Decent homes programme
Find out what is planned for your home and when it will happen – click the house
We launched our £70m Decent Homes Improvement programme in 2007 and over the past year it has continued to go from strength to strength.
By February 2010 we had carried out surveys to 70% of our properties so we know what work we have to do to make sure they meet the Decent Home Standard. And so far, Merlin Works, together with our partners Rok and Connaught have installed:
- 3,360 new kitchens
- 2,422 new bathrooms
- 3,062 central heating systems
In addition:
- 4,706 high security external doors fitted
- 900 properties have had their windows replaced
- 780 properties have been rewired
- 45 roofs have been replaced.
In 2009-10 we improved nearly 1,700 of our properties, including starting work at our sheltered schemes and on our non-traditional properties. We are on track to meet the Government's Decent Homes Standard before the end of 2010.
What is the Decent Homes Standard?
The Government believes that everyone has the right to live in a decent home. It believes all homes should be warm and weatherproof with reasonably modern facilities and meet minimum levels of thermal insulation. Our goal is to make sure all our properties reach this standard by December 2010.
But we want to go further than that and are spending £70m to bring all of our homes up to the Merlin Standard by 2013.
When we were founded in 2007 we said that a Merlin Standard home will have:
• a kitchen less than 20 years old
• a bathroom less than 30 years old
• external doors that provide high levels of security and insulation
• modern energy-efficient heating
• UPVC or aluminium-framed double-glazed windows (expect in the rare cases where this is not permitted by planning restrictions)
• modern regularly-inspected electrics
To do this, in the period 2007 – 2013 we will install:
• new kitchens in 4,000 homes
• new bathrooms in 2,800 homes
• high security UPVC/composite external doors in 5,300 homes
• new central heating systems, including modern energy efficient storage heaters where appropriate, in 2,350 homes,
• new energy-efficient boilers in 2,600 homes
• UPVC-framed doubled glazed windows in 1,690 homes
• parking and charging facilities for electric scooters at our sheltered schemes, where this meets the future needs of residents and where it is possible to do so
• Lifts in sheltered schemes with more than two storeys that do not currently have them.
• security and parking improvements in consultation with residents
Who’s at the door?
All our employees and contractors have identification badges complete with photograph.
You must ask to see an identification badge before you let someone claiming to be from Merlin Housing Society into your home. If you are unsure who someone is do not let them into your home. Instead ask for their identification badge, close the door and call our freephone repairs line number, 0800 953 0340, to get their details verified.
If you call out of normal office hours, and no-one is available to verify the details, tell the caller that it is inconvenient and that you will re-arrange the visit after speaking to head office.
Your safety is our priority. None of our employees will be offended if you feel you need to do this.
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