Date: 19/06/2009
Around 1,500 households across High Peak will soon be getting a knock on the door from surveyors assessing the condition of the district's private housing.
The survey, which is a statutory Government requirement, has been commissioned by the Borough Council, which will use the evidence to bid for Government money for housing improvements.
Findings will also help the council allocate its own funding and improve home energy efficiency.
Previous surveys have enabled the council to secure extra Government cash for home improvement and renovation grants.
The survey should take no longer than 40 minutes - much less for modern homes in good condition - and all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
The council will summarise the information and present it in a statistical form that does not identify individual properties, all of which have been chosen at random for the survey.
Each surveyor carries a photo-identity card that he or she will show at the start of the survey.
Chosen households will receive a letter from Michael Dyson Associates before the visit. But householders doubting the identity of the caller should not let the person into their home and should call the telephone number on the letter of introduction.
The number should also be called by anyone who would rather be visited on an evening or at the weekend rather than waiting for a surveyor to call.
Cllr Andrew Bingham, Executive Councillor for Social and Community Development said, "co-operation with this survey will hopefully be of great benefit as it could help secure more Government funding for housing in High Peak".
Anyone doubting the identity of a supposed surveyor should call the council's call centre on 0845 129 77 77.