No Access Policy

2.1     This policy has been developed to ensure that Calico Homes is fully compliant with all relevant legislation and regulations relating to tenancies, Decent Homes Standard, building safety and the standards set out by the Regulator for Social Housing.

4.1     Calico Homes values transparency and accountability in our repairs, investment and management processes.

4.2     We commit to publishing information about our performance so that customers can see how the services are performing.

4.3     We encourage customers to provide feedback on their experiences of our services. Whether positive or negative, customer input helps us continuously improve our services.

6.1     The No Access Procedure and Process sit beneath this policy and give more detail around timescales and the method of contact where there is no access to a property.

Listed below are the types of measure Calico will deploy to gain access on a planned basis:

• Writing to the customer/occupier in advance outlining why access is required and providing a proposed date (also details of how to contact Calico to make an alternative appointment if this is not convenient)
• Contact by telephone or email to secure an appointment date
• Home visit to book an appointment date.

Calico may repeat the above attempts to maximise the opportunities to secure appointments by arrangement.

6.2     Where customers fail to respond to the above attempts Calico may also, depending on individual circumstances, and the urgency of the access required, deploy the following measures to secure access:

• Make contact with next of kin or those listed as having caring responsibilities,
• Make contact with neighbours,
• Make contact with known external support and advocacy groups and internal teams who are already working with the customer.

6.3     In all attempts to gain access Calico will endeavour to use preferred communication methods where these are known e.g. where English is not spoken as a first language and will keep a record of all the attempts it makes.

6.4     In certain circumstances, Calico may be required to gain immediate access to properties where there is a reasonable assumption that there is a threat to the health and safety of individuals or failure to act may result in property damage.

6.5     Calico will only ever attempt immediate access in extreme circumstances, non-exhaustive examples including where there is a flood, gas escape or suspected medical emergency and when it is safe to do so.

In these circumstances permission to act will normally be required from a Manager from the Neighbourhood Management or Independent Living teams, or similar if this is possible in the timeframes concerned.

Where Calico is required to gain access in this way it will:

• Ensure follow up attempts are made to trace the property customers/occupants to inform them of the actions undertaken,
• Ensure the property is left safe and secure (this may on occasion involve carrying out a locks change. Where this is required, Calico will endeavour to leave messages or notification to the customers/leaseholders of how they can obtain replacement keys),
• Take photographic evidence of the property by means of an inventory and/or as evidence for legal action that may follow.

If Calico is required to gain access in emergency situations to remedy a fault that is found to be of the occupants making, we reserve the right to recharge the customer for all works undertaken, e.g. where taps have been left running causing flood damage.

6.6     In the vast majority of cases planned appointment measures usually result in access being secured, however, there are occasions where Calico may be required to take tenancy or lease enforcement actions to secure access. This may include:

• Applying for injunctions from the courts to enforce the landlords ‘right of access’,
• Serving ‘Notices of Seeking Possession’ for breach of tenancy and applying to the courts to bring the tenancy to an end,
• Calico will only pursue the above legal remedies for gaining access to properties when all other reasonable attempts at contact and access by agreement have been exhausted.
• Calico will address any property that is suspected of being abandoned in line with its Abandoned Property Procedure.

8.1     Monitoring of the delivery of this policy will include the production of monthly reports to enable operational managers to effectively monitor the performance and ensure that no access cases are being progressed in line with the No Access Procedure.

8.2     Board members are responsible for overseeing delivery of this policy. To do this they will receive regular updates about performance of the service and delivery of the policy on a quarterly basis with extra reporting by exception if required. We will report at what stage access was gained, categorised by the nature of the visit including DMC, gas, disrepair, electric and tenancy management.

8.3    Customer feedback received via transactional surveys and the Tenant Satisfaction Measures will be used to actively improve the service being offered.

• Tenancy Fraud Policy
• Tenancy Sustainment Policy
• Starter Tenancy Procedure
• Complaints Policy and Procedures
• Health and Safety Policy
• The Humanitarian Offer – Calico Group Customer Strategy
• Compensation Policy
• Reasonable Adjustments Policy
• Tenancy/License/Lease agreements
• Employee Code of Conduct
• DMC Procedure
• DMC Process map
• Gas policy and procedure
• Repairs policy
• No Access process
• No Access Procedure