How we decide what works are carried out

A survey will have been completed on your property. This may have been done recently, a few years ago or before you moved in. The results of the survey will be compared to the Decent Homes standard. The results will determine the extent of work to your home. If surveyors were not able to gain access to your property, they will have cloned survey data from a similar property within your area. Not all homes will need work.

Neighbouring properties

Properties will have had different work (repairs, renewals and upgrades) carried out over the years, so your home will be different from your neighbours. The work that is carried out in each property will depend on the outcome of the surveys.

We will contact you

Before any improvements are carried out to your home, you will receive a letter from us telling you what work is likely to be carried out. When the appointed contractor is ready to start work, you will be contacted to arrange an initial visit. At this visit, a detailed survey will take place to identify and confirm exactly what improvements are needed.

Resident Liaison Officers

A Resident Liaison Officer will keep you informed of proposed works and liaise with you before, during and after the works. The officer will visit you before the work starts and will let you know how long it is likely to take. They will keep you updated about when key phases will be completed.

Your furniture

Your Resident Liaison Officer will discuss this in more detail when they visit you before the work starts but you can help us take the best possible care of your belongings by taking some simple precautions. It makes sense to put away fragile or valuable items and remove things from the walls to prevent them from falling. We always use dust sheets when working in your home to protect floor coverings and furniture that has not been removed.

Decorating vouchers

Our project surveyors will survey your property after the work has been completed to say whether you will be entitled to the decorating voucher. For example, when a property has had a full electrical re-wire or a full central heating system fitted, we will provide a decorating voucher to use in Johnstone’s Decorating Centre, Gunnels Wood Trade Park, Stevenage. The decorating voucher should be used by the expiry date on the voucher; usually around 3 months.

Decorating materials

The voucher allows you to collect a pack of decorating materials. This includes items such as interior paints, wallpapers and pastes, brushes, sandpaper, fillers. Items may be different depending on the room that is to be decorated. You will have this information on the letter you receive with the voucher.

Collecting a decorating pack

The person whose name and address is on the voucher must be present when collecting the decorating pack; proof of ID and the voucher letter must be shown.

The decorating pack will be available to be collected or delivered to your home. 

Delivery of your order

Orders to be delivered will be arranged with you and must be signed for. Proof of your address, your tenancy agreement or utility bill must be shown. If after the second attempt delivery cannot be made, your order will be available to collect at the Stevenage Decorating Centre in Gunnels Wood Road.

If you have any further questions about any of our major works programmes, please email us at investment@stevenage.gov.uk or call our Customer Service Centre on 01438 242666.