Planned improvements

Overview

Planned improvements include any work we might carry out to maintain or improve your property to ensure you are provided with a home that is safe, secure and high-quality. 
This includes improvements to:

• kitchens
• bathrooms
• heating and boilers
• windows and doors
• roofs and chimneys
• external painting and decoration
• energy efficiency and insulation
• electrical wiring and fixtures

Stock Condition Surveys

Stock condition surveys look at the condition of homes to help us asses the lifespan and plan upgrades. We have contracted a company to carry out these checks on our properties. We already hold a lot of information, but by employing an independent company to carry out these checks, we will be able to say with some certainty, that the information we hold is accurate. It’s really important that you allow us access to your property so we can make sure it is safe, help us plan for future improvements and to make sure your home meets the UK Government's Decent Homes Standard. 

How we’ll contact you 

If your home is due for planned improvements, we will send you an initial letter to inform you. For some types of improvements like kitchens or insulation, a surveyor may need to arrange a visit to your home before agreeing a start date for the work.

Sometimes the work might be carried out by external contractors. We use external contractors to support our in-house team where we might not have access to specialist equipment or materials. All Derby Homes' contractors go through rigorous checks to ensure they have the relevant skills and experience and provide excellent customer care. 

We expect all our contractors to deliver the same service standards as our own staff. If you do not feel our, or our contractor’s service meets these standards, you can make a complaint.

If there’s a delay to the work

If we are unable to start the work on the date we originally agreed or the work will take longer than expected, we will contact you to let you know and rearrange the date. 

If you refuse the work

If you decide you don’t want improvements or you are unable to have improvements to your home at this time due to personal or health issues, you must let us know why when we contact you. We review all refusals after three to four years. 

Kitchens

Our Asset Management Team keeps records detailing when kitchens are originally installed or replaced and this information is used to plan when kitchens are due for renewal. The average expected lifespan of a kitchen is approximately 22 years.

Once a kitchen is due for an update:

• A Surveyor will visit your home to plan the new kitchen and assess the flooring
• You can select your choice of units, door styles, worktops and handles from the range available.
• You will receive a notification telling you when we would like to start work.
• You will be contacted before the work starts so we can explain what will happen.
• The work is usually completed within five to ten days.
• We'll also let you know if there are any delays to the work.

Bathrooms

We keep detailed records of when bathrooms were originally installed or replaced, and this information is used to plan when bathrooms are due for renewal. The lifespan of a bathroom is around 28 years.

If your bathroom is due for an update:

• We will send you a letter to let you know that your bathroom is due for an update and explain what to expect.
• A surveyor will visit your home to measure up.
• We will contact you to confirm when the work will start.
• The work might include fitting a new bath, a shower over the bath, additional wall tiling, a shower curtain, a new wash hand basin and a new toilet complete with a new seat. If your home is a bungalow or a ground floor flat, we will fit a wet room.
• The work will take approximately ten working days to complete. During this time we may need to turn the water supply off for a short time. 
• We'll also let you know if there are any delays to the work.

Heating

We have an ongoing programme to update inefficient or out-of-date heating systems in homes. This includes properties where the heating system is older, difficult to maintain, where parts for the boiler could become hard to obtain in the future as well as replacing old style electric storage radiators.

In some properties we install new gas central heating systems. This will provide a radiator with a thermostatic valve in every room, and instant hot water. The condensing combination boilers we fit have a band A rating meaning they’re more than 95% energy efficient. 

If the heating in your property is due to be updated:

• An external Gas-Safe contractor will complete the work on behalf of Derby Homes.
• You will be sent a letter to you to let you know that your central heating, boiler or storage radiators will be replaced and what to expect.
• The contractor will arrange a date and time to survey your boiler and answer any questions you might have.
• They will agree a suitable time for the work to be carried out and send you a letter to confirm when the work will start.
• When we write to you we will let you know how long the work will take to complete.
• The contractor will need access between 8am and 4pm during the works, although times may vary when workmen come. During this time, we might need to turn the gas or the electric supply off for a short time. 
• We'll keep you informed if there are any delays to the work. 

Doors and windows

We keep records on when doors and windows where installed and this information is used to plan when they are due for renewal. The lifespan of most windows and doors is around 30 years. 

If your door is due to be replaced:

• We will send you a letter to let you know your door is due to be replaced and what to expect.
• A surveyor will visit your home to measure where the door will go.
• You will be able to select your choice of door styles from the range available.
• There will be a period of up to eight weeks when you don’t hear from us, whilst your door is being manufactured to your own specification.
• We will let you know when your door has been delivered to us and contact you within seven days of it arriving to arrange for it to be fitted. 
• How long the work will take to complete will depend on the number of doors being fitted.
• We'll let you know if there are any delays to the work.

If your windows are due to be replaced:

• We will send you a letter to let you know your windows are due to be replaced, and what to expect. 
• A surveyor will visit your home to measure where the windows will go. 
• How long the work will take to complete will depend on the number of windows being replaced. 
• We'll keep you informed if there are any delays to the work.

Roofs 

We keep records on when roofs were replaced, this information is used to plan when they are due for renewal. The lifespan of most roofs and chimneys is about 60 years. 

If your roof is due to be replaced:

• We will write to you to let you know your roof or chimney is due to be updated and what to expect.
• A surveyor will visit your home to examine the roof or chimney and plan the works. We sometimes use drones to carry out roof inspections, this helps us minimise the cost and time taken to carry out the works.
• We will agree a suitable date for the work to be carried out and send you a letter to confirm when the work will start.
• Depending on what work is being carried out, scaffolding may need to be constructed to ensure safe access to the roof.
• The work will generally be completed within 5 working days although in some cases it may be more. We will need access between 8am and 4pm during the works, although times may vary when workmen come.
• If there are any delays to the work, we will contact you to let you know.

External decoration 

Updating the external decoration of homes is completed on a cyclical programme. If your home is identified as requiring work, this might include painting the exterior areas such as the rendering, fascia, soffit boards, gates or fencing, or the interior communal areas such as staircases, lobbies and common rooms. 

If the external decoration of your home is due to be updated:

• We will write to you to let you know when the work is due to start and what to expect.
• We may need to construct scaffolding to ensure our contractors can work safely at heights.
• How long the work will take will depend on the size and type of building you live in.
• Our will need access between 8am and 4pm during the works, although times may vary when contractors come. 
• If there are any delays to the works, we will contact you to let you know. 

Energy and insulation

We keep records on the amount and type of insulation in every home. We have an ongoing programme to update the insulation in our homes to make them warmer,  more efficient and help reduce the cost of heating bills.

The types of insulation we install are: 

Loft insulation

This type of insulation usually involves installing rolls of mineral wool, fibreglass or cellulose between ceiling joists or rafters in the loft to reduce heat loss from the roof of the building. 

The lofts in the properties we manage should be insulated adequately, we have updated any we identified that weren’t. If you think that you may need additional insulation, get in touch with us. We can check our records and see how much insulation you currently have.

Cavity wall insulation

Cavity wall insulation reduces heat loss through the external walls of a building by trapping heat, making homes warmer and reducing energy bills.

We have previously carried out a very small programme of cavity wall insulation for properties with cavities that were not previously insulated. If you think that you may need cavity wall insulation, get in touch. We can check our records and see how much insulation you currently have.

If the insulation in your home is due to be updated:

• We will write to you to let you know your insulation is due to be updated and explain what you can expect.
• A surveyor will visit your home, discuss the work with you and arrange a date for the work to begin.
• Work will usually take 5 working days to complete. The contractor will need access between 8am and 4pm during the works, although times may vary when workmen come.
• if there are any delays to the work, we will let you know. 

Electrical wiring and sockets

We keep detailed records on the condition of the electrical wiring and, sockets and fixtures in all homes. We also carry out inspections of the electrical installation in all properties every five years as well as before tenants move in. This information helps us to plan when the electrical wiring is due for renewal. The current lifespan of electrical wiring and sockets is approximately 30 years. 

When the electrical wiring and sockets are due to be updated:

• We will write to you to let you know the electrical wiring is due to be updated and what to expect.
• We will agree a suitable time for the work to be carried out and send you a letter to confirm when the work will start and how long the work will take to complete.
• We will need access between 8am and 4pm during the works, although times may vary when contractors come. During this time, we might need to turn the electric supply off for a short time to allow the work to take place safely. 
• We will keep you informed if there are any delays to the works.