Tenant Handbook

We have a legal obligation to annually check all gas pipework and appliances under our ownership. For your own safety and that of your neighbours, it is essential that you let us in to carry out this work. We hope that we can work with you to let us in and do this work, but if you don’t, we can and will take legal proceedings to gain entry, and you will be liable for our legal costs if we need to do this. This appointment takes on average 1 hour.

We will also need access to your home to complete an electrical safety check every five years. This is to ensure that the wiring and electrical installations in your home are safe. Unsafe electrical installations are unlikely, but they can cause fires, so it is important to let us in to check. This appointment on average takes around 4 hours. We need to turn your electric on and off throughout this period, if you have a medical need for constant electricity please let us know in advance so we can make necessary provisions.

Most of our properties are fitted with mains operated smoke, heat or carbon monoxide detectors including a battery back-up. When we let our properties these are tested to ensure they are working. They are also checked when we perform Gas and Electrical safety checks. If your detector makes an intermittent beeping noise please contact us and we will arrange a visit.

Please do not remove, cover or damage the detectors in any way, and report any damage to us immediately.

If you require a different method of alert, please contact us.

If your Carbon Monoxide alarm is activated, please leave the property and contact Wales & West and call Cornerstone.

We will supply all homes with a doorbell. This will generally be a battery-powered doorbell, for which you are responsible for changing the battery. Where a home has a wired door bell once it has stopped working, we will replace it with a battery powered door bell.

If you require an alternative to a standard bell please contact us.

Fire risk assessments (FRAs) are an important part of keeping you safe in your home. During the assessment, we undertake an inspection of common areas of the building to check that fire safety requirements are met, and identify what else we can do to prevent fire and keep residents safe.

We assess the communal doors every 3 months. We will schedule an appointment to assess residents’ front doors annually.

If you would like to request a copy of the Fire Risk assessment for your block, please email  compliance@cornerstonehousing.net

All-purpose built general needs blocks of flats are subject to a ‘stay put’ (delayed evacuation) or “Safe to Stay” policy. Residents have the option to stay in the building provided they feel it is safe to do so.

Certain types of adapted accommodation e.g. houses that have been converted into individual units / flats will unless otherwise defined in the fire risk assessment require a ‘total evacuation’ policy. All occupants are to self-evacuate once the fire alarm sounds.

Residents of houses, bungalows and other standalone properties without a communal area are expected to self-evacuate once the fire alarm sounds.

In every case dial 999.

If you are in a block of flats then please make yourself aware of the evacuation process within your building. If you are not sure, please contact us and we will arrange a visit and will take you through the evacuation strategy for your home.

Here is some important information about your use of communal areas, this is for the health and safety of all residents, staff and visitors.

• Do ensure that fire doors remain closed when not in active use; do not prop them open with door stops
• Do keep escape routes clear and follow any evacuation procedures displayed in communal areas
• Don’t store, clutter up, or dump items in the internal or external communal areas. This includes
  • internal hallways
  • stairs and landings
  • parking areas
  • drying areas
  • bin stores

These items can be a hazard and cause fires, slips, trips, falls and restrict access for cleaning, our staff visiting, and other services in the event of an emergency

We have a zero tolerance approach to items within communal areas, which includes

• Door mats
• Pictures
• Planters
• Decorative or seasonal items
• Prams
• Parcel boxes
• Bicycles, scooters
• Chairs/benches
• Shoes
• Umbrellas

If we find these items, which we consider a hazard, we will remove them and serve a TORTS notice. A torts notice is a legal document served under the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 that informs a person to collect goods they have left behind on your property. It gives the owner a specified, reasonable time to retrieve their belongings, or the property owner can lawfully dispose of or sell them.

• Don’t store mobility scooters in communal corridors. Only specially designated scooter stores are acceptable for their storage outside of your home. We will follow our aids and adaptations policy for any requests
• Don’t smoke or drink alcohol in internal communal areas, or within your home when we or our contractors visit you
• Don’t interfere with installed smoke or fire alarms in any way
  A strict non-smoking policy will be maintained in all communal areas.

To ensure that all residents who may have difficulty evacuating in an emergency are identified and supported We offer a voluntary person-centered fire risk assessment to any resident who identifies as needing assistance.

We will assess their:

• Ability to hear alarms
• Mobility limitations
• Cognitive understanding of evacuation procedures
• Reduced capacity to react and respond due to impairment from drug or alcohol use.
• Support network availability
• Whether oxygen is present of likely to be present in the residents home to support a health condition

Please contact us if you would like to arrange an assessment.

As we have been replacing door entry systems, we have been replacing them with systems which do not have a trade button. This is to make the properties secure and prevent non-residents from entering.

If your block currently has a trade button, when we replace the entry system, we will remove the trade button.

Please don’t use or store paraffin heaters, liquid petroleum, propane and butane gas appliances or other flammable or explosive substances in the home. (Including jerry cans)

Please let us know if you intend to keep pressurised oxygen tanks at your home.

Do not keep in your home any weapons or ammunition, except for licensed firearms and ammunition, for which you must have our permission to keep and must be kept in accordance with any licence conditions Which you should let us know about

All the keys to your home are handed to you when you take up your tenancy. If you lose your key it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for any lock change. If you have a disability or vulnerability and would benefit from a key safe, please talk to us.

Do not access or store items in your loft space, or attempt to convert the space or use it as an extra bedroom. Doing these things can risk your health and safety and cause damage to the property or cause damp and mould. If we need to complete works in your loft space and cannot due unpermitted storage of items, works will be delayed until you have cleared the area or have paid for the area to be cleared.

Rubbish should be stored in either your own dustbin or a Council ‘wheelie bin’. These should be kept in the allocated place if one is provided and only brought out on collection day. Do not leave bin bags outside where birds or animals could get at them and cause a mess. If you have any large items of rubbish, ask your local Council about bulky waste collections.

Please use bin stores with communal bins appropriately, separate your recycling properly and put it in the correct bin.

Your Council may be able to provide you with an assisted bin collection if you are having difficulty putting your rubbish out.

If your bins are not collected, please report this to your local Council.

Cornerstone Housing does not clear snow or apply rock salt, except where specifically stated within our Snow and Ice and Gritting policy.

Residents should report to Cornerstone as soon as there is an infestation or a potential infestation. Residents should make the extent of the problem clear as this will inform whether the issue is an emergency or significant hazard or if it does not fall under the scope of Awabb’s Law. We will support residents in reporting and signposting issues to other relevant authorities, taking into account individual communication needs and reasonable adjustments.

All reports of pest infestations should be taken seriously and not dismissed, and proper procedure should be followed and recorded when addressing these hazards. For more information see our Pest Control Policy.

We want you to live comfortably and safely in your home, so if you need any aids or adaptations to help you to do this, please get in touch with us and we will talk to you about what help may be available. We may also discuss moving to a more suitable home if your current home is not best suited to your needs.

For more information, please refer to our Aids and Adaptations Policy.

When you move into your home, if Asbestos is present in the property we will advise you of such. Please let us know if you plan on doing any DIY in your home so we can determine if the planned works will disturb any asbestos that may be detrimental to your health. Don’t worry if your home does have asbestos-containing material. Asbestos is not a health-and-safety risk if it is appropriately managed and maintained. As long as asbestos is not damaged or disturbed, it is completely safe.

We insure the structure and permanent fittings of your home. We do not insure your furniture, furnishings or your personal possessions. We strongly advise that you take out your own household contents insurance which includes replacing damaged glazing. If a water pipe or tank bursts and damages your belongings, we will not pay for the damage unless it is proved that we have been negligent or it was our contractors’ fault. If you are flooded by your neighbour’s washing machine, for example, you cannot claim from our insurance. Similarly, you are not insured under our insurance for damage to your possessions or decorations caused by fire.