Welcome to the website of Barrhead Housing Association. The Association is a registered social landlord and a registered charity. Founded in 1986, our priority is to actively provide, manage and maintain affordable rented housing in East Renfrewshire.
Latest
News : Annual Rent Increase
Barrhead Housing Association
is currently undertaking our consultation exercise for the
rent increase for the forthcoming financial year.
As part of our consultation exercise we have written to
all 5 Tenants Associations in the local area offering to
meet with them to discuss the proposed increase.
Please feel free to come along to the next Tenant Association
meeting in your area to find out more about the increase.
Our discussions at these meetings will be fed directly back
to our Management Committee who will make the final decision
on the increase at the Management Committee Meeting on the
25th February, 2010.
Potentially our rent increase will be 2% for the forthcoming
year.
If you would like to comment on the potential increase or
would like some further information please contact Michael
Byrne our Housing Manager on 881-0638 our via email at michaelb@barrheadha.org
The closing date for the consultation is Friday, 5th February
2010.
Tips
for the Thaw ....
The
cost and personal inconvenience caused by a burst pipe claim
can be considerable with claims often running into many
thousands of pounds. Just a small fracture can release hundreds
of gallons of water into your property; damaging carpets,
walls, ceilings and also personal items. The chance
of suffering these losses can be reduced and we would recommend
taking the following steps to do this:
General tips:
• Check the location of your stopcock.
• Check whether your boiler needs servicing.
• Check the insulation on your water pipes and cold
water tank, those in the attic or other vulnerable spaces
should be lagged or similarly protected.
• Modern methods of insulation can be so effective
in keeping heat within your property that attics can become
very cold, this could cause a pipe to freeze. We therefore
recommend you keep your loft hatch open if you have pipes
in the attic to keep this area warm.
• Keep doors between heated and unheated rooms open
to allow warm air to circulate.
• Keep cupboard doors open below sinks to allow warm
air to circulate around the plumbing.
• Seal any holes or gaps that may be letting cold
air into your property.
• Make sure any valleys and gulley’s on your
roof are kept clear and free from debris.
• Make sure any external taps are turned off and disconnect
any hoses.
• If you discover a frozen pipe don’t wait for
it to burst. Turn off your water supply and then slowly
thaw the affected pipe by introducing gentle heat to the
area e.g. hair dryer, space heater, hot water bottle. DO
NOT attempt to thaw the pipe with a blow torch or other
open flame such as a cigarette lighter or matches.
What if you are going away
or the property will be unoccupied?
• Keep your property heated to reduce the chance of
a pipe freezing.
• If you are going away for an extended break drain
and shut off your water system.
• Ask somebody to check on your property daily. This
may not prevent a loss but early identification of an escape
can help reduce the ultimate cost.
• Ensure you have complied with any unoccupancy conditions
or warranties listed in your policy. If you need any clarification
call us on 0845 777 3322.
What if the worst happens?
• Turn off the water supply at the stopcock. This
should prevent any more water escaping into your property.
• Where practical try and catch any excess water in
a bucket or other container.
• Do not use any electrics if you believe these may
have been affected by the escaping water. You will need
to have these checked by a professional electrician.
Go Greener’s
Energy Saving Lightbulbs for Barrhead Housing Association
Environmental Group Go Greener have provided over 700 energy
saving lightbulbs for new houses built by Barrhead Housing
Association in Auchenback. Properties in Newton Avenue and
other streets have been fitted with the bulbs by the housebuilders
prior to moving in by tenants. The bulbs which last at least
5 years and take only one fifth of that of a conventional
bulb were presented to the Association by Go Greener Chair
and Auchenback resident Councillor Eddie Phillips. He told
us “I have helped to distribute nearly 10,000 energy
saving lightbulbs in the last 7 years in East Renfrewshire.
However in every case these have been trusted to residents
to use. As we know there can be resistance to these bulbs
due to unpopularity or unfounded criticism of their quality.
I have no idea how many were actually used and how many
put in drawer – and might still be there for all I
know! In this case however I can guarantee that 700 bulbs
will be burning bright in Auchenback, saving thousands of
tons of CO2 and thousands of pounds for hard working people.
It’s win, win all round.”
Barrhead
Housing Association achieves Investors in People Accreditation
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The
Association was delighted to recently receive the Investors
in People accreditation for the first time. Based on significant
and sustained improvements over the last 3 years, IIP gives
the Association's staff and Committee members acknowledgement
and recognition for the improvements that the organisation
has successfully emerged from.
The
assessment report focused the business of the organisation
against the IIP best practice framework and the Association
was congratulated for its strategic direction, the value
and contribution of staff within this framework, and its
ongoing commitment to learning and development.
The
Association's Chairperson, Claire Boyd, who was interviewed
as part of the process and acknowledged for her recent achievement
of the SVQ governance award said: The Management Committee
is delighted to receive this accreditation for the Association
and would like to thank staff for their commitment to improving
the organisation. The Association's Secretary, Brian Connelly
MBE has also achieved the SVQ governance award.
Silver
Award
Heathly
Working Lives |
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The Staff of the Association were delighted to receive this award recently.
Staff have been working on this award since achieving Bronze in 2007 and have committed a great deal of time and effort into achieving the standard required. Some of the activities included: healthy lunches, sharing recipes, lifestyle checks, promoting mental health and training, reviewing absence management procedures, advice on alcohol and drug awareness and smoking.
We are now aiming to go for Gold - congratulations to all staff.
The
Management Committee has approved the Association's Internal
Management Plan and set the organisation's Business Objectives
for 2009/10. Click here
for further information.
Go to Community Projects for information on
our development work. |
