Housing - repairs to council property

Responsive repairs

Responsive repairs are best reported to our dedicated Repairs Team on freephone 0800 027 5888.  If you do not want to call there are alternative ways to contact us.

The repairs team will ask you for details of the repair and in most instances the Repairs Team will then offer you the first available appointment to have your repair carried out.

Appointments can be either in the morning between 8am - 12pm or in the afternoon between 12pm - 4pm, Monday to Friday.  Once your repair is complete, you can tell us "How Did We Do?" by completing a short questionnaire.

You can change your appointment at any time if your appointment date is no longer suitable by calling the Repairs Team.

In some cases, where the repair is:-  

  • a health and safety risk or
  • likely to cause deterioration to the building or
  • likely to develop into a health and safety risk

Housing Services will respond to this as an emergency repair.  Our emergency target times are either 4 hours or 24 hours, depending on the repair.  For both these categories we will attend to the emergency repair to make safe.  These repairs often require follow-up appointments to complete the repair.

If it is more convenient for you to make an appointment rather than wait in for up to 24 hours, our team will be happy to arrange this with you.

Information about our responsibilities and your rights with regards to the timescale of repairs are here in this leaflet called Right to Repair.

Your Questions

How long will I have to wait for a housing repair?

How long it will be before your repair is carried out depends on the nature of the requested repair.   If your repair is routine then you normally would be offered an appointment within 5 working days.  If the repair involves external works, shared costs or where specialist materials are required the repair will be completed within either 20 or 90 working days.  You will be told by a Customer Advisor when you make the initial call, what the priority and target date is.

What happens if I miss an appointment to carry out a repair at my house?

A card will be left asking you to make another appointment by calling our dedicated repairs team on 0800 027 588.

What are tenants' responsibilities regarding minor repairs?

Tenants are responsible for minor repairs within their home. You must: keep your house in a reasonable state of decoration, heat and ventilate when required, maintain any garden areas. Other responsibilities include: latches and keys to doors, internal doors, smoke detector batteries and light bulbs, floor coverings, bleeding of radiators, repair of minor cracks in plasterwork, maintenance and repair of your own fittings and appliances.

What is a rechargeable repair?

A rechargeable repair is where a property requires repair as the result of damage or negligence.  There repairs will be payable by you if the damage is caused knowingly or unknowingly.  We will never carry out a rechargeable repair before informing you of the estimated costs first.

Do I have to pay rent if I have outstanding repairs?

Yes, it's a condition of your tenancy that you pay rent.  If you have a query with regards to your repair please contact us and we will inform you of our progress to complete the work.  If you decide that you wish to with-hold rent because of outstanding repairs, it's important that you write to the Head of Housing to inform them of this.