Below is this lady fight history which started in April 2015 on this 24hr matter in the agreement between EKH, DDC and its Tenants. She has had a long road on the matter and is not backing down to any pressure and will not take that the agreement does not apply to 24 notice because it would not be in there and secondly information states else where on all tenants 24hrs to all tenants- if this applies to all other tenants so why is not applying to DDC tenants managed by EKH who also been fighting her on this issue endlessly. Fact is the NHM would not tell her the complaints unless she let them in and as she did not let them in they would not tell her the complaints which she later phoned and asked for these in a recorded phone call.
This issue below concerns all tenants in Kent managed by EKH and one lady with health problems very ill fighting this battle alone against everyone she comes up against and will not back down.
[U]7th April 15 NHM/Officer stated to the complainant (neigbour[/U]
)- ‘We will be visiting our tenant week commencing 13th April 15’.
14/04/2015- NH Manager/officer to Lady /tenant when asking why he did not write before he came:
‘ I did not write you in advance of today’s visit. On occasions we will call at a tenants’ property when we are in the area and will then write to the tenant if they are not in or will arrange an alternative time if our visit is not convenient’
9th June 15 pre arranged recorded meeting for another matter:
Tenant: ‘Now I've got to say this as I have spoke to councillors they wanna know why money is being wasted with two officers coming to my door when the other officer is paid to go to another district’
Housing services manager: Quite often we do joint work
Tenant: ‘but the councillors are concerned’
NHM/Officer who visited tenant: ‘When we need to visit with two people’
Tenant: ‘about reserving money at the council they wanna know why their paying for two officers’
Friend of tenant: ‘Aren't you supposed to like send a letter’
NHM/Officer who visited tenant; ‘We cant do that we haven't always got the time. if were out and about we just knock its just a informal we were in the area so we thought wed knock’
Housing services manager: And we have to try and do visits while were in that area everything we got at that time
Tenant: .there's more serious issues out there and that i got such straight away action they couldn't understand it’
Tenant daughter: ‘At the same time the council I'm a tenant because I pay rent there because I live there I think with a house that is bought everyone's entitled to their privacy like anything could have been happening in that house when you came knocking on the door’.
17/06/2015 Housing Services manager to tenant email - ‘You stated that you are not happy with the way in which (NH manager )had dealt with the report about a xxxxxxx, as (NH manager) visited you at home without first informing you he was coming and that he was also accompanied by another Neighborhood Manager.
(NH manager) explained at the meeting that when he visited you he was carrying out joint visits with (another NH manager) in your area and that is why he visited your property unannounced.
We agreed that in future if (NH manager) needs to speak to you about any issues affecting your tenancy (NH manager) will contact you by email first and then arrange for a mutually convenient date and time to speak to you. (NH manager)) agreed that theXXXX incident was not a problem and this had now been dealt with by visiting and speaking to you..
29th July 15 Operational manager over Housing Manager and NH managers: ‘Following my review of your case I am satisfied that officers dealing with you have acted appropriately. It is quite usual for NH Managers to call unannounced to issues bought to their attention’.
2nd October 2015 a phone meeting:
Operational manager: Our neighbourhood mangers are out on the Estates nearly everyday all day and the expectation of them is if they get report of things will go and see the person involved. Try and find out what's been going on and hear their side of the story in this case a complaint came in about a bonfire and a separate complaint came in about you XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.XXX the neighbourhood manger was out on his Estate with XXX because they were doing other inspections and they added common practice came and knocked on your door to ask you if you would like to discuss it, you asked them not to come into your home which you are perfectly entitled to do. Therefore they moved away from chatting with you. I believe they told you the contents of the complaints were and gave you the opportunity .XXX and then came away. I know you made reference to the tenants agreement having to give 24hrs notice but if you read that properly that is under the section under giving access to your home.
Tenant: Well yes they asked me twice to come into my home
Operational manager: And you said no which is perfectly fine if they had given you 24hrs notice and you refused then that wouldn't be xx that's why that section is covered in their.
Tenant: It says discuss any issues relating to your tenancy
Operational manager: In particular things like hoarding
Tenant::No no but if we go back to the actual contract and contract is lawful
Operational manager: the contract term is lawful the term says ' you must' and that's the crucial word they did not insist on coming into your home
Tenant: No no they didn't insist but they asked twice to come into my home
Operational manager: It was to discuss it with you rather than to discuss it on the doorstep but they couldn't insist on coming in and they didn't
Tenant:: Thats right ( TENANTS reads the Tenants section ON AGREEMENT 24 HOUR NOTICE)
Operational manager: Nobody forced you to let them into your home so there's no ...xxx
Tenant::I can understand your argument there
Operational manager: Well you could you must understand my argument because that's the fact of it
Tenant:: But what I'm saying is EKH know to give their tenants 24hours notice if they wish to speak to them about any aspect of there tenancy.
Operational manager They want to go into their home.
Tenant:: It says discuss any issue relating to the tenancy and they wanted to come into my home because they asked me.
Operational manager: but you didn't have to let them in
Tenant: Its not the point I did not have let them in they asked me now if I didn't know my law like a lot of tenants don't but a lot of tenants don't know the law do they.
Operational manager:: the law states if there's a term in your contract which said 'must allow' someone into your home if they give you 24hrs notice then had they given you that notice you would have let them into your home. And they would have been entitled to come in and discuss a verity of issues but they didn't give you 24hrs
Tenant:: But he didn't give me 24hrs notice that's the point
Operational manager:: Right there's not much else point in continuing with this discussion because I absolutely agree they were entitled to come as they were out and I absolutely agree that they weren't entitled to come into your home having not giving you appropriate notice. But they didn't insist on coming in so therefore no term was broken.
Tenant:What I'm saying is I'm just answering to your question now were getting taken off the point here again this is why the phone calls going on so long so if we can end that then that you agree that I didn't have to be given 24hrs notice for them to come to my home
Operational Manger of EKH: ‘Yep’
2017
2017- DDC sent letter they agree with EKH and officers can call without notice.
8th December 17 Response from CEO of EKH and Operatonal manager: This response came about just over 8 months later in 2017 as ignored the agreement questions under DPA. This is what they had to say to her:
‘EKH responses to your complaint at both stage 1 (17 June 2015) and 2 (29 July 2015) explained that it is common practice for Neighbourhood Managers to visit tenants unannounced. In your case you asked for appointments to be made with you beforehand and EKH have respected your wishes. Your tenancy agreement indicates that 24 hours notice will be given for visits to tenants homes. This relates to instances where officers REQUIRE access to your property. When (NH managers) called at your property (they) did not REQUIRE access and was happy to rearrange an appointment with you’.
EKH now consider their investigation of the handling of your case in 2015 closed and will not respond to any further questions or complaints from you on this matter. We will co operate with the Information Commission’s Office investigation of your complaint and will respond to recommendations made by that office. We will continue to provide you with copies of data held on your file when required to do so.
You have been advised on several occasions of your right to seek review of our handling of your case by the Housing Ombudsman and details of how to contact the Ombudsman are available on our website at
https://www.eastkenthousing.org.uk/get-involved/give-feedback/how-we-will-deal-with-your-feedback/ EKH will co operate with any investigation of your complaint initiated by the Housing Ombudsman.
Management arrangements for your future contact with EKH
You are already aware that EKH consider your continued questioning of our handling of this case to meet the criteria of an unreasonably persistent complainant under our vexatious complaints policy. This is because you continue to : make an unreasonable number of contacts with us, by any means in relation to a specific complaint or complaints. refuse to accept the outcome of the complaint process after its conclusion, repeatedly arguing the point, complaining about the outcome, and/or denying that an adequate response has been given -make the same complaint repeatedly, perhaps with minor differences, after the complaints procedure has been concluded, and insist that the minor differences make these 'new' complaints which should be put through the full complaints procedure persistently approaching EKH through different routes about the same issue
A copy of the policy can be seen at
https://www.eastkenthousing.org.uk/media/113209/vexatious-complaints-policy-april-2015.pdf
In accordance with this policy and with the agreement of our Chief Executive, xxxxxxxx, I am writing to you to confirm that with effect from 7 December 2017 any further e mails from you that relate to the handling of your case in 2015 will not be responded to or added to your file and will be deleted.