Cleaning & Caretaking

Our Estate Services Team take care of cleaning and caretaking at all the buildings and estates we manage across the City of Southend.

This is the largest team in South Essex Homes and they work hard to keep estates clean, tidy, and in a good state of repair.

Cleaning and caretaking staff focus on ensuring that shared areas are kept safe from fire hazards and are cleaned to nationally agreed standards. When visiting sites, we assess them by referring to the HouseMark PhotoBook and we grade each site by comparing how they look, against the photo standards for different areas of a building/estate set out in this document. The grade that is given to each area of the site will dictate how we as an organisation react in terms of any deployment of our Cleaning and Caretaking team.

You can download the Photobook to see the standards against which our estates are measured:  Estate Services Photobook 2020.pdf [pdf] 10MB

cleaning The frequency of visits to your property will be based on the type of building it is, historical data, regular inspections, and feedback from residents.

Specific areas will be cleaned as required as opposed to being repeatedly cleaned for the sake of cleaning. This modern system allows us to be cost effective and use the team resources effectively in terms of prioritising fire safety, and carrying out deeper cleans when required.

Caretaking staff work seven days a week; weekend shifts are generally dedicated to high rise blocks to rotate refuse bins, clean lifts, and carry out fire safety block checks. The Caretakers will also be available during these shifts to complete any urgent tasks that may arise.

We also have a dedicated team removing illegally dumped bulk refuse.

If you would like to find out more about our grounds maintenance service, please click here: Grounds Maintenance | South Essex Homes

Reporting Issues

If you feel we are not meeting the standards of cleanliness you expect from us or if you wish to report issues with the cleaning and caretaking service, please get in touch.

You can call our Customer Contact Centre on 0800 833 160, email the team on EstateServices@seh.southend.gov.uk or complete our online form below.

Form to Report an Estate Services issue

 

Keep it Clean

Look after your property, or you could face a bill when you move out.

If you move out of your property leaving an untidy garden or the property in a generally poor condition, then this constitutes a breach in your tenancy conditions.  

South Essex Homes will need to carry out works to bring the home up to a lettable standard for the next tenants to move in to.  The cost of such works, which are as a result of a breach of tenancy conditions, will need to be paid for by the previous tenant.  This is what is known as a ‘recharge’.

If you are struggling to manage your property and are worried that you might be recharged once you leave, then we recommend that you talk to us now so we can advise you on how you can sort out any issues before you move out.  Contact your Tenancy Services Officer on our free phone number 0800 833 160.

There are simple yet effective ways to avoid a recharge:

  • Keep your garden tidy and grass mowed
  • Keep the inside of your property cleaned regularly and well decorated

And before you move out…

  • Wipe dirty surfaces using a damp cloth and disinfectant or hot soapy water
  • Hoover/sweep your floors
  • If you have removed any doors, you will need to re-hang them before you leave
  • Make sure you take all of your belongings and rubbish with you when you move out 
  • If any item has been damaged in the property, you need to repair or replace this before you move out