Decorating for older and disabled residents - Tower Hamlets Homes

Lettings
Housing eXtra Fact Sheet 1
Decorating for older and disabled residents
What’s the decorating programme
Tower Hamlets Homes runs the decorating programme for our older and disabled
residents for the council and partner social landlords. The programme is partly
funded by Supporting People and is one of our Housing eXtra services to help
residents stay independent in their own home.
The decorating programme was launched in 2000. In our first eight years we’ve
decorated more than 4,700 of our older and disabled residents’ homes.
In 2005 our programme was recognised as an example of best practice by
HouseMark – a joint venture by the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National
Housing Federation, dedicated to improving housing standards.
Since May 2006, our programme has been delivered in partnership with other social
landlords in the borough: East End Homes, Poplar Harca and Island Homes.
Who can have their home decorated
We offer a five-year rolling decorating programme for older and disabled tenants.
You can expect to be automatically included in the programme if you are:
✔ a Tower Hamlets Homes resident with a tenancy or a tenant of East End Homes,
Poplar Harca and Island Homes; and
✔ over the age of 65; and
✔ in receipt of Housing Benefit, Income Support;
or
✔ have a tenancy with the above; and
✔ over the age of 60; and
✔ in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.
Our Programme allows 2 rooms to be decorated BUT because resources are very
limited, we target a particular age group each year, starting with the oldest first.
Unfortunately, we may not be able to include you in our programme if you have
someone aged 18–60 living with you because of our limited resources. Disabled
residents under the age of 60 and living alone are considered for the programme if
any additional resources become available during the year.
Please note if you are a leaseholder or have applied for the Right to Buy you are not
eligible for the programme.

Older and disabled new residents who move home can expect to have any rooms which need
decorating, decorated before they move in or shortly afterwards rather than be given a
decorating allowance. If you are moving you can expect your housing officer to discuss this
with you during your welcome interview.
How do I get on the Scheme
During the course of every year we automatically write to everyone in receipt of benefit, who
is in the age band targeted that year.
When we write to you, you can expect us to ask you:
✔ which two rooms you want decorated (although remember that stairs and hallways will
count as two rooms)
✔ whether you want wallpaper or paint
You should only contact us if you start receiving benefit during the year or you do not receive
benefit but receive a small occupational pension or income and we will decide whether we
can include your home.
To help save money we decorate homes one area at a time. This means contractors don’t
have so far to travel between jobs and we can let your local service centre know, as well as
any tenant and resident associations in your area.
Choosing your colour scheme
When the programme moves onto your estate, you can expect the decorator to make an
appointment to visit you at home so you can choose the colour of paint and/or the wallpaper
you would like. Our Tower Hamlets Select Collection of paint and more than 50 wallpapers
have been chosen by a group of our older and disabled residents.
At this first visit you can expect the contractor to help complete a form with your choice of
colours or wallpaper, together with any special needs you may have and whether you would
like help with moving furniture etc. before the decorating begins.
Before decorating
The decorators will help move any furniture if this is needed.
Please remember to tuck away any fragile or valuable items to avoid any damage, breakage
or loss.
While your home is being decorated
While carrying out the decorating, you can expect the decorator to use dustsheets at all
times to protect your furniture and flooring.
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Housing eXtra Fact Sheet 1 – Decorating for older and disabled residents
The decorator should be respectful to you and your home at all times.
Although decorating can be fairly stressful we want it to be as easy as possible. If anything at
all goes wrong please contact our Decorating Hotline straight away:
020 7364 7046
After Decorating
To make sure that the decorating has been carried out properly and to a good standard, we
may need to visit your home to inspect the decorating after it has been carried out.
You can expect us to contact you afterwards so we can check you were happy with the work
and whether you think everything was done properly – last year 100% of our residents were
satisfied or very satisfied with their decorating.
Keeping you safe
To make sure that you don’t fall prey to bogus callers we have given our contractors photo
identification cards and a unique number that they will quote.
You can expect us to tell you what this unique number is every time that we write to you. We
have also made sure that no contractor will call before 8am or after 5pm.
If the decorator:
✘ can’t produce suitable identification, or
✘ the unique number, or
✘ calls outside of these hours
DO NOT let them into your home and contact our Decorating Hotline straight away:
020 7364 7046
Getting in touch
If you have a question about our decorating programme for older and disabled residents or
you want to change your choice of paper or wallpaper please get in touch:
by phone
020 7364 7046
by email
sue.lawrence@towerhamletshomes.org.uk
in writing
Older and Disabled Decorating Programme
FREEPOST LON 6467
London E14 9YQ
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