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Coronavirus

Impact on Two Rivers Housing

Update 14 September 2021

Garry King discusses the challenges that Two Rivers Housing face as a result of the pandemic – 14 September 2021

Read the letter from Garry here:

A letter from Garry King – 30 September 2021

Changes from 9 December 2021

Yesterday, the government announced plans to move to its ‘Plan B’ to protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed by cases of COVID-19. In line with the latest government advice, we will be asking our colleagues to work from home wherever possible.

At this point we do not anticipate any disruptions to our current services to tenants, details of which can be found below.

However, our Rivers Meet office will now be closed to visitors until further notice. Please do not try to access our offices even if you can see our team members working there – you will not be seen and will be asked to leave the premises.

You can contact our team by email, post or telephone and all of our contact details can be found here.

Changes from 19 July 2021

From Monday 19 July 2021, all legal COVID-19 restrictions in England came to an end. We have reviewed the ongoing government advice and, during this latest transition period, will continue to approach the situation with caution and remain vigilant with regards to the increasing number of infections.

As a result, our team will continue to wear facemasks and use appropriate PPE when working in our tenant’s homes.

While social distancing measures are no longer a legal requirement, we ask all tenants to continue to observe social distancing when our colleagues are working in and around their homes.

We have now re-opened all communal areas at our HomePlus schemes. We would still encourage all tenants using these facilities to continue to wear facemasks while moving around the venue. We also ask everyone using these facilities to be considerate and take responsibility for their own, and other people’s safety.

Please note, guest rooms at our HomePlus schemes remain closed.

Our Rivers Meet office remains closed to all visitors. We will be introducing a pre-booked appointment only system from October, rather than a drop-in facility and we will provide further details on this over the coming weeks.

Remember

  • If you or a member of your household feels unwell, has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been told to self-isolate, you must let our team know before they come to your home.

Our team members will not work in a situation where they do not feel safe.

As ever, our number one priority is the safety of our tenants and our team. So, we will continue to monitor the situation and government advice and update this page as required.

Click the links below to jump to the information you are looking for:

Mutual exchanges

We are now completing mutual exchanges.  

In order to undertake these safely, we will be conducting home inspections virtually.  One of our Home Inspectors will contact you to arrange a convenient time to carry out the inspection. They will explain how this will work and what you will be expected to do on the call.

If you are wanting to arrange a mutual exchange, please contact us in the usual way.

Handyperson services

We are currently unable to offer our Handyperson or Handyperson Plus services. This is so that we can focus our efforts on the backlog of repairs that were accumulated during the first national lockdown.

We’ll update our Facebook page and website when these services become available again.

Repair and maintenance work at your home

Update 19 April 2021


Following a review and consultation with our Centigen team, we have made a decision to resume our repairs service in full. This will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and in line with any changes to government advice.

We currently have a backlog of repairs that we are trying to clear, so if you have already reported a repair there is no need to contact us again.

Our team will be in touch to book this repair with you in the coming weeks. However, if you feel the repair has got worse then please call us to let us know.

You can report a new repair by calling our contact centre. Please be aware there is currently a backlog of repair work which may impact how quickly we can get to your home.

Please help us keep our team safe.

Before our team come to your home, they will check that nobody in your home has or has symptoms of Covid-19. You must tell our team immediately if you or any members of your household has been diagnosed with Covid-19, has symptoms or has been asked to isolate by the government’s track and trace system.

You will also need to maintain a safe distance from our operatives in line with the government’s social distancing rules, while they are working in and around your home.

Our team will not attend any job where they feel at risk and have permission to make the job safe and leave your property if they do not feel safe.

Please contact our customer contact centre if you need to reschedule a job as soon as possible.

Cleaning of communal areas

All communal areas are being cleaned in line with our normal service.

Visiting our office

Our Rivers Meet office remains closed to all visitors. We will be introducing a pre-booked appointment only system from October, rather than a drop-in facility and we will provide further details on this over the coming weeks.

Calling our team

Our contact centre will still be available to take your calls, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm.

Out of hours cover will be limited to emergency situations only.

Emergency repairs

Please call us immediately on 0800 316 0897 if you have an emergency repair in your home.

We are continuing to service all emergency repairs. Our Contact Centre Advisors will be able to diagnose the repair and its priority during your call.

When you contact us about your emergency repair, we will ask you some questions about your current situation. This will include whether you are self-isolating or have an underlying health issue and will help us understand how best to protect you and your family, as well as the member of staff that attends your home.

If it is deemed essential that a member of staff does attend your home, they will:

  • Ask some further questions at the front door before entering your home.
  • Distance themselves by at least two metres from anyone in your home.
  • Avoid touching surfaces.
  • Wear protective gloves and other additional protection equipment where necessary.
  • May ask you if they can wash their hands before and after the visit, if you are happy for them to do so.

Compliance checks

Compliance checks, such as gas servicing, are a legal requirement and it is important that we continue to perform these activities for your safety. We will continue to undertake these services for as long as the government advice permits us to do so.

Paying your rent

We know that this is a worrying time for many of our customers and that some people may suffer a loss of income.

If you are concerned about paying your rent and other bills or meeting future payments, please contact us as soon as possible. Email our income team at customerservices@2rh.org.uk or call 0800 316 0897.

While we will still collect rent as we normally do, we will be flexible in response to unexpected events and will make reasonable payment agreements based on individual circumstances impacted as a result of Covid-19.

Our Welfare and Benefit Team will also be available by phone to give advice.

Moving home

If you have been allocated a Two Rivers home, please rest assured that this property is still being held for you. We will contact you via telephone to arrange a viewing of your new home, sign for the tenancy and to explain how to complete the relevant forms.

Remember, you will need to pay a minimum of two weeks’ rent in advance (four weeks if previously advised) before you can sign your tenancy agreement, and this will need to be paid by card as we are currently unable to accept cash.

Please also note that we won’t enter the property with you at any time.

Home visits

Home visits are now being completed by all members of our neighbourhood housing team. Before they visit your home, they will call to check that no one in your household feels unwell, has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been asked to self-isolate.

You must inform our team if anyone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been told to self-isolate.

Please help us keep our team safe.

Before our team come to your home, they will check that nobody in your home has or has symptoms of Covid-19. You must tell our team immediately if you or any members of your household has been diagnosed with Covid-19, has symptoms or has been asked to isolate by the government’s track and trace system.

You will also need to maintain a safe distance from our operatives in line with the government’s social distancing rules, while they are working in and around your home.

Our team will not attend any property where they feel at risk and have permission to leave if they do not feel safe.

Please contact our customer contact centre if you need to reschedule a job as soon as possible.

HomePlus Schemes

Our HomePlus team is continuing to keep in regular contact with residents.

All communal areas at our HomePlus schemes have now re-opened and cleaning of all HomePlus areas has been fully reinstated.

We encourage all tenants to continue to wear masks while moving around the venue and be respectful of other people using the facilities.

Please do not use the communal areas if you are ill, have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been told to self-isolate.

Guest room facilities remain closed.

Planned maintenance and adaptations

We want to continue to offer a safe and effective service to our customers, but we also want to keep them and our team safe and minimise non-essential contact and travel.

With this in mind, we have delayed the start of our planned maintenance programmes, which includes replacing bathrooms, kitchens, windows and doors, rewiring of domestic properties and non-emergency heating upgrades.  All other planned maintenance works are being carried out in line with the government’s guidelines

Our adaptations service has restarted, and we are starting to work through the backlog of works.

Property Inspections

We will be recommencing pre-repair, post repair or general property inspections at your home.

Should a surveyor need to attend your home we will book an appointment with you at the time you call us or we will contact you to agree the appointment time and date.

Where can I find more information?

This page will be updated with any changes to our services or other information relating to the Coronavirus that might impact our organisation.

We will also use our Facebook and Twitter pages to provide updates and useful information for our customers.

For the latest information on Coronavirus you should visit the NHS website or the government website.

This page was last updated on 23 July 2021.