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FAQs

All FAQs

  • You can register to your online account here.

    To register, you will need your ‘tenancy occupation number’ which can be found on any of your rent statements, or you can find this by contacting us. You will also need to enter your last name, date of birth and postcode, as well as your preferred email address and your choice of password.

    You will only need to do this once – after you register all you will need to enter is your email address and password.

  • If you find pests in your home, please contact us and we will be able to provide advice. Alternatively, please contact Environmental Health at North Northamptonshire Council.

  • You can find our complaints procedure here.

  • There are several ways you can do this. If you wish to be re-allocated a home, you'll need apply to Keyways (North Northamptonshire Council) who will then asses your application in accordance with its banding system. They will issue you with log in details in order that you can start the bidding process.

    Alternatively, you may apply for a mutual exchange whereby you can ‘swap’ homes with another customer providing you receive the appropriate consent from each landlord. Applicants can apply on HomeSwapper which is authorised by Greatwell Homes.

    Finally, if you think you have ‘special circumstances’ and wish to move, please contact your Neighbourhood Housing Officer who may be able to offer other options to you. 

  • In April 2019, Wellingborough Homes changed name to ‘Greatwell Homes’ along with introducing three sub-brands:

    • Greatwell Living
    • Greatwell Places
    • Greatwell Works

    These are both the same company, but only with a different name.

    In 2022, Greatwell Homes introduced another sub-brand, Greatwell Heating.

  • In all circumstances you should seek permission to have a pet so that we can update your details accordingly. Contact us to request our pet application form. We may refuse permission for pets such as dogs/cats in flats.

  • Greatwell Homes are not responsible for any waste management. Your local council is responsible for bins – this will be either North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) or West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) dependent on where you live. 

    If you are experiencing issues with bin/waste collections, you will need to contact your local council.

    North Nortamptonshire Council: 0300 126 3000

    West Northamptonshire Council: 0300 126 7000

  • A child over 16 is entitled to their own room.

    Two children of the same gender can share a room up to the age of 16.

    Two children of either gender can share a bedroom under the age of 10.

  • Your succession rights depend on a variety of things including the type tenancy you have, if there has been any previous successions and the size and type of your property.

    To get more information about succession, please speak to your Neighbourhood Housing Officer.

  • This process is managed by North Northamptonshire Council. To apply for an adaptation for your home you will need to contact community occupational health to carry out an assessment.

    You can self-refer here. If you need assistance with this, please contact us.

    The Occupational Therapist then will submit the referral to us. The Council will then carry out a feasibility study and collect some more information from you to establish your eligibility. If eligible you will need to apply for a disabled facility grant (North Northamptonshire Council will provide the form).

    We may contact you to discuss the possibility of moving to a more suitable property rather than undertaking the proposed works.

    Once a disabled facilities grant is approved we will jointly manage the process with the local authority drawing up a works specification and undertaking a tendering process.

  • Yes you can have a lodger. Your tenancy will allow you to sub-let part of your home i.e. a room with our consent but you cannot sublet the whole of your home.

    If you are in receipt of housing benefit or Universal Credit you must update your claim. Depending on your lodgers circumstances will depend on how much your benefit claim will change.

    If you do not declare your lodger’s income details you will be committing benefit fraud so it is very important you declare this change immediately.

  • You can notify us of household members living in your property or of any changes in your household composition by amending your details via your online account and we will amend our records accordingly.

    Making changes to your tenancy by adding or removing tenants will depend on the type of tenancy you have and individual circumstances and family relationships. Your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will be able to give you more information regarding your individual circumstances.

  • The vast majority of our properties are allocated through a nomination agreement we have with the North Northamptonshire Council. You will need to apply via Keyways - their choice-based lettings system.

  • The government announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget that Right to Buy discounts will be reduced from Thursday 21 November 2024. Please visit https://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home for more information. Please note the Right to Acquire discount is not affected by this change.

    You can find more information to Right to Buy on our Greatwell Living website here.

  • Rent is charged weekly on a Monday. If you wish to pay fortnightly or monthly an agreement must be made with your Income Recovery Officer to ensure you are paying in advance.

    The rent advantage weeks for the year 2024 - 2025 are:

    • w/c 23rd Sept ‘24
    • w/c 23rd Dec ‘24
    • w/c 17th March ‘25
    • w/c 24th March ‘25
  • We do not deal with council tax. You'll need to contact your local borough council. For example, you can contact North Northamptonshire Council on 0300 126 3000 or learn more here.

  • Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions and give you peace of mind in case they are broken, damaged, or stolen. 

    To help you decide if home contents insurance is right for you, we have teamed up with Thistle Tenant Risks and Great Lakes Insurance UK who provide the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, a specialist Tenants Contents Insurance policy.

    The My Home Contents Insurance Scheme can offer you insurance for the contents of your home, including items such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, bedding, electrical items, jewellery, pictures and ornaments.

    How do I get further information?

    Visit www.thistlemyhome.co.uk to find out more and use their handy contents calculator to work out the value of your home contents.

  • You will need to put your request in writing via email to customer.service@greatwellhomes.org.uk giving details of the alteration you would like to make along with dimensions and specifications where appropriate.

    We will acknowledge receipt of your request and will either grant the permission or arrange for a visit by one of our Inspectors to assess.

  • In most cases a tenancy should be terminated by the customer in writing. We have standard paperwork that your Neighbourhood Housing Officer can send to you in order to end your tenancy.

  • A condition of your tenancy is that your home should be your main and principle residence. If you are away for any considerable period of time (more than four weeks) please notify your Neighbourhood Housing Officer.

    Please also remember that in winter you should ensure that pipes are drained, or suitable arrangements are put in place to avoid burst pipes.

  • Parking vehicles and/or a caravan will depend on where you live and the tenancy agreement you have.

    It is also important to note that on some of our schemes, we have parking control measures and you may be required to use a permit in order to park a vehicle.

    Your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will be able to give you more details.

  • Call us on 01933 234450, option 2 to report repairs. This number is available 24/7.  

    Please note, during out of office hours only emergency repair jobs will be attended too. You can see what we class as an emergency here.

  • You can pay your rent using your online account or through our app (search Greatwell Homes in your app store) from the comfort of your home, any time of the day or night.

    You will need your bank details to pay or alternatively, you can set up a direct debit to automatically pay your rent on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis and can choose any day of the month to pay.

  • You can find what repairs you’re responsible for here.

  • You can apply for affordable housing through Keyways for North Northamptonshire. For the rest of Northamptonshire, please contact West Northamptonshire Council.

  • You can find your rent account balance via your online account or simply download our app (search Greatwell Homes in your app store) to view your rent account any time of day or night.

    If you are having difficult registering or logging in, please contact us.

  • You can report anti-social behaviour here.

    This information will be sent to our Neighbourhood Housing Team who will be in contact and give preliminary advice and if appropriate, send you diary sheets in order to record nuisance/ASB you’re experiencing.

    If you are reporting serious anti-social behaviour or criminal behaviour, you should also contact the Police.

  • Our opening hours for our phone lines are:

    Mon – Weds 08:30 – 17:00
    Thurs 10:00 – 17:00
    Fri 08:30 – 16:30
    Sat – Sun CLOSED
  • We will organise for a service to be undertaken 10 months after the last service. It is a legal requirement that a gas service is completed annually (12 months from the last gas service).

  • There are lots of ways that you can have your say about the services that affect you.

    Our handy Have Your Say leaflet contains information on all of our involvement opportunities. You can find out more about how you can get involved, here

  • You can report fly-tipping in our estates here.

  • You can find out who your Neighbourhood Housing Officer area team is here.

  • A service charge is a payment made by a customer towards the costs of providing and maintaining communal services and benefits provided by us.

    For example, a lift in a block of flats is a service that would be covered by a service charge because it is available to all customers in that block and is situated outside their home.

    Other examples of services eligible for a charge include:

    • cleaning of shared communal areas
    • door entry systems
    • grounds maintenance
    • caretaking or laundry services
    • lift maintenance, servicing and replacement (this list is not exhaustive).
  • Yes. If you have a repair that is an emergency, please call us. If it is out of office hours, or we are closed, you can still report emergency repairs to our Out of Hours service at any time of the day or night by calling 01933 234450.

    You can find out what we class as an emergency here.

  • If you are struggling to pay your rent due to a change of circumstances please contact our Income Recovery Team by emailing income.recovery@greatwellhomes.org.uk or calling 01933 234450, who will be able to offer support and provide advice.

  • We produce and follow risk assessments to make sure our customers and our staff remain as safe as possible. 

    We request that you contact us if you have symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 and have received a visit within the last 14 days from one of our operatives or subcontractors.

     

  • Yes, if you choose to adopt your front fence you can replace this at any time with something of a similar construction as and when you feel its required. If you would like to erect your own rear fence in front of the existing chain-link please contact us for permission as we may need to check your proposed height of the new fence. Find more information here.

  • We will visit your home and carry out a survey of your boundaries. Where possible our Greatwell Works operatives will carry out repairs to your existing fence. Where a repair is not possible, a new fence will be fitted which will consist of one privacy panel followed by chain-link.

  • Chain-link is a more sustainable and eco-friendly solution to maintain a border. It is stronger in heavy winds and does not rot over time.

  • In some cases, we won’t, please contact us directly to discuss. As our customer, you have the option to adopt your front fence allowing you to maintain this yourself. Should you not wish to adopt your front fence we will remove the existing fence, clear the area and dispose of any waste materials.

    To adopt your front fence, contact us for a permission request.

  • It is vital your appliances are checked every year to ensure they are safe and efficient. Keeping your annual service appointments helps to reduce our costs in missed appointments and follow ups that could be used to improve our services further.

  • Please contact us on 01933 234450, option 4, or email cso.heating@greatwellhomes.org.uk and we will arrange a boiler service appointment for a time that will suit you best.

  • When damage to your property is caused deliberately or through neglect, the repairs needed will be fixed at the customers cost. This is known as a ‘rechargeable repair’.

  • You are responsible for any damage caused by yourself, your family, or visitors to the property, even if it is accidental. We will only repair any criminal damage if you can provide a valid crime reference number.

  • Unfortunately Sky Q is not compatible with the satellite feeds in our blocks. Sky Q requires two signal feeds and our communal satellite dishes, installed before Sky Q was introduced, only supply one satellite feed per property. We are not currently looking to upgrade these systems as no other provider requires two feeds.

    You are still able to install Sky+ in your flat. Contact Sky directly to arrange a Sky+ box and subscription. Additionally, if you have a telephone line and broadband, you can use providers that broadcast that way.

  • You can apply for a garage by filling out the application form here.

  • No longer need your garage? Contact us and ask to fill out a Notice to Quit. Two weeks’ notice will need to be given before your garage is cancelled.

  • When you apply for a garage, you’ll be added to a waiting list. Allocation is on a first come first served basis. You do have the option of requesting various sites, so you can request a garage nearby to your home. When a garage becomes available, our team will be in touch!

  • Gannet and Fulmar Lane garages are not being allocated currently due to pending environmental works, which were delayed due to COVID-19. When we’ve received a date for the end of these works, we’ll be in touch with our customers who have applied for a garage in these areas. 

    Some garages on Kiln and Minerva Way that have been refurbished are being allocated, but many in this area are not currently lettable due to their condition. 

  • The wait time for our team to get back to you will vary depending on demand and the number of applications we’re receiving.

    When you submit your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Please be assured that our team has received your application and there’s no need to reapply. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible!

  • You can contact us here.

  • No, parking outside a garage – including your own - is not allowed.

  • No. We won't allow you to have electricity in your garage as this is a fire risk.

    Using or installing electricity in the garage may result in you losing your garage license.

  • Yes, you can fix your own car outside your garage. Please be careful to avoid spilling oil and ensure all mess is cleaned up and your car is moved from the space when you’re done.

  • If you suspect someone is running a business from their garage, please contact us.

  • No, you can't use your garage for your business. Running your business from one of our garages is not allowed.

  • If you have any queries on who owns what part of your community, we have a system that shows you what parts of land we own including trees and garages. You can also see where fly-tip has been reported in the past. 

  • Yes, you can use your garage for storage, however please be aware that garages are a damp space.

    Whilst most of our garages in Queensway/Kingsway and surrounding villages have had new roofs, garages are not watertight. We recommend using plastic boxes instead of cardboard for storage and keeping any fabric items inside plastic containers.

    We are not responsible for any items stored within one of our garages.

    Contents insurance can give you peace of mind if your items do become damaged from damp, mould or water within a garage. Find out more about contents insurance here.

  • If you are an organisation interested in applying for a community grant, please see the below guidelines and get in touch.

    Community Grants Application and Guidance 2024-25

  • Your voucher can be redeemed online at https://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/housing/greatwell.

    Alternatively, you can contact or visit your local store to place your order - to find your local store, please go to https://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/stores. Please be aware that you will need to show proof of ID, your tenancy agreement and your voucher upon collection or delivery of your order.

  • First, call the utility supplier to put the supply in your name and request a pre-pay card or key (if needed).

    Then, call our customer services team on 01933 234450 to arrange an appointment for one of our qualified engineers to visit to reconnect your gas and show you how to use your boiler - there will need to be credit on the meter for this, so please make sure this is done before the engineer arrives.

    Appointments are available Monday to Friday and will be done within 24 hours. Please note there are no same day appointments, and this service is not available on weekends, for example, if you call on Friday before 3pm an appointment will be scheduled for the next available weekday appointment.

    Following this, we will visit your home once a year to complete a mandatory annual gas safety check.

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