3.2  Cyclical Maintenance and Renewal Works

3.2.1  For Cyclical Maintenance and Renewal Works undertaken by the Contractor after completion of the Initial Refurbishment Works Period, these by their nature are often more of a 'package' type and the following process will apply;

(a)  the Contractor will write to individual Tenants informing them that either access will be required to carry out a survey or that works will commence in 28 days time as appropriate - wherever possible attempts will be made to deliver the letter personally to establish face to face contact;

(b)  a further reminder letter of the required access will be sent 7 days prior to the start of works.  Where the works are to be directly carried out without the need of a survey the Tenant will be requested to make urgent contact;

(c)  where survey work is carried out a further 7 day notice will be forwarded prior to the works actually commencing; and

(d)  on the morning the works are due to commence the Contractor or his appointee will attend the Dwelling.  If there is no response a card will be left requesting the Tenant to make immediate contact, confirming that the team will attend again the following day. This card will be multi-lingual if the tenancy agreement or other information available to the Contractor suggests that the Tenant and/or household belongs to an ethnic minority. The Contractor shall also, if necessary, arrange access to a locally available dedicated language line or specialist special needs support as the case may require. These services will be provided as soon as it becomes known to the Contractor that the Tenant or his household may need them.

3.2.2  The procedure in paragraph 3.2.1(d) will be repeated the following day regardless of whether a response was obtained.  In the event that no access is available on the second visit, a card will be left.  The Contractor will advise the Authority of this second no access event no later than [  ] .

3.2.3  Not less than five Business Days after the Council has been informed of two such failed no access events, a letter will be sent confirming that attempts had been made to access the Dwelling to undertake the works, and that the works would now be postponed until such time as the Dwelling is vacated by the Tenant (the final letter).

3.2.4  Should the Tenant subsequently respond, then decisions to return to complete the works shall be made on an individual case basis but as a minimum, in the event of pressing personal circumstances, such as family bereavement, illness or holidays, the Contractor will agree with a Tenant a mutually convenient alternative date for the Cyclical Maintenance and Renewal Works to be undertaken, within 26 weeks of the date of the final letter unless the nature of the works and tenant circumstances make this impracticable.

3.2.5  In the event that no contact is made on two failed no access events in accordance with paragraph 3.2.2 or that contact is made but access denied, the Authority will be informed in writing and Access Refusal will have occurred.

3.2.6  Where there is an Access Refusal Event in relation to Cyclical Maintenance and Renewal Works the following procedure will be followed:

(a)  if the Contractor believes that there are significant health & safety issues in respect of the Dwelling or other potential liabilities to the Authority or the Contractor, then it will take the appropriate steps [including taking legal proceedings] to gain access at the earliest opportunity;

(b)  in the event that subsequent phases of work are conducive to revisiting Dwellings then the Contractor will again take all reasonable steps to attempt to make contact with the relevant Tenants or members of their households;

(c)  if the Tenant does subsequently allow access, the Dwelling will be placed on the Access Refusal and Tenant Waiver Waiting List but within a dedicated "No Access" Category on a strict date order basis from the date when the Tenant indicated that access would be allowed;

(d)  the Contractor will return and complete the works within [  ] weeks if there is no more than one other Dwelling recorded before it on the No Access Category, otherwise within [  ] weeks.

(e)  prior to the end of the relevant Cyclical Maintenance and Renewal Works the Contractor will contact all Tenants that have refused access to their Dwellings . This will be by letter, which will be personally delivered by to the relevant Dwellings.  Dwellings of Tenants subsequently allowing access after the dispatch of this letter will be added to the Access Refusal and Tenant Waiver Waiting List referred to above within a dedicated No Access Category according to date order priority.