Homelink

Helping you to stay safe, warm and secure at home

If you own or privately rent your home in Woking Borough and

  • are over 60 years or

  • on a low income or

  • have a disability

Homelink can offer you independent impartial help and advice on how to stay safe, warm and secure in your home.

If you would like advice and assistance on repairs and improvements, or how to maintain or adapt your home, please telephone 01483 743668 or complete an enquiry form.

The following information answers frequently asked questions about Homelink.

Homelink is a small not for profit Home Improvement Agency (HIA). You may know these agencies as Care and Repair Agencies. They are funded and supported by local and central government.

Homelink offers advice, support and assistance to elderly, disabled and vulnerable people who privately rent or own and live in their own property and who wish to repair, improve or adapt it in order to continue living there.

Back to top

Advice

We can visit you in your home and offer a wide range of free advice, including:

  • Advice on any problems you may have with the condition of your property. Help you decide what work might be needed, whether it be small scale repairs or minor aids to help with day to day tasks or major improvements or adaptations.
  • Advice on applications for any grants or other forms of financial assistance that may be available to help pay for the work. See our pages on the Safe and Warm Grant or Disabled Facilities Grant for more information.
  • Advice on welfare benefits and other assistance towards housing costs that are available.
  • Access to additional services such as handyperson (including hospital discharge referrals), the Garden Project, home security checks, energy efficiency schemes and any other support services which might assist.

We will ask you if you understand what has been discussed and send a clear letter to you confirming the options. We will also leave you a name and contact number so that you or your relatives can call for more information.

Assistance

We aim to respond within five working days to any request for assistance, whether received by telephone, in writing or in person and acknowledge your enquiry in writing.

We can:

  • Liaise with other professionals to deliver the service, e.g. Occupational Therapists, the Council's Private Sector Grants team, Social Workers, etc.
  • Offer help with filling in forms, writing letters and applications for financial assistance and for maximising income through benefit checks, energy efficiency advice and charitable sources.
  • Arrange for plans to be drawn up and apply for Building Regulations and Planning Approval (when required for Disabled Facilities Grants).
  • Prepare specifications for work and obtain quotes from contractors.
  • Offer advice on the use of contractors and help organise the works.
  • Oversee building work from start to finish, ensuring that it it of a good standard. Help to resolve any problems that may arise during or after work is carried out.
  • Provide practical and moral support throughout the process of repairs and adaptations.
  • If necessary, we may be able to organise temporary alternative accommodation if the work is very disruptive and will detail the costs involved in this. We will ensure that you know the duration of any work and the extent of disruption.

We will make sure that when you ask for assistance you know what action is going to be taken and the it is likely to take. If necessary, we will confirm the action to be taken in writing.

Home visit

We will arrange to visit you at home within four weeks of your first contact with the agency, at a mutually convenient time.

A staff member will discuss your needs and assist you in deciding the best course of action, help you with any form filling, and give you clear advice on your rights.

Timescales

The timescale for each case handled by Homelink will be different depending on the extent of assistance or work undertaken. Homelink is committed to meeting timescales set out in the Surrey County Council's standards for handling Disabled Facilities Grants.

Assurance

We seek to reduce the concerns and worries of our clients. We will:

  • deal promptly and fairly with any questions, concerns or complaints that you raise

  • take action in respect of any occurrences of abuse or neglect that we find.

Our staff welcome feedback and will take steps to redress any concerns that are raised. If you would like to comment on our service, please complete the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire

Back to top

Handyperson Service

The Homelink handyperson can carry out small repairs and adaptations to the homes of older, disabled and vulnerable residents living within Woking Borough. The handyperson will visit on a date that has been pre-arranged with you and will arrive in a marked van and uniform so that you can easily identify them.

The service offers:

  • help with the small jobs that you find difficult to do or can't find anyone else to do at a reasonable cost
  • a personal, friendly and prompt service
  • advice and practical help on how to stay safe and secure in your home.

The handyperson can provide:

  • minor aids and adaptations, such as second stair rails, grab rails and half steps
  • minor essential repairs, such as changing light bulbs, fitting smoke alarms and detectors, putting up curtains
  • a home security service, including advice and installation of items such as key safes, door chains and locks
  • home safety checks and work such as securing rugs, carpets and trailing wires.

To request a visit from the handyperson, call Homelink on 01483 743668 or fill in an enquiry form.

Back to top

Woking Garden Project

The Garden Project is a registered charity, working in partnership with Homelink.

When people aren't physically able to keep their garden tidy anymore it can have a huge effect on their lives. They see it every time they go out of the house and through every window. It makes everything look untidy and the benefits of the garden and fresh air cannot be enjoyed. To some people a poorly maintained garden indicates vulnerability and invites bogus callers and even burglars.

The Project can clear the undergrowth and, after talking to the householder, redesign the garden to be as low maintenance as possible. After this one-off "make-over" the garden must be maintained by the householder themselves or with assistance from family, friends or neighbours.

 If you need help with your garden, or if you know an elderly or disabled relative or neighbour who does, then contact the Garden Project through Homelink on 01483 743668.

Back to top

Client involvement

We are keen to obtain feedback on how we perform. After assistance has been provided, we will send you a satisfaction questionnaire to help us improve the service that we provide.

Quality monitoring of contractors

Any contractor applying to work with Homelink must complete an extensive questionnaire, be interviewed by Homelink's Technical Officer and provide policy documents (with proof of implementation), references, two year's audited accounts and proof of appropriate insurances and registration. We also ask for client's feedback on their experiences of individual contractors.

An annual vetting of contractors is carried out to ensure that insurances and registrations are current and that the contractor is up to date with legislation changes and has made any necessary modifications to policies. It is emphasised that any sub-contractors used must also comply with these standards.

Homelink's Surveyor meets regularly with contractors on site and monitors the quality of their work.

Comments, complaints, concerns

We are committed to protecting our clients. If you have any concerns for your safety, security, or for your treatment by anyone, or are dissatisfied with either the standard of of work or our services, please talk to us.

We will ensure your concerns are thoroughly investigated and treat them with the utmost confidentiality. If you want to complain about Homelink, please ask for a copy of Woking Borough Council's Complaints Procedure.

Back to top

Contact us

If you would like information about the services provided by Homelink, please contact us on 01483 743668 or email: Homelink@woking.gov.uk