Merger FAQ
We’re pleased to announce that our merger with Newport City Homes is now (as of 1 April 2025) complete.
We have been in close consultation with our residents throughout the merger process and we have collated a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below.
If you have a question about the merger that isn’t answered here please email hello@hedyn.wales
Contacting Hedyn
1. How do I get in touch with Hedyn?
There are lots of ways to get in touch with us:
- Telephone: 0300 1212 345
- Email: hello@hedyn.wales
You can also find us on social media via Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
2. Where can I go to find out important information about my home?
If you’re an existing Hedyn customer, and had a home with us before 1 April 2025, you can continue using the Newport City Homes and Melin websites to access all the important information you need.
If you moved into a Hedyn home after 1 April 2025, you can find the important information you need at www.hedyn.wales.
3. Will I still be able to meet with you?
Yes! You can speak to us in-person at any of our offices. You can either make an appointment or drop-in. You can check our website for our opening times.
Our head office is based in the city centre at Nexus House, Mission Court, Newport NP20 2DW. We also have our Ringland office (Ringland Centre, Newport, NP19 9HG), our Bettws office (Bettws Shopping Centre, Newport, NP20 7TN), and our Pontypool office (Ty’r Felin, Lower Mill Field, Pontypool, Torfaen NP4 0XJ.)
4. Will I still be able to use my Newport City Homes app?
If you’re an existing Newport City Homes resident, you’ll still be able to use the app. Only the look of your app will change as we’ll update the app with our new name, colours and logo. All app services will continue as normal, and you’ll still be able to book and reschedule repairs, chat to us, and pay your rent.
My home and the merger
1. Do I need to change my direct debit information when you become Hedyn?
This will change automatically. You don’t need to do anything.
On – or shortly after - 1 April 2025, your bank statement will show “Tai Hedyn Ltd” instead of “Newport City Homes” or “Melin”.
Details of our name change will be given to your bank. They may also get in touch with you to let you know. Also, you may see a comment on your bank statement informing you of the final payment under “Newport City Homes” or “Melin”, and the first payment under our new name “Tai Hedyn Ltd”.
If you need to talk to us, or your bank/building society, about your direct debit payments, please quote our new name “Hedyn”
2. What impact will it have on repairs and other services?
There will be no changes to the services you receive, but we’ll be wearing new Hedyn branded uniforms when we visit your home for repairs and maintenance.
Your safety is our priority. We’ll always wear an ID badge and explain why we’re visiting. So will our contractors. If you’re not sure of someone’s identity when we visit you, please call us on 0300 1212 345 to make sure we are who we say we are.
You can find out more about what to expect when we visit you in our Customer Service Standards. Our priority is to deliver great services and homes for all residents. As Hedyn, we’ll keep listening to you and using your feedback to improve everything we do.
3. How will it impact my occupation contract?
If you’re a new Hedyn resident and moved into your home after 1 April 2025, you’ll receive an occupation contract under ‘Tai Hedyn Limited’.
If you’re an existing Newport City Homes resident and moved into your home before 1 April 2025, you’ll have the same occupation contract. This won’t impact your right to live in your home and access the services you need.
4. Will it affect my lease?
No. You’ll have the same lease, and it won’t affect your right to live in your home.
If leases need to be changed in the future, we’ll always consult with you first.
5. Will it affect my rent charges?
Your rent charges will stay the same, and our rent cost assessment will also stay the same.
The next rent increase will be in April 2026. As we’ve always done, we’ll assess rent costs and affordability using the Joseph Rowntree Living Rent Model. You’ll be notified of rent increases in January 2026, and these will be applied in April 2026.
6. Will the merger affect my mutual exchange / Right to Transfer?
No. The ‘Right to Transfer’ is protected in the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
7. Will the merger affect my service charges?
Service charges are variable and are renewed every year. If any changes are made to service charges, we’ll always consult with you – our residents – first.
8. Will the merger affect Rent to Own transactions?
No. This is a government-backed initiative designed to provide future home ownership options.
9. Will the merger change how you rent homes?
Both Melin and Newport City Homes operate to the Common Housing Register allocations policy. If we need to change our allocations policy, we’ll do this with the local authorities and partner landlords operating in our areas.
10. Will the merger change Newport City Homes’ ‘Rent-free Weeks’?
We have two rent-free weeks a year (one in April and one in December). Any changes to this would mean a change to customer contracts, and we’ll always consult with you before doing this.
11. Will my neighbourhood manager/scheme manager change?
No, this will not change because of the merger. However, your Neighbourhood Officer or Scheme Manager may change due to normal staff turnover or after reviewing areas being managed.
12. Will it be easier for me to move now?
Both Melin and Newport City Homes allocate homes through the Home Options Common Housing Register. This will continue post-merger.
The merger will increase the number of homes we can build, which may help ease the pressure on existing housing waiting lists.
About Hedyn
1. What does Hedyn mean?
Hedyn is Welsh for seed. It symbolizes growth, new beginnings, and the potential for positive change. By connecting people across five local authority areas in Wales, Hedyn is committed to building communities where everyone can thrive.
2. How did you choose the name Hedyn for the new organisation?
We spent a lot of time talking to our customers, residents, partners and colleagues to find out what’s important to you, what you expect from the new organisation, and how we can meet that need.
We engaged with over 900 people, through workshops, testing and stakeholder interviews, as well as key input from our Joint Customer Panel. We used this extensive research and insight, with the support of brand experts at Cowshed, to develop our new name and brand.
At Hedyn, we’re not just providing housing; we’re planting the seeds for a future where everyone can grow, succeed, and live well.
3. When will Newport City Homes and Melin become Hedyn?
Melin and Newport City Homes became Hedyn on Tuesday 1 April 2025.
We’ll keep you up to date with progress after we merge, too. We’ll use our social media channels – Facebook, X, and Instagram – to share information with you. You can also hold us accountable using Our Promise to You. These are our commitments to you, so you can put your trust in us as Hedyn to deliver the services you want and need.
General merger questions
1. Why are you merging?
We want to deliver the best services for our customers. We want to improve repairs and maintenance funding, so we can help you look after your homes. We also want to help your communities flourish.
Over the last few years, housing associations in Wales have felt the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Inflation has increased material prices and the cost of services. As a result, we risk having fewer resources to meet resident and community needs.
Together, we can attract better funding for vital services, combine our resources, and respond to the needs of our customers and communities.
2. What are the benefits for me?
Merging two individually strong organisations gives us better opportunities to access a variety of funding grants. In turn, we will be able to invest in the maintenance of existing homes, regenerate more community spaces, and build more new homes. There will be potential to fund new support services, giving you the right support, at the right time, and in the right way.
3. What was Melin?
Melin was a housing association created from a merger of Eastern Valley and Gwerin Housing in 2007. It operated across five local authority areas; Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Powys. It had around 4000 homes. It is now part of Hedyn.
4. What was the merger process?
We started merger discussions in November 2023. We took time to understand the differences and similarities between each association. We planned how to listen to our residents and use this feedback to shape how we operate as Hedyn.
We worked with a branding agency to decide a new name and logo. We also drafted business plans for approval by our boards and lenders.
Resident voices were central in our merger process, and it was crucial to hear your opinion before reaching a final decision. Throughout 2024, we engaged with residents through events, surveys, and resident panels. We listened to what was important for you in the new organisation, from the services we give you to what happens in your homes and communities.
5. How can I give you my feedback on the new organisation and the services you deliver?
Although we’re becoming Hedyn in April 2025, we’re always listening to our residents. If you have any feedback or would like to influence how we deliver our services, please get in touch with us. You can:
- Call us on 0300 1212 345
- Email us at hello@hedyn.wales
- You can also message us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
6. How do we know that you’ll do what you say you will do?
We’re held accountable by our customer panel – ‘Buzz’, formerly known as the Joint Customer Panel (JCP). They make sure that we’re delivering on our promises and continue to be part of our decision-making processes for Hedyn.
7. What is Our Promise to You?
Our Promise to You is a collection of commitments that explain how we’ll deliver our services as Hedyn and is co-created with you – our residents.
In 2024, we hosted engagement events across our operating areas and offered surveys to all residents. These events and surveys gave us the chance to understand what was most important to you and we’ve based these promises on your priorities. They’ll guide our decision making and service delivery as Hedyn.