Populo Homes

How to contact Populo Homes

Residents can contact us on 020 7112 8901 or using the Rent Café portal or email hello@populoliving.co.uk 

To report a repair please contact maintenance@populoliving.co.uk 

How do I rent a Populo Home

London Affordable Rent homes managed by Populo Homes are advertised to people on the housing register via the Newham bidding platform here.

Your property

Please contact your property manager for the Home User Guides for our affordable homes:

• Chargeable Lane
• The Didsbury
• Doherty
• Baxter Road
• Grange Road
• Old Fire Station
• Stracey Road
• Wordsworth Avenue

Populo Homes Team

The Populo Homes Team is made up of the following roles:

Administration Officer

Housing Officer

Populo Homes Housing officers play a vital role in managing our housing properties and ensuring the well-being of tenants. Their responsibilities go beyond mere administrative tasks; they contribute significantly to creating safe, stable, and supportive communities. Here are some key benefits of having dedicated housing officers in Populo Homes:

1. Tenant Support: Our Housing officers provide support and guidance to tenants, addressing their concerns, and ensuring their needs are met. They act as a point of contact for tenants, helping them navigate various issues related to their housing situations.
2. Property Maintenance: Our Housing officers oversee the maintenance and repair of housing properties. They coordinate with maintenance teams and contractors to ensure that properties are well-maintained and safe for tenants. Regular maintenance enhances the quality of living for tenants and preserves the value of the housing stock.
3. Conflict Resolution: Our Housing officers mediate and resolve disputes between tenants, neighbours, and sometimes even between tenants and landlords. Their intervention can prevent minor issues from escalating into larger problems, promoting a harmonious living environment.
4. Ensuring Compliance: Our Housing officers ensure that both tenants and landlords adhere to legal and contractual obligations. This includes ensuring that properties meet safety standards, rent is paid on time, and lease agreements are followed, fostering a legal and secure living environment.
5. Community Building: Our Housing officers often organise community events and initiatives that foster a sense of belonging among residents. These activities include workshops, social events, and neighbourhood clean-up efforts, contributing to the development of a strong and supportive community.
6. Crisis Intervention: In cases of emergencies such as natural disasters or other crises, our housing officers coordinate assistance, and resources for affected tenants. They play a critical role in helping communities recover after disasters by facilitating necessary support services.
7. Promoting Social Inclusion: Our Housing officers work to include marginalised or vulnerable populations within the community. They work with social service agencies to provide additional support to residents facing challenges such as unemployment, mental health issues, or poverty, promoting social inclusion and well-being.

In summary, Populo Homes housing officers play a multifaceted role in managing housing properties and supporting communities. Their work contributes to the overall well-being of tenants, promotes community cohesion, and ensures that housing resources are utilized effectively and responsibly.

Income Officer

Populo Homes Income officers play a crucial role in managing the financial aspects of Populo Homes and ensure that tenants can pay their rent and sustain their tenancies. Here are some benefits of having dedicated income officers in Populo Homes:

1. Maximising Revenue: Income officers help Populo Homes maximise their rental income by ensuring that all tenants pay their rent on time and in full. This consistent income stream is essential for Populo Homes to maintain and improve its properties and services.
2. Financial Stability: By actively managing rent payments, our income officers contribute to the financial stability of the organisation. Predictable revenue allows for better budgeting and planning for future projects and maintenance.
3. Tenant Support: Our Income officers work closely with tenants facing financial difficulties. They offer advice, support, and signposting to relevant services, helping tenants to manage their finances and avoid falling into arrears.
4. Preventing Evictions: Proactive engagement with tenants prevents eviction situations. Our Income officers identify potential issues early and work with tenants to find solutions, such as negotiating payment plans or connecting them with financial assistance programs.
5. Community Stability: By preventing evictions and ensuring that tenants can afford their homes, our income officers contribute to community stability. Stable housing is linked to improved social and economic outcomes for individuals and families.
6. Compliance: Our Income officers ensure that all financial transactions, including rent collection, adhere to legal and regulatory requirements. This compliance is essential for the organisation’s reputation and legal standing.
7. Data Analysis: Our Income officers analyse rent payment data to identify trends and patterns. This analysis helps us make informed decisions about rent levels, financial assistance programs, and other initiatives.
8. Tenant Education: Our Income officers educate tenants about their financial responsibilities, including the importance of paying rent on time. This education can empower tenants to manage their finances effectively and fulfil their obligations as renters.
9. Positive Tenant Relationships: By approaching rent issues with understanding and empathy, our income officers maintain positive relationships with tenants. This positive rapport encourages open communication and cooperation in resolving financial matters.
10. Efficient Operations: Our dedicated income officers streamline the rent collection process, making it more efficient and reduce administrative burden. This efficiency allows Populo Homes to focus on providing quality housing and services to our tenants.

In summary, Populo Homes income officers provide valuable services that contribute to the financial health of the association, the stability of communities, and the well-being of tenants. Their work goes beyond simple rent collection, encompassing financial support, education, and community engagement.

Maintenance Officer

Complaints, Comments and Compliments

As a tenant, we want you to be happy with the services you receive, and we want to know when we get things right or wrong. We want to improve on what we do by building on our successes and learning from our mistakes.

We hope you will never need to complain about us, or our service. But if there is an issue we can’t resolve to your satisfaction, our policy sets out how to complain, and what you can expect from us. 

• Populo Living Groups Complaint Policy

The document listed below contains our Customer comments and feedback form. Should you wish to make a complaint please use this in the first instance, or use to provide general feedback:

• Populo Homes Customer Feedback Form

You can also send us an email at complaints@populoliving.co.uk

At present we can’t accept complaints through social media such as X (Twitter), Instagram or Facebook.

The Housing Ombudsman Service

• Review the Housing Ombudsman website at www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
• info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
• Telephone the housing Ombudsman on 0300 111 3000
• Housing Ombudsman Service, Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET

 

• Housing Ombudsman's Complaints Handling Code

Populo Homes will carry out a self assessment on complaints against the code on an annual basis as our complaints process must be compliant with this code. We will do so in by July each year. The self assessment is required by the Housing Ombudsman Service to demonstrate how Registered Providers are complying with the Complaint Handling Code. Find out more about the code: Complaint Handling Code | Housing Ombudsman Service (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)

Our Status

Populo Homes is a charitable registered society for the benefit of the community (Registration Number 8219) and a provider of social housing registered with and regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RP No. 5114).

Damp and Mould

Much of the UK's housing stock is old, and many properties have problems with damp, mould, and condensation. The majority of Populo Living and Populo Homes' properties are modern or have been recently refurbished, making these issues far less likely to occur. Despite this, damp, mould, and condensation can occur in any property, sometimes due to faults in the building, leaks, or a lack of ventilation.

In the unlikely event that you experience leaks, damp or mould at your Populo property, you can contact us on 02071128901. Alternatively, email us on info@populoliving.co.uk. A staff member will contact you and arrange a visit to inspect the problem.

What is Damp, Mould and Condensation? 

Damp - means that there is unwanted moisture in the building - from leaks, water ingress, or moisture in walls.

Condensation - happens when warm moist air meets a cold surface and the moisture turns back into liquid form.

Mould - is a type of fungus that grows where there is moisture over time. It can be black, green, white, fuzzy or slimy.

What causes condensation?

Adding moisture to the air is inevitable – when you sleep your breathing can release up to a pint of moisture into the air. But the main causes of condensation at home tend to be drying laundry indoors and heating water for cooking, baths or showers.

Where does mould grow?

Mould can grow on any surface, so if you spot any mould, it’s important to take early action as it can spread quickly.

Mould can typically be found on or next to windows, in the corners and edges of rooms, and behind and inside wardrobes and cupboards (especially if they’re against an outside wall). It can even grow on clothes, bags and shoes if they’re put in wardrobes when wet or stored too tightly to allow air to circulate.

What is Awaab's Law? 

Awaab's law is an amendment to UK housing legislation, proposed in honour of the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020. Awaab suffered respiratory issues cause by prolonged exposure to black mould in his home. Awaab’s Law introduces stronger legal duties for social landlords to respond quickly to damp, mould, and other health hazards in homes.

As your landlord, we now have greater responsibilities to make sure your home is safe, healthy, and properly maintained.

Our Responsibilities as Your Landlord:

We will:

• Investigate any reports within 10 working days.

• Assess both the cause and the effect of any damp or mould.

• Repair emergency hazards within 24 hours, and significant hazards within 10 working days.

• Provide written feedback within 3 working days of investigation.

• Start work to prevent recurrence within 5 working days, or as soon as reasonably possible (within 12 weeks at the latest).

• Keep full records of all reports, inspections, and repairs.

• Offer alternative accommodation if your home cannot be made safe quickly.

Your Responsibilities as a Tenant:

• Reporting problems promptly.

• Allowing access for inspections and repairs.

• Keeping your home well ventilated and heated.

• Drying clothes appropriately (using a tumble dryer or good ventilation).

• Wiping away condensation and keeping surfaces clean.

• Monitoring moisture with a hygrometer or dehumidifier if possible.

• Following our advice on how to stay safe.

What Counts as an Emergency Damp and Mould Hazard?

• There is widespread mould across rooms or living spaces.

• The issue is affecting health, especially for children, elderly people, or anyone with respiratory conditions.

• Water or condensation is causing unsafe conditions, such as dripping onto electrics or making rooms unusable.

• Structural failure or leaks are leading to rapid mould growth or unsafe dampness.

 

For more information, please see our Damp & Mould Handbook, or contact a member of staff with questions. 

Please remember our staff are here to help so if you have any concerns at all please contact us for advice on 02071128901. Alternatively, email us on info@populoliving.co.uk.

Shared Ownership

Populo occasionally offer homes for Shared Ownership. 

You can buy a home through the shared ownership scheme if you cannot afford all of the deposit and mortgage payments for a home that meets your needs.

You buy a share of the property and pay rent to Populo on the rest. You can find out more information about Shared Ownership on Gov.UK. 

Please contact your property manager for the Home User Guides for our Shared Ownership developments:

• The Eves
• Firemans Reach

Housing Ombudsman Self Assessment & TSMs

As a registered provider, Populo Homes has a requirement to undertake an annual self assessment of our complaints process, as set out in the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.

Our Annual Complaints Performance for 2023 and 2024 are below, which includes our Self Assessment for the Housing Ombudsman and gives a summary of our performance over the year. You can also find the Populo Homes' Board Management's 2024 Response.

• 2024 Annual Self Assessment Complaints Performance

• Populo Homes' Board Management's Response

• 2023 Annual Self Assemsent Complaints Performance

 

Tenant Satisfaction Surveys (TSMs)

Acuity undertakes Tenant Satisfaction Surveys of Populo Homes tenants. You can find the most recent results below.

• 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey
• 2023 Tenant Satisfaction Survey

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The Housing Ombudsman will also review our performance for the most recent year.

The Housing Ombudsman Service

• www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
• info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
• 0300 111 3000
• Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston PR2 0ET

 

Group Tenancy Policy

As both a Private Landlord and a Registered Provider of homes, we recognise the need to balance our responsibilities to support and manage tenants/licensees with our responsibilities to our wider customer base. We will provide a flexible, effective and efficient tenancy/license management service that reflects best practice, complies with legislation and recognises the rights of our tenants/ licensees. This policy gives general guidance on the tenancies that will typically be offered by Populo.

Read the Group Tenancy Policy