Bathroom renewals

We believe that it is important to ensure that you have a choice in how your home looks and feels.

If you are due a bathroom/wet room replacement, our contractor will visit you in your home to discuss your preferred options from our range of choices.

Prior to this home visit, you may want to start thinking about what you would like to have now.

Our bathroom design choice guide details all the options available, please take a look.

Before we can begin works to the bathroom/wet room at your home, we need to ensure that our contractors are working in a safe environment and that you and your belongings are protected.

Please ensure that:

• Corridors and walkways are free of personal belongings that may cause obstruction.
• All personal items within the bathroom/wet room are removed prior to works commencement.
• Any pets are kept away from work areas, to protect your animals from any hazards or materials in those areas.

If you are unable to move items out of your bathroom/wet room safely, please contact us and we can discuss ways in which Westward and our contractors can support you.

What we expect our contractors to do?

• Protect floors from the main entrance point to the home, through to the bathroom/wet room area
• Control dust as best as possible
• Clear rubbish as soon as possible
• Communicate with you throughout the process
• No radios
• They are not permitted to use the toilet at your home unless you explicitly give them permission
• Unsure that you are left with a working toilet at the end of each working day.

If you have any queries relating to preparing for a bathroom/wet room replacement, please contact us using this form. 

• When will my bathroom/wet room be replaced?

At Westward we aim to replace a bathroom or wet room every 30 years, so we wouldn’t consider renewing your bathroom/wet room until it has reached this age. When your bathroom/wet room is due for replacement our investment team will contact you and provide further details on the process.

If you believe your bathroom/wet room requires replacement or repairs, please contact us.

•    Will I have a choice in what my bathroom/wet room looks like?

Yes – all customers will be able choose from a list of options for floor and wall colours. Our baths, toilets and basins are white.

Our contractor will visit you in your home and discuss the options with you and have samples of the colours for you to see.

If you would like to review your options before this visit, please look at our bathroom/wet room design options guide on this page.

• How long will I be without washing facilities?

Your bath or shower area will be out of use for approximately four-six workings days depending on the complexity of the install.

Our contractor will make all efforts to get your bathroom sink back into use as soon as is reasonably possible.

• Will my toilet be in use during the install?

During the first day of the installation your toilet may be out of use for periods. Our contractor will ensure that you have a working toilet at the end of each and every working day.

• Will my bathroom be decorated during a replacement?

Yes – your new bathroom will have the walls and ceilings decorated. You will be given a choice of the wall colour. This can be viewed in our bathroom design options guide.

• Will Westward install items in my bathroom or wet room if I buy them?

At present Westward do not support the installation of tenant purchased items. This is under constant review.

• Can I have a shower tray instead of a bath?

Yes, if you have a requirement for a shower tray due to a disability. Please contact your local occupational therapist to seek guidance on what your needs are, as advised by a health care professional.

If your property is level access in nature, we may be able to convert your existing bathroom into a wet room or low-level shower room.

Examples of this are:

·         A bungalow with level access, we may be able to convert your existing bathroom into a wet room or low-level shower room.

·         A flat in a block with a passenger lift

·         An existing fully adapted house.

• Will you fit a heated towel rail instead of replacing my radiator?

Westward do not install heated towel rails as they are not within our existing Westward Standard.

• Can the layout of the bathroom change to make the room easier to use?

If the existing layout of the bathroom or wet room doesn’t suit your needs, please let us know. It’s incredibly important that any replacement work is completed to make use of the room as easy and as safe as possible.

With your input, we will work with our contractors to ensure that the room orientation is as suitable as possible.

Whilst we aim to make reasonable changes, on occasion there may be a barrier to changes due to regulatory or because the work involved is too complex. If we are unable to complete alterations, we will discuss this with you and make other changes to assist where possible.

• Will you reinstate my grab rails?

If you have handrails in your bathroom or wet room, we will seek to replace them with new ones if they are of age. If they are new will reinstall them.

• Will you install grab rails for me?

If you require handrails, we advise you to discuss your needs with a health care professional as they will provide solutions best suited to your needs. On a bathroom or wet room install we can install handrails, but we need to ensure these are positioned and specified to your needs.

• Will the separate WC/cloakroom be refurbished during my bathroom renewal?

Westward will not typically refurbish a separate toilet room during a bathroom installation. If you have any concerns with your separate WC room, please contact us in the same way you would highlight any repairs.

The decorations and flooring would be your responsibility to maintain and we would replace the basin and/or toilet at the point where a repair is no longer viable.

• How long will the bathroom take to install?

A bathroom install will typically take between five-eight working days to fully complete. Wet room installation take between six-nine working days to fully complete. These times may vary depending on the complexity of the installation.

• Do I have to agree to improvement work being completed?

The following planned works are considered mandatory as they impact on the building and present increased risks if not completed:

·       External decorations and repairs

·       Roofing replacement works

·       Window replacements

·       Fire Door replacements.

The following works can be refused but only if the condition of the item planned for replacement is satisfactory or if there isn’t a legal/safety compliance requirement:

·       External Doors

·       Kitchen Replacement

·       Bathroom/wet room replacement

·       Heating replacements.

• Will I get the same improvements as my neighbour?

We will try and complete the following works areas on a scheme-wide basis:

·       External decorations

·       Pitched roof replacements

·       Window replacements.

This means we will aim to complete one or more of the above on all Westward homes on that street.

Improvements such as kitchens, bathrooms, heating, external doors and other smaller replacement items are replaced based on the specific age or condition of the improvement and done so on a property by property basis.

This means we may not do the above improvements to all homes on a street as a number of the improvements may be varying cycles or in varying condition.

• What if my home is not included in planned works programmes but I think work needs doing?

If your home is not on our programme and feel that it should be, please contact us.

We aim to undertake improvements to our homes as per our Westward Standard. If your home isn’t due for replacement due to age, we may still need to complete the improvement due to condition.

If you believe any part of your home requires replacement due to condition you need to report this as a repair. Our repairs team will then review this requirement to understand whether a reasonable repair can take place. If this isn’t a feasible option, it will be referred for early replacement due to condition.

• Will I be charged for any improvement works?

Whether an improvement is chargeable to you, is dependent on your legal agreement with Westward and dependent on the circumstances that the improvement is required.

Charge guide

Home owners/shared owners	Typically responsible for the management of works in their homes and for paying for these works.
Leaseholders	Typically responsible for paying a contribution towards the costs of works. This depends on the details set within their specific lease agreement.
Tenants	Westward are responsible for the management and costs relating to improvements. The exception to this is where works are paid for from service charge provisions which are a separate arrangement.

• Who will be doing the work on my home?

The contractors undertaking works will be dependent on the location you are in and the works being undertaken.

Contractor guide

Area	Contractor
North Devon and Bude	Westward Property Services (WPS)
South Devon	Westward Property Services (WPS) or Westcountry Maintenance Services (WMS)
Cornwall	Westcountry Maintenance Services (WMS)

• Will the work be disruptive?

Our contractors will work to minimise disruption as best as possible but planned works can be noisy and messy at times. Our contractors are expected to keep their work area as tidy as possible, but there may be periods where mess is inevitable.

If you are concerned about this, please let us know or discuss with our contractors at their initial survey of your home.

• Do I have to be present during the works?

All works that involve entry within your home will require you to be present to allow access.

External works do not need your attendance at all times. If you have a side gate to allow rear access, we urge you to leave this unlocked during any external works. This will allow our contractors to complete their work without delay.

• Will my property be protected from damage i.e. carpets/flooring?

Yes – It is expected that our contractor will lay protective coverings to hallways or rooms that run from the entry point of your home to the bathroom area.

• I have had a letter from Westward but not heard from a contractor yet?

If you have received a letter from Westward regarding a planned improvement at your home, typically this means your home is on our programme for the current financial year which runs from April to the following March. Our contractors are required to complete the entire programme within this time period.

If you haven’t heard from our contractor yet, do not worry. It is likely that your home is planned later in the year. Typically, our contractors will commence communication with you a few months before works would be planned, sometimes sooner.

If you have a specific time of the year that you are unable to have the works completed, please contact us and we may be able to discuss this with our contractor to ensure that this period of the year is avoided.

Similarly, if you believe that your improvement is more urgent, please let us know and we can assess it for prompter action on the programme.