Coronavirus Update

We want to thank you all for your patience and understanding during these very difficult times.

As ever our priority is looking after the health and safety of you and your families as well as our people.

This is why, we are continuing to follow the advice being given out by the Government and are now conducting the vast majority of our business by phone or our digital channels. Our head office in Caerphilly is now also closed.

We want to reassure you that in the exceptional circumstances when we do need to visit you at home that our colleagues will be doing so safely.

Please keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages where we will be posting updates on our services as they come in.

Repairs and maintenance

We are still carrying out gas servicing works but for the next three weeks we will no longer be carrying out fire risk assessments or servicing of lifts or hoists.

For everything else we are continuing to operate an emergency only service in terms of repairs and maintenance. This means we will only be responding to genuine emergencies, such as:

• No electricity, gas or water (due to internal faults)
• All gas leaks
• Boiler not working, no hot water / heating
• Serious water leaks that could not be reasonably contained by the occupant, including those in contact with electrical supplies or that will lead to a ceiling collapse
• Ceiling collapse due to other reasons.
• Blocked or non-flushing toilet (only be considered an emergency if it is the only toilet in the property)
• Any leaks involving sewerage in the property
• Fault resulting in damage to Asbestos Containing Materials (this will be arranged through approved contractors)

If you or others are in immediate danger and require the services of the Police, Fire Services or Ambulance you must always call 999. If you need the services of the Police for an incident that is less urgent, please call 101.

Rents

We know that this time is really worrying for everyone but if you have any concerns about your finances please give us a call. We have expert staff in our Money Advice Team who can help you –call 0330 159 6080 or 029 2085 8100.

With everyone being advised to stay at home except it might be more difficult for you to pay your rent at the Post Office or by Pay Point so please consider setting up a Direct Debit, again we can help, so contact us on 0330 159 6080 or 029 2085 8100.

Planned appointments

We will have contacted those of you who have planned appointments booked in which we have had to cancel. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and will contact you to re-book these when we can.

Thrive Tenants

For those tenants living in any of our residential schemes we will have communicated with you directly but please be aware but the way we offer support during this time now has to be different. Our reception and communal areas are now closed but we will try to have people on site each day working from back offices and of course we can always be contacted by telephone to discuss your needs.

Wellbeing Services         

We offer a number of wellbeing services in partnership with GP surgeries and local authorities. These continue to operate but all contact will now be done via phone.

Information on Coronavirus:

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.

We’d like to reassure you that we are taking extra measures to ensure your health and safety.

We are regularly checking updates from health experts and the Government and what those mean for United Welsh and how we operate.

Official and up to date information can be found on the following websites:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – what you need to know: Public Health Matters

Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK: GOV.UK

Coronavirus (COVID-19) overview and common questions: NHS

Universal Credit and Coronavirus: Understanding Universal Credit

Thank you for your support, keep safe.