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Welcome to Barrhead Housing Association

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

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

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.

 

"Building and sustaining our Community for a brighter future"

 
 
 
60 - 70 Main Street | Barrhead | Glasgow | East Renfrewshire | G78 1SB | 0141 881 0638 | enquiries@barrheadha.org