MANAGE YOUR HOME

Tuath Housing is very happy to welcome you to your new home. There are many things to remember when you get your keys and are moving into your new home. This is just a small outline of some of the main things to remember and what to do next.

What next?

• Spilt your keys, give a spare key to your next of kin. Make copies if required. We do not hold any spare keys to your property so if your keys get lost during move in you will have to have the locks changed, this can be costly.
• Visit or call your local Community Welfare Officers (CWO that covers the area where your new home is) and seek the information required for the CWO to be able to assess your application for assistance with flooring, blinds and furniture.
• Gas & Electricity accounts- set these up in your own name. Failure to do so can result in supplies being cut off or terminated and the cost to have these reconnected can be expensive. Proof of this change over should be provided to you Housing Services Co-ordinator.
• Set up your bin collection, where applicable.
• Insurance, purchasing home contents insurance cover is recommended on your belongings including flooring etc.
• Address, change your correspondence address from your old address to your new home address – Medical appointments, GP, Social Welfare Office, Banks etc.

Redirecting post – An Post’s redirection service will ensure that your mail is forwarded to your new address. This service is generally offered for periods of 3, 6 and 12 months, but you can extend it for up to 2 years. Download the application form (pdf) or get one at any post office. You will need to provide proof of your identity and evidence of your old address and pay the appropriate fee. https://www.anpost.com/Post-Parcels/Manage-Your-Post/Arrange-Redirection

Important things to remember

Flooring and appliance installation – ensure the contractors who are providing the fitting services for flooring and appliances are fully insured and qualified to do so. Unqualified contractors could incorrectly fit items which may lead to major leaks and severe damage to new flooring.

Lifts – do not overload lifts when moving in as some lifts will go out of service, they can also go out of service when there is something placed in the door to hold them open. Please advise any delivery drivers of this also.

Bins – if you live in an apartment and your bins are included it is important to remember packaging from large appliances should be removed by the delivery drivers. Offcuts of wood, carpet flooring should not be put into bins and should be disposed of in recycling centres, similarly if you have household goods you no longer want please dispose and recycle these. These should not be placed in bin sheds, fines can be imposed for leaving items like these in bin sheds (Tv, sofa, beds, mattress, kettles, toasters, baby baths, buggies etc.)

Heating – your Housing Services Co-ordinator may have given you a manual if available, if they have not it can be useful to check online or check our repairs section on the Tuath website www.tuathhousing.ie, look up the make and model of control panels, storage heaters etc. as there are multiple video user guides online to make this easier.

TV – most developments to not permit any satellite dishes of any kind or size. If you are thinking of getting sky television please ask your Housing Services Co-ordinator. Other TV suppliers may need access to locked areas in apartment blocks. Please arrange access to these with your Housing Services Co-ordinator to avoid damage on doors, 24 hours’ notice is normally required.

Parking – Please only park in an allocated space and always use a parking permit if these are applicable to your scheme. Ensure your visitors also abide to this and only use visitor spaces. Similarly, if you have a driveway ensure visitors do not park on the pathway or cause an obstruction with their parking.

Bikes – Please use the space provided to store bicycles e.g. a designated bicycle shed. Do not leave items in communal hallways, stairs, landing or on green areas. If you live in a house, secure these items in your rear garden.

Access Codes/Fobs – Please do not share your access code to your block with anyone outside of your household. This compromises the security of the block for you and other residents. The code should not be given to children. Fobs may have to be ordered from a Management Company so if you require additional or a replacement please keep this in mind, it may take some time to receive a replacement and there is also an additional cost involved in replacement.

Repairs – Please check the repairs section of our Tenant Handbook, this gives a comprehensive breakdown of all repairs.

Enjoy your new home, if you have any queries please visit our website www.tuathhousing.ie, consult your Tenant handbook or phone our office to speak to your Housing Services Co-ordinator. Please click on the link for all our office contact details. https://www.tuathhousing.ie/contact/

Keep in touch – when you are settled in why not find out how you can get involved in tenant engagement. For the most up to date tenant information, competitions, activities and events please like our Tuath Housing Facebook page facebook.com/TuathHousingAssociationLtd

Download this ‘Welcome to your New Home’ page in .pdf

Tenants are required to select an energy provider for electricity and/or gas when a tenancy agreement has been signed. A tenancy letting checklist will be provided in your tenancy pack and will include details of your MPRN & GPRN numbers and also the meter reads for your property. These details will be required by your new energy provider in order to set up an account in your name.

It is important to set up an account with an energy provider immediately after signing your lease agreement even though you may not be moving into your property straight away. This will prevent a possible supply disconnection charge by the utility’s supplier.

Picking the right gas and electricity deal could save you considerable amounts of money each year so it’s worth doing your research and shopping around for the best possible package before you commit yourself to a particular provider. Some comparable energy providers websites can be found below

https://www.bonkers.ie/

https://switcher.ie/gas-electricity/guides/energy-prices/compare-energy-prices/

http://www.moneyguideireland.com/electricity-prices

Estimated meter readings can get your usage completely wrong. To find out if your bill is estimated, look for ‘estimate’ or an ‘e’ written next to the number of units you’ve used. If your supplier has estimated your bill, take your own meter reading and give it to your energy supplier – they’ll send you a new, correct bill.

Some providers offer better deals if you choose a dual fuel package therefore it is important to compare suppliers to get the best unit price. Some of the main energy suppliers in Ireland are –

Board Gais, – 01 611 01 51
Electric Ireland – 01 852 9534
SSE Airtricity -1850818110
Energia – 1850 300 700
Pre-Pay Power – 1800 910 310
Panda Power – 01 829 8989
Flo Gas – 041 987 4874
Pinergy – 0818 363 749

Types of Meters

There are a number of different types of meters available, there will be one meter which will be applicable to your property –

1/ Standard Meter Read – Make a note of the number, reading from left to right. Please ignore the figures in red or surrounded by a red box.

2/ Day Night Meter – You’ll find that these meters may have numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’ or the Roman numerals ‘I’ and ‘II’ beside each register referring to Night and Day respectively.

The night charges apply between 11 p.m. and 8.a.m. (wintertime) and between midnight and 9.a.m. (summertime).

3/ Electronic Meter – To take a meter read, you will need to press 9 on the keypad and your meter usage will then be shown.

4/ Pre-Pay Meter – To check your balance, press 111 on the keypad. Press the number 2 button to check how much electricity you have used in the previous few days and button 1 shows how much credit you have left

5/ Gas Meter Read – Make a note of the number, reading from left to right. Please ignore the figures in red or surrounded by a red box

Many suppliers offer great, usually, contract-length discounted rates and sign-up incentives to attract new customers with these discounted rates typically last for a period of 12 months. These discounts make for some significant savings on your energy bills therefore it’s important to shop around when your contract period lapses.

Please note: Should you wish to install a pay as you go electricity / gas meter, all removal charges of the meter will have to be paid by you the tenant should you wish to have it removed or if your tenancy ends.

90% of a washing machine’s energy expenditure is spent heating the water, so if you wash your clothes at 30-40°C you’re saving a significant amount of money.

A lot of electricity is used in lighting your home, but you can use less energy by investing in specific energy-saving lightbulbs, which are readily available. You won’t lose any light, and you’ll save money too.

LINKS ON DIFFERENT MONEY SAVING TIPS

https://www.moneyguideireland.com/top-money-saving-tips-for-2012.html

https://rollercoaster.ie/family/50-ways-to-save-money/

https://www.ie.surveycompare.net/money-saving-tips

https://www.thejournal.ie/8-strategies-to-spend-less-money-from-people-who-save-over-half-their-income-2463896-Jan2016/

While Tuath Housing insures the property you are living in, you are responsible for insuring your own belongings. This insurance is called either “Contents Insurance” or “Renter’s Contents Insurance”.

If you are a long-term tenant, i.e. living in your Forever Home, everything inside the property is yours. If the property came with furnishings and appliances, these were gifted to you, so you own them.

An example (but not a complete list) of your home contents is:

Unfortunately, accidents and breakages do happen in the home: there could be a roof leak, a burst pipe causing a flood and even a fire. All of these can result in catastrophic damage to your belongings. Thankfully most things are replaceable and if you have contents insurance you won’t have to worry about the cost.

We advise all our tenants to look in to getting Contents Insurance as soon as they move into their new home. The most cost-effective way to buy insurance is online, as companies often give a discount when you sign up this way. If you don’t have internet access at home, your local library will have computers and internet.

There are several insurance companies servicing the Irish market and you should always compare a number of quotes to get the best value. An example of these are*:

*Tuath Housing is in no way affiliated with any insurance company

Contents insurance will cost on average €15 per month but could save you thousands.

Paying your Rent

Tenant’s rent is assessed according to the Council’s Differential Rent Policy applied to the property. Rent is based on a percentage of the occupant’s income and if that income increases or reduces so does the rent, tenants need to notify us of these changes.

Tenant rent is charged weekly every Monday morning. One weeks rent and one week in advance will be taken from each tenant at the beginning of the tenancy tenants rent must always be paid in advance.

Weekly rent is paid by the following methods:

• Standing order
• Household Budget

https://www.anpost.com/Money/At-the-Post-Office/Household-Budget

N.B The Household Budget takes 4 weeks before deductions start

Until either of these 2 methods are in place a tenant can pay using the following methods:

Website    Postal order   Bank transfer   Cheque

Rent payment

Rent reference number

Every tenant will be given a unique 5-digit Ref number, this must be used when setting up standing orders or making a web payment as rent could go onto another tenant’s account.

Quarterly statement

A quarterly statement will be sent out by post or e-mail, the rent balance is on the bottom right corner of the statement and should never be a minus figure. If a tenant wishes to pay rent every two weeks or monthly this must also be paid in advance.

Annual assessment

Once a year we will send you a CIS form to complete to enable us to re assess your rent this is part of your letting agreement and must be returned. Rent will be assessed if you have a change in household income e.g., Lost job / new job/ please contact us and we will send you out a CIS form to complete to be re assessed.

Are you having difficulty paying your rent?

If you have been impacted financially by the Covid-19 pandemic, if you have lost your job or have had a change in household income, please contact our Rent teams in Tuath Housing. They will be able to advise you about what to do and discuss different options to avoid falling into rent arrears. If you are struggling financially, please get in touch with us as soon as you can, we are here to help.

There are many responsibilities that come with owning a pet and you need to ensure you can fulfil these before bringing a pet into your home. You need to remember that some animals can live up to 15 years meaning you will be responsible for that pet for 15 years. In order to keep some pets such as a dog, a licence is required. You will need to ensure that you have a valid licence at all times.

Rules and obligations;

• no tenant should keep any horses, poultry, pigs, large birds, reptiles or other animals (other than domestic pets which are not likely to create a nuisance or become a source of annoyance).
• Tenant should not engage in the breeding of any animal within their home.
• Tenant, if permitted to have a pet in the home, should ensure that the living space of the animal is sufficient.
• Tenant should keep pets under control at all times.
• American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Pit Bull Terrier, Bull Mastiff, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese Akita, Japanese Tosa and crossbreeds.

Being a responsible pet owner

• your garden is secure and that your pet cannot escape in any way such as jumping a fence or digging under a back gate.
• your pet has adequate shelter within the back garden.
• you are regularly attending to the maintenance of your back garden e.g. regular clearing of fouling
• you have you pet under control at all times.
• you take your pet out regularly to go to the toilet and ensure you are cleaning up after your pet.
• you ensure your pet has no means of escape from your apartment.
• you do no leave your pet on the balcony while you are not at home.
• your pet does not spend long periods of time on the balcony even if you are present.
• regular cleaning of cat litter trays to ensure that there are no foul smells within your apartment.

It is worth noting that if you have a balcony, you will need to mindful, there is often small gaps in the flooring of a balcony and if your pet urinates while out on the balcony this will drip down onto your neighbours balcony. This is why regular walks and visits outside are necessary and why we ask for your pet not to spend long period of times on the balcony.

Being a good neighbour with a pet

If you are concerned about the welfare of any animal in any circumstances, you should contact the local dog warden.

Download this ‘Pets in the Home’ page in .pdf

Download this ‘Restricted Dog Breeds’ page in .pdf

Anti-Social Behaviour

Anti-social behaviour directly affects the wellbeing of other people and has a negative impact on communities. When people think about anti-social behaviour they usually think of criminal behaviour such as drug dealing, any behaviour that causes fear, danger, or injury to other people, such as threats or racist abuse. But anti-social behaviour can also be considered as an action or person that persistently disturbs other people’s peaceful enjoyment of their home, for example by playing loud music, continual parties or other continual noise disturbances. Tuath Housing is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour to create safer and better communities for our tenants. Tenants have an obligation not to behave within the dwelling, or in the vicinity of it, in a way that is anti-social or allow other occupiers of, or visitors to the dwelling to behave within it or in the vicinity in such a way.

Anti-social behaviour could be regarded as:

Examples of anti-social behaviour include:

Action Against Anti-Social Behaviour

Initial incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour can be reported in the following ways:

It is important that Tuath are provided with the following information:

Tuath will record the incident and acknowledge the report, Tuath may need to obtain further details from the victim either in person or by telephone to agree a plan of action with the victim. Whether possible, we will engage with the respondent and interview them, which may lead to:

Tuath will provide assistance to the victim and take appropriate action against the perpetrator where it is within our control. Everything will be treated in confidence and we will also take care of any urgent repair caused by the incident. We will also endeavor to keep you informed of any progress.

What can you do?

In some situations, it may be possible to resolve the matter by engaging directly with the perpetrator and reach an agreement with them. Where the behavior is a dispute between two residents, mediation may also resolve the problem. Your HSCO can assist in accessing mediation to reach a resolution. Sometimes it may be necessary to report the issue to the Gardai and we can assist you in doing so.

Confidentiality

Be assured that all reports of anti-social behaviour will be treated in confidence. Though we will need to know your name when you report the anti-social behaviour this will remain confidential and will not be shared with anyone. If issues remain unresolved and action must be taken through the Residential Tenancy Board the details of your complaint, but not necessarily your personal information, will be made known to the offending party as part of the exchange of evidence.

Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour

It is our view that everyone should be able to enjoy their home and feel happy and safe in their community. Please report anti-social behaviour. Crimestoppers freephone confidential number 1800 25 00 25 Garda Confidential freephone number 1800 666 111

Anti-social behaviour and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)

Engaging in anti-social behaviour is a breach of tenants’ obligations and Tuath Housing can take action against perpetrators to terminate their tenancy. In the event of serious offences, a 7 days’ notice of termination can be served and the Association can seek possession of the property through the Residential Tenancies Board. In other cases, the Association can may serve a warning notice allowing time to remedy breach and whether the breach will continue then a 28 days’ notice of termination may be served.

Emergency

Aim to have a contractor call out within 24 hours

There are very few repairs that would require this response. The tenant handbook outlines these as;

• uncontrollable major plumbing leaks.
• complete heating failure (in consistent and extreme cold weather).
• breakdown of lifts where Tuath manage the lift.
• where there is a possible risk of damage to buildings or injury to persons.
• gas leaks – in the first instance contact Gas Networks Ireland on 1850 20 50 50.

We often find residents request emergency call out when it does not fall within the above criteria, along with this the time of year can have an impact on this call out. We have provided some examples below where a 24hour call out would not be required.

1. Loss of heating in the middle of the summer
2. Loss of hot water from gas system but has immersion system as an alternative
3. One radiator/storage heater not working

During colder winter months we can be overrun with heating failures and breakdowns. Our contractors communicate with us and advise of their work load as they are being instructed by 4 offices at any given time, this can often mean we have to prioritise complete loss of heating repair and some may be changed to urgent due to the volume of call outs required.

Urgent

Aim to have a contractor call out within 4 working days

Similar to Emergency repairs an urgent repair is a nonemergency that requires attention but is not deemed to be an emergency;

• insecure external windows.
• leaking roofs where it is safe for the contractor to repair and not impacted by high winds.
• blocked drains/sink (re-chargeable to tenants in some cases)
• Loss of heating (Summer)

Usually, loss heating would also fall into these criteria during the warmer months of the year. Residents would be inclined to think most repairs would fall under this category however most will fall under routine.

Routine

Have a contractor call out within 28 days

Most repairs will fall under this category along with some estate repairs also. Some examples of repairs that will fall under this category are;

• easing doors and windows
• repair of internal door entry system handsets(Where Tuath is responsible)
• One radiator not heating
• Repairs to garden fencing- where these do not fall into planned below

It is important to remember most repairs will fall into this category of repair, we understand you may feel your repairs requires a higher priority however we have strict criteria to adhere to for the processing of repairs. This means we can provide a more efficient service and insure the availability of our contractors in actual emergency situations.

Planned

Some non-urgent repairs may not be prioritised within the pre-described timescales and may be designated as planned work which will be completed under a planned maintenance programme. You will be advised of repairs which fall within this category.

• Planned annual boiler service
• Planned ventilation service
• Larger unit issue that must go through a process of tender to the public
• Scheme issues that mut go through a tender process
• Kitchen replacements
• Window cleaning to Tuath Managed Blocks where windows are not reachable
• Heating upgrade

Some maintenance or difficulties a resident may be experiencing may have to go through a tender process in order to have the repair completed. This will often be managed by our Technical Department and is beyond the remit of the Housing Department.

Out of Hours (OOH)

Emergency issues only while our offices are closed.

Residents sometime report non-emergency issues to our OOH contractors. Theses will not be attended to by this service.

The only repairs a call out will be completed by for this service are:

• Complete loss of heating in adverse weather conditions
• Complete loss of hot and cold water
• Complete loss of electrics if it’s an individual issue and not a problem in the area

Did you know most of our emergency OOH calls are resolved over the phone with our contractors such as loss of electricity or water. Its also important if you are experiencing outages such as this to check in with your neighbours, we often have cases where Irish Water are completing maintenance or have a burst watermain in your area and all your neighbours have no water or ESB networks if there is a loss of electricity. This will not be something Tuath can repair.

Four steps to take if there is no electricity in your home.

• Check with your electricity supplier that your account is in credit. If you have a prepay meter, check that there are sufficient funds on the meter.
• Check if it is a public power outage by seeing if your neighbours are experiencing the same issue or by checking ESB Networks website for updates on any effected areas.https://powercheck.esbnetworks.ie/
• Check the fuseboard in your property and ensure that all switches are up in the ON position. A faulty appliance could be causing a switch to trip off. Turn all switches in the fuseboard down in the OFF position, plug out all appliances throughout the house and then turn the switches in the fuseboard back into the ON position. As you plug the appliances back in, you will be able to eliminate which one is causing the fuse to switch off.
• If you are a Tuath resident and are still without supply after following the previous steps, contact our Responsive Repairs Team by calling your nearest Tuath Housing Branch, emailing repairs@tuathhousing.ie or by logging a repair on our website, https://tuath.tiltaffinity.com/report-a-maintenance-problem

Emergency Repairs

Should an alarming issue within your property arise after business hours, please report to our emergency out of hours repair line on (048) 90421010

Please note, this helpline is for serious emergencies only. The criteria for an emergency call-out are as follows

The emergency out of hours repair line is available from 6 pm – 8 am on weekdays and runs a 24-hr service on Saturdays and Sundays.

For other issues that arise, please contact our Responsive Repairs Team by calling your nearest Tuath branch, emailing repairs@tuathhousing.ie or logging a repair on our website www.tuathhousing.ie

Dublin 01 676 1602 | Dundalk 042 942 3400

Cork 021 427 350 | Galway 091 393280

How to top up a Prepay Gas Meter

If you have a gas prepay meter in your property, you should have a natural gas card which you can top up with credit in any shop that hosts a PayZone outlet.

To view the credit balance on your meter, press the red A button and it will appear on the display.

To view any arrears owed on the meter, press the red A button a second time.

To view the meter reading, press the red A button a third time.

To transfer the credit onto the meter, insert the card with the chip facing upwards. The value on the card will show on the display. Press A to complete the transfer.

If your meter has been locked out after the emergency credit is used, first be sure that all gas appliances are turned off in your home. Then proceed to enter the credit as normal but this time hold the red button A until you hear a click noise and the display instructs to release. The display will ask you to wait for one to two minutes while the credit transfers. Once complete, the display will show the updated balance and you can remove your card.

Please ensure to keep your card in a safe place as you will be charged for replacement if lost.