Repairs - Our Service Standards

Our 'Repairs - Our Service Standards' leaflet sets out what you can expect from our repairs service.  It tells you about our service standards and how you can help us to deliver the service promised.

You can download the leaflet (pdf file 143k) or view the text from the leaflet below.

Our promise to you

• Reporting your repairs
• Prioritising your repairs
• Carrying out your repairs

Your responsibilities

Are we meeting our service standards?

Our promise to you

• We will provide information on the repairs service:
  • in your tenants handbook
  • on our website at www.rbhousing.org.uk.
  • in your repairs reference manual which is a simple to follow guide to help you correctly identify faults so that you can report repairs accurately. 
  • From your housing officer or at any local housing office or council customer service centre

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Reporting your repairs

•  We will offer a range of ways to report repairs to make it convenient for you to contact us:
  • on-line
  • by phoning the Repairs Call Centre on 0845 076 3636 at any time.
  • by phoning the Repairs Call Centre on the freephone available in your local housing office.
  • by e-mail
  • by contacting your local housing office

 

• If we need access to your home we will offer you an appointment for all priority 2 and 3 repairs and for repairs that need to be inspected before they can be carried out.  Appointments will be for either morning or afternoon on a specified date.

• We will tell you what priority category your repair falls into and the target date for completion.

• We will send you a written confirmation for priority 2, 3 and 4 repairs that will also confirm any appointment details. 

• If a repair is needed because you have neglected your home, deliberately damaged it, or due to criminal damage where you have not obtained a crime reference number from the police, we will charge you for the cost of the repair.  We will let you know if we are going to charge you for the work and explain the reason why.  We will ask you to sign to say that you agree to pay for the repair before it is carried out.

• If you call out the emergency out of hours service and the repair is not an emergency or access is not available we will charge you a minimum fee of £30.

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Prioritising your repairs

• We give all repairs reported to us one of the following priorities:

Priority 0

These are emergency repairs reported outside normal office hours to avoid serious health and safety problems or prevent serious structural damage to your home.  This service is to make your home safe.  Occasionally we may be able to carry out a full repair, but where this is not possible the follow-up repair will be re-prioritised once the emergency has been dealt with. Priority 0 repairs include:

• Complete loss of power
• Uncontrollable burst pipes

Priority 1

These are emergency repairs, which we will respond to within 1 working day of them being reported.  Priority 1 repairs include:

• Partial loss of power or lighting
• Total loss of heating
• Leaking roof or plumbing leading to severe water penetration
• No hot water
• Boarding up broken windows
• Lock changes

Priority 2

These are urgent repairs.  We will carry out these repairs within 5 working days.  Priority 2 repairs include:

• Non-emergency electrical repairs
• Minor leaks
• Reglazing (single glazed units only)

Priority 3

These are non-urgent repairs.  We will carry out these repairs within 20 working days.  Priority 3 repairs include:

• Replacing kitchen units
• Reglazing (double glazed units only)

Priority 4

These are non-urgent repairs of a larger nature.  We aim to batch this type of work together and complete it within 60 working days.  Priority 4 repairs include:

• Guttering repairs

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Carrying out your repairs

• The right to repair applies to certain small, urgent repairs. If we do not carry out such a repair on time you can ask us to instruct a second contractor, who must complete the repairs within a second agreed period. If the second contractor fails to carry out the repair on time we will pay compensation.  You will be notified if yours is a ‘right to repair’ repair when you report it.

• We aim to keep all the appointments we make.

• If you are not at home when we call to complete the repair we will leave a card advising you to contact us to rearrange the appointment.  We will cancel the repair if you do not contact us within 2 working days.

• We will ensure that operatives are easily identifiable through their uniform, vehicles and their identification badge, which they will show you on arrival at your home.

• We will carry out an annual check of gas appliances and smoke alarms to ensure they are working efficiently and safely.  We will let you know when we are going to call and you will be given a safety certificate on completion of the servicing.

• We will take care of your property and possessions and protect them from damage, dust, paint etc.

• We will keep your home secure at all times whilst working there.

• We will keep safe all materials and equipment used on site and avoid danger to you and your visitors.

• We will reconnect and test all services such as water, gas and electricity as soon as possible and wherever practicable at the end of the working day.

• If required, we will provide portable heaters if your central heating breaks down and it cannot be repaired the same day.

• We will clear any repair rubbish from inside your home as soon as possible and in any case at the end of each working day.

• We will remove any repair rubbish and debris from outside your home within 1 working day.

• We will carry out inspections on 10% of all completed repairs to make sure the work has been done properly.

• We will assess customer satisfaction with the repairs service by mailing out a survey to 20% of tenants who have had works completed each week.  We will also carry out a telephone survey of tenants who have had works completed each week.

• We will leave a customer satisfaction card at your home when we carry out a gas service.

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Your responsibilities:

• You should report any repairs or faults as soon as possible.  When you report a repair it will help us if you:
  • Tell us what the problem is (Your repair reference manual will help you to correctly identify what the problem is)
  • Give us a number where we can contact you.

 

• You should keep any appointment you have made.

• You should provide access to your home for us to carry out annual safety checks and all necessary repairs.  If you fail to do so it could result in us taking legal action to gain access and you may have to pay legal costs.

• If any damage is caused whilst work is being done in your home you must let us know immediately.

• You are responsible for repairing your own appliances such as cookers.

• You are responsible for replacing light bulbs and fuses.

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Are we meeting the service standards set out above?

If you think we haven't delivered our repairs service to you in accordance with the service standards set out above please    e-mail us to let us know where we are going wrong and how you think we can improve our service.

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