Customer Service Standards

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Housing

Our customer service standards set out in detail the level of service you can expect from the Housing Services Department at Swale Borough Council.

These standards may include Council wide standards that apply to the whole organisation and more specific standards for individual services. This document outlines the Housing Services Departments service standards.

The Housing Services Department will ensure:

our officers present themselves in a professional way, and will be well trained and knowledgeable
they provide an efficient service that meets requirements of both our customers and partner agencies
we consult with our customers on how our service meets their needs, how it can be improved, and act on recommendations to develop and improve our service
that a member of our team is available to deal with customer enquiries by phone between 9am and 5.00pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 4.30pm on a Friday. The Housing Options Service is not available until 11am on Tuesdays. Please note Housing Services do not offer a face to face drop in service so we would advise you not to attend our offices without a prearranged appointment

When you contact the Housing Options Service you can expect us to:

offer specialist housing advice over the phone
offer you the next available appointment if you are homeless on the day you contact us
if you are under a threat of homelessness, we will offer you an appointment with a specialist officer within 28 days, dependant on the urgency of your case

When you contact the Housing Services Department you can expect us to:

respond to all general correspondence within 10 working days, and respond to all emails within 3 working days
answer all calls within 20 seconds, with staff providing their name and the team you are speaking with
attempt to handle all calls first hand. However, if we need to transfer the call, we will explain why we are transferring the call and provide the name of the service and a telephone number, in the event that the customer is disconnected
acknowledge complaints within 10 working days, and to have a final decision within 28 working days

When you fully complete a Housing Register Application Form you can expect us to:

process your application within 28 days, notifying you of your reference number and the band you are in, providing all necessary information has been provided
notify you of changes to your application within 28 days
respond to an application review within 56 days, providing all necessary supporting information has been provided

When you contact the Staying Put and Home Improvement Team you can expect us to:

visit you in your home to assess your needs within 15 working days
advise and support you to secure, repair/or improve your home as well as advising you of the funding options available
provide you with a Handyperson service if you are vulnerable and need essential small repairs carried out and will also provide health and safety advice
work from a list of monitored builders
refer you to other agencies when appropriate

When you contact the Private Sector Housing Team you can expect us to:

respond to your service requests about housing conditions within 7 working days
respond to your initial drainage service requests within 7 working days
respond to your emergency drainage service requests within 1 working day
promote a positive working relationship with private landlords through the Landlord Accreditation scheme and the Private Landlord Forum
promote home energy conservation
process applications for grants and loans within 21 working days, providing all information has been provided
take necessary action within 10 days of identifying a housing hazard
process a license for a house of multiple occupation within 56 working days of the initial application, providing all required information has been provided
inspect rent deposit scheme properties within 7 working days

Contact us

Please note Housing Services do not offer a face to face drop in service so we would advise you not to attend our offices without a prearranged appointment.

Hours of opening:

9am - 5.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
9am - 4.30pm Friday

You can contact our Housing Options team online.

You can find the address of our main office at Swale House, Sittingbourne.

Staying Put and Home Improvement Team

Email housing@swale.gov.uk.

Call 01795 417131.

Private Sector Housing

Email housing@swale.gov.uk.

Call 01795 417538.

Have Your Say

At Swale Borough Council, we are committed to providing high quality services and continuing to improve our services to meet your needs. Please tell us what you think about our services.

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