Decoration Vouchers

You can use your decoration vouchers to buy decorating materials from any of the shops listed below, which have been approved by Blyth Valley Housing.

We can also provide you with a range of paint and materials and our current prices are available here.

Please contact our stores section on (01670) 542463 for further advice and information. Blyth Valley Housing, Blyth Riverside Business Park, Cowley Road, Blyth, NE24 5TF. View a location map

Where can I use my Decoration vouchers?

Leveys Ltd, Unit 2, Albion Retail Park, Cowpen Road, Blyth NE24 5BS. Telephone (01670) 546591. View a location Map.

Decorflair 25 Market Street, Blyth NE24 1BQ, Telephone (01670) 352554. View a location Map.

Homebase Blyth Valley Retail Park, Cowpen Road, Blyth, NE24 5TP, Telephone 01670 798988. View a location map

Wilkinson Unit 61, Manor Walks Shopping Centre, Cramlington NE23 1NC, Telephone (01670) 713200. View a location Map

Focus DIY, Unit 1, Forum Way, Cramlington, NE23 6YD, Telephone (01670) 717777. View a location map

Seaton Valley Co-op,  Delaval House, Avenue Road, Seaton Delaval NE25 0DS,  (0191) 2371010. View a location Map.

Wilson's  8 Avenue Road, Seaton Delaval, Hardware & DIY,  NE25 0DS Telephone (0191) 2370684. View a location Map

Are there any restrictions on the use of my Decoration Vouchers?

You may use the decoration vouchers to buy only:

• wallpaper and paste, paints, varnishes and woodcare products
• sandpaper, fillers, sealants and masking tape
• paste table
• turpentine and paint thinners
• scrapers, brushes, rollers and paint trays
• dust sheets.

You may not use decoration vouchers to buy:

• electrical equipment such as sanders, drills, and steam
• strippers
• tools
• ceramic tiles
• floor tiles
• step ladders
• electrical fittings
• bathroom cabinets
• mirrors
• any products that are not decorating materials.

Who should go to the shop?

We have asked the approved shops to make sure that the person with the decoration voucher has the right to use it. You (or your joint tenant) must go in person to the shop. The goods cannot be given to anyone else unless we have allowed this (in writing) because you have special difficulties.

What you must take to the shop?

1. You must take the original decoration voucher agreement — not a photocopy.
2. You must take your unsigned decoration vouchers.

When you have chosen the goods you want, the shop will check that each voucher has not passed its expiry date. You will have to sign each voucher in front of a member of the shop staff.

If a voucher has already been signed before you buy the goods or if it has been damaged or defaced in any way, the shop will not be able to accept it.

Why all these rules?

The rules are to stop people abusing the decorating voucher system. Please cooperate with the shop staff, as they have to follow our rules.

Buying your decorating goods

The shop must not:

• give any change for a decorating voucher
• provide cash refunds, or
• exchange goods for non-decorating products.

The shop will give you a detailed receipt for your decorating materials. You must sign the receipt and the supplier will then give you a copy of it. You may, of course, use your own money to buy decorating materials worth more than the value of the voucher(s).

Please be at the checkout at least 30 minutes before the store closes to give staff enough time to do the paperwork.

Advice and information

If you need to buy wallpaper, please use the handy guide on page five of our Decoration Voucher leaflet to help you calculate how many rolls of wallpaper you may need for each room.

This is only a guide and the number of rolls you need will depend on the wallpaper pattern. Large patterns waste more paper. You may wish to ask the shop to keep extra rolls of wallpaper for you, as it cannot give refunds or exchanges if you buy too many.

To use the guide, measure the maximum height and the total length of the walls in the room. Find the height in the far left-hand column and move across the grid until you come to the total length of your room. This will give you roughly the rolls you need.

The shop will help you to choose the right materials for the job and to work out what you can afford.

Getting the decorating done

When accepting your tenancy you signed a legal agreement to decorate the rooms in the agreement and to use your decorating vouchers to decorate only those rooms. You must complete the decorating within 3 months of the start of your tenancy.

What happens if I do not do the decorating?

Your decoration voucher agreement says you must complete the decorating to a reasonable standard within 3 months. If you buy materials using a decorating voucher and then do not decorate the rooms listed in the agreement, we will charge you for the decorating allowance for each room you have not decorated.

If you need more advice about your decoration vouchers, please ask the staff at your local area housing office.

Further Information

You can obtain further information by contacting our Repairs and Maintenance Unit:

	Write to: Blyth Valley Housing, Cowley Road, Blyth Riverside Business Park, Blyth, NE24 5TF.
	Telephone: (01670) 542424   Text us: 07950 08 09 08   Fax us: (01670) 542420
	RNID Typetalk service prefix number 18001
	Email: repairs@blythvalley.gov.uk