July/August 2009 - Hounslow Homes

News 

Issue 57 

July/August 2009 

The magazine for all Hounslow Homes residents 

Picture courtesy of Hounslow Chronicle 

Tenant 

Awards 2009 

P3 

Rent 

reduction 

P4 

Green 

housing 

P10 

Top athletes 

inspire local kids 

P13 

www.hounslowhomes.org.uk 

News 

| 1

Hope you are 

all enjoying 

the Summer 

so far and 

managing to 

stay cool. 

We are sure 

that by now 

all Hounslow Homes tenants 

know what a Tenant Compact 

is. To prove our faith please 

answer the question below and 

email or telephone the correct 

answer to me and your name 

will go into a draw for a £55 

voucher. 

I feel 

privileged to 

be taking on 

the role of 

Lead Member 

for Housing 

at this time 

when there 

is a lot to be excited about: it is 

an absolute joy to be sitting on 

the Rainbow Project panel and 

seeing the projects that you are 

bringing forward for funding; 

and after that there is Project 

Empower to get our teeth into. 

It is also very encouraging 

to see the idea of Community 

Engagement – i.e. listening to 

tenants and leaseholders and 

spending what resources we 

have on things you actually 

want! – so taken root in the 

corporate psyche of Hounslow 

Homes; (now if we can do 

HFTRA News 

Question: What is a Tenant 

Compact? 

a) A powder compact 

b) A small car 

c) An agreement between 

Hounslow Homes, 

Hounslow Council and 

HFTRA setting out our 

commitment to involving 

you, the tenants and 

leaseholders in the decisions 

that affect you. 

Answers to: Julie Brooker – 

07948401584 or julie1958@ 

fsmail.net 

If you have any housing issues 

Message from 

the Lead Member 

the same for the rest of the 

Council…….!) Attending the 

HFTRA conference was very 

inspiring, meeting so many 

people switched on to taking 

charge of their own future: 

now if we can encourage that 

for the rest of Hounslow! 

Behind the scenes there are 

positive things happening 

as well. Partly as a result of 

the Locata scrutiny, and also 

because the allocations policy is 

routinely refreshed, officers are 

working on a new scheme that 

is clearer, more understandable 

(even I understand it) and 

fairer. I think it will also give 

Hounslow people a more 

realistic understanding of the 

true housing situation in the 

Borough. 

We have also volunteered 

to be a pilot borough 

that you need help or advice 

about please contact me as 

above. 

Reminder: HFTRA’s AGM is on 

Thursday 30th August at 7pm 

in the Civic Centre. 

We work hard for our tenants 

and leaseholders all year so 

please come along and support 

us. Please contact me if you 

have any other queries. We 

look forward to seeing you 

there. 

Julie Brooker 

Chair of HFTRA 

(hopefully with some Housing 

Associations) for the new 

Tenant Services Agency, which 

will help raise standards for 

rented property in the future. 

More immediately we have 

been chosen to pilot a new 

licensing scheme for Houses 

in Multiple Occupation in 

the borough which will have 

a more immediate effect 

in improving the quality of 

accommodation for some of 

our most vulnerable and poorer 

people in the Borough. 

I think that’s enough from me 

for now. I will be writing more 

about these things in future 

issues of Hounslow Homes 

News: stay tuned! 

Cllr Jon Hardy 

Lead Member, Housing & 

Community Safety 

Tenant Awards 2009! 

Hounslow Homes is delighted to invite nominations for the 2009 

Tenant Awards. This year’s categories for entries are: 

• Young Tenant of the Year 

• HFTRA Representative of the Year 

• Resident Association Chair of the Year 

• Outstanding Achievement in the Fight Against Anti-Social 

Behaviour 

• Good Neighbour of the Year 

• Community Champion of the Year 

• Best Project of the Year 

• Outstanding Achiever of the Year 

Short-listed nominees from 

each category will be invited 

to the Renaissance Hotel in 

September 2009 for an evening 

reception, dinner and awards 

ceremony along with local 

dignitaries and VIPs. 

The winners of Hounslow 

Homes annual Gardening 

Competition will also be 

announced at the awards. 

This is a separate competition 

run in the summer and entries 

are now closed. 

Nomination forms and further 

information can be found at 


or call 020 8583 6419. 

New Board 

members 

Councillors Phil Andrews 

and Sohan Sangha replace 

Councillors Caroline Andrews 

and Rajinder Bath. We 

would like to thank both 

Caroline and Rajinder for 

their valuable contribution 

to Hounslow Homes over 

the past few years, their 

knowledge and experience 

will be greatly missed. 

Councillor Jon Hardy will 

replace Councillor Andrews 

as Lead Member for Housing 

and Service Improvement and 

we look forward to working 

closely with him in the year 

ahead. 

Phil Andrews 

Sohan Sangha 

West Area 

Tenants elect 

Board Member 

Congratulations to Andy Lee 

who has been re-elected as 

the West Area Tenant Board 

Member for the next 3 years. 

For further information 

about the election results visit 

www.hounslowhomes.org. 

uk or contact the Company 

Admin Team on 020 8583 

3974 / 4313. 

2 | News News 

| 3

Rent reduction 

Housing rents are going down from Monday 27th July 

Wipe Out Graffiti Week 

Hundreds of people took part in the first ever Wipe Out Graffiti 

Week from 6–12 July 

When the Council set your 

rent for the 2009-2010 

financial they did so at a level 

determined by the Government 

who based their calculations 

on the Retail Price Index in 

September 2008 when inflation 

was quite high. Inflation then 

fell quite dramatically and 

the rent increase was high in 

comparison. 

Hounslow, along with other 

local councils and a number of 

MPs lobbied the Government to 

look at this issue and eventually 

they agreed to increase the 

housing subsidy payments to 

local Councils as long as the 

entire extra amount was passed 

on in reduced rents in the 

current financial year. 

In April the average increase 

in rents and service charges 

was 6.95%, but if the extra 

subsidy had been available to 

us then the average increase 

would have been 4%. Of course 

individual increases will vary 

from this, according to the 

individual rent for your property 

and which of the service 

charges you pay. 

The Council would have liked 

to have simply set the rent 

increase at the 4% figure for 

the entire year from April and 

given all tenants a credit on 

their accounts equal to the extra 

already paid for this period (i.e. 

the difference between the 

6.95% and the 4%) but we are 

not allowed to do this by law. 

Instead we have to reduce the 

rent from 27th July to 2.8% 

so that, over the year, the rent 

increase will average out to 4%. 

The result will be the same of 

course. 

One difficulty with doing it 

this way is that since you will 

have been paying the average 

2.8% rent increase for the latter 

part of this financial year, the 

rent increase next April will 

appear larger than normal. This 

is because it will be 4% plus 

next year’s increase and not 

2.8% plus the increase, but you 

will have been paying at the 

2.8% level for eight months or 

so. 

No one knows what the April 

2010 level of increase will be 

as it is likely to be based on 

inflation levels in September of 

this year but the Government 

has indicated that it will consult 

with local councils later in 

the summer. We will give you 

further information about 

this when we hear from the 

Government. 

Letters setting out the new 

rents have been sent to all 

tenants. Please remember that 

all figures quoted are for your 

full charges. If you already 

receive Housing Benefit any 

necessary adjustment will be 

made automatically. If you are 

not claiming Housing Benefit 

and you think that you may be 

entitled to, then please collect 

a form from your local housing 

office or the Civic Centre, 

complete it and send it to the 

Civic Centre. 

Hounslow Homes hearing impaired services improve 

Hounslow Homes use 

typetext (i.e Mincom), 

typetalk, SMS, faceto-face 

BSL interpreters, 

email, fax, fixed & portable 

loops to communicate with 

hearing impaired customers, we 

also hope to use webcams & 

videophones in the future. 

To do this we need to find 

out how many hearingimpaired 

people use webcams 

or videophones already to 

communicate, so it can be cost 

effective for Hounslow Homes 

to purchase this equipment & 

set up a system to answer such 

calls. 

So if you are hearing impaired 

and make videophone or 

webcam calls, please contact us 

by fax – 020 8583 4121, email - 

neghet.khan@hounslowhomes. 

org.uk or type text 080 0389 

9821 giving your name and 

address and confirming you use 

this equipment to communicate. 

Hounslow Homes played a 

leading role in supporting 

the London Borough of 

Hounslow’s initiative and 

joined an impressive alliance of 

organisations including Network 

Rail, Transport for London, 

Virgin Media and BT to find 

new ways to reduce the amount 

of graffiti in the borough. 

During the week we took part 

in a range of activities including 

community clean-ups, ‘spot 

squads’ recording and reporting 

graffiti, talks, school activities 

and projects with young 

offenders cleaning up graffiti. To 

complement LBH’s activities we 

also organised events at Heston 

Farm and Watermead estates. 

Kim Mitchell, Hounslow 

Homes Housing Services 

Manager said, “Our teams 

worked non-stop throughout 

the week, clearing graffiti from 

all over the borough. I think 

we’ve learned a lot from the 

events during the week and 

look forward to working with 

the Council and other agencies 

on our strategies to deal with 

graffiti together.” 

To report graffiti, or find out 

more, visit: www.hounslow. 

gov.uk/graffiti and fill in an 

online form, email streetcare@ 

hounslow.gov.uk or call on 020 

8583 5555. 

Windows on Isleworth 

The unique collections, which 

portray the young artists’ views 

of Isleworth, were unveiled 

to the public at the Ivybridge 

Estate. 

Sisters Shannon, Courtney 

and Lesley Jones and Charlotte 

Carter who all live on the 

Ivybridge Estate worked hard to 

produce wonderful art designs 

over the Easter holiday that are 

now bringing buildings on the 

estate to life. 

The project called Windows 

on Isleworth was a collaboration 

The wipe out team in action 

wearing our special Wipe Out 

Graffiti T-shirts 

A boiler house on the Ivybridge Estate in Isleworth has become an 

unlikely art gallery for young residents creative pieces 

between Brentford City 

Learning Centre, Hounslow 

Homes and Allsigns-group. 

The youngsters were 

presented with certificates 

acknowledging outstanding 

youth achievements and gift 

vouchers from Hounslow 

Homes for all their hard work. 

All the young participants 

have said that they are very 

keen to continue to work on 

youth schemes later in the year. 

Congratulations to all the young 

people involved. 

4 | News 

News | 5

Fire safety 

Residents in flats, particularly 

high rise flats, may be 

concerned about the fire that 

occurred in Camberwell. We 

can reassure you that we 

are currently checking all of 

our fire protection systems 

to ensure they are working 

properly and have been well 

maintained. 

Residents will be provided 

with further information 

about this and about how 

they can best protect 

themselves in the event of a 

fire, as soon as possible. 

Opening hours 

There are new opening times 

for the cash office counters 

at the Civic Centre. From 7 

September 2009, the cash 

office will be open from 9am 

until 12pm Monday to Friday. 

They will no longer be open 

in the afternoon. 

Don’t sit on it, 

report it! 

If residents become aware 

of any information or 

intelligence in regard to 

extremism, such as far right 

activities, Al Qaeda based 

terror or even suspicious 

goings on within a property 

or by other residents, then 

pass on this information, 

however minor, to the 

Prevent & Engagement Team 

in Hounslow Police on 020 

8247 6170 or by email to 

TXMailbox-,Prevent@met. 

pnn.police.uk as well as to 

Hounslow Homes. 

Sheltered Housing 

open day 

The Sheltered Housing Team held an open day at Cooper House 

in central Hounslow on Thursday 18 June for Hounslow residents 

to find out for themselves about the fantastic sheltered housing 

opportunities available across the borough. 

Over 100 residents came along 

to the afternoon event and 

were treated to cream teas 

and a tour of a typical flat and 

guest accommodation. Rachel 

Waterman from Age Concern 

and one of her dance groups 

performed a chair aerobics 

demonstration, just one of the 

many social activities residents 

at Hounslow Homes sheltered 

housing schemes are able to 

enjoy. 

Hounslow resident and 

visitor at the event Mrs Doris 

Lawrence, said, “I thought the 

flats were lovely, really spacious 

and comfortable”. 

Ian McGee, Sheltered Housing 

Manager, said, “The event was 

a huge success, largely due to 

team members working so well 

together. 

The professionalism of all 

involved presented a really 

positive image of Hounslow 

Homes Sheltered Housing and 

the Linkline service. We’ll look 

to build on the success of this 

day by holding another in the 

very near future.” 

Sheltered housing – 

independent living with 

support, is housing specially 

designed for older people 

who want to maintain their 

independence but need support 

in an emergency. 

For further information about 

Sheltered Housing and Linkline 

services, please visit www. 

hounslowhomes.org.uk 

Keep those payments coming 

in during the summer season 

Hounslow Homes would like to remind all tenants of the importance 

of paying rent, particularly during the holiday season. 

We realise that the summer 

holiday period may mean 

increased costs and stretched 

budgets for your household. 

However, your home is the 

most essential possession for 

you and your family. Keep those 

payments coming in. Contact us 

if you are experiencing problems 

paying rent or need rent 

payment advice on freephone 

0800 085 6575. 

Did you know there are eight different ways to pay your rent, 

garage rent, rechargeable repairs or former tenant arrears? 

1. 1 By Direct Debit through your bank/building society. 

2. By using the Online Payment Facility. 

2 

3. 3 By credit/debit card You can pay online by following the step 

by step details available or by phoning the 24 hour automated 

telephone payments system on 0845 30 10 210 

4. 4 By payment card at any Post Office in the country. Just take 

your rent card and payment to the Post Office and tell the clerk 

how much you want to pay. 

5. 5 By standing order through your bank/building society. For a 

standing order mandate, please contact Rent Accounts on 020 

8583 3806 or pick up a mandate from your bank. You will 

need to quote the bank details of Hounslow Council which are: 

Bank: HSBC, Sort Code: 40-25-02 Account number: 40545155. 

You must take the mandate to your bank and NOT return it to 

Hounslow Homes. If you continue to pay by this method for 12 

months, we will credit your account with £25 

6. 6 By cash or cheque at the cash office. Visit the cash office at 

the Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow between 8.45am 

to 5pm. Monday to Friday. Cheques must be made payable to 

London Borough of Hounslow. From 7 September 2009, the 

cash office at the Civic Centre will be open from 9am to 12 

noon Monday to Friday and closed each afternoon. 

. 7 By sending or taking a cheque to any of the local housing 

offices. Cheques should be made payable to London Borough 

of Hounslow. 

8 

By rent card at any shop displaying the PAYZONE sign. Take 

your rent card and payment to any shop with the Payzone sign. 

Looking forward 

to new beginnings 

The Feltham Somali Ladies Group 

voted in a fresh committee to 

launch their summer activities this 

year. 

The ladies have been working 

hard this year to support the 

wider community with after 

school clubs for local children, 

coffee mornings to welcome 

new members and to discuss 

community issues and summer 

outings to bring neighbours 

together. They also hold 

surgeries with community service 

providers so residents can get 

an immediate response to their 

concerns. 

If you would like to start a 

community support group, find 

out more by calling the Tenant 

Participation Enquiry Line on 020 

8582 4602. 

6 | News News 

| 7

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Zero tolerance 

After a four year long legal battle, Hounslow Homes has recently 

triumphed in a major anti-social behaviour case, reinforcing the everimportant 

message that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. 

In May 2009 a tenant was 

evicted from Wicksteed House, 

Brentford Towers following 

complaints of anti-social 

behaviour by other tenants 

regarding a non-resident’s 

threatening and disruptive 

behaviour. These incidents 

were then investigated through 

the combined efforts of 

tenants, the Neighbourhood 

Wardens, Concierge Team, 

Safer Neighbourhood Team and 

Hounslow Homes Professional 

Witness Officers led by the 

rallying efforts of the East Area 

ASB/Tenancy Management 

Team. Such focus and 

persistence reflects Hounslow 

Homes’ determination to 

address the concerns of every 

tenant as well as their total 

dedication to reducing antisocial 

behaviour and ensuring 

every tenant feels safe and 

protected in their home. 

Despite efforts to enable 

the tenant to remain in their 

property by agreeing to 

various orders prohibiting 

them from allowing visitors to 

behave in any way that could 

be deemed inappropriate or 

abusive, such orders were 

continually breached resulting 

in the eventual referral to the 

County Court. Ultimately the 

tenant was evicted from their 

property and in a landmark 

case, was ordered by the judge 

to reimburse Hounslow Homes 

for the legal costs. Such action 

reflects Hounslow Homes 

complete focus and dedication 

Welcome to our 

Youth Champion 

on tackling anti-social behaviour 

by ensuring all tenants adhere 

to tenancy agreements and 

court orders. The ruling in 

favour of Hounslow Homes 

serves as an accolade to the 

continued efforts of every 

tenant and team involved in 

this and every other anti-social 

behaviour case. Indeed a highly 

positive message for Hounslow 

Homes to proudly promote is 

that anti-social behaviour will 

not be tolerated and efforts 

are continually being made 

to promote a safer and more 

positive environment to live in. 

Teddie Mavoka is a 22 year old resident, living in Brentford. 

Teddie has a two year history of 

working with young residents 

across the borough forming 

self help groups and linking 

young people with support 

organisations on issues such as 

worklessness, drug dependency 

and drug crime. He has also 

set up IT training sessions 

and a local football team for 

minority youth. We would like 

to officially welcome Teddie as 

our Hounslow Homes Youth 

Champion who will be working 

closely with us and leading on 

many youth projects throughout 

the year. 

If you would like to know 

how you can get involved give 

Teddie a call on 020 8583 4602. 

‘Greening’ our housing stock 

Housing in the UK accounts for 27% of carbon emissions. 80% of 

the homes we will be living in by 2050 have already been built 

To meet the UK targets of 

an 80% reduction in carbon 

emissions by 2050, we have 

to improve the performance 

of our existing housing stock. 

We manage around 16,500 

homes for the London Borough 

of Hounslow and have always 

expressed an interest in 

refurbishing the stock to a high 

standard of energy efficiency. 

We have recently submitted 

proposals to the following 

competitions to aide us in 

achieving this aim: 

The Technology Strategy 

Board: ‘Retrofit for the 

future competition’ 

Competition to cut carbon 

emissions in social housing 

We have submitted proposals 

to develop and demonstrate 

whole house solutions for 

refurbishment that deliver 

deep cuts in energy use and 

carbon emissions, high levels 

of comfort and attractive costs. 

A variety of proposals have 

been put forward, ranging in 

size from single home to 50 

home solutions. Rather than 

using new individual ‘quirky’ 

technologies, each proposed 

project will address all the 

aspects of the home that can be 

used to cut carbon emissions, 

including insulation, heating 

systems, ventilation, control 

systems and appliances. 

Homes & Communities 

Agency: ‘Social Housing 

Cavity Insulation 

Competition’ 

100% funding to install 

cavity wall insulation in 

properties with the lowest 

energy ratings 

We have submitted proposals 

to install cavity wall insulation in 

1,600 homes across our housing 

stock. If we are looking to 

provide affordable warmth for 

all our tenants, it is important 

that improvements are made 

to properties with the lowest 

energy ratings. This grant will 

greatly assist us in targeting 

those properties which will be 

the most expensive to heat and 

are most susceptible to fuel 

poverty. 

Leaseholders Log 

The Local Leaseholder 

Look out for 

your copy of 

‘The Local 

Leaseholder’ 

newsletter. 

Please contact 

020 8583 4431 

if you have not 

received a copy. 

This bi-monthly edition 

features ‘Spotlight on 

Cleaning and Caretaking’, 

‘Neighborhood Wardens – 

building safer communities’ 

and ‘Listening to your 

Concerns, a Leaseholder 

Business Improvement Plan’. 

Diary dates 

Leaseholders Open 

Meetings 

20 July (6.00-9.00pm), 

Paul Robeson Theatre, 

Treaty Centre, Hounslow 

11 November (6.00- 

9.00pm), Paul Robeson 

Theatre, Treaty Centre, 

Hounslow 

Leaseholder Forum 

meetings at Benson Close 

2 September 2009 

2 December 2009 

7 April 2010 

7 July 2010 

Key contacts 

General Hounslow Homes 

enquiries including service 

delivery and quality - Customer 

Service Centre freephone 0800 

085 65 75. 

Our website has 2 on-line 

services that leaseholders can 

use: 

log a repair on-line (and view 

works orders); you wi l need 

a pin and password to login 

log a complaint 

See Home Ownership section 

for leaseholder information. 

Leaseholder Board 

representative - Graham 

Edwards via Davinder 

Sahans on 020 8583 4313 

or email davinder.sahans@ 


Something to share for The 

Local Leaseholder newsle ter? 

Contac the Communications 

Team at communications.team@ 


If you need this newsletter in another language or format 

please ca l our translations service on 020 8583 2299 or 

Minicom on 020 8583 3122. 

Albanian 

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ne 020 8583 2299 ose minikom 020 8583 3122. 

Contacting us 

Arabic 

Farsi 

Gujarati 

Hindi 

Panjabi 

Urdu 

Somali 

Translations 

 

 

 

020 8583 3122 020 8583 2299 

 

020 8583 2299 

020 8583 3122 

yaid Aapkao yah pi~ka ihMdI maoM y a iksaI Anya $paMk maoM c aihe tao kRpy a T/aMslaoSana 

yauinaT kao 020 8583 2299 pr y a imanaIka^ma Wara 020 8583 3122 pr saMpk- kroM. 

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ku daabacan qaab kale faldan ka soo wac adeegga tarjamadda 

telefoonka ah 020 8583 2299 ama minicom 020 8583 3122 

Your 2009/10 estate inspection schedule is available on the 

website and on request from the Customer Service Centre. 

Deadline for stories for the winter 2009 edition 

is Monday 12 October 2009. 

The Local 

Leaseholder 

Your latest home ownership news 

Your Open Evenings 

Come along to the quarterly Open Meetings for leaseholders - 

they are your opportunity to learn more about Hounslow Homes 

services and to put your questions, complaints and concerns to 

sta f in a friendly and open forum. 

There have been four very 

successful open meetings 

since July 2008, with themes 

ranging from estate services to 

communal repairs and major 

works. If you missed them, 

do make a note to join us at 

the next open meeting on 

Monday 20 July a the Paul 

Robeson Theatre, Treaty 

Centre, Hounslow. The 

meeting starts at 7pm and 

free refreshments will be served 

from 6pm. Sta f are there to 

talk to you and to take note of 

any ma ters you wan to raise 

with them. We promise that 

you wi l receive an answer to 

your enquiries, either on the 

night or later. 

Please RSVP in advance to 

Anna Podles on 020 8583 

4003 or email anna.podles@ 



As part of our commitment 

to improve our services 

to you, from July you will 

be able to contact the 

Customer Services Centre 

on their freephone number 

for all your enquiries on 

0800 085 6575. 

Customer Services 

Advisors have now been 

trained to handle other 

leasehold queries including 

basic service charge 

enquiries. Complex ones will 

be logged and passed to 

the Home Ownership Unit 

(HOU). HOU will respond, by 

writing or phone, within 10 

working days. 

If you have an enquiry 

about any of your leasehold 

accounts you will be asked 

for your account number for 

Data Protection purposes. 

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Newsle ter- URDU 

Summer 2009 

From the Chair 

We are pleased to bring to you 

this newsletter for a l Hounslow 

Homes’ leaseholders. 

Twice a year, you’ l be updated 

with important future events, 

dates and suggestions as to how 

you might want to get involved 

with Hounslow Homes to further 

improve the services they provide 

to you. 

I sincerely hope that you enjoy 

this issue and look forward to 

receiving ideas and suggestions 

for ways that we can work more 

closely with you as we enter a 

new phase together. 

Chris Burgess 

Chair of Leasehold Forum 

The Local Leaseholder_June 09.in d 1-2 03/07/2 09 17:07:03 

8 | News News 

| 9

Internet survey results 

Hounslow Homes help make residents lives easier after a recent 

survey found 64.8% of residents thought the website was simple to 

use 

Everything about Hounslow 

Homes services can be found 

on our website, such as how to 

report repairs and how to pay 

your rent and service charges. 

You will also find information 

on anti social behaviour. Other 

features include RSS feeds 

(web feed used to publish 

frequently updated content), so 

you can stay up-to-date with 

all the latest news and tenant 

participation opportunities. 

62.7% of residents said they 

found exactly what they where 

looking for when visiting the 

site. 

One of the innovative 

additions to Hounslow Homes 

website was the repair reporting 

and appointment booking 

system with usage increasing by 

12.3% to 21.3%. 

To find out how you can 

make your life easier visit www. 

hounslowhomes.org.uk and 

view our full instruction guide 

and help pages. Follow us on 

Twitter! We’re committed to 

keeping you up-to-date with 

important information. 

You will need to register your 

details on the site, which takes 

just a few minutes. Go to www. 

twitter.com and sign up today. 

Search for Hounslow Homes 

and click on ‘follow’ to see our 

latest news. 

Tenants and leaseholders give their input 

Tenants and leaseholders living on Heston Farm, along with Ward 

Councillors and Councillor Jon Hardy, the Lead Member for Housing, 

were invited to attend a drop-in event on Tuesday 30th June to view 

and discuss proposed regeneration works for the estate and new 

build plans for the Passingham House site 

This event followed the 

formal consultation held last 

Spring where residents were 

invited to provide details of 

improvements they would like 

to see on their estate. Sprunts 

architects, Lovells Partnership 

and officers from LB Hounslow 

and Hounslow Homes were 

present to discuss plans and 

answer queries. Information 

boards showing generated 

images of the proposals 

received a favourable response 

from residents. Those present 

spoke positively of their estate 

and looked forward to works 

commencing. 

Although the project has 

experienced delays as a result 

of the current financial climate, 

work is now progressing 

Reasons for residents visiting 

the website 

21.3% 

to report a repair 

7.3% 

to make a comment/complaint 

33.1% 

to find contact numbers 

10.8% 

to pay rent or service charges 

27.5% 

for general information 

to submit formal planning 

application in the Autumn 

when residents will be invited to 

comment on the proposals. In 

the meantime, demolition work 

to Passingham House is due to 

commence later this year. 

Pest control 

It’s that time of year when the 

warm weather brings us all out 

to enjoy the sunshine but we’re 

not the only ones 

During the summer months the 

Council’s pest control team sees 

a huge rise in the number of 

calls to deal with pests – from 

fleas, wasps and cockroaches to 

rats, mice and ants. 

The Council provides free 

pest control advice for council 

tenants but we charge for 

services to deal with them 

(charges can be found on the 

LBH website). 

It is a tenant’s responsibility 

to arrange for the clearance 

of pests in their own property 

(including gardens). If you have 

a pest problem in your flat that 

could be a health and safety 

issue for the whole block, 

LBH will arrange clearance 

of the pests. However, if on 

investigation we think your 

behaviour or use of your flat 

caused the problem, you will 

be recharged for the clearance 

of your flat and the cost of 

clearing the block. 

Direct Pest Control services are 

available for: 

• rats 

• mice (inside properties) 

Contact us 

• squirrels (in roof spaces) 

• fleas 

• bedbugs 

• cockroaches 

• pharaoh ants 

• garden ants 

• wasps 

• pigeons (carried out by 

external contractors, price on 

application) 

• contract services are also 

available to businesses 

We do not provide a service for 

the control of: 

• textile moths 

• squirrels outside the house 

• pigeon proofing (devices 

or substances to prevent 

pigeons from sitting on 

buildings) 

• foxes 

• woodworm or other woodboring 

pests. If you have 

woodworm please contact 

the Customer Service Centre 

on 0800 085 65 75 

The Pest Control Team, Pollution Control Section, Street 

Management and Public Protection Department, London Borough 

of Hounslow, Bridge Road Depot, Pears Road, Hounslow, 

Middlesex, TW3 1SQ. 

Tel: 020 8583 5082 or Mincom 020 8583 5271 

E-mail: pestcontrol@hounslow.gov.uk 

Help stop 

domestic violence 

The Learning to Respect 

Programme is a domestic 

violence prevention 

programme delivered in the 

majority of Hounslow schools. 

The aim of the programme 

long-term is to reduce the 

incidence of domestic violence. 

The short-term aim is to 

encourage young people to 

develop healthy relationships 

and to recognise abusive 

relationships. 

The Learning to Respect 

multi-agency training team 

consists of representatives 

from a number of statutory 

and voluntary agencies in the 

borough including Hounslow 

Homes. The team members are 

trained in domestic violence 

awareness and in classroom 

activities aimed at fostering 

healthy relationships. They 

then go into schools and train 

teachers who subsequently 

deliver the programme in the 

classroom. 

10 | News News 

| 11

Concierge – 

100% service 

As promised, the Concierge 

Service is now ensuring 

100% coverage at the four 

Concierge estates. 

The Concierge team has 

been improved with fulltime 

and part-time new recruits 

and has also employed 

casual support concierge to 

ensure that we deliver on the 

100% guarantee. This is an 

improvement on the service 

provision of 75.45% during 

2007/2008. 

In order to ensure that 

we provide a high quality 

concierge service, new and 

existing staff have been 

through an intensive training 

programme. 

We have published a new 

concierge leaflet, showing the 

types of functions our service 

covers, which will be available 

at each of the four Concierge 

estates. 

Rainbow 

Project 

The Rainbow Project provides Hounslow Homes’ residents with the 

opportunity to bid for grants of up to £100,000 to improve their 

community and local environment. Over the next two to three years, 

£1.5 million will be spent on these projects 

The first round of applications 

were assessed by the Panel in 

late June and seven projects 

have been approved for 

funding. A further 22 projects 

are continuing to work on their 

applications. 

You can find out more 

about the shortlisted projects 

at www.hounslow.gov.uk/ 

rainbowproject 

Due to huge interest in the 

Summer community fun days 

project, all the money has 

been provisionally allocated. 

If any remains following 

an assessment of round 2 

applications in October, a 

further funding round may be 

announced. 

If you have any queries about 

the Rainbow Project please 

contact Áine Hayes by emailing 

aine.hayes@hounslow.gov.uk or 

calling 020 8583 4813. 

There are many ways you can get involved: 

• Join your local group or association 

• Give your ideas or help talk to other residents to find out theirs 

• Help to organise events and newsletters to promote the idea 

• Help to organise or run activities as part of the project if it is 

successful 

Fun days are run and managed by residents who give up their free 

time to organise community events for their fellow neighbours. If 

you have a fun day in your area, why not get involved in helping 

to set up? It can be very rewarding and a great way to get to make 

new friends. Call 020 8583 4206 to find out how. 

Saturday 1 August 

Clayponds, Brentford 


Brabazon Residents, 

Heston 


South Road, Feltham 

Saturday 5 September 

Oriel Estate, Hanworth 

Sunday 6 September 

Brookwood Estate Residents, 

Hounslow 

Wednesday 9 September 

Frank Towell, Feltham 

Top athletes inspire 

local children 

Linford Christie and Darren Campbell encouraged children on the 

Ivybridge Estate to get active through the 2009 Street Athletics 

Street Athletics is a very simple 

and highly effective youth 

engagement programme for 

people aged under 20 living 

in deprived areas. It targets 

youngsters who are not 

engaged in mainstream sports 

and who can benefit from the 

confidence and motivation 

that comes from taking part 

in a positive community sports 

event. 

Linford Christie and Darren 

Campbell spent the day chatting 

with the children, signing 

t-shirts, posing for photos and 

organised the races for the 

children. 

Children had their faces 

painted like lions or butterflies 

then got involved in break 

dancing, rugby and the main 

event, the Street Athletics 

race organised by Darren and 

Linford. 

Ivybridge Estate resident child 

Mohamed Abdi said, “This 

event was extremely fun, it was 

the best event in the whole of 

England. Meeting Darren and 

Linford was a once in a lifetime 

opportunity that I am never 

going to forget.” 

Hounslow Homes Ivybridge 

Team Leader Fiona King said the 

children could not contain their 

excitement when Linford and 

Darren arrived. 

“The children that I have 

spoken to on the estate were 

absolutely thrilled to meet their 

idols Linford and Darren it was 

a great day and reminder to 

children about the importance 

in keeping fit.” 

Positive Futures is a sport 

and activities based social 

inclusion programme funded 

by the Football Foundation and 

managed nationally by Crime 

Concern. The programme 

engages with socially 

marginalised young people 

between 10-19 yrs in the top 

10% most deprived areas in the 

country. The project is managed 

The Brabazon Road residents 

association are holding a multicultural 

day on 18 August. 

Hounslow Homes Chief 

Executive Bernadette O’Shea 

will be opening the event which 

is being held on Brabazon 

by Brentford FC Community 

Sports Trust and works in 

Partnership with Hounslow 

Homes, Extended Schools, 

Hounslow Youth Service and 

many other organisations. The 

project aim is to engage with 

young people by providing 

quality sports and activity based 

sessions throughout the year, 

which are easily accessible, and 

delivers on three targeted areas 

in the borough of Hounslow. 

Brabazon Road afternoon of fun 

Green from 2pm to 5pm. 

There will be a dog show, 

fancy dress competition, 

barbeque, lots of Asian food 

to share and plenty more - so 

come along and join in the fun! 


| 13

T Brown 

Group 

We are currently advertising 

the following position with 

our partnering contractor 

T Brown Group, delivering 

the gas servicing repairs and 

breakdown service for both 

our domestic and district 

heating systems. 

Apprentice Gas 

Engineers 

Attractive rates and 

benefits offered 

If you thrive in an 

environment which 

challenges your multitasking 

abilities and 

are looking for a new 

opportunity within 

a successful wellestablished 

company, 

then please contact us. 

We welcome applications 

from candidates of 

all ages. You must be 

eligible to live and work 

in the UK. 

For an application form 

please call 020 8786 

1200. 

T Brown is an equal 

opportunities employer. 

Tenant training 

Hounslow Homes residents training programme is well under way. 

Residents from across the borough have already participated in 

sessions, including “Working effectively as a group”, “Being a 

Chairperson” and “Treasurer training” 

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed 

the sessions, stating they felt 

relaxed and had gained valuable 

information and knowledge 

from the course and other 

residents they met on the day. 

Upcoming sessions to put in your diary 

• Secretary skills/minute taking 

September 14th 

• Managing your money in difficult times 

October 10th 

• Good communications - learn the art of 

negotiating and listening 

November 16th 

Hounslow Homes remain keen 

to offer you a wide range of 

training opportunities that we 

hope will empower you further 

and encourage you to be more 

involved with us. 

• How to involve more people and keep them 

February 8th 

• Representing your community 

March 29th 

All courses are to run in the evening from 6.30 - 9.30 

pm at Benson Close, Hounslow. Please phone the 

tenant training line on 020 8583 4602 if you 

would like to take part or if you have 

other suggestions of courses we 

could run. 

Check out training courses 

available through TPAS (Tenant 

Participation Advisory Service). 

TPAS offers accredited courses 

such as Certificate in Community 

Action. Visit www.tpas.org.uk to 

discover what else they have on offer 

or call 0161 868 3500. 

Disability matters in 

2008/9 

Hounslow Homes has continued to strive to meet its obligations 

arising from the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, and to actively 

promote disability equality for our staff and customers by meeting 

best practice and providing excellent services 

Key progress made during 

2008/9 includes: 

• All publicly accessed areas 

fully accessible 

• Our website is now fully 

accessible, with increase of 

“self service” options for 

customers 

• 30 Portable induction loops 

purchased and distributed 

across Hounslow Homes to 

better communicate with 

deaf and hard of hearing 

customers 

• Contract awarded to enforce 

blue badge parking spaces 

for all council estates 

Gas safety - tenants taken to court 

Hounslow Homes has taken court action against tenants who refused contractors access to their homes 

to carry out an essential free gas safety check 

Hounslow Homes has been 

running a safety campaign to 

ensure tenants are aware of 

the potentially deadly threat of 

carbon monoxide from faulty 

gas appliances and heating. 

Hounslow Homes have now 

taken the dramatic step of 

gaining access warrants for 37 

homes across the borough, to 

carry out the free service and 

safety checks. Some tenants 

• All new build properties to 

be Lifetime homes 

• All leaflets and documents 

available in alternative 

formats, brailling and audio/ 

compact disc taping occur 

in-house 

• Regular use and evaluation 

of our use of the “positive 

about disability” symbol 

on job adverts to increase 

disabled job applicants 

• All staff offered BSL courses 

annually 

• Quarterly meeting ongoing 

since 2004 for the Disability 

Consultative Group 

comprising of disabled 

had refused repeated requests 

to allow contractors T Brown 

Group access to their homes. 

The warrants allow Hounslow 

Homes access to carry out the 

free checks. Appointments 

are available in the evenings, 

weekends, weekday morning 

and afternoon slots. We want to 

avoid tenants incurring the high 

court costs involved by refusing 

access.To make an appointment 

tenants and leaseholders 

• Dedicated Adaptations 

team, who arranged up to 

400 adaptations (major and 

minor) last year 

Please contact the Equalities 

Team on 020 8583 3762 

or email neghet.khan@ 

hounslowhomes.org.uk if you 

have further ideas on how to 

achieve disability equality in 

Hounslow Homes or would like 

more information. 

or to find out when your gas 

safety check is due contact our 

gas contractor T Brown Group 

on 0800 634 9434. 

Hounslow Homes are now 

warning all residents that, apart 

from potential danger that they 

and their families face, they also 

face further court action and 

associated costs if they don’t 

allow the service to be carried 

out. 


| 15

CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE (CSC) 

Please ring our freephone number for all council housing queries 

0800 085 6575 

Minicom: 0800 389 9821; Language line: 0800 389 9830; Email: customerservicecentre@hounslowhomes.org.uk 

Open: 8am-8pm Monday-Friday. The CSC is no longer open on Saturday mornings (at all other times call 020 8583 2222) 

Report your repairs 

Call the freephone number above or email housing.repairs@hounslowhomes.org.uk 

Go to www.hounslowhomes.org.uk and report a repair as well as book an appointment online 

EAST AREA 

FOR TENANCIES IN BRENTFORD AND CHISWICK 

There are two offices open part-time hours. For emails and post, 

please only contact the Brentford office. 

BRENTFORD OPENING HOURS 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9am - 5pm 

CHISWICK OPENING HOURS 

Monday and Tuesday 9am - 5pm 

ADDRESSES 

Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick W4 4JE or 

58-59 Brentford High Street, Brentford TW8 OAH 

CENTRAL AREA 

FOR TENANCIES IN HESTON, CRANFORD, 

HOUNSLOW AND ISLEWORTH 

OPENING HOURS 

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm 

The Langdale Centre, 240 Summerwood Road, Isleworth, 

Middlesex TW7 7QN 

WEST AREA 

FOR TENANCIES IN FELTHAM, BEDFONT AND HANWORTH 

OPENING HOURS 

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm 

St Catherine's House, 2 Hanworth Road, 

Feltham TW13 5AB 

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Services 

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9am - 4.45pm 

Thursday by appointment only 

Friday 9am - 4.30pm 

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS 

020 8583 3737 

Fax: 020 8583 4336 

Minicom: 0800 389 9821 

complaints.team@hounslowhomes.org.uk 

REPORT ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 

Contact our customer service centre on 0800 085 6575 and 

Police: 020 8577 1212 or 

Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 

LEASEHOLDER SERVICES & HOME OWNERSHIP 

020 8583 4295 (Brentford & Chiswick) 

020 8583 3418 (Feltham) 

020 8583 3417 (Hounslow) 

Fax: 020 8583 4133 

home.ownership@hounslowhomes.org.uk 

RIGHT TO BUY 

020 8583 3916 

For heating repairs and maintenance 

call T Brown freephone 0800 634 9435 

LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW CONTACTS 

HOUSING ADVICE SERVICE 

020 8583 3844 

Minicom: 020 8583 3111 

RE-HOUSING UNIT 

020 8583 4422 

HOUSING BENEFIT 

HELPLINE 

020 8583 4242 

HOMELESS PERSONS UNIT 

020 8583 3842 

HOUNSLOW FEDERATION OF TENANTS’ AND RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS 

0794 840 1584 or www.hftra.co.uk 

Translations 

Hounslow Homes Ltd. Registered Office: St. Catherine’s House, 2 Hanworth Road, Feltham, Middlesex TW13 5AB 

Registered in England and Wales - Company No. 4375061

July/August 2009 - Hounslow Homes

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