We are supporting Register My Appliance week.

Register My Appliance is a consumer and public safety campaign to help and encourage people to register their household appliances with the manufacturer. The campaign is run by the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA).

Registering your household appliances, helps manufacturers know where the products are in case a repair is needed or if it is recalled. In small cases manufacturers may identify a problem with one of their products.

You could also save money by registering your appliances as it entitles you to an extended guarantee or warranty period. 

You can find out more information here:

Website: www.registermyappliance.org.uk

Instagram: @amdea_uk   

Twitter: @amdea_uk   

Facebook: amdea.uk

Tenants and Residents do you have Home Contents Insurance?

Why do I need it?

As your landlord we cover the buildings insurance for your home but you’re responsible, under the terms of your tenancy, for insuring your contents. It’s always a good idea to shop around for a policy that’ll give you the cover you need.

Home contents insurance isn’t compulsory, but it’s a good idea to consider what a policy would cover you for.  Home contents insurance can help protect your possessions from risks like fire, theft, water damage, and many more household risks, giving you peace of mind.

What does contents insurance cover?

Thistle Tenant Risks and Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited, offer the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, designed specifically for residents in social housing, all our residents are eligible to apply. This policy can cover:

Furniture, Carpets, Curtains, Clothes, Bedding, Electrical items, Pictures, Ornaments.

Limits and exclusions apply. For more information about our policy, please refer to the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and Policy Wording.

Buy online with monthly Direct Debit

It’s now easier for you to get covered with the My Home online platform. You can now purchase your home contents policy online when paying monthly via direct debit, please note paying by direct debit is more expensive than other payment options

For more details or to get started, you have a few options:

Call Thistle Tenant Risks: 0345 450 7288

Visit the website: www.thistlemyhome.co.uk to learn more or request a call back here www.thistlemyhome.co.uk/call-back.

Buy Online: Visit www.thistlemyhome.co.uk to purchase your policy and set up monthly direct debit payments for added convenience.

The National Housing Federation working in partnership with Thistle Insurance Services Ltd. Thistle Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Firm Reference Number 310419.   Registered in England under No. 00338645. Registered office: Rossington’s Business Park, West Carr Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 7SW. Thistle Insurance Services Ltd is part of the PIB Group.

Our Data Protection Privacy Policy is online at https://www.thistleinsurance.co.uk/Privacy-Policy

Our ASB team recently worked with our partners Calm Mediation to restore peace for two of our residents in Balham, Wandsworth.

We were contacted by two of our residents after their neighbour’s teenage children had been causing disruptive behaviour by playing extremely loud music, which created loud thuds or bangs to our residents’ homes.

The loud noise was causing distress for our residents daily; therefore, they were referred to our partners Calm Mediation who organised a meeting with all parties to draw up a mediation agreement, which everyone could abide to.

All parties agreed if the residents could hear the neighbours or their sleep was disturbed between 11pm-7am, the following morning they will knock on their door to bring it to their attention. They have also all agreed to speak to each other nicely when resolving any issues going forward.

Our residents have informed us they now feel safe and at peace in their homes. In cases of noise nuisance, sometimes it is not considered as ASB, therefore we need to find another solution within our housing management function to resolve a case like this.

If you need to report ASB or disruption to your home, please contact us here.

The police receive a domestic abuse related call every 30 seconds, yet it is estimated less than 24% of domestic abuse is reported to the police, Refuge.Org 2024.

Domestic abuse, also called domestic violence, includes emotional, physical and sexual abuse. It commonly occurs between couples and family members, but it can happen to anyone, and it is likely you will know someone who has experienced domestic abuse in their lifetime. However, it can also happen to someone you don’t know, such as a stranger or someone you pass on the street.

During the Christmas period, reports of domestic abuse increase, due to increased stress, work priorities, financial pressures, and alcohol consumption. The abuser may use Christmas as a way to justify their behaviour, but it should never be tolerated.

Make yourself heard

If you are in danger, please call 999 immediately.

If you cannot speak freely listen to the questions from the operator and respond by coughing of tapping on the phone if you can. If you cannot do this, press 55 and the operator will know the call is genuine and will put you through to the police.  

Support available

National Centre for Domestic Violence – 0800 270 9070 or text NCDV to 60777

National Domestic Abuse Helpline for women – 0808 2000 247

Men’s Advice Line – 0808 8010327 or info@mensadviceline.org.uk

Women’s Aid – Live chat or helpline@womensaid.org.uk

Mankind – 01823 334244

GALOP LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428

Karma Nirvana for those forced into marriage and honour crimes – 0800 5999 247. You can also contact Gov.uk Forced Marriage Unit on 020 7008 0151.

You can also talk to your doctor, health visitor or midwife.

If you decide to leave

Before you decide to leave, please try and get advice from one of the organisations above. Women’s aid have created a Survivor’s Handbook which can also help.

Signs to look out for if you think a friend or family member is being abused

Physical

• Broken bones
• Bruises
• Cuts
• Limping
• Changes to their appearance – for example the way they dress, whether they now wear less/more makeup and changes to their weight.

Practical

• They are unable to leave the house.
• They have no control over their finances and cannot access their bank account.
• They cannot talk or answer the phone.
• They no longer socialise, go to college or work.

Behavioural

• They appear uncomfortable, tense or nervous.
• They are angry or irritable
• They use unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol, drugs or self-harm.

You can find more information on the NHS website and on our Domestic Abuse page.

The weather is getting colder which means more of us are turning up our heating and using more hot water to stay warm. We understand for many turning up the heat in your home can be a hard decision to make with fuel prices rising.   

The Home Energy Action Team (HEAT) are providing winter fuel support, funded by Octopus Energy, to help those in need by providing up to £150 to go towards their fuel bills.  

We have attached their information leaflet for further information and tips on how to reduce your bills this winter.

If you would like to apply, please complete the Octopus Referral Form before the end of January 2025.

Christmas is nearly here and decorating our homes is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. However, when decorations are not displayed properly, these can become a safety or fire hazard. The holiday season also usually means extra cooking and gatherings in your home, therefore by taking proper precautions this Christmas, will help keep you and your loved ones safe this season.

Here are some tips we have put together:

• Never overload electrical sockets and always switch off your Christmas lights when you go to bed or leave the house.
• Never place candles near your Christmas tree, garlands or decorations.
• Keep candles out of reach from children and pets, and never leave candles unattended.
• Most fires start in the kitchen. Many Christmas dishes require a longer period of time in the oven, therefore avoid leaving the oven on unattended and don’t leave your oven on when you leave the house.
• Avoid cooking under the influence of alcohol.
• Do not light cigarettes or leave ashtrays near decorations.
• Don’t attach decorations to lights or heaters, as they can get hot and start a fire.
• If you have an open fire, take care when decorating the fireplace and have nothing hanging over the edge.
• When wrapping gifts, make sure you are not near any open flames or lit cigarettes.
• Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace, as it burns very quickly and could cause a chimney fire.
• Make sure guests visiting your home know the emergency exits.
• Check in on older and vulnerable relatives and neighbours, to ensure their homes are safe.
• Test your smoke alarms.
• Always blow out candles.
• And finally, check your Christmas lights have the British Safety Standard sign either on the battery pack or on the plug.

British Safety Standard sign

Our Community Safety Team have recently helped two of our residents relocate into supportive housing after a difficult period.

For a short time, residents in Mitcham, Merton, had reported a mother and daughter causing anti-social behaviour (ASB) within the local community. Customers reported shouting, screaming, verbal abuse, loud music, rubbish dumping, fires and witnessed domestic abuse between the mother and daughter.

Our Community Safety Team checked in with our two residents and it became clear they were both suffering with severe mental health conditions, and this was a contributing factor to the behaviour they were displaying.

We worked with our partners which included the police, social services and the mental health team to move our residents into better suited accommodation. We helped move the mother and daughter into supportive housing where they are now receiving the care and support they need.

We will always try and support our tenants to remain in their current tenancy, but at times the best solution is to find them a better suited home.

If you need to report ASB, please contact us here.

Wandle’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) team have successfully restored peace to one community who were witnessing drug use and drug dealing in their shared carpark.

We received an ASB report from one of our customers who is a single mother with a young family. She advised there was anti-social behaviour taking place outside her home in the shared carpark, with people taking and dealing drugs. Of course, this made her feel very unsafe and worried for her family, as at times she would have to walk past these people to get to and from her home.

Our Community Safety Officer, Claudette Stewart, visited our customer and inspected the site. Claudette found the unlocked gate that led to the carpark, could be made more secure for our customers as it was currently being used not just by our residents, but by anyone in the local area.

Therefore, we made the gate more secure by changing the lock and giving keys to our residents only, ensuring only they would have access to the block.

Our customers were happy with our decision and told us it has now made them feel safer. However, this did not solve the problem of people misusing the carpark and engaging in drug activity.

Therefore, we are still working on this case, and we are working with the local authority, and the police who are currently patrolling the carpark to catch those engaging in illegal activity and drug use. Once the perpetrators have been identified, all agencies involved, including Wandle, will take join action and prevent them from continuing to cause anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in the future.

If you need to report ASB, please click here.

Customers in Raynes Park, Merton, can now rest easy after one resident has now received an anti-social behaviour (ASB) injunction due to their persistent disruptive behaviour.

We had been contacted by several of our customers after the resident continuously banged on their walls, shouted in his home, played loud music until 5am and made verbal threats to his neighbours which was impacting their quality of life. The resident had also severely damaged their home which unfortunately led to the flooding of his neighbours home below.  

Our ASB team worked with our external partners and the police to resolve the matter, however they too experienced verbal abuse from the resident. Our partners served the resident with several warnings but unfortunately the tenant refused to comply, therefore it was decided we would apply for an ASB injunction to stop the loud music, verbal abuse and disruptive behaviour. This means the resident’s neighbours can now relax and feel safe within their homes.

We always try and work with any resident who is causing ASB without legal action, however at times it is our only option to resolve the matter. In this case we had a greater duty of care to our other residents, staff and the police.

During colder months, more of us will spend more time in our homes, therefore if you ever need to check what we class as ASB, please visit our webpage here.

If you are experiencing any anti-social behaviour, please report it here.

Our Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team recently helped one family who were enduring anti-social behaviour outside of their home.

Our residents contacted us regarding the alleyway outside of their home which was being used by members of the public who were engaging in drug activity, which had been causing our residents stress for some time.

The resident who lived alone with her young daughter contacted us as they felt very unsafe both in and out of their home, as day to day activities became increasingly stressful.

Our Community Safety Officer Lee Dennehy contacted the resident to raise a visit to investigate the issue further. Upon the visit Lee discovered the alleyway by the resident’s home was a dead-end and not a public right of way, therefore after discussing options with the resident, they both agreed installing a gate would be the best solution.

Using our Estate Improvement Fund our repairs team installed a metal locking gate, in which only our residents had access to. Our residents were delighted with their new gate and now feel safer in their home and local area.

If you need to report ASB in your local area, please report it to us here.