A new document resource

I've lost count of how many times I've been asked this question over the years while giving housing advice and working in social housing.

I've amassed loads of letters and documents while working in social housing.

Making life easier

Templates are a blessing, particularly for busy housing officers.

Not least because:

• We're often too busy to review the documentation we're using.
• Templates mean we don't have to re-invent the wheel every time we write a certain kind of letter.
• They can help promote consistency. Organisations can promote a particular 'house style' and encourage the use of plain English.

It's with this potential for saving people time and trouble that I'll be sharing numerous letters and documents in the coming weeks, dealing with various homelessness and housing advice issues.

Most of the documents are for employees of local authorities and social landlords. But they'll also be some documents for members of the public and housing advisers.

Take a look

You can see what's available by going to the Resources section.

If you work for a local authority or social landlord you can access additional documents by creating an account - just click on 'Sign Up' at the top of the page and complete the form.

Simple structure and plain English

I've tried to use plain English and structure the documents so recipients can quickly identify:

• what the letter is about
• what they're being told, and
• what action they need to take.

Which is quite a challenge given how much information we're often obliged to give to customers!

Watch out for free resources on Fridays

Make sure you check back on Fridays as I'll be giving away some documents.

Comments?

Let me know what you think if you're using a document. For example I'd like to hear:

• what you like (and don't like!) about documents
• difficulties you've experienced when drafting particular kinds of documents, and
• suggestions for additional documents you'd find useful

You can comment using the contact page. Alternatively just click 'Ask a Question' on the relevant document download page.