What is the Freedom of Information Act?
The Freedom of Information Act gives everybody the right to information held by a public authority, including local government and Arms Length Management Organisations that are set up to manage a Council’s housing stock (ALMOs). Hounslow Homes is an ALMO.
You are entitled to any information that is not personal information, or that is not exempt under the Act. Exempt information may be information that is provided in confidence or may relate to national security, law enforcement or commercial interests. Other information, such as information that is likely to be published in the future, audit information and information subject to legal privilege, may also be exempt.
You can access information that we hold by:
- Looking at this website - The a-z section is a quick and easy way to find information available on this site
- Checking the councils Publication Scheme which is a list of the information held by the council and Hounslow Homes and gives details on how to obtain the information. A copy is available from housing offices the civic centre and main libraries. It is also available on the council website
Asking us for information
Please give as much detail about the information as possible, as this will help us to locate it more quickly. Please also provide your name, contact address and telephone number. An application can be submitted by:
letter or completing the form attached to the 'Freedom of Information - your right to know' leaflet and sending it to
Customer Services
Hounslow Homes Limited,
St. Catherine’s House,
2 Hanworth Road,
Feltham,
Middlesex,
TW13 5AB,
You can also hand it in at any local housing office.
e-mail to customerservicecentre@hounslowhomes.org.uk.
An application form is also available from the Council’s web site for submission on line. Always keep a copy of your application and of any other correspondence you send in case of query later on.
We do not normally charge to provide information to our customers, as our policy is to provide an open, transparent and accessible service. However, if your request is for information that is difficult or expensive to retrieve, such as large format plans or drawings, or where specialist reproduction is required, we may levy a charge.
Also, if it will take more than 2 1/2 days of officer time to determine whether or not Hounslow Homes holds the information and to locate, retrieve and extract the information, rather than refuse your request, we may ask you for further details, so we can provide the information you are most interested in. We will always tell you if this applies to your application.
We will acknowledge your application within 2 working days and request any further particulars that we need to locate the information that you seek. Once we have all the necessary details to locate the information we will process your application and reply to you within 20 working days.
We will:
- tell you whether or not we hold the information described in your request and, if so
- communicate that information to you, or
- explain why we cannot provide the information, e.g. because it is exempt or would take too long to prepare.
If you are unhappy with our response, for example, if you do not hear from us within 20 working days of your application, or if you think information is being kept from you that shouldn’t be, or that the information given to you is wrong or incomplete, please contact our Customer Services Officers in the first instance; Tel: 020 8583 3726/7, or e-mail complaints.team@hounslowhomes.org.uk, who will try to resolve the problem for you. If you are still unhappy you can lodge a complaint for investigation under our complaints process by contacting our complaints team:
Telephone 020 8583 3737, Minicom 0800 389 9821, Fax 020 8583 4336
Email: complaints.team@hounslowhomes.org.uk
Or write to Complaints Department, Hounslow Homes Limited, St. Catherine’s House, 2 Hanworth Road, Feltham, Middlesex TW13 5AB.
A complaints leaflet is also available from your local housing office or your Sheltered Scheme Manager if you live in sheltered accommodation.
Further Information
Download a copy of our leaflet 'The Freedom of Information Act 200 - your right to know' for more information.
If you have any questions that you would like to ask us about your rights under the Freedom of Information Act you should contact Hounslow Homes’ Customer Services Officers on 020 8583 3726/7.
Alternatively, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Information Line on 08456 306060 or 01625 545745, or visit their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk