The Code of Conduct for Contractors

The Code of Conduct for contractors to Stellar Living Ltd must be observed at all times. The Code of Conduct is Stellar Living’s commitment to providing quality customer service and applies to the conduct of the contractor’s employees, agents and assigns.

The Code of Conduct shall apply to the conduct of the Stellar Living’s Contractors and Sub Contractors, their respective staff and agents. This document relates to all Stellar Living dwellings and operations under property management.

Stellar Living has a duty to the Contractors, Sub Contractors and all their respective staff to: 

• act fairly;
• maintain high ethical standards in their dealings;
• honour agreements and undertakings and act in good faith;
• establish a fair and equal basis for relationships; and
• be courteous at all times.

Contractors / Sub-Contractors have a duty to: 

• act fairly and in good faith;
• adopt high ethical standards in their dealings with Stellar Living and its customers & tenants;
• honour agreements and undertakings;
• be courteous to Stellar Living employees and its  Clients at all times; and
• perform all work in accordance with this Code of Conduct.

Contractors / Sub-Contractors will: 

• always advise the client / tenant the purpose of the visit;
• work closely with the assigned Stellar Living Property Officer;
• make an appointment with the client/tenant to undertake routine maintenance prior to visiting the client / tenant, and set and confirm times in cooperation with the client / tenant;
• comply with reasonable requests made by client / tenant with special needs or disabilities;
• use a “visit note” arrangement to organise an appointment if the client/tenant can’t be contacted by telephone.  The “visit note” must contain information of the Contractors details, the actual time of calling and nature of the work that was to be done;
• complete a Contractor Visit Notification form to advise the client/tenant of the purpose of the visit if the tenant is not home. The form is to be left at the property, in an envelope under the front door or in the letterbox.
• Take adequate health and safety precautions before entering any premises belonging to Stellar Living.

Property Visit Courtesy and Precautions 

When visiting a property the Contractor will: 

• park in the street or designated parking area;
• make contact with the client/tenant, provide identification and explain the reason for calling;
• seek the client/tenants permission to enter the property;
• take reasonable precautions to ensure that their employees or sub-contractors make adequate assessment of the premises and tenant(s) with regard to their health and safety before entering the premises.
• take all necessary steps and reasonable precautions to prevent any damage or loss to the occupants’ possessions, property or personal effects.  Any damage or loss should be reported to Stellar Living immediately.  Any reimbursement by the contractor to the client / tenant for any damage or loss caused will be by the mutual agreement of the two parties concerned.

When visiting a property the Contractor will not:

• smoke within Stellar Living’s property;
• be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when entering the property or while performing work for Stellar Living.
• accept or provide drugs or alcohol from the occupants of the property or induce any occupants of the house to partake in any such activity;
• use offensive language when conducting business with Stellar Living and its client / tenants.
• in action or words do or say things that could be interpreted as intimidating or discriminatory.
• discuss or divulge information with the tenants in relation to Stellar Living’s business or activities;
• discuss or divulge with any other person any private details concerning the occupants of the properties;
• advise the occupants of any financial details concerning the contract or the cost of works carried out;
• make any public comments concerning the policies of Stellar Living or the tendering system.

Right of Entry

The Contractor may enter the premises without consent in a genuine emergency (e.g. to carry out urgent repairs or to protect the premises from damage).

The Code of Conduct will be included in any Contractor agreements for ongoing contractors.

Contractors Insurance

If the Contractor has been contracted to undertake any form of Maintenance / Repair they will need to provide Stellar Living with a copy of relevant and current Certificates of Currency of Insurance for the following as a minimum:

• Insurance against accidental loss or damage and must name Stellar Living as an additional insured
• Public liability insurance in an amount not less than $20,000,000
• Professional Indemnity Insurance
• Motor Vehicle Insurance
• Adequate Workers Compensation Cover in accordance with legislative requirements
• Any other insurance reasonably required as determined by the Housing Authority from time to time.

 In some circumstances, Stellar Living may require that it be named as an additional insured.

Contractors Performance

Material used in the work and standards of work must be in conformity with the provisions of the contract/ arrangements.

Any materials not otherwise specified shall be new and, where applicable, materials and standard of work shall be in accordance with the relevant Australian Standards.

Occupational Health and Safety regulations and any other relevant requirements must be adhered to.

Review of Contractor’s Performance

It is a good practice to regularly review contractors’ work to ensure quality of service and provide feedback.

To measure a Contractors work performance Stellar Living will;

• collect feedback from tenants following each job and/or following introduction of new Contractors;
• review the reliability/timeliness of the Contractors’ quality of work for the cost paid
• make regular inspections of the works completed and actively identify any builder’s warranty issues
• and provide feedback of performance to the contractor

Where Stellar Living receives complaints of performance these will be recorded on Stellar Living’s formal complaints system.

Defaulting Contractors will be dealt with under the terms and conditions of the contract agreement, specifically the need to rectify faulty workmanship within the building warranty period.