Why
have a recognition and rewards initiative like Plum?
When was Plum introduced?
Who can join Plum?
What happens to
customers on housing benefit who sometimes get into difficulty because of
delays? Will this affect their membership?
If a customer gets into
difficulties, does this mean they will not be able to join Plum or that they
lose their membership?
Does it cost anything to join
Plum?
Will rents have to go up
to cover Plum?
How do you use
the Plum card to get discounts?
What happens
to customer applications to join Plum?
Will there be an
appeal process for customers?
We want to say thank you to our customers who pay their rent, look after their home and keep to the conditions of their tenancy agreement.
Plum was introduced in October 2005.
Plum membership is available to all Bolton at Home customers who meet
the criteria below.
To qualify for Plum you must:
a. have a clear rent account for the period of eight weeks prior to the date of
application.
or
b. maintain any agreement, to pay off debts owed to Bolton Metropolitan
Borough Council or Bolton at Home for a minimum of eight consecutive weeks
and to maintain this agreement until the debt is cleared. This applies to
rent arrears and other debts owed including rechargeable repairs and court
costs. If legal action has been taken in relation to any debts you will not
be eligible for the scheme.
c. not be in breach of the tenancy agreement, e.g. have no outstanding
complaints regarding antisocial behaviour or the condition of your property
or garden, this includes yourself, partner or other members of your
household or visitors to your home.
No. We recognise that there can sometimes be delays in housing benefit claims that are not the customer’s fault. Membership will not be affected when there are delays that are not the fault of the customer.
We will work with customers having difficulties to make sure that they can join Plum, stay as a member, and receive the benefits they are entitled to.
No, customers just need to keep their rent account clear for eight weeks or keep to a payment agreement.
No, Plum is designed to reward responsible customers who pay their rent and look after their property and their community.
There are a number of ways that the card can be used including:
All members will receive guidance in their Plum Welcome Pack. For more information see Membership Benefits.
Each application will be checked by the Recognition and Rewards Manager
to assess if the customer meets the criteria.
If the customer meets the criteria, they will receive a Welcome Pack
providing a range of useful information about Plum.
If the customer does not meet the criteria, they will be notified by letter.
Yes, an appeal process is available.
Cath Langan
Recognition and Rewards Manager
Bolton at Home
FREEPOST
NAT 13006
Bolton
BL1 8ZZ
Tel: (01204) 335052
Fax: (01204) 335662
Email: plum@boltonathome.org.uk
