[Charlotte Barrett]

We ask residents to notify staff if they are going to be away for more than 28 days so that we can ensure the property remains secure and monitor any issues that may arise during their absence.

We also ask residents to arrange for a friend or relative to check the property weekly while they are away. If this is not possible, we ask them to let us know so that we can arrange to carry out periodic checks ourselves.

During the summer months, we ask residents to turn off their water supply, as all our properties are fitted with a SureStop device. During the winter months, we ask that heating is left on at a low setting to help prevent frost damage.

When residents return, we ask them to run all taps and showers for a few minutes to flush through the water system after a period of non-use. We also advise them to avoid breathing in any spray, particularly from showers.

Our Handbook states the following:

You should not be away from the Homes for more than 28 continuous days in any one year, except of course for any medical reason such as a hospital stay or convalescence. If you expect your holidays and visits to family and friends to add up to more than 28 continuous days you must seek written permission from the trustees beforehand.

In practice, our Trustees have delegated authority to staff to approve longer periods of absence where there is a good reason to do so. For example, we have had residents travel to Australia to visit newly born grandchildren and have been happy to accommodate such requests where appropriate. This is noted in board reports, so Trustees are aware of the absence.

We also remind residents that extended absences may affect their benefit entitlement. Housing Benefit claimants must notify their local authority, as entitlement may cease if they are away from home for more than 13 weeks within Great Britain or more than 4 weeks abroad, subject to the applicable rules and exceptions.

Universal Credit claimants should also notify the Department for Work and Pensions. In general, claimants can be abroad for up to one month while continuing to receive Universal Credit, with longer periods permitted in limited circumstances, such as bereavement or medical treatment. Those remaining within Great Britain can usually continue to receive the housing costs element for up to six months during a temporary absence, provided they intend to return home.

We have found it is important to make residents aware of these rules, as many are unaware that a lengthy absence can have implications for their benefits.

[Charlotte Barrett]

Hi Lisa
Almshouses are not generally subject to the Renters’ Rights Act, so the provisions relating to residents’ rights to keep pets do not apply to us in the same way as they would to private landlords
That said, I would recommend treating this request separately from a standard pet application, as the resident is stating that the animal is a service dog linked to a hearing impairment. In those circumstances, it would be sensible to seek appropriate evidence of the resident’s need for the animal and to consider any obligations relatingto disability discrimination and reasonable adjustments before making a decision.
Given that your scheme consists of flats with a communal garden and operates a no-pets policy, there may be legitimate management considerations to take into account, but I would be cautious about refusing the request solely on the basis of the pet policy.
We have one Guide Dog on our site for a resident who is registered blind, however we do have garden space to accommodate the dog.
Kind regards
Charlotte

[Charlotte Barrett]

We switched last year after initially opting for the Tunstall bridge solution. Following some research, I identified a number of potential flaws and concluded that a more robust long-term solution would be preferable.
We therefore chose digital units, each containing a SIM-enabled chip that connects to the strongest available mobile network and then directly to the call centre. We used our existing call centre provider, Nottingham On Call, to supply and install the units.
We elected to purchase the units outright, although a rental option was also available. So far, we have experienced very few issues, particularly when compared with the frequent POL failures and system resets we encountered with Tunstall.
In addition, our overhead cabling was prone to fraying and was often damaged during periods of high winds. Moving to the digital system has eliminated these maintenance and repair costs.
Kind regards
Charlotte Barrett
Administrator
The United Charities of Abel Collin

[Charlotte Barrett]

Dear Rebecca
I haven’t personally come across the use of guarantors in an almshouse setting before, as I’ve always associated this more with private rental arrangements. However, I would be really interested to hear if others have had different experiences.
In our case, we have sometimes had to decline applications where there were concerns about an individual’s ability to manage their own finances, as this wouldn’t align with our requirement for residents to live independently.
I do wonder whether introducing guarantors might, in some situations, sit slightly at odds with the charitable purpose of almshouses, particularly if it risks excluding those who may be most in need. That said, I appreciate there may be different perspectives on this, and it would be helpful to hear how others approach it.
Kind regards
Charlotte Barrett
The United Charities of Abel Collin

[Charlotte Barrett]

Hello Marie

Yes, I use Xero, it’s relatively user friendly and there are lots of user guides. I have all my residents on Standing Order directly from them, we don’t receive WMC payments directly from the Council. The best way to allocate this payment and keep everything clean for audit would be as follows:
Set up each resident as a contact in Xero under Contacts, new contact
Create an account code for your WMC in chart of accounts.
Create an invoice for each property number as a contact and use the account code created for WMC and the contact, amount etc. Then in your bank reconciliation, find the payment line, click find and match and tick all the WMC invoices related to the payment from the council, use a reference, e.g. WMC June 2026 when you find and match. then click reconcile. This will link all your WMC invoices to the one payment.

It might be time consuming if you have lots of properties, but you can set up repeating invoices by using the New Repeating Invoice tab for each property invoice.

I hope this makes sense.

Kind regards
Charlotte
The United Charities of Abel Collin

[Charlotte Barrett]

We require all trustees to undergo a DBS check at appointment and again upon re‑appointment.
This is important as trustees may, at times, be asked to undertake home visits, which can involve contact with vulnerable residents. Ensuring appropriate checks are in place supports both safeguarding responsibilities and the protection of residents.
In this particular case, as the issue relates to hoarding — which is recognised as a mental health condition — it is essential that any involvement is handled appropriately and sensitively, in line with safeguarding and support best practice.

Kind regards
Charlotte Barrett
The United Charities of Abel Collin

[Charlotte Barrett]

I read this thread with interest. Historically, we had always included Housing Benefit as a criteria for residency. However, when we had two vacant properties restricted to couples, we were unable to fill them despite extensive advertising, particularly through local Spotted pages and community groups in the areas that benefit from our work.
At a recent Board meeting, I presented a case study demonstrating that a person can be in genuine need of residency without necessarily being in receipt of benefits. Following that discussion, our trustees agreed to amend the criteria. Once we re-advertised the vacancies without the Housing Benefit requirement, we received strong interest.
We have since interviewed three prospective residents for the voids, all of whom were in significant need of support and clearly met our charitable objective of assisting people of modest means.
The trustees have now agreed that future applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis, with priority given to applicants who have very limited disposable income.

[Charlotte Barrett]

Hi Cath

It means that trustees must act in the best interests of the charity and its residents and not themselves, manage and run the almshouse entirely for the benefit of the charity and its residents, acting honestly, responsibly, and without personal gain.

Kind regards

Charlotte

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