promise to give extra help and support to vulnerable, elderly and disabled tenants while we are working in their home under the Secure Warm Modern programme.

To find out more about how we can help you, please go to the 'Helping hands' section.