How quickly do you carry out repairs?
We aim to complete a first fix on all repairs wherever possible.
We aim to make all emergency repairs safe within 4 hours and to fix them within 24 hours. However, this may not be possible if it’s a weekend or, for example, we need to order parts. We’ll let you know how quickly we should be able to fix the repair when we first visit.
Emergency repairs include, but aren’t limited to:
- Toilet that’s blocked or otherwise not working properly, if it’s the only toilet in your home and you’ve been unable to clear the blockage
- Total loss of heating or hot water between 1st October and 1st April
- Water leak that can’t be stopped or contained
- Any damage that makes your home insecure
- Total loss of power
- Dangerous electrics
When you call to report an emergency repair we’ll be able to tell you whether it’s something we class as an emergency. If you tell us a repair is an emergency and when we arrive we find that it isn’t, we may charge you a call-out fee.
We will attend urgent repairs within 7 days unless there’s a fair reason why we need longer.
Urgent repairs include, but aren’t limited to:
- Leaks that you’re able to contain
- Total or partial loss of heating between 30th April and 1st November
- Partial loss of domestic hot water (which we’ll assess on a needs basis)
- Windows that are not secure but are not at ground level
- Front or rear doors that are difficult to operate but are secure
- Flickering lights
- Individual lights that have failed but where light is available from a lamp or another room
- Doors and windows that are letting in large draughts
- Blocked toilets, sinks or baths that are not the only one of their type in the property
We will attend non-emergency and routine repairs within 28 days unless there’s a fair reason why we need longer.
If we need to inspect the fault before we can carry out the repair, we’ll make an appointment to do this when you first report the repair.
The contractor who will be carrying out the repair will contact you to arrange an appointment and keep you updated on the progress of the repair.
What if a repair is not done on time?
We will always aim to complete repairs with the time limit we specify.
If an engineer or contractor doesn’t visit your home within the response time or keep to an appointment, please let us know immediately.
Under the Right to Repair regulations, you have a right to have certain repairs (which could affect your health and safety) completed within set time limits. If you’d like more information on these regulations, please contact us.
Do you replace damaged windows and doors?
If anyone in your home damages internal doors, external doors or windows, however the damage occurs, we expect you to arrange and pay for a repair or replacement. You can ask us to carry out the work and we’ll recharge the cost to you.
If the damage is caused by criminal activity such as a break-in or vandalism, we’ll make your home safe and carry out any repairs. We won’t charge you for this if you can give us a police crime reference number (not an incident number). If you can’t give us this number, we’ll recharge the cost to you.
What are gas safety checks?
By law, we must carry out a gas safety check at each of our properties once a year.
The check is to:
- Service gas fires, boilers and water heaters
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Inspect the front door of a flat if it leads to the communal escape route of the building
You must allow our engineers into your home to do this. If you don’t, you are putting the lives of you, your family, and your neighbours at risk.
When we carry out your gas safety check you must have credit on your meter. If you don’t, we can’t service the fire, boiler or water heater and will have to turn off your gas supply.
All gas safety checks are carried out between 8am and 5pm. We’ll give you at least one week’s notice of your appointment. If the date or time isn’t convenient for you, please let us know as soon as possible so we can rearrange it.
If you miss the first scheduled appointment, the engineer will leave a card with a new one. If you can’t make this appointment either, you must phone and rearrange it immediately. If you fail to keep the second appointment, the engineer will leave another card and place a warning label across your front door. If you don’t contact us, we’ll start legal action to gain access into your home.
If we smell gas or are concerned for your welfare, we reserve the right to force entry into your home to take emergency action. This is to protect you and your neighbours as faulty gas appliances can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or explode.
We may charge you for the cost of taking legal action, coming out to your home, forcing entry and doing repairs. If you keep refusing us entry, you may lose your home.
How often do you service communal electrics?
We inspect emergency communal lighting, communal door entry systems and access control systems regularly. Communal electric wiring and supplies are tested and inspected every five years as recommended by BS 7671 electrical wiring regulations.
If you see any lights flickering or not working as they should, or the communal doors aren’t locking correctly, please report this to us immediately.