How quickly will you deal with my repair?

Depending on how urgent the repair is we aim to make an appointment with you to carry out repairs at a time that is acceptable to you. This may mean the appointment you asked for falls outside our target times.

Repair response time

RESPONSE CATEGORIES	TYPE	RESPONSE TIME
Immediate response	Priority 0	Within 4 hours
Emergency	Priority 1	Within 24 hours
Urgent	Priority 2	Within five working days
Routine	Priority 3	Within 20 working days
Planned	Priority 4	Within 40 working days

NOTE: We may deal more urgently with some repairs for vulnerable residents. Please contact us for more information.

NOTE: We will make every effort to deal with your repair within the timescales shown above. Please note that we will need to carry out initial inspections and extra work for some repairs.

Some repairs require an immediate response. We will deal with your repair within 4 hours if your repair is assessed as needing immediate action. Immediate response repairs include:

 

Electricity

If your electricity, fails we will repair the fault, unless there is a failure in the electricity-company supply or a pay meter has run out. If there has been flooding through the electrics, we will make this safe.

 

Electricity failure

If you think you have an electrical failure or water is leaking onto electrical fittings in your home:

• do not touch bare wires, or sockets or switches;
• turn the power off at the mains; and only if it is safe to do s
• call us on 0800 9170839 (Freephone) or 020 8996 4200.

 

Plumbing

If there is no water to the property, we will restore the supply, if the fault is our responsibility and we will deliver 1x 5ltr bottle of water, per property, per day), but not if it is the water company’s responsibility.

 

Flooding

We will deal with flooding if it cannot be contained and there is a chance that it will damage the building or electricity, or leak to a lower floor. If the flooding is your fault, we will charge you our costs of dealing with this.

 

Water leaks

If you have a water leak in your home:

• turn off the water at the main stopcock and call us on 0800 9170839 (Freephone) or 020 8996 4200.

 

Faulty Lift

If somebody is trapped in a lift our contractor will attend within 1 hour. A Breakdown will be attended in 4 hours.

 

Blocked toilet

If you do not have another toilet in the property, we will clear this. If you do have another toilet, we will treat this repair as urgent.

 

Doors and windows

If there has been a fire or someone has tried to break in, we will make the property safe. In the case of a break in we will need a crime reference number for insurance.

 

Being locked out

If you are locked out, we expect you to make your own arrangement with a locksmith. Will only treat this as an immediate response if you are elderly or have a disability, but we will recharge you the costs.

You cannot get into the property because of a faulty lock

We will only deal with this as an immediate response if you cannot get into the property because of a faulty lock. If you are locked out because you have lost your key, it is your responsibility and you should contact a private locksmith.

Emergency repairs include anything that is a risk to someone’s health, safety, security or something that affects the structure of the building.

 

Partial lighting or power failure

We will deal with problems with the lighting inside your home, but we will not deal with fluorescent lights that are flickering or problems caused by the bulb being faulty.

Shared lighting is only an emergency if the lack of lighting is dangerous. We will make safe any exposed wires.

We will attend full and partial power failures due to fuse board issues, but you must check your RCD/trip switch on the fuse board and that you have money on the meter. If you have a faulty appliance causing RCD tripping you may liable for a call out charge.

 

Plumbing

We will repair an uncontained leak or is a high-pressure leak. If a leak can be contained with a bucket it does not constitute an emergency repair. We will also deal with leaks to lower floors. If the leak is your fault, we will charge you our costs for dealing with this.

 

Sewage and manholes

We will deal with sewage leaks, internal back surges (when your toilet is blocked and overflowing) and dangerous manhole covers.

 

Leaking toilet

We will repair major leaks under priority 1 if it cannot be contained. If the leak can be contained, we will deal with this as an urgent repair.

 

Toilet is not flushing

We will only deal with this as an emergency if you are elderly or disabled or you do not have another toilet in the property. Otherwise it is an urgent repair.

 

Heating or a faulty gas fire

If you do not have heating or your gas fire is faulty, we will only treat this as an emergency if:

• you or another occupier in your home has a vulnerability which would be significantly affected by being without these facilities for a short period.
• it is affecting someone’s health or safety.
• If a heating repair is an emergency and the contractor cannot provide heating for your home, they must offer you another form of heating.
• during times of particularly high demand we will prioritise residents with household members over the age of 75 or under the age of 2, as well as those with medical conditions exacerbated by a lack of access to heating.

 

Faulty smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms

Defective smoke or carbon monoxide alarm we will treat it as an emergency.

When the repair is a nuisance to you or other residents and is likely to lead to further damage if it isn’t fixed. Sometimes a further visit is required to complete the repair if special parts are needed. Examples include restoring partial loss of power, such as to sockets.

 

Plumbing

This includes minor leaks, flooding from taps, faulty cisterns or overflows and fixing a toilet that will not flush.

 

Heating and hot water

If you do not have heating or hot water, such as central heating, gas fire, immersion heater or electric storage heaters, we will treat this as an urgent repair. This applies during the winter and summer months.

Other types of repair which we treat as urgent:

• Blocked drains exterior to your property. However, if it is inside your home it is your responsibility
• Roof leaks which are causing damage, or we have assessed as a health and safety issue
• Faulty shared television aerials (where there is a service charge)
• Faulty stair treads, flooring or paving (where we have assessed it as a health and safety issue)
• Front entry doors in flats and houses which are not safe and secure
• Fixing a door-entry system and replacing locks on shared doors
• Repairs to adaptations such as handrails and ramps
• Faulty electrical shower where you have no other wash facilities
• Faulty smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms which are mains powered
   

Damp and Mould

If you are suffering from damp and mould we will arrange a specialist inspection from a damp contractor that would be helpful.

These are repairs that we can wait a little longer to carry out as they will not cause you serious discomfort or inconvenience, and will not cause long-term damage to the property.

 

Plumbing

This includes repairing leaks and overflowing pipes, clearing blocked gutters and repairing rainwater hoods, and other similar repairs that do not put you or the property at risk.

 

Electrical

Repairing or renewing switches, sockets, bulb holders, extractor fans, doorbells and intercoms, and other similar repairs that do not put you or the property at risk.

 

Carpentry

This includes repairing kitchen units, easing or adjusting doors, fixing windows, repairing window handles, hand-rails, fencing and gates and other similar repairs.

 

Other types of repair we treat as routine include:

• repairing brickwork, slates or tiles;
• repairing or clearing blocked gutters and downpipes;
• repairing plasterwork;
• repairing stair treads or banisters;
• repairing or replacing bathroom and kitchen tiles;    
• easing and adjusting doors and windows; and
• other repairs to shared areas

This includes other types of repairs we have not already mentioned for example major roof replacement, asbestos removal etc.

Other examples include:

• fitting a new central-heating system or upgrading the current one;
• fitting a new kitchen and bathroom;
• installing or upgrading new electrical wiring;
• installing or upgrading thermal insulation;
• installing or upgrading soundproofing, where necessary; and
• carrying out energy-efficiency work.

 

Where possible, you will have a say in the choice of units and colours for your new kitchen or bathroom. Our contractors will visit you beforehand to plan the work with you. To be eligible for the work you must allow us into your home and must be up to date with your rent payments.