Barnet Homes defines ASB as being a personal threat and causing a public or environmental nuisance. Please click here to view our guide on ASB and other FAQs. Barnet Homes will not normally consider behaviour which results from different lifestyles or may not be considered unreasonable by most people as anti-social behaviour. We would also not consider behaviours where there is no action that we can take as a landlord to change the behaviour. Furthermore, Barnet Homes will not become involved in disputes between neighbours unless there has been a violation of a tenancy agreement. For a list of behaviours which Barnet Homes does not class as ASB, but which might be investigated under our Neighbourhood Management Strategy, please see the relevant section on our website here.

If you can talk to your neighbour who is causing the issue (without putting yourself at risk) this is a good first step to take. When you approach your neighbour, you should:

• Stay calm
• Explain how their behaviour is affecting you
• Be tactful – work out what you will say before you approach them
• Be prepared to actively listen to what your neighbour has to say

Try to talk to your neighbour first and make them aware of the noise nuisance they are causing you, in most instances they won’t be aware and will try to be more considerate in the future. If you have taken reasonable steps to try to resolve the issue privately and the issue is still ongoing you should contact Barnet Homes to discuss this with our team. We will ask you for further details and advise on next steps. If, however, the noise is at unsociable hours (during the night when our office is closed) please contact the Council’s Environmental Health Department on 020 8359 2000 when the noise is taking place.

There are certain issues which should be reported to the Environmental Health department at Barnet Council to investigate further. For further information on what Barnet Homes considers to be Environmental ASB, please click here and see the section titled ‘Environmental Issues.’ If you need to report an environmental issue to Barnet Council, please click here.

A hate crime refers to the targeting of individuals due to hostility or prejudice towards disability, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity. Hate crimes should always be reported to the police using 999 or through the True Vision website. In addition to the police, you can report hate crimes to Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111. Violence or abuse of any kind should always be reported to the police immediately by calling 999.

If you’ve reported instances of ASB behaviour to the police, Barnet Council, Barnet Homes, or another agency but the problem is continuing, you can apply for the ASB Case Review (previously called the Community Trigger). If your application meets the criteria, you will be able to request Barnet Community Safety Partnership (BSCP) to work together to review the problem and devise an action plan to resolve it. For more information including eligibility criteria and how to apply, please click here to be redirected to the Barnet Council website.

To view the responsibilities of Barnet Homes’ caretaking service and the frequency of their visits, please click here and scroll down until you find your block listed. If your block is not listed this will be because we do not provide a caretaking service as part of your service charges.

To report fly-tipping on public land, please contact the London Borough of Barnet here. If the fly-tipping is on one of Barnet Homes’ estates, please contact us.

Barnet Homes are not involved in issues concerning waste, recycling, or garden bins, instead this is the responsibility of Barnet Council (LBB). You can contact them through their website here to report a range of issues, including missed bin collections, and ordering an additional bin.

Please note that often LBB will redirect enquiries back to Barnet Homes – LBB are contracted to collect waste from our housing estates, but we (Barnet Homes) are accountable to our residents and any complaints or concerns. We will then contact LBB Street Scene – the exception however is household waste wheelie bins which houses have.

For a list of estates served by a grounds maintenance team please click here. Grounds maintenance carry out a range of tasks including grass cutting, pruning, and weed control. For a full list of duties and guidance on what types of work are carried out at different times of the year, please click here.

As outlined in your tenancy agreement, tenants are responsible for trees in their garden. Barnet Homes will not address issues of trees dropping leaves, blocking TV signals, blocking light, or being overgrown. However, if a tree has fallen or you believe a tree is dead, dying, or dangerous, you can report it online here by completing the webform at the bottom of the page.

Barnet Homes are not responsible for fences unless they border a public highway. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the tenant to repair or replace fences between two neighbouring gardens. As Barnet Homes is not land registered, we do not keep records of fence ownership. Determining fence ownership can often be resolved by having a discussion with a neighbour and asking them to check their deeds. For more information on our policy for fences please click here.  

Housing Officers visit estates on a regular basis; however, these visits are not given set dates to ensure our Housing Officers are able to efficiently manage their workload. Despite no set schedule, please be assured that your estate is regularly being inspected, any issues identified e.g. a communal front door repair are reported back to our Repairs Team.

If radiators in your home are not getting hot or, are cold at the top and warm at the bottom, they may need bleeding. If you feel confident and comfortable in bleeding a radiator yourself, please click here to view a step by step guide and video demonstration on how to bleed a radiator. If you do not feel confident in bleeding a radiator, please report the repair online here.

To determine if you have low boiler pressure, check the water pressure gauge on the front of your boiler. Boiler pressure should typically be between 1 to 1.5, although sometimes it may fall below this range and need to be repressurised. Re-pressurising your boiler means allowing more water to enter the system. If you feel confident and comfortable in repressurising your boiler, please click here for guidance. When repressuring your own boiler, please ensure the pressure level does not exceed 1.5. If you do not feel confident in repressurising your boiler, please report the repair online here.

By law, Barnet Homes is required to complete a gas safety check once a year for every tenant. To find out more information including what the check involves and our policy, please visit our dedicated page here and look at the section headed ‘Gas safety checks’.

In many instances, a suspected broken boiler may actually be a minor issue which you can fix yourself. Before reporting your boiler as broken, please check to see if there is credit on your gas meter and whether any other gas appliances are working. If neither of these solutions work, please report the repair online here.

If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak in your property, call the emergency service provider immediately on 0800 111 999. Please also see our page dedicated for gas safety here for steps to take in the event of a suspected gas leak.

If you have a communal boiler, you should direct any questions to Purdy’s. Purdy’s can be contacted on 01992 703410 or by emailing commercialgas@purdycontracts.co.uk.

If you are a Barnet Homes tenant, please report damp and mould online using this web-form. You must submit photos or videos with your form as these are crucial for our team in diagnosing the issue.

Damp in the home is often a result of condensation. If untreated, condensation can lead to mould and therefore, it is important to ventilate rooms and open windows throughout your property. Furthermore, you can check pipes, overflows, and under sinks to look for any obvious leaks. Have a look outside, too – you may be able to see if there are slates missing from the roof or cracked gutters or rainwater pipes.

To find out more about types of damp and mould and how to identify them, please visit our webpage about damp and mould here.  

A build-up of condensation in your home will lead to mould if not dealt with via ventilation and regular cleaning. You can follow these steps to treat the mould before it develops into a more serious case:

• wipe mould off immediately with water using a sponge or a cloth.
• do not use washing-up liquid – this will make the mould worse.
• apply a diluted bleach solution to the wall or use mould removal products which are available from DIY or home stores (leave for 60 minutes before cleaning).
• wash or dry clean clothes and shampoo carpets affected by mould.
• do not just paint over mould – it must be treated first, and then use a special fungicidal paint to prevent it recurring.

Remember that the best way of avoiding mould is to limit the condensation in your home, through ventilating the property.

There are steps you can take to prevent condensation in your home, please click here for advice about reducing condensation. If you have persistent issues with damp and mould and would like to report them, please report the issue online. If you are a Barnet Homes tenant, please report damp and mould using this web-form. You must submit photos or videos with your form as these are crucial for our team in diagnosing the issue.

If your home is damp or has lots of condensation, the chances are the house will be a cold house. Living in a cold house can lead to negative health effects. Therefore, it is important to keep your house warm, whilst ventilating the property as well.

If you have any concerns about your health and damp and mould, please report the issue online. If you are a Barnet Homes tenant, please report damp and mould online using this web-form. You must submit photos or videos with your form as these are crucial for our team in diagnosing the issue and, in the comments, please include your medical concerns.

You can pay your service charges either online, by direct debit or by phone. To pay online, please click here to be redirected to the London Borough of Barnet website. For further information on all available payment options please click here and go to ‘Section 2: Ways to pay your service charge’.

If you are a Barnet Homes leaseholder, the direct debit form can be downloaded here.

This is the fee we collect to cover the costs of managing leasehold, freehold and shared ownership properties. Most leasehold properties have a flat rate management fee of £119 per year and this includes, but is not limited to, supervising services and repairs; issuing service charge bills; replying to leaseholder enquiries and maintaining records and systems.

Please click here to be redirected to our leasehold insurance page for information on buildings and contents insurance, as well as what do if you sublet your property.

Your estimated service charge is sent in the Spring and is calculated by an analysis of your block and estates spending in previous years, with adjustments made to reflect inflation. Your actual service charge is sent in the Autumn, and the main reason for any differences between the two charges is that the volume and cost of repairs and other services in your block varies between years.

Estate regeneration refers to the demolition and rebuilding of social housing blocks. Barnet Council is currently delivering regeneration projects with the aim of increasing the supply of affordable social housing and improving living standards. At present, Barnet Council is in the process of regenerating the following estates: Dollis Valley, Whitefields, and Grahame Park. For more information on the process, please click here.

Before you are moved you will be invited to complete a housing needs assessment with our Regeneration Decant Officers, you will be contacted around 12 to 18 months prior to when your property is due to be demolished. Once you have been assessed you will be banded and, if offered alternative accommodation, the notice period before you must move could be as little as one week. If you are a secure tenant, Barnet Homes will offer you a property on the newly regenerated estate once the project has been completed, or an offer of a property within Barnet Homes stock, dependent on the scheme agreement. If you are a non-secure tenant, you are not guaranteed this so you will be supported by Barnet Homes to move elsewhere.

Where you are rehoused will be dependent on the availability of housing stock and the banding outcome of your housing needs assessment. If you are classed as having a higher housing need you will be placed in either band 1 or 2 and it is likely that you will be moved into a Council or Housing Association property. If you are placed in bands 3 or 4 you will likely receive a property in the private rental sector. Although this might not always be possible, we will always aim to find you accommodation with minimal disruption to work or schooling circumstances. To view the Council’s Allocations Scheme and banding system please click here.

Regeneration projects are currently taking place across Dollis Valley, Whitefields and Grahame Park estates. We are also due to start regeneration projects shortly across the Coppies, Grahame Park North Estate, Silk, and Shoeland Estates. For a list of the individual blocks facing regeneration in 2024, please click here. Barnet Council also has a dedicated page on regeneration here.

If you are in arrears, please contact the Income Collection Service on 020 8610 3538 to discuss support and a repayment plan. It is important you do this as soon as you are able to as breaches to your tenancy agreement may lead to you being placed in a lower band or not receiving a banding at all. Independent advice and support are also available from StepChange on 0800 138 1111 or CAP on 0800 328 0006.

Tenants are considered to have a ‘Positive Community Contribution’ if they work, volunteer for 16 hours and more, or are in full time educational training as set out in the Council’s Allocation Scheme. This is important as households who qualify for this may be placed into Band 2 rather than Band 3. Being in Band 2 makes you more likely to be accommodated in a Council or Housing Association property. For more information on what is classed as ‘Positive Community Contribution,’ please click here. To view the Council’s Allocations Scheme and banding system please click here.

If you are not satisfied with the banding decision you have received or the accommodation you have been offered, information on how to appeal will be provided with your housing needs assessment and your housing offer letter.

Rent must be paid in advance and payments can be made either weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.

For a list of payment dates for the current year including rent free weeks, please click here.

You are responsible for paying rent (which could mean from your wages, from your Universal Credit, or from other benefits).

• Direct Debit (preferred payment method) – please click here for a form
• Standing Order – please click here for Standing Order payment details
• Online – please click here
• Automated Payment line – please call 0845 356 3456 to make a payment over the phone. This service is available 24/7 and you will need your 9-digit rent account number.

If you are eligible for Universal Credit, you can get help with your housing costs. To make an application for Universal Credit, please click here.

There could be number of reasons why, such as who lives in your household, do you have non- dependences (adult children), do you have spare bedroom(s), are you benefit capped plus lot more.

A common reason for not receiving the full amount, is due to ineligible charges such as heating and hot water, water rates – these charges cannot be covered within your housing costs.

Please check your Universal Credit Statement or Housing Benefit award letter which provides a breakdown of payments.

Barnet is a ‘full service’ Universal Credit area. This means in most cases you will not need to apply for Housing Benefit. The London Borough of Barnet manages housing benefit, and you will need to visit their website here if you wish to apply or have any questions regarding payments.

You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if you are in one of the following groups:

• You live in supported exempt accommodation
• You have been placed in temporary accommodation by Barnet Homes
• You have reached State Pension Credit age or are part of a couple where both of you have reached State Pension Credit age. To check when you reach state pension age, please click here.

• Contact your Income Officer who is happy to help with repayment plans, benefit checks and supporting discretionary housing applications. To contact your Income Officer please contact our Income Collection Service on 020 8610 3538 or by emailing talktous@barnethomes.org
• Use the online Financial Calculator, this can support you in recommending what you may be entitled to (benefit maximisation, financial guidance) Benefits Calculator
• Never ignore rent arrears – Barnet Homes are here to help, there are lots of options available to you.

• Benefits Calculator – completing the calculator can support further claims of benefits you may be entitled to
• Apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)
• Apply for the Household Support Fund
• Free independent – debt advice Step Change, National Debtline and CAPUK
• Request Welfare Benefit Advice – 121 appointments to support you with accessing benefits. To request a referral please email our Customer Contact Team at talktous@barnethomes.org.

A budget sheet is to help you understand what you have coming into the home (income e.g. wages or benefits), and what is going out. Please click here to view a budget sheet.

There is lots of information available to find support with the Cost-of-Living crisis, please see below links:

• Barnet Council – For information on cost-of-living support schemes and advice on how to save money with utilities, bills and daily essentials please visit the dedicated page here
• Benefits Calculator – You can check what benefits you may be entitled to by using an online Benefits Calculator
• Citizens Advice – Get help with the cost of living – Citizens Advice
• BOOST – BOOST Household Support Fund – BOOST (boostbarnet.org)
• Energy Packs – Barnet Homes has partnered with Radflek to offer residents a free energy saving pack containing a radiator reflector, draught excluders, and energy efficient light bulbs. To see if your home is eligible to receive the pack, please email your name and home address to rusike@barnethomes.org.

The Barnet Residents Support Fund (BRSF) is a financial grant created to help residents who are struggling with their living costs. To find out further information such as what the BRSF covers, if you are eligible and how to apply, please click here.

Barnet Homes are not involved with the administration, management, or enforcement of Council Tax, it is managed by the London Borough of Barnet (Barnet Council). Please visit their website here for further information.

If you are a Barnet Homes tenant or leaseholder, you can report a repair online by clicking here.

Barnet Homes has a duty to maintain and repair certain parts of your home, but tenants and leaseholders also have their own responsibilities. If you are a tenant, to find out who is responsible for what, click here. If you are a leaseholder, to find out who is responsible for what, click here.

A stopcock is a valve that regulates the flow of water or gas through a pipe to your home – it can quickly shut the water off if there is a leak. A stopcock has a handle like a tap, but without an outlet spout. It will be between two lengths of pipe, acting as a connector. You will usually find the stopcock for your home under the kitchen sink, but this is not always the case, especially in older properties. If you cannot find yours under the kitchen sink, please check this link for further information.

As a tenant, minor alterations to the decoration of your home are permitted, however, to make significant alterations to your home (e.g. kitchen upgrade) you must seek written permission from Barnet Homes. If you make any amendments to your property without permission, you will be responsible for the costs associated with putting the property back to its original condition.

For the full list of alterations which may be permitted and those not permitted, click here. To ask permission to make a tenant alteration you must complete this form and email it to AlterationsPermission@Barnethomes.org.

If you are a tenant and there are mice, rats, cockroaches, or pharaoh ants in your home, it is Barnet Homes’ responsibility to deal with them. You can report the pest issue online here.

If you have an outdoor insect infestation of wasps, bees, garden ants or moths it is your responsibility to deal with it. For further information on pest control you can visit our website here.  We do not take actions to deal with pests if you are a leaseholder or shared owner, these are your responsibility to resolve.

If you need to report a repair issue, we may not provide you with an appointment time immediately as we are currently experiencing issues with resourcing in our Repairs service. If this does happen, someone from our Repairs team or one of our repairs contractors will contact you at a later date to agree an appointment time with you. We thank you for your patience at this time.

Right to buy is a scheme allowing some tenants to buy the property they rent from the council. To download a RTB application pack, please click here. Once you have completed the RTB1 and Additional Information forms, please make a copy and post the documents to: Neighbourhood Team, 3^rd floor Barnet Homes, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London, NW9 4EW. Please do not email the forms to us as we are only able to receive the applications by post. You can also click here for additional information on the RTB process.

Alternatively, if you would like to receive the RTB application form in the post, you can request this by emailing talktous@barnethomes.org.

There are five different types of tenancy changes you can request, for more information on each type and the downloadable forms which you must complete please click here.

If you are a leaseholder, you can sublet your property, please click here to download the form. To find out your responsibilities whilst subletting a property, please visit the relevant page here.

Barnet Homes do not manage lease extensions; however, we do have a dedicated page on our website with useful information on the steps that should be taken to start the process. You will need to initiate the process by serving a section 42 notice, either by yourself or through a legal representative. For more information on the process, please click here to be redirected and scroll down to the section titled ‘Leasehold Extension.’

If you wish to install hardcover flooring in your home, you need to get permission from Barnet Homes by completing the laminate flooring form. Laminate flooring requests will only be considered for tenants who either live in a ground floor flat or in a house. Any flat above the ground floor will not get permission due to noise carrying to adjoining flats.

If the vehicle is on Barnet Homes land, please provide us with the registration, make and colour and we will contact the London Borough of Barnet who are authorised to obtain keeper details from the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency DVLA. If the vehicle is not taxed or insured, they will place a sticker on the vehicle advising the owner that the storing of SORN (Statutory Offroad Vehicle Notification) is not allowed on Barnet Homes land and this vehicle will be towed away and destroyed.

If the vehicle is not on a Barnet Homes estate and has instead been abandoned on public land or road, please report it directly to the London Borough of Barnet here.

At Barnet Homes we are committed to protecting the privacy of our customers. Therefore, we are unable to disclose any sensitive information or discuss a Barnet Homes tenancy unless the request either comes from the tenant/ leaseholder themselves, or the enquirer has been granted authority to discuss. To request authority to discuss, please email our Customer Contact Team at talktous@barnethomes.org  who will send the relevant form to the tenant/ leaseholder. Authority to discuss can also be given over the phone by calling us on 0208 080 6587.