Coronavirus Update

Hybrid Working

March 2022

If you are dropping into our office, there will always be someone to assist, but if you do want to see a specific staff member, advance appointments can be made. We also ask that you keep to the following guidelines

• Only come to the office if you do not have Covid symptoms
• Please wear a facemask while in the office unless you are exempt
• Please observe our 1 metre social distancing requirements and give other visitors space while in the office
• Only 3 visitors are allowed in the reception space at a time so you may need to wait outside, or come back at a less busy time
• We encourage you to use the sanitiser provided

You can also contact staff by phone 0131 458 5480, email enquiries@prospectch.org.uk, text 07860 047548, or via Your Account.  If you have not used Your Account before, you will need to register, please contact us to get help registering. 

Working from home

13th December 2021
Following recent statements by the First Minister, we have made some temporary changes to how staff are working. Most of our staff are now working from home until at least the 14th January 2022. The office will still be open during normal office opening hours. If possible during this period, we would encourage tenants to phone, text or email us with any enquiries and our staff will be ready to deal with these. We will continue to follow Scottish Government guidance and will provide a further update to tenants in early January.

Office Re-open

1st November 2021

The office is now fully re-opened: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9.00AM-5.00PM, Wednesday 10.30AM-5.00PM, Friday 9.00AM-3.00PM.  We are working in a different way where not all staff are in the office every day. If you are dropping in, there will always be someone to assist but if you do want to see a specific staff member, advance appointments can be made. We also ask that you keep to the following guidelines so that everyone remains safe.

• Only come to the office if you do not have Covid symptoms
• Please wear a facemask while in the office unless you are exempt
• Please observe our 1 metre social distancing requirements and give other visitors space while in the office
• Only 3 visitors are allowed in the reception space at a time so you may need to wait outside, or come back at a less busy time
• We encourage you to use the hand sanitiser provided.

Covid-19 Update

30th June 2021

While there has been a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases over recent weeks, Scottish Government guidance on how we provide our services to tenants has not changed. We are continuing to follow current guidance in our service delivery, including providing a full range of maintenance services. We ask that tenants assist in this by letting us know if you, or anyone in your household, are isolating due to

• having Covid-19 symptoms
• a positive test for Covid-19
• being a close contact of someone who has tested positive

This will allow us to protect our staff and contractors as they continue to work. To protect our tenants, staff and contractors will not attend your home if any of the above apply. It would also be really helpful if you can tell us when you have recovered or are no longer self-isolating.

The delays around reducing Covid-19 restrictions in Edinburgh means we have had to put back our plans to re-open the office. The earliest that we will now open with limited opening hours will be the middle of August. We will keep everyone updated. In the meantime, you can continue to access our full range of services via our tenant portal, email, phone and text.

Routine Repairs Restarted

30th April 2021

From Monday 26th April, non-essential work was permitted within people’s homes so our routine repairs have restarted. We already have a waiting list of repairs reported during this last lockdown period, and these are being prioritised now that Scottish Government has eased restrictions. If you have a repair that you would like to report to us, please do so through our normal channels and we will add it to our waiting list. Our team and/ or our contractor will be in touch to arrange access as soon as they can. Your patience at this time is much appreciated.

Please continue to let us know if a tenant or household member has Covid-19 symptoms or is self isolating. This helps to keep everyone safe including our staff and contractors if they have to visit the property.

Examples of Essential Work

3rd March 2021

In line with Scottish Government announcements we can only carry out essential work in your home at this time. We’ve had some enquiries from tenants about what is covered by the term “essential work." So we have put together a list of examples of the work we can arrange, and you as a tenant can arrange.

• utility engineers and telecoms workers (e.g. electricity, gas, solid fuel, water, broadband) for the purpose of safety checks, repairs, maintenance and installations
• urgent repairs and maintenance - time critical repairs and maintenance that threaten the household’s health and safety
• pest control
• delivery, installation and repair of key household furniture and appliances such as washing machine, refrigerator, cooker etc.
• provision of health, medical and veterinary care to household occupants including animals e.g. to prevent a health or welfare issue arising or address a current health or welfare issue
• services in support of a home move
• domestic cleaner providing services in support of a clean and safe living environment for people in vulnerable circumstance, living with a disability and as a result of that vulnerable circumstance or disability are unable to clean their own home

Where work to be carried out in someone else’s home is not essential, it would be against the law for it to go ahead while the house is occupied under the current restrictions. Examples of this could include:

• cosmetic painting/ decorating/ interior design
• interior remodelling
• measuring, fitting or replacement of kitchens/ bathrooms/carpets or windows where the existing condition is adequate and does not risk the health or safety of the household
• installation of smart meters, where the current meters continue to function safely and has not reached the end of its life.
• meter readings

If you are having someone come into your home please ensure that you maintain a 2m distance, provide good ventilation by having the door and/or windows open and wear a face covering. Our operatives will also have effective hygiene practices including washing their hands and wearing a face covering too. Before arranging to visit your home our staff and contractors will also call and ensure no-one within your home is self isolating or displaying Covid symptoms.

Office Closure Update

February 2021
We had hoped to re-open the office in March this year. However, with the ongoing lockdown restrictions, this will not be possible. We will continue to comply with the latest Scottish Government guidance on non-essential office closures. When we are allowed to re-open, we will give plenty of advance notice before a phased return is implemented.

Covid-19 Update – Level 4 and the impact on Prospect’s services

January 2021

In line with the most recent Scottish Government guidance for areas in Covid-19 Protection Level 4, we have made some changes to our services.

• Only emergency and urgent repairs will be carried out – these should be reported in the normal way
• We will pause any planned programmes that involve access to tenant’s homes and are not related to tenant safety

All other services will continue to operate as they have been in recent months including allocations and gas safety checks. Gas servicing is classed as essential work to ensure tenant safety. Our engineers have the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and will carry out the inspection in less than 1 hour. When you receive your gas inspection letter, please contact us immediately if you are shielding, showing symptoms or have any queries about access. If you would like further reassurance regarding gas safety, please call our Property Services team on 0131 458 5480

Our landscaping and stair cleaning services will also continue. These fully comply with current Scottish Government regulations. We ask that staff and contractors who are working in this way are treated with courtesy, and that all tenants respect social distancing guidelines by keeping at least 2 metres away. If any tenants have queries about these services, please email neil.munro@prospectch.org.uk or call 0131 458 5480.

Rent Advice

Rent payments can be made using your Allpay card at the Post Office or PayPoint outlets. You can also pay your rent online. You will need your Allpay card to do this. If you do not have an Allpay card then contact us and we will order a new one. You can also phone the office to make a payment, or to set up a Direct Debit.

If you have concerns about paying your rent, please contact us, we’re here to help. You can also find information on our Rent Advice page.

Repairs Service Restarting

24th June 2020
Our repairs service restarts on Monday 29th June. Our contractors have updated their Risk Assessments, in line with Scottish Government advice, and are now ready and able to undertake our repairs service again. As we have received notifications of repairs during lockdown these will be given priority. There will also be some changes to how we undertake this work.

• When logging repairs our staff will ask certain Covid related questions
• We will then look to arrange specific appointment times with tenants and contractors to eliminate the possibility of contractors turning up unexpectedly
• On the day of the appointment our staff will again call all tenants to confirm that the works are able to be safely undertaken.

Please note that our office will remain closed. To report a repair please phone us on 0131 458 5480, or email repairs@prospectch.org.uk.

Covid-19 and BME Communities

10th June 2020
The Scottish Government is to conduct further research on the impact of Covid 19 on black and minority ethnic communities. This follows a report published in England which found that black and minority ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by Covid 19. We will be following this Scottish development, and lobbying our national housing organisations for guidance on how to best support our black and minority ethnic communities. Locally, we continue to work closely with SCOREscotland and welcome and support their statement on Black Lives Matter Action for social justice.

Gas Servicing

At this time, we are still maintaining and repairing our gas appliances. We know there will be tenants anxious about having a gas engineer in their home. There are situations where we are willing to delay the annual visit. When you receive your gas inspection letter, please contact us immediately if you are shielding, showing symptoms or have any queries about access. Please do not ignore the letter as we might not know about your situation and will continue to contact you. 

Our engineers have the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and will carry out the inspection in less than 1 hour.  This new video helps explain how they will ensure social distancing although of course, tenants do not have to make any payment. The inspection may identify potential faults that would need longer visits if something was to stop working. video If you have any queries or would like further reassurance regarding gas safety, please call our Property Services team on 0131 458 5480.

Stair Cleaning and Landscaping Services

We have been asked by some tenants why our landscaping and stair cleaning services are continuing at this time.

Prospect have been following closely the government advice regarding which services we can continue with and which we have to stop. The Scottish Government have been very clear with regards to roles such as gardening, window cleaning etc. Here is an extract from the current guidance:

“People working alone, providing community services such as gardeners or window cleaners can continue to work. If they can go about their business safely this can be good for the community and we would encourage them to do so.”

The key for staff carrying out this work safely is following the social distancing guidelines that the government have produced. We have carried out a risk assessment for these services to allow them to continue safely, with staff members working at a safe distance from others. We will be keeping this and other aspects of our service under review, and if the government advice changes then we will once again review the services that we can provide.

We would ask that all tenants respect the social distancing guidelines by keeping at least 2 metres away from any of our staff or contractors who are working.

Tenants should continue to tell us if they are self-isolating due to government advice.

Tenants should continue to tell us if they are self-isolating due to government advice.
If a tenant is self-isolating only emergency repairs will be considered. We will attempt to resolve emergencies without having someone come into your home. If this is not possible our emergency contractor should be able to attend to deal with the emergency. Any follow up work will be arranged when the self-isolating period finishes.
If you or any member of your household have symptoms of a new persistent cough or a high temperature, loss of taste or smell you must self-isolate.
Anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.
After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine.
But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days.