Changes to your housing repairs service
Try our new webchat to report your repair
You can now report emergency and essential repairs through webchat. Our new repairs webchat is quick and convenient, saving you time when booking a repair.
You'll be connected to someone in the repairs team and you'll be able to share photos of your repair and get instant responses.
Get advice and guidance in real time, using instant messaging, click on the blue box to start your webchat report. You can contact the Repairs customer service team between 9am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Try webchat for:
- general repairs enquiries
- raise a new repair request or enquire about an existing appointment or order
- help if you're struggling to find something about housing repairs on our website
New priorities – types and timings of repair
The Council will continue to carry out emergency and essential repairs inside tenants’ homes and repairs to communal areas will continue if it is safe to do so during the current lockdown.
We are introducing a clear system of priorities for types of repairs. This will ensure you know how long you can expect to wait for every repair you report and help manage repairs better.
The new priorities and timescales are set out below.
Priority | Description | Timeline |
Emergency | When there is an immediate threat to your (or other residents’) health, safety, security or to your home. Sometimes a temporary repair will be carried out to make the home safe and secure, with the full repair completed later. Examples include making a window or your front door safe and secure after damage, or stopping a serious leak in your home. | 6 hours to 24 hours |
Essential | When the problem is 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. | 20 working days |
Routine | Problems that need fixing but aren’t causing serious discomfort or inconvenience and are not likely to lead to further damage. Examples include repairing a minor plumbing repair like a dripping tap. | To be agreed with tenant |
Longer term | This would include work that is non-urgent where specific parts or works are needed. Examples include new UPVC windows and doors, bespoke joinery or ironware. | To be agreed with tenant |
Staying safe and well
When you call to request a repair, our repairs customer service staff will ask if you or anyone you live with has COVID-19 symptoms (high temperature, a new continuous dry cough, or a loss or change to your sense of taste or smell) or has had them in the last 14 days. They will also ask if anyone in your household is shielding. The information you give us will stay on record for 60 days from the date that you call us.
Repairs staff or our contractors will only attend a home where a tenant is self-isolating or shielding in an emergency. Any repairs officer who comes to your home will be following strict guidance from the Government and our public health team to keep you and them safe, and to prevent the spread of Covid-19.