Right to buy scheme
Right to Buy is a scheme that allows tenants to buy their homes at a discount. It is currently available to council tenants only.
In 2015, the National Housing Federation, of which Papworth Trust is a member, put forward a proposal to the Government on how it could deliver its commitment to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants. The Government committed to further testing of Right to Buy in their most recent manifesto, and in May 2022, the then Prime Minister announced that the Government had plans to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants.
There are currently no details of arrangements, nor a date for the full rollout.
We’ll update our website when more information is available. You can express your interest in Right to Buy by contacting us at
housing@papworthtrust.org.uk
Repairs and Maintenance
We will continue to prioritise emergency and urgent repairs but we are also working hard to attend to routine jobs that you have reported and continue with our planned major works to our homes. If you have any questions regarding maintenance please do contact the maintenance team on
0330 678 0008 option 1, or by email to
repairsandmaintenance@papworthtrust.org.uk and they can assist and answer any queries you may have.
Please do continue to bear with us as we try to attend to our backlog of routine repairs.
Carrying out repairs
Prior to attending your home to carry out a repair or required inspection we will phone ahead to check whether you or anyone in your household have any symptoms and/or are in self-isolation. In order to keep our tenants and staff safe during this difficult time, our housing team will give you instructions which we would ask you to follow before, during and after our visits to your property.
Please be aware that we have a responsibility to carry out essential regulatory and statutory works to your home. This includes gas safety checks and inspections of lifting equipment that Papworth Trust own. If you live in a room with communal facilities, this can also include water tests and fire tests.
Contacting your Housing Officer
Our Housing Officers will no longer be just attending urgent visits and will shortly be restarting tenancy audits as part of our commitment to meet our tenants in their homes at least once per year.
We will still be taking precautions when we visit you to ensure both you and our staff are safe and comfortable. Prior to visiting you we will contact you to check whether you or anyone in your household have any symptoms and/or are in self-isolation. Our housing team will give you instructions which we would ask you to follow before, during and after any visits to your property.
If you have any questions or concerns you can contact the housing team by email at
housing@papworthtrust.org.uk or by telephone on
0330 678 0008 option 2 to request a telephone appointment to discuss your housing issues in the first instance
Paying your rent
You should continue to pay rent and abide by all other terms of your tenancy agreement. If you are experiencing difficulties or concerns regarding paying your rent, please contact the housing team as soon as possible.
There is still help available from the Government for those who are financially struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic, please check under the Employment and Finance section on www.gov.uk/coronavirus as you may become eligible for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.
You can also visit the Trussell Trust to identify a food bank local to you
www.trusselltrust.org
