Except where you have caused the damage, we are responsible for the majority of repairs to your home. Did you know that you have responsibility for carrying out certain repairs though?
 
If the repair is your responsibility you can either get a contractor in to do the work yourself, or get us to carry out the work for you and we will send you the invoice to pay for the work. We call this a rechargeable repair.
 
When you report a repair, we will let you know whether it is a rechargeable repair and how much the work is likely to cost.
 
Common examples of rechargeable repairs are:

• Blocked toilet and drains where items such as baby wipes, nappies or sanitary products have been used
• Blocked kitchen drains where grease, fat and excess food have caused blockages
• Broken doors and windows if the damage has been caused by you or a visitor to your household
• Lost or broken keys

 
You can find more information on our repair responsibilities and yours in your Tenant Handbook.

​We’re here for more than your housing needs, and can help you look after you and your family’s wellbeing too. One of the ways we can do that is through providing expert advice and sympathetic support on any financial matters.
 
Our brand new benefits advisor, Paul Pearson, is on hand to help you with any money worries. It might be getting to grips with applying for benefits, how to approach your local council and government agencies, or some advice on managing your money, day to day. Whatever you need help with, our confidential (and free) advice and support is tailored to your specific needs.
 
If you’d like to speak to Paul please get in touch.

Every year we review how much rent you pay. We look at the money spent over the past year and calculate how much we will need to invest in our homes and run our services for the coming year, whilst making sure our rent remains affordable.
 
This year, our Board are proposing a rent increase based on the September 2021 rate of inflation Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 3.1%.

In July 2018 Ancho tenants voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new partnership with Cairn Housing Association. Increasing rents by 3.1% allows us to keep our promise made in the Rent Guarantee to increase rents by CPI only for the first five years, and deliver the accelerated investment commitments made in our partnership promises.
 
2021 has been an incredibly challenging year.  If you are experiencing financial problems then your Housing Officer is here to help. The sooner we know, the sooner we can help. Please get in touch.
 
To have your say on the rent proposal, please email mail@ancho.co.uk or send us your comments through our feedback form. You can also call us on 01294 313121, or submit feedback through your My Ancho account. If you wish to give us feedback then please do so by 23 December 2021.
 
The Board will be meeting in January to look at your feedback to the rent review and make a final decision. We will write to all tenants to let them know the outcome. We will provide at least 28 days’ notice before the new rent is applied on 1 April 2022.

Many thanks to all the tenants who took the time to respond to our recent survey on the future
of the repairs service. We received 678 responses from Cairn and Ancho tenants with lots of
good feedback on what is important to you and your preferences and priorities for reporting
and receiving the repairs service.

Some highlights of the feedback include:

• It is clear that people report repairs in many different ways.
• Many tenants would be happy to use digital technology to report repairs.
• The importance of information about the timing of your repairs is a clear priority – 83% of
• tenants feel it is important to know when someone is expected and 72% want to know how
• long it will take to have repairs carried out.
• Flexibility for repair appointments is also important, so we will be looking at how we can
• improve this.
• Top priorities are that repairs are carried out as soon as possible and that they can be
• reported easily.

This feedback also highlights that many tenants do not have regular access to the internet
or digital devices and this is something we are keen to understand, to make sure we provide
accessible services, understand potential barriers, and provide support where we can.

Over the next few weeks, we will continue to review all the feedback and this will be used to help
inform our service planning and identify further areas for exploration.

Over 200 tenants said you would like to hear about opportunities for further involvement in the
future of the repairs service, and the feedback here provides a very good starting point. Over
the next few months we will be getting back in touch with all those who expressed an interest to
look at ways to get involved – this could include one-off focus groups or workshop sessions, Q&A
sessions with the team or other ways of getting involved that suit your needs.

Thank you again to all those who took the time to share your thoughts.

In August we asked tenants in our email newsletter their views on the Board and whether they’d be interested in joining.
 
Out of 351 emails sent, 17 people responded to the survey, which is a response rate of 4.8%.
 
Would you be interested in joining the Board?
 
Yes        4
No         10
 
If not, what puts you off joining?

• When asked what puts them off joining the main reason given is that they are too busy, have health issues or are found the process of applying overwhelming.
• I am very busy at work at this moment and don’t believe I can give the time required.
• I wouldn't be able to meet the Commitment at this time
• Health issues
• I have mental health issues and need to concentrate on my mental health
• I was a board member but don't have the time now
• Tried before - presented with incredibly daunting application documents that basically seemed to suggest that only saints and gods need apply - and when I asked for some guidance I received nothing in return.
• Work commitments
• Work NHS and kept very busy in my job. Unfortunately do not have a lot of spare time to offer

What kind of information and updates do you think tenants should hear from our Board?
 

• A wide range of responses was received for this question. A lot of answers related to planned maintenance and when work will be carried out to homes.
• Where the money is being spent. What upgrades are being done and what ones will be done in future. What have the board decided to do about COVID and how does it trickle down to the tenner. How prepared are the board for another lockdown.
• Information that is relevant to the stake holders needs
• Social activities, support groups and advice for budgeting.  Support for hoarding and keeping up with daily household tasks- housekeeping, Bill's, shopping, personal hygiene, mental health hygiene
• House upgrades, rent increases
• Housing stock upgrades
• Any refurbishment, ongoing repairs, antisocial behaviour, rent increases. I feel very strongly about antisocial behaviour and communal areas in flats being kept clean
• litter strewn and fly tipping also.
• Anything that you think the Tenant's should know and want to hear about
• What is happening as far as modernisation is concerned ie new kitchens etc
• New housing
• Rent increase, Information on work to be done to homes and other initiatives tips and ideas to help tenants
• For example good tips for gardening
• We should be alerted to any home improvement in our area and given more time than we should

 
What ideas do you have for how the Board should listen to tenants views?
 

• A lot of good ideas given my tenants on how the Board should listen to their views including surveys and questionnaires.
• Maybe surveys sent to their homes. Obviously online surveys. Tenants should be able to call a special line which they can leave their views
• Questionnaires might be helpful and with an open mind and keen interest for tenants to give their own ideas/opinions to solve issues on things
• Add questionnaires like this to all newsletters
• I think ancho do well with providing many platforms for tenants to express their views
• Physical meetings or online
• Well if they need any questions asked and answered
• Make sure that tenants are kept informed but that is mostly done already.
• Any views expressed by E Mail or otherwise should be discussed under other business at board meetings
• Tenants have a lot of ideas. Perhaps pictures of homes and how the achieved a certain look

 
Conclusion
 
A huge thanks goes to tenants for taking the time to give us their thoughts on this topic. We are going to follow up with tenants who expressed an interest in joining the Board.
 
The Board are also going to take some time to reflect on what tenants have told them in this survey and how best they can incorporate these views into the work they do. We will report back soon on their thoughts.

In our last email newsletter, sent in June, we asked you what you thought about our online tenant portal, My Ancho.

The survey received 28 responses. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it in. Well done to Catrina Calderwood who is the winner of our £50 voucher.

Are you signed up to My Ancho?

Yes      19
No       9

What do you like most about it?

Half of all responses rated communication and ease of use as the thing they liked most about the portal. Some of the comments said:

• It's easy to use
• Easy to navigate
• It's easy and convenient way to make contact when you have a busy working and social life
• I can pay my rent, report repairs
• Being able to check and pay my rent

What don’t you like about it?

80% of responses stated they were satisfied with it. However, those who weren’t said they preferred the telephone for a more personal touch.

What puts you off signing up for or using My Ancho?

The most common reason given was that they weren't aware about My Ancho or didn't know how to sign up.

What are we going to do with this information?
Some tenants were unaware about My Ancho. This shows a need for us to promote it and market the service more to tenants. Since a few tenants expressed confusion about how to sign up or use my Ancho, we’ll get in touch with them individually with instructions on how to use the platform.

Did you know that your rent is due in advance on the 1st of every month? For example, your rent should be paid on 1 January for the month of January, 1 February for the month of February, and so on.

This is called paying your rent in advance and is a condition of your Scottish Secure Tenancy Agreement.

If you are currently paying on a date other than the 1st of the month you should contact your Income Officer to discuss moving your payment date.

In some cases we may agree to your rent being paid on an alternative date. If we agree to this, you will need to temporarily increase your payment so that on the 1st of the month your account isn’t in arrears.

​If you would like advice or help paying your rent, please get in touch.

Congratulations to everyone who has received results! We know that some young people may feel worried about what the future holds for them, particularly during a pandemic. But as many of us at Cairn Housing Group know, there is #NoWrongPath!
You can find out more about what careers suit your skills, interests, experience and personality here. And you can find out about apprenticeships here.

 We are seeking to recruit new Board Members who have a real desire and interest in helping our organisation achieve its aims and objectives and contribute towards providing an excellent service to our tenants and the local community.
 
Ancho is a housing association with 850 properties for social rent and provides factoring services to 200 owner occupiers with the majority in North Ayrshire.  It has an annual turnover of £3.1m and is a registered social landlord with the Scottish Housing Regulator.  Ancho is part of the Cairn Housing Group, following the establishment of the constitutional partnership with Cairn Housing Association in November 2018, the Group provides homes and services in communities across Scotland.
Our Mission is to provide quality, safe, affordable homes and services, in our communities and with our partners, throughout Scotland. Our Values are Customer First, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, One Team.
 
Ancho’s Board has responsibility for good governance and direction of the service, supported by the local Ancho staff team and the Executive Team at Cairn. We are looking for interested parties who can commit to attending up to 9 meetings per year (currently Thursday evenings online via Teams).  As part of our succession and development approach we encourage and support Board members’ personal development through induction, mentoring, training, seminars and conferences or study visits and involvement in working groups across the Cairn Housing Group.  You will receive a Laptop, email account and IT support to facilitate attendance at virtual meetings.  As a voluntary position you will not be paid but travel to attend meetings and other expenses are reimbursed in line with the Group Entitlements, Payments and Benefits Policy
 
We are committed to improving equality and diversity on our Board and welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly under-represented groups, and we would be keen to hear from you if you have experience in the following areas:-
 
·         Ancho Tenants
·         Law / Charity Law
 
If you wish to discuss this matter informally, or for further details and an Application Pack please contact: Carolyn Owens, Governance Services Manager, on Tel: 0800 990 3405, email carolyn.owens@cairnha.com or write to us at  Cairn Housing Group, 22 Hopetoun Street, Edinburgh, EH7 4GH.
 
Closing date for applications is Monday 2 August 2021. Interviews will take place w/c 9 August 2021.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Not only do indoor plants enhance the overall appearance of a space, but they’ve been shown to boost mood, increase creativity, and reduce stress. Don’t think you’re green fingered? Read on to find plants that are impossible to kill.

Indoor plants don’t just look good – they can make us feel good, too. Studies have shown that indoor plants:

• Boost your mood, productivity, concentration and creativity
• Reduce your stress, fatigue, sore throats and colds
• Help clean indoor air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity & producing oxygen
• Add life to a sterile space, give privacy and reduce noise levels
• Are therapeutic to care for

Here are some of the easiest to look after…

​Spider Plants
These tough plants tolerate lots of abuse, making them excellent for newbie gardeners or those without a green thumb. Situate in bright light away from direct sunlight and they will flourish. Let the top third of the soil dry out before watering again and make sure the plant doesn’t sit in water as this will lead to root rot.

Sansevieria (Snake Plants / Mother-in-Law’s Tongue)
If you’re a forgetful gardener then fear not, these plants thrive on neglect and are well-equipped for long periods of drought – they can go weeks without watering. Only water once the soil has completely dried out. They are happy in most levels of light from full sunlight to a dim north-facing room.

ZZ Plants
These plants thrive off neglect and dry soil, just like the Sansevieria. They are also very slow growing so won’t need frequent repotting. They are great statement plants for shady corners. If you truly can’t keep anything alive, this is the plant for you. Only water when the soil is completely dried out.

Pothos
These plants are incredibly fast growing so great if you want to create a statement in a short period of time. They will tolerate shadier spots as well as bright, indirect light.

Succulents and cacti
These types of plants are slow-growing and will withstand tremendous abuse. They do best with bright light (think the sunniest windowsill you have) and little water. Try to replicate the desert conditions these plants naturally grow in and you won’t go far wrong.