About us

Management Team

Service Area Responsibilities

Operations

This section describes the responsibilities of the various sections of the Operations division of Homes for Islington and lists their senior managers.

Director: Doug Goldring

P.A.: Julia Busby 020 7527 4954
julia.busby@homesforislington.org.uk

Area housing offices

Area Housing Office based services

Housing management services in Islington are mainly delivered by housing teams based in the above area housing offices. These offices provide the following services:

• tenancy and leasehold management
• rent collection and recovery
• letting of empty properties
• management of estate services
• management of residential caretaking and estate cleaning services
• housing support, to assist tenants in maintaining their tenancy e.g. income maximisation and claiming welfare rights
• tenant and resident participation through Area Housing Panels and Tenants' Associations
• repair empty properties
• manage anti-social behaviour on our estates

These services are delivered by teams of housing and estates management, customer services and cleaning and caretaking staff.

There are four area offices:

Central Street
David Salenius, Area Manager 020 7527 6213
85 Central Street, London, EC1V 8DT
david.salenius@homesforislington.org.uk

Holland Walk
Baljit Sheemar, Area Manager 020 7527 7450
85-88 Holland Walk, N19 3XS
baljit.sheemar@homesforislington.org.uk

Lyon Street
John Eustace, Area Manager 020 7527 6815
1 Lyon Street, N1 1DQ
john.eustace@homesforislington.org.uk

Upper Street
Pritpal Chhoker, Area Manager 020 7527 5356
257 Upper Street, London, N1 1RU
pritpal.chhoker@homesforislington.org.uk

Estate Parking
The Estate Parking section deals with parking enforcement on estates and the provision of advice on estate parking matters. The team also manages the contractors who patrol estates, wheel clamping and removing unauthorised and illegally parked vehicles. The team currently operates over 187 Estate Parking Control Schemes. Enquiries should be directed to the Senior Parking Coordinator at PO Box 14055, N5 1WD.

David Hutchison 020 7527 8666
Highbury House, 5 Highbury Crescent, London N5 1RN
david.hutchison@homesforislington.org.uk

HFI Direct
HFI Direct is Homes for Islington's contact centre which receives and logs repair requests from tenants via phone, e-mail, mini-com and text. HFI Direct arranges gas servicing appointments, takes rent and services charge payments by debit and credit card and is the first point of contact for re-housing enquiries.

Carol Johnston, 020 7527 5455
Northway House, 257 Upper St, London, N1 1RU
carol.johnston@homesforislington.org.uk

Home Ownership
This team is responsible for the collection of leasehold service charges and processing applications made under Right to Buy Scheme. Enquiries on these areas should be directed to the Home Ownership Manager who is based at the above address.

Nigel Freeman 020 7527 7783
2-4 Tufnell Park Road, London, N7 0PG
nigel.freeman@homesforislington.org.uk

Housing Investigations
The Housing Investigation Team investigates all housing fraud. The work of the section involves investigating and taking legal action where necessary into allegations of subletting of council property where the tenant is not using their accommodation as their only and principal home and is living somewhere else, and where housing has been obtained by deception.

We also investigate fraudulent applications for housing, right to buy, mutual exchanges, assignments of tenancies and successions of tenancies.

All reports of housing fraud can be made via the telephone hotline on    020 7527 7432 or by email at housing.investigationsreportingline@homesforislington.org.uk

All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Valerie Dawes and Jo Knight
valerie.dawes@homesforislington.org.uk
jo.knight@homesforislington.org.uk
020 7527 7432
Holland Walk Area Housing Office
85-88 Holland Walk, London, N19 3XS

Housing Support Services
Housing Support is responsible for providing short-term housing related support for Islington tenants and leaseholders. This service is provided by floating support officers for clients living in reception centres across the borough, and housing support officers who are based in each area housing office.

Janet Pinnock, Manager 020 7527 4502
305 Hornsey Road, London, N19 4HD.

Housing Transfers
The Transfer team is responsible for administering transfer applications from council tenants.

This includes making an initial assessment of the household circumstances to determine priority for a move, maintaining records of any changes and updates to the application, co-ordinating any medical assessments required, and providing details of how to use the Councils bidding system to seek a new home.

We deal with all associated correspondence from applicants and their advocates, and provide written and verbal advice on all housing options available. We also advise Area Office staff on policy and procedural matters.

Lesley Bugg 020 7527 4155
Highbury House, 5 Highbury Crescent, London N5 1RN
lesley.bugg@homesforislington.org.uk

Out of hours ASB response team
Our officers are a well trained team tasked with patrolling the estates, supporting residents to help prevent crime and deter anti-social behaviour.

Their role is to identify and respond to social and environmental issues. They are working closely with the community and in partnership with HFI services, Police, Islington Council, Young People's Services and other local agencies to help resolve problems and acting as professional witnesses, working towards making HFI estates a safer place for all.

Residents are reporting issues of anti-social behaviour (ASB) through the ASB Hotline number 020 7527 7272.

Siobhan O'Donnell ASB Team Manager 020 7527 4422
Holloway Police Station, 284 Hornsey Road, N7 7QY

Reception Centres
Emergency housing in Reception Centres is provided to homeless households who are believed to be eligible for assistance, homeless and in priority need. It is available for households until a decision on their homeless application is reached, and in the case of those households to whom a full duty is owed and for whom permanent accommodation is being sought, until such accommodation is available.

Jim Walker , Manager 020 7527 8689
Reception Centre Management Team
305 Hornsey Road, London. N19 4HD
jim.walker@homesforislington.org.uk

Income Control
Led by the Head of Income Control this team deals with the administration of current rent accounts and former tenant arrears.

Key functions include:

• Administration of rent accounts, creating, amending and terminating accounts
• Ensuring correct tenancy charges are applied correctly to accounts
• Managing the implementation of annual rent increase, including notification to tenants of changes.
• Co-ordination of the implementation of Government rent restructuring changes, to be phased in up to 2012.
• Processing rent refunds
• Issuing of rent payment cards to enable tenants to pay their rent at Post Offices and Paypoint outlets.
• Management of LBI housing stock count records
• Management of payment of allowances to TMO’s and TMC’s
• Collection of rent from TMC’s and Short Life User Groups
• Ensuring housing benefit payments received from LBI are correctly applied to rent accounts
• Carrying out arrears recovery action to recover former tenant debt, including former tenant tracing activities and legal action to recoup the debt.
• Managing of secondary and miscellaneous rent accounts on rent accounting system

Debbie Simpson 020 7527 4288
debbie.simpson@homesforislington.org.uk