We strive to make homes in Camden safe, well-managed and well-maintained, and make sure that people’s homes meet their needs. Our commitment is to make homes:

• safe, warm and free from damp
• be accessible and flexible to meet people’s needs

We are carrying out emergency and essential repairs.  The following section has a full list of repairs types.

Request a non-urgent repair online

Request a repair by telephone on 0207 974 4444 option 3 then 1

Communal repairs

You can monitor the progress of a current or recent communal repair and sign up to be alerted by SMS when communal repairs are reported in or around your building.

Check a communal repair

Handy person service

The care and repair handyperson service carries out small home repairs for a small fee for those people who otherwise would struggle to get them done on their own.

The service can be accessed by any Camden resident who is over 65, or by those who are disabled or vulnerable.

Other useful links and contact numbers

• Nationalgrid or 0800 111 999
• Thames Water - to report a mains clean water leak
• Contact Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 If the leak is not clean water, for example, a sewer blockage or flooding
• UK Power Networks If you are experiencing a power cut
• London Fire Brigade for fire alarm installation contact local fire service on 0800 028 4428

Please fill our Customer Service Satisfaction survey

Report emergency repairs by telephone on 0207 974 4444 option 3 then 1

An emergency is where there is an immediate danger to people or property. Emergency repairs include:

• Suspected gas or carbon monoxide leak
• No gas supply
• No heating or hot water (during winter)
• Total loss of electrical power
• Sparking power sockets or electrical fittings
• Serious water leaks or burst pipes
• The only toilet at home is blocked
• Dirty water coming up through plug hole, toilet or any drains
• Fixing unsafe doors or windows 
• Making ceilings, boundary walls or roofing safe
• No drinking water
• Blocked rubbish chute
• Fixing stair lift
• Freeing anyone stuck in a lift

Essential work

Will be a risk to people or property if not addressed, examples are:

• Plastering, patch work after a serious leak / ceiling falling (excludes aesthetic damage)
• Ease and adjust doors/windows (i.e fire doors, vulnerable residents)
• Architraves on front or back doors
• Non-emergency surveys
• Extractor fan, if no other ventilation available
• Flush on toilet
• Leak that is containable until appointment time
• Blockages
• Cracked sockets
• Pressure – low running drinking water
• Partial loss of lighting to bathroom with no natural light only
• Window that cannot be locked and is on the ground floor, or any floor that has children
• Window jammed open
• Front doors and kitchen doors that are damaged
• Door closers
• Noisy / not working shower pump
• Re-glazing after make safe (with ref. number from police / payment)
• Immersion heater unless property has a boiler
• Bannisters, grab rails
• Roofing
• Legal disrepair work

Non-Essential work

Non essential work cannot be carried out within residents homes currently due to COVID-19 protocol. This is aimed at keeping both our residents and trade staff as safe as possible during this challenging time. Non-essential repairs include repairs inside your home, such as those that are required to make aesthetic improvements and repairs that are not a risk to you, your family or guest, or the building you live within in the short or long term future.

Examples include:

• Decoration
• Plastering – unless patchwork after severe leak
• No mould washing will be carried out - see process on the following section
• Bath panels
• Blown double glazed unit – if your glass is broken or cracked, please call us immediately
• Extractor fans, where your bathroom/kitchen already has an alternative method to ventilate, such as a window
• Skirting board
• Door architraves, unless this to your front or kitchen door which will need you to call us and specify please
• Dripping tap and minor repairs to taps such as replacement washers
• Pressure issues where your home has low running hot water
• Noisy pipes / water hammer, unless it is constant and through the night and this can be demonstrated from tradesperson arriving
• Partial loss lighting where there is no natural light to bathroom
• Windows that do not lock above ground floor, where the window can be shut securely and there are no children or vulnerable residents at risk in property
• Tiling, unless bath splash back top 2 tiles or within shower unit and contributing to on-going leak issues to the property or neighbouring homes
• Pest control
• Fencing, unless on public highway which would need to be called in immediately

Useful to know

• Blockages at home
• Think before you flush
• Do I have a leak?
• Understanding water pressure
• Need extra support during a power cut?

Don't pour grease, fat, oils or coffee grounds down any drain. 

Don't flush wet wipes, cotton buds, cigarette butts. 

Do bin it.

We are legally required to ensure that gas safety requirements are met.  Tenants are responsible for the maintenance for their own appliances such as cookers.  The Council is responsible for carrying out annual inspections on internal heating systems and a 5 year gas carcass test on communal heating systems.

I think I can smell gas

Report it on  0207 974 4444

Do not:

• turn any electrical switches on or off
• smoke or vape
• use any naked flames

Do:

• open doors and windows to vent the gas from the property
• turn off the gas supply at the Emergency Control Valve (usually next to the gas meter) if it is safe to do so.

If in doubt, it is safer to leave the property.

Find out about carbon monoxide poisoning and what to do if you think someone is suffering from it.

Further information videos

I think I can smell gas
Safety at home

Claim a heating rebate

This rebate applies only to Camden tenants who are on communal boilers,  not leaseholders.

Tenants can claim if they have had no heating, hot water or bulk gas  for more than 3 days. The maximum claim is for 6 months.  It takes approximately 20 working days for the request to be processed.

We are not responsible for any damage to or loss of fixtures and fittings including:

• furniture
• carpets
• clothing
• other household items such as the contents of  your fridge or freezer

This is usually the case even if it is linked to a repair that we are responsible for. Therefore we strongly recommend that you take out home contents insurance.  To help you, we run a home contents insurance scheme. 

Contact your ward housing team.

Please refer to the tenants' guide on page 90 for responsibilities in regards to Repairs.

Improvements

We are not responsible for any repairs that tenants do to a property and are classed as an improvement, for example additional electrical sockets, aerial sockets and mixer taps.  It would be your responsibility to maintain improvements and alterations.

Recharges

Rechargeable repairs are those that tenants are responsible for,  for example holes or other damage to internal doors, damage to kitchen units and worktops. 

You can pay the council to do the repair, do the repair yourself or pay someone else to do it.  

Here is a list of some of the re-chargeable services to tenants.

Camden is responsible for maintaining the structure of the building  leaseholders live in and for communal areas around the estate.  Any non-communal repair inside your home is your responsibility. 

Please refer to this guide on page 16 for a list of repairs responsibilities.

Camden's responsibilities

• Maintain, repair and renew the estate/building and provide services including a district heating system where relevant.
• Maintain the structure of dwellings including the roof, damp proof courses and window frames.  
• Maintain the common parts of buildings.  This may include a caretaking service where a leaseholder pays for this in their service charge

Leaseholder’s responsibilities

Maintain the property including:

• All fixtures and fittings within their property (kitchen cupboards, baths, sinks, showers, toilets, taps etc.)
• Glass in windows (including the putty or seal), front/back door and frame and window and door furniture such as handles and locks.  However note we are currently replacing leaseholders front doors for free when doing FRA works (30 min fire door set)
• Tanks and pipe work that relates solely to the property such as a leaking waste pipe, trap etc.
• Unblocking of toilets/wash hand basins/baths/kitchen sinks/waste pipes/traps inside in leaseholders property
• The heating system within their property if not connected to a communal heating/hot water system.
• Floors, stairs, ceilings, doors, woodwork, partitions inside the property.
• All internal decorations to their property.

Keeping your home free from damp and condensation leaflet is your first point of reference in dealing with damp and condensation in your property, please read it carefully and apply each step. 

Condensation tends to appear on cold surfaces and places where there is little or no movement in the air, for example in the corners of rooms near windows or behind cupboards and wardrobes.

Preventing condensation

• Mop and wipe up any condensation, everyday.
• Use the thermostat to control your heating – it will help you to heat your home more evenly, using low level heating all day, rather than quick blasts.
  This should also reduce your heating bills.
• Ventilate your home.
• Do not put wardrobes against colder external walls.
• Dry clothes outside or at a launderette – do not dry clothes on radiators.

Please fill our online Condensation survey after you have followed the guidance on the leaflet.   You can also download and print a paper version of the questionnaire at any of our Library branches for free.  This can then be sent back to us for the attention of the Case Management Team, 33-35 Jamestown Road, Ground Floor, NW1 7DB.  Alternatively you can use the internal post from any Camden library branch.

In this section we will share data relating to housing repairs service and improvements works.

As a borough we are constantly looking to improve how we use data and information.  Our aim is to be more open and transparent and use the information to make better decisions as well as offer a more personalised customer experience through all our channels. 

Access Camden's planned works and improvements data

Open Data Camden is the place for the public, researchers and developers to access, analyse and share information about the borough.

Repairs Customer Service 

Case management performance

Monthly telephony performance

*increase of 26% of calls compared to same time previous year