In light of the ongoing situation relating to coronavirus (COVID-19), I wanted to let you know about the steps we are taking to continue to support all of our tenants and customers during this time.
We know that there are lots of concerns about the current situation and the uncertainty that everybody is feeling and I wanted to reassure you that our priority remains the health and safety of our tenants and our staff and you can be assured that we are following all public health guidance in everything we do.
We continue to develop our resilience and business continuity planning and are taking an extremely proactive approach to this fast moving situation so that we are able to deliver the level of service you expect from Kingdom.
Contacting Us
At the moment our office in Glenrothes is open for pre-arranged appointments only. However all other methods of contacting us are currently unaffected.
- Online contact form at www.kingdomhousing.org.uk/contact-us/
- Email: customerservices@kha.scot
- Telephone: 01592 630922
Please be aware that when you get in touch with us we will ask additional questions relating to coronavirus and please do let us know if you’re self-isolating.
Repairs – Updated 23/3/2020
Due to the latest Government guidance, we are restricting our repairs service to Emergency and Urgent Repairs only. This change also applies to all our new build properties where external contractors provide this service.
If you have a prior booking for a routine repair or have reported a routine defect, we will be in touch with you directly to confirm the postponement of that booking.
Gas servicing is going ahead as normal and we ask that you provide access to enable this to happen.
If you are social distancing, we will only come into your home to carry out repairs and gas servicing with your agreement and we may take precautions, including wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to prevent virus transmission.
For your safety, and the safety of our operatives, if anyone in your household is showing symptoms of the virus we may use other options to solve the immediate problem rather than coming out, for example providing temporary heating or talking you through sorting some straightforward problems yourself. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will then come out and complete any necessary work.
Paying Your Rent
If you need any help or advice with your rent account or if you are worried about a change in circumstances due to loss of earnings, please contact us on 01592 630922.
If you are experiencing direct financial difficulty or have any concerns as a result of the coronavirus situation please contact us and one of our team will look at how we can support you. We are here to help and will do everything we can to resolve any issues you have.
We will provide support with advice on benefits options and will discuss appropriate ways for you to manage your rent payments during this time. Please contact us as early as possible so that we can provide appropriate advice and assistance quickly.
In addition you’ll find there are various central and local governmental bodies that can provide help with:
- Universal Credit: www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/
- Universal Credit, including assistance with rent and advance payments: www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): www.gov.uk/employers-sick-pay
- ‘New Style’ Jobseekers Allowance: www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-jobseekers-allowance
- You can contact your local Council to discuss Housing Benefit and Council Tax.
The Scottish Government has made it clear that it does not expect any tenant to be evicted from their home as a result of financial difficulties caused during the coronavirus outbreak. This is a position that we fully support.
In addition, please remember that we can also provide advice and assistance on other household expenditure items, for example Council Tax and Gas & Electricity supplies. If you have any concerns about your ability to manage these items at this time please give us a call and we will see what we can do to assist you
Allocations
We will continue to provide a lettings service to provide new tenancies to applicants on our waiting list as well as tenants wishing to transfer from one tenancy to another.
We may alter procedures to manage this service through the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. If you are offered a property and have any concerns about your health or about your ability to move into a property at this time, please discuss this with one of our housing team at the earliest opportunity.
We will provide advice, support, and consider reasonable alternative arrangements as appropriate in order to support people to move into their new home.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
For the latest guidance about coronavirus (COVID-19) from NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, including self-isolation, social distancing and stay at home advice go to: www.nhsinform.scot/
The UK Government advice on Coronavirus (COVID-19) is here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
Updates from the World Health Organisation are here: www.who.int/
You can stay up to date with any changes to service or developments concerning coronavirus (COVID-19) on our website and social media channels.
Website: www.kingdomhousing.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KingdomHousingAssociation/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kingdom_ha
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kingdomhousingassociation/
