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As a landlord, we are legally required to complete an electrical safety check in all of our homes every five years.

 

If we have contacted you to request access to your home for an electrical safety check and this hasn’t been completed yet, it is now overdue.

 

Why your safety may be at risk

These tests ensure that your home electrics, including your lights, sockets and fuseboard are safe to operate and do not become a fire risk.

Unsafe electrics are a huge fire safety risk and account for around a quarter of all domestic house fires, so these tests are really important for your safety.

 

Why your tenancy might be at risk

Your tenancy may be at risk because these safety tests are a legal requirement and, as stated in the agreement you signed at the start of your tenancy, you must give us access to your home when required.

If you don’t let us into your home in these circumstances, your actions will be considered a breach of tenancy.

Fortunately, it isn’t too late to book your electrical test and avoid legal action.

 

How to book an appointment

1. Call Crystal Electronics on 01933 226 410 to book your appointment.
2. We will then be notified that you have made the appointment and postpone any legal action.
3. As long as you allow the electrician access to your home, we will cancel any legal action.

 

If you are shielding in line with the government’s guidance

Please contact us on 01344 382 800 as soon as possible, so that we can delay your appointment and postpone legal action.

 

If you are self-isolating in line with the government’s guidance

If you are self-isolating in line with the government’s guidance, please call Crystal Electronics on 01933 226 410 immediately and they will delay your appointment until after your isolation period has finished.

 

How we are ensuring your safety

We understand that you may be hesitant to let us into your home due to Covid-19, so we have put safety measures in place to ensure your safety. This means that all electricians will:

• Wear high-quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including a face mask, nitrile gloves and overboots
• Maintain a safe social distance inside your home
• Use hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes regularly
• Have health checks every day to ensure they are symptom-free.

 

Find out more about the electrical safety checks

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Silva Homes has partnered with RJ Leighfield to deliver nine three-bedroom houses in Bracknell.

The development, which is taking place on Rowley Close, is called Rowley Mews and all nine homes will be available to purchase through shared ownership.

The homes will replace the decommissioned independent living scheme known as Dennis Pilcher House.

So far, good progress has been made on construction, which began in November 2020.

The construction of Rowley Mews is going well.

The new homes benefit from a great location, with Lily Hill Park just across the road and a 20-minute walk to the Lexicon in Bracknell's town centre.

What’s more, each home will feature separate kitchen and living areas, a spacious private garden and access to plenty of parking.

Laura Johnson, executive director of assets and development, said:

“At Silva Homes, there is a determination to put people first, by helping to provide affordable housing for sale and rent, which helps make a positive difference to people’s lives.

“Our new homes will be great places people love to live in and take pride in.”

View the Rowley Mews development on our sales page

These new shared ownership homes will help first-time buyers and those who can’t afford to buy a home at the normal market rate to get onto the housing ladder.­­

With shared ownership, you buy a share of the house (usually 40% to 75%) and pay rent on the rest of the property, which is set below the market rate. In other words, you will pay a mortgage on the share that you own and pay rent to us for the share that we own. This means that you can secure a home without paying a deposit for the entire property.

Then, you can purchase more shares of your home until you own it outright, in a process called staircasing.

Learn more about shared ownership

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Olivia, our access and support manager, is leading our efforts to tackle domestic abuse - an issue that has grown during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m really proud to have been appointed Silva Homes’ domestic abuse champion, I feel very passionate about helping people facing domestic abuse and I know that we need to unite to protect them.

“It’s great to know that Silva and all my colleagues are wholeheartedly behind me.

“We are in a position to make a really positive difference to our customers’ lives if they’re faced with abuse and that’s a responsibility we take really seriously.”

“It means a lot to me and I’m relishing the chance to help Silva keep moving forward.

“Everyone is on board when it comes to tackling domestic abuse, which is vital because that’s the only way we will put the perpetrators in their place and get victims out of harm’s way.

“I know from past experience that we need everyone to pull together and thankfully that is the case with Silva and our all colleagues.

“Right across our customer relations and finance teams to our maintenance and repairs colleagues, everyone comes together when domestic abuse victims need support.

“We act quickly because we know the stakes are high and we also trust what people tell us, rather than making them jump through hoops to prove they’re victims of domestic abuse.

“I honestly feel as though the whole organisation is behind me and we’re trying hard to make things better at a time when government statistics show domestic abuse has gone up due to Covid-19 restrictions.”

View the government statistics about domestic abuse at gov.uk

Dasos Christou, our executive director of customer relations, said: “Olivia’s appointment as our new domestic abuse champion is a really clear statement of intent for Silva Homes. Her experience, expertise and ability to inspire others means that we are in a really good position to support victims of domestic abuse. We will work diligently to identify new ways that we can protect customers across the communities we serve.”

Learn more about our approach to domestic abuse

Read this article in Housing Digital  Read this article in Inside Housing (you will need a subscription)

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All our customers have been sent letters to notify them that our rents are increasing by 1.5% in April 2021. As a not-for-profit housing associsation, we spend all our surplus on improving our homes and services and providing new affordable homes. 

The maximum amount that landlords can increase rents by each year is set by the Regulator for Social Housing in England (the housing regulator). In November 2019, the housing regulator informed landlords that they could raise rents by the maximum of the consumer price index from the September of the previous year plus 1%. This means that from April 2021 rents will increase by 1.5% (CPI in September 2020 was 0.5% plus 1% = 1.5%).

Most of our customers will only see their rent increase by only £2 to £3 per week.

You can find out more about our rent increases, and see if you need to do anything on our payments page.

Read more about our rent increases

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In this interview, Jamie, our electrical trades manager, speaks about the dangers of electricity, what electrical safety tests are, and why it’s so important that we do them regularly.

In addition to his role at Silva, Jamie also sits on the Electrical Safety Roundtable - a leading industry forum made up of electricians who are passionate about electrical safety. 

Jamie, our electrical trades manager

 

Why are electrical safety checks so important?

With so many of us spending more time at home, having an electrical safety test is more important than ever. These inspections are free to all of our customers and they play a huge part in keeping our customers safe in their homes. 

Unsafe electrics are a huge fire safety risk and account for around a quarter of all domestic house fires and you don’t have to look far to find examples of these. As well as being a fire risk, exposure to electricity can be very dangerous - just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there! It's amazing the number of electronics we have around the home now, which are often taken for granted.

While these tests are hugely important for your safety, they also form part of our legal obligation to our customers. So, if we or one of our partners asks to enter your home to do an electrical check, please do let us in. If we can’t access your home, we will keep trying because they are very important. Once we have finished, we will not have to check your electrics for another 5 years!

 

What happens in an electrical safety test?

An electrical safety test should take around 4 hours to complete depending on your home and involves:

1. A fully qualified electrician from Silva or one of our partners, such as Crystal Electronics will visit your home.

2. They will look at your fuse board, sockets, lights and other associated electrical items. A lot of this work can be visual, so if there is anything that you know isn't working, letting us know really does help with the visit. 

3. They will also unscrew a small percentage of sockets and lights and use test equipment to check if everything is safe for you.

4. If something is unsafe, the electrician will try to fix it there and then. If they can’t solve the issue straight away, they will explain to you the reasons behind this and will make sure it is safe until it can be repaired. 

 

Will my electrical test be Covid-19 secure?

We understand why some people might be hesitant to let an electrician into their home at the moment. But, please be assured that all our frontline colleagues and partners are following the government’s Covid-19 guidelines and are complying with our health & safety precautions. 

They always wear a mask and gloves inside our customers’ homes and if they have any Covid-19 symptoms they will not enter your home.

 

How can I prepare for my home’s electrical test?

To save time during the inspection, please make sure that we can easily access:

• The fuse board,
• All light fittings,
• All electrical switches,
• 25% of the sockets in every room.

If for any reason you have concerns about these inspections, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be able to happy help talk through these as best possible. 

Also, don't forget that once we have carried out this check, you will be in with a chance of winning £150 in Love2Shop vouchers!

Contact us    Find out more about our electrical testing competition

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