Our Housing Services team is comprised of four dedicated sections, each working together to give you a seamless and positive experience.

Localities

Our Neighbourhood Coordinators are the friendly faces you'll see frequently in your community and are your main contact for tenancy-related questions and support. They manage areas of over 500 homes and are frequently present in the community, especially during our weekly Wednesday Walkabouts. They work to keep neighbourhoods safe and well-maintained, assisting with tenancy concerns and providing consistent support throughout your tenancy journey.

For more complex issues, our Tenancy Enforcement Officers step in to manage cases, working closely with the Neighbourhood Coordinators to resolve matters efficiently.

Leaseholders and shared owners receive dedicated support from a Home Ownership Officer who provides assistance with building management, service charges and other ownership issues.

Localities Team 1

Localities Team 2

Lettings and New Tenancy Support Team

Help people move into their new home and supports them at the start of their tenancy. Their role is to make sure homes are let fairly and that customers have the right help to feel settled, secure and supported. They work closely with local councils and with other teams across the business to make sure homes are affordable, suitable and the right fit for each customer.

When a property becomes available and your bid is successful, a Lettings Officer will contact you. They will guide you through the sign-up process and explain what happens next. They also work with our Property Care and neighbourhood colleagues to make sure your home is ready and your move goes as smoothly as possible.

Our Money Advisors support new and moving customers by checking that a tenancy is affordable before it starts. They can help look at income and spending, check benefits you may be entitled to, and support you with benefit claims. After you move in, they can also help with budgeting, setting up utilities, managing household costs and sharing practical advice to help you save energy and money.

Some customers may need extra help to settle into their home and our Tenancy Support Officer will work with customers who need additional support, taking the time to understand individual needs and, where needed, helping them access specialist services. Support is tailored to each customer and focused on building confidence and independence.

Income Team

Income Officers are here to help with rent management, keeping a close eye on rent accounts and reaching out early if you're falling behind to provide support and prevent issues from escalating. If you are having difficulty affording or paying your rent, we are here to help you. Contact the team on income@communityhousing.co.uk.

You can reach our Housing Services team by calling our Customer Service Centre on 0300 003 5454 or visit Ways to contact us.

Stay updated or reach us through our Facebook neighbourhood groups, use our contact form, or by emailing the Customer Service Centre information@communityhousing.co.uk.

Safeguarding is about minimising risk and preventing harm to children and adults in vulnerable situations. If you have concerns, speak directly with your Neighbourhood Coordinator on 0300 003 5454.

Hoarding, such as the accumulation of debris, rubbish or flammable materials, poses significant health and safety risks - not only for the individual but also for other tenants. Excessive hoarding can block access for emergency services and increase the risk and spread of fires.

We collaborate closely with the Fire Service in situations where hoarding is identified. Our goal is to support affected individuals in overcoming these challenges to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents. If you are experiencing difficulty managing items in your home, please reach out to your Neighbourhood Coordinator, who can discuss ways we can assist.

If you have experienced bullying, assault, harassment or verbal abuse because of your identity or differences, you may be a victim of hate crime.

We understand the serious impact hate crimes can have on individuals and communities, and are committed to eliminating all incidents and crimes motivated by prejudice and hate. Our staff are here to support victims with professionalism and empathy.

What is a hate crime? For more information, please visit the Gov.UK website.

If you are a Community Housing tenant experiencing domestic abuse or hate crime, please contact us at 0300 003 5454, and we will connect you with agencies that can provide assistance.

If you are in immediate danger, please call the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Wednesday Walkabouts, welcoming all voices, all abilities, all views

Come and join us on your local neighbourhood Wednesday Walkabout.

Walkabouts typically begin at 10am and last about two hours, starting from the meeting point listed below. Everyone's welcome - we encourage local residents to join us and share any experiences - positive or negative! These walks are designed for all ages and abilities. Whether you're pushing a pram, using a wheelchair or mobility aid, or just fancy a gentle stroll, we'll make sure you can take part. Need a bit of extra support? Just let us know and we'll sort it out.

Whenever possible, we also invite local police officers or councillors to participate in each Walkabout.

Your Neighbourhood Coordinator will post a reminder on your neighbourhood Facebook group a week or so in advance as a reminder.

We are committed to keeping our neighbourhoods in excellent order, ensuring our customers live in a pleasant, safe and clean environment.

Maintaining clean and safe communal areas

We are committed to keeping all internal and external communal areas clean, including light fittings and windows. Hard standing areas and paths are treated for weeds as needed, and moss in courtyards and pathways will be addressed when reported.

For blocks with five or more floors, we conduct regular inspections to ensure communal spaces remain free of fire hazards and that access routes are clear. If personal items are left in these areas, we will request their removal or have them removed by a Community Housing employee.

In some buildings, we offer a window cleaning service for communal windows every four months.

Grounds maintenance of communal gardens

We ensure communal gardens remain well-maintained and litter-free. Grassed areas and shrub beds are cleared of litter, and grass is regularly cut and mulched as needed. We trim hedges and overhanging shrubs along communal pathways and remove any invasive plants from hedges and shrub beds.

In our Independent Living Schemes, front garden grass is also cut and mulched, while shrub beds are pruned in the winter. Beech and conifer hedges are cut back each September and October.

Please note that the local authority is generally responsible for clearing litter and cutting of grass verges next to roads and public footpaths classified as a highway.

Play areas

We own and manage 16 play areas designed to provide young people with safe spaces to play. These areas are regularly inspected, with additional independent checks on playground equipment to ensure safety standards are met.

We encourage everyone to help keep our playgrounds safe by reporting any vandalism promptly, including details about those responsible, to assist us in maintaining these spaces for the community's enjoyment.

Waste, bulky refuse and fly tipping

Fly-tipping or illegal dumping of waste is prohibited, and residents are responsible for properly disposing of their own waste, including bulky refuse. Please ensure rubbish is placed in the designated bins, using separate bins for recycling and general waste.

Refuse collections are managed by the local authority - Wyre Forest District Council. For more information, visit their website under Rubbish and Recycling.

For bulky waste disposal, residents have several options:

• Bulky items can be taken to the local Household Recycling Centres at Minster Road, Stourport, DY13 8AS or Worcester Road, Kidderminster, DY10 1LB.
• Wyre Forest District Council offers bulky waste collection services for a fee. Contact them on 01562 732928 or visit their website.

To report issues such as untidy areas, fly-tipping, vandalism, graffiti, communal repairs, broken lights, sharps/hazardous materials or other hazards by contacting our Customer Service Centre.

Graffiti is treated as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and removal on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. However, we will remove graffiti from any Community Housing owned properties once reported.

Tree maintenance and responsibility

Community Housing manages all trees in the communal and play areas that we own, conducting regular tree surveys to ensure they remain healthy and pose no risk to properties, residents or the public.

Trees within the front or rear gardens of individual properties are the resident's responsibility. We are, however, able to provide expert advice and offer a free quotation for any necessary work. In emergencies or for health and safety reasons, we may carry out garden tree work at no cost.

In certain cases, we may need to intervene, particularly if a tree poses a risk to safety, there are vulnerabilities involved, it would cause financial hardship for the resident or if previous requests to address the issue have not been acted upon.

Lifts and door entry systems

For buildings where we are responsible for lift maintenance, we work with external contractors to ensure regular servicing and repairs. While immediate repairs may not always be possible due to part availability, we will keep residents updated until the lift is fully operational.

To maintain safety and security across our buildings and estates, door entry systems are also managed by external contractors. If there is evidence of tampering or intentional damage to a door, we will investigate, which may include issuing warning letters or treating it as an anti-social behaviour case.

In the event of a failure, door entry systems are set to "fail open" rather than lock shut, ensuring safe evacuation in case of a fire.

For further information, please see our Neighbourhood Management Policy.

• You agree to park vehicles in designated parking spaces (where these exist) and with due care and consideration to other road users and pedestrians.
• You agree not to park, or allow anyone living with or visiting you, to park vehicles in or on garage sites or forecourts, service roads, footpaths, greens or verges.
• You agree not to park untaxed, unsafe or unroadworthy vehicles on any Community Housing property without our prior written consent.
• You agree not to drive or park vehicles, caravans, boats, trailers or similar vehicles over kerbs which have not been lowered or over any grassed area, in such way as to cause danger or an obstruction.
• You agree not to make, or allow someone else to make, any access path on to your property, for any purpose including parking any motor vehicle, caravan, boat, trailers or similar vehicles, without our prior written consent.
• You agree not to park caravans, boats, trailers or similar vehicles in any designated or approved parking spaces without our prior written consent
• You agree not to park or store any vehicle, caravan, boat, trailer or similar, in the garden of your Home unless the foot-kerb has been lowered and there is a hard-standing. These works can only be done with our consent and to the specification of the Highways Partnership.
• You agree not to allow anyone to reside in any caravan, vehicle or temporary structure parked or stored within the curtiledge of your property.
• You agree not to park or store any vehicle above 3.5 tonnes on any Community Housing property.
• You agree to keep clean and tidy any parking bay designated to you.

Alongside our Community Housing Facebook page, we have active neighbourhood groups where you will find information and news relating to your local community. Our Neighbourhood Co-ordinators also use the pages to keep you updated about your Walkabout Wednesday meeting places and updates.

For details about these active neighbourhood groups and how to join, then visit Get Involved page. If you haven't joined your local group yet, then do it today!