Accessing your home

If you live in a Regenda Homes property, we may need to come into your home from time to time. This helps us keep your home safe, secure and in good condition.

Your tenancy agreement says you must let us, our staff or contractors into your home so we can:

  • Check the condition of your home

  • Carry out repairs or improvements

  • Service or fix gas, electric or water systems

  • Make sure you’re safe and well

  • Offer support if needed

We will always try to give you at least 24 hours’ written notice before we visit. This is part of the law under Section 11 (6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act.

Accessing your home in an emergency

Sometimes, we may need to come in without notice. This could happen if there’s an emergency or a risk to safety. If you’re not home and we need to act quickly, we may enter your home to fix the problem.

Essential works

Sometimes, we need to do important work that keeps you safe or protects the building. If we can’t get access and the work is urgent, we may need to take legal steps to enter your home.

We will always write to you first. The letter will explain why the work is needed and the legal reason we have to take action.

What counts as essential work?

Essential works are jobs we must do to keep you safe and protect your home. These include things like:

Safety checks and repairs

  • Health and safety inspections

  • Fixing problems found during safety checks

  • Repairs for serious health and safety risks (Category 1 or 2 HHSRS)

Water and damp problems

  • Fixing leaks from outside the building

  • Fixing leaks inside your home or in neighbouring homes

  • Treating damp and mould

Structural and weather protection

  • Repairs to the structure of the building

  • Making sure your home is wind and weather tight

  • Major roof repairs

  • Replacing windows and doors

Fire and asbestos safety

  • Fire safety work, including fire alarms and fire doors

  • Fire risk assessments and related repairs

  • Removing or sealing asbestos

  • Asbestos surveys before work starts

Heating and power

  • Installing central heating if no other form of heating is present

  • Rewiring

  • Gas and electric safety checks

If we need to carry out a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey or a Management Survey before starting work, this is also classed as essential. We’ll follow the same steps to get access to your home.

If any of these works are needed and we can’t get access, we’ll follow the same legal process to enter your home and carry out the work.

What happens if we can't get into your home for essential works?

If we need to carry out essential works and can’t get into your home, we’ll follow this process under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act:

  1. First appointment
    We’ll send you a letter with a date for the work. This could come from us or a contractor working for us.

  2. Second appointment
    If we can’t get in the first time, we’ll send another letter with a new appointment date. This could come from us or a contractor working for us.

  3. Third appointment
    If we still can’t get in, you’ll get a letter from our solicitor. This will explain that we plan to take legal action if access is refused again.

  4. Neighbourhood Team visit
    If there’s no response, someone from our Neighbourhood Team will visit your home. At this point, it becomes a legal case.

  5. Further contact attempts
    We’ll keep trying to reach you by phone, email and other ways for a reasonable amount of time.

  6. Legal action begins
    If we still can’t reach you, we’ll put together a record of all our attempts to contact you. This will include your tenancy agreement (if available). We’ll then send this to our solicitor to start legal proceedings.

  7. Court Order and final steps
    If the court gives us permission, you’ll have 7 days to let us in. If you still don’t allow access, we may take further legal steps to enter your home and carry out the work.

 

If you have any questions or feedback about this process, please get in touch.

What to expect when we enter your home

For whatever reason we are visiting you or your home, we want you to feel safe, respected and listened to. 

This Code of Conduct explains: 

  • How our staff will behave
  • What you can expect from us when we work with you
  • What you can expect from us when we are in your home. 

When we visit you, we will: 

Be respectful 

  • We will be polite and friendly
  • We will wear shoe covers when entering your home
  • Not use your facilities or Wi-Fi unless you tell us it’s okay 
  • Not eat and drink unless you tell us it’s okay 
  • Not smoke in or near your home  
  • Not work under the influence of alcohol or drugs  
  • Look out for any safety or welfare concerns and report them if needed
  • We will treat you and your home how we would like to be treated. 

Be easy to recognise 

  • We will introduce ourselves
  • We will wear an ID badge with our name and photo. 

Be on time 

  • We will give you as much notice as we can for appointments 
  • We will be on time for arranged appointments
  • We will do all routine visits between Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm
  • If something changes, we will tell you as soon as we can
  • Some visits, like welfare checks or emergencies, may need to happen without an appointment or outside standard hours, but we will always explain why. We have a legal right to enter the property without notice in these situations. 

Communicate clearly 

  • We will explain why we are visiting
  • We can let you know how long the visit will be
  • We will call you back when we say we will
  • If something changes, we will tell you as soon as we can. 

Set clear expectations 

  • We will tell you what will happen next and when it will happen 
  • We will make sure you are treated fairly and receive a good service. 

Be professional 

  • We will follow our values and behave in a professional way. 

Respect your privacy 

  • We will keep your personal information safe. 

Be flexible 

  • We will try to work around you and what you need from us
  • We will take time to understand your needs and make changes where we can to support you
  • Offer you appointment times that suit you. 

Listen to your feedback 

  • Your feedback helps us improve our services. 

If we can’t get into your home, we will: 

  1. Try all the contact numbers we have for you
  2. If we can reach you, we will give you a new appointment
  3. If we can’t reach you, we will leave a card for you to call us and make a new appointment.
  4. We will arrange another visit. 

What we ask from you: 

  • Allow us into your home, especially for essential safety checks and repairs
  • Keep pets in another room
  • Do not smoke while we’re in your home
  • Be polite and treat us how you’d like to be treated
  • Give as much detail as you can when reporting an issue
  • Be at home for your appointment time
  • Let us know as soon as possible if something changes
  • Give us feedback on our visit.