Points of Contacts
The Savills team manage your property on behalf of the Diocese. The main points of contact are listed on our website (office hours are 8:30 – 5:30 Monday to Friday). You can get in touch with them directly or alternatively, once moved into the property, you can use the Savills Repair Portal to report maintenance issues.
Once residing in the property, if a serious issue occurs out of hours which cannot wait until morning, please contact an emergency contractor from the list on our website.
If you wish to provide feedback or raise concerns with the service you receive, please consider talking to Savills directly or alternatively speak to your Area Dean, Archdeacon or contact the Assistant Diocesan Secretary (Operations and Governance) Cathy Laird. We will make every effort to reach a resolution, if one is required.
Removals
The costs of your removal will be covered by the Diocese (except for non-household items such as a grand piano). This includes a full packing service but does not include unpacking. In the cases of overseas moves the Diocese can only cover costs from the port of entry.
You will need to obtain three quotes for removals from companies of your choice and forward these to Savills. They will confirm which quote the Diocese prefers and discuss a move in date.
Many removals companies require payment in advance of the move. To ensure swift payment please book your removal as soon as a move in date has been agreed. Please ask the removals company to send a copy of the invoice to payments@winchester.anglican.org.
Accessing the Property
We ask clergy to move into their new home around a fortnight, but no more than one month before their licensing date. Once your move date is agreed please arrange a suitable time with Savills to obtain keys. A third-party inventory will be carried out in the days before your arrival, to record the condition of the property.
If you require an earlier visit to the property or wish to leave any items at the property prior to moving in, please inform Savills first even if you are able to make arrangements directly with your church warden. This will avoid any complications, for example with the inventory or ongoing maintenance work.
If these timescales may prove problematic for you, please contact your Archdeacon in the first instance, to discuss whether alternative arrangements are feasible.
Utilities
Council tax and water rates are paid in full by the Diocese. The occupant is responsible for gas, oil, electricity and internet costs.
On your first day in the property, please take meter readings and liaise directly with your chosen supplier to confirm your tariff. Alternatively, you can use the meter readings in the third-party inventory.
You may wish to liaise with a broadband provider before you move in, so that you can book installation for as soon as possible thereafter.
Accessibility
If for any health or ability reason you would like extra assistance with your move, please do raise this with your Savills contact directly as early as possible, and they will be happy to help. You may have already informed the Diocesan HR team of your requirements, but they are obliged to treat this information as confidential and will not pass it on to third parties on your behalf.
Grants and Reimbursements
There are several grants and reimbursements available for clergy moving into a new role in the Diocese:
| Grant Type | Who For | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Removals | All | up to £5000 |
| First appointment | First time incumbents | Set nationally each year |
| Resettlement | Stipendiary clergy, curates, House for Duty | Set nationally each year |
| Interior decorations | All | Up to £500 available within first 3 years (£150 per annum thereafter) |
| Pests | All | Within 3 months of move in date |
The first appointment and resettlement grants will be arranged for you by the Clergy Appointments Assistant once your moving date has been set.
Interior decorations grants are available, but for a limited sum per annum (see table). Should you wish to make use of these, please retain receipts and submit them, along with the grant form to payments@winchester.anglican.org. NB only the receipt amount, or the maximum grant per annum (whichever is less) will be reimbursed.
From time to time, after discussion with Savills and/or a Diocesan representative, it may be necessary for a clergyperson to arrange and pay for works to their property directly. Before doing so please ensure you have permission in writing from Savills or the diocese. For example, reimbursement for pest control can be obtained within 3 months of your move in date. Please retain receipts and submit them, along with the written permission and reimbursement form to payments@winchester.anglican.org.
On the occasion of your first claim, or if your details have changed, you will also need to send a completed new payee form to payments@winchester.anglican.org.
Request for Works Outside of Policy
If for any reason you wish to make improvements to a property or discuss additional requirements you may have (e.g. due to personal circumstances or a health condition), we encourage you to make the most of our process for requesting works outside of policy. This is because any changes must first receive approval from the Diocese, even if they are to be paid for by clergy. More details and a form can be found on our website.
The Diocese may be constrained by budget limitations or consideration of the property’s longer-term use. However, we will be happy to discuss further upon receipt of the form. If all parties agree to the works, Savills will provide instruction as to how to proceed and there will be no compensation payable for any of the works. There may also be a requirement to make good when vacating the property. If any improvement works have been carried out without approval the default position is that the value of the improvement is to be written down to £1 when vacating the property.
Pastoral Care
After moving into your new home and embarking on the new role, you can expect to hear from your Archdeacon. Their primary concern is your wellbeing. Please do use this opportunity to raise any questions you have regarding the property.
Living in the Property
The Diocese knows that practical, comfortable homes are essential for clergy wellbeing. We have renewed our commitment to taking good care of clergy housing, working with Savills to provide timely repairs and to identify generous, creative and shrewd ways to use available funds for uplift works.
The Diocese asks that in return, all housed clergy are committed to their own responsibilities for upkeep so that together we keep the house in a good state of repair.
A comprehensive list of responsibilities can be found in the Clergy Housing Handbook. To highlight a few:
- The Diocese update kitchen units, bathroom suites and hard flooring when necessary but clergy are responsible for the purchase, installation and maintenance of all kitchen appliances, carpets and curtain poles/tracks. If you inherit any of these, they are ‘gifted’ to you by the previous occupant or the Diocese.
- External decoration is the responsibility of the Diocese, but internal decorations need to be undertaken by the occupant – there is a paint grant available (see above). We ask all clergy to avoid using wallpaper.
- Garden maintenance is the responsibility of the occupant, this includes (but is not limited to) smaller fruit trees, hedges bushes and grass. The Diocese is responsible for the management of all large trees within the boundary of your property, which are monitored under a three-year tree management cycle. Any remedial works are prioritised based on urgency. However, if you identify any health and safety risks posed by tree failure, please contact Savills as soon as possible.
You can expect a number of visits from Savills or Savills-appointed contractors and will receive due notice beforehand. There will be yearly property ‘health checks’ alongside the statutory quinquennial inspections. A gas or oil safety check is required annually, and electrical testing will be conducted every 5 years.