The Hub
Our housing guidance site
Everything you need to know about issuing decorating allowances.
We have an agreement with B&Q who supply redecorating items to tenants to buy decorating items through a gift voucher requested on their portal. The current agreement started Jan 2024 is for 5 years with two optional extensions of one year each. Allowances are generally given to new tenants (if their home hasn't been redecorated when void) or tenants who might have had decorations damaged by repair work carried out in their homes. The latter are issued by repairs and improvements.
Click here to see the full procedure.
This gives more detail about the paying process than is outlined below and details about the management of the same scheme by colleagues in repairs and improvements.
Across landlord services and repairs there are a number of named officers set up who can activate cards with B&Q on the webportal. These are users.
Users are supported by a maximum of four super users. At present these super users are Cath Armstrong, (service development), Darren Pacheco (repairs) and officers in 6th floor business support.
Users:
Load cards with a value.
Check balances.
Cancel cards.
Order new swipe cards.
Super users, as well the ability to do the above:
Neighbourhood managers or Users managers (NHs) are responsible for;
The service development officer super user checks the monthly statement against weekly invoices.
Financial controls check the direct debits against the monthly statements and post the annual rebate back into the correct budget code.
The budget for voids and other redecorating allowances is owned by property services.