Coronavirus Housing repairs update - more repair types to be carried out inside tenants' homes from Monday 15 June

As the Government has started to relax some of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions, we will start taking bookings for a wider range of repair requests from Monday 15 June on 020 7974 4444 option 3 then 1. You will be able to report more day to day repairs inside your home as well as emergency and communal repairs.

We expect to be busy working through the repairs we haven’t been able to do during lockdown. You may need to wait up to four weeks from reporting a repair to it being fixed but we will always aim to book you the earliest appointment and will contact you if an earlier slot becomes available. 

We aren’t taking any bookings for non-urgent repairs (for example cosmetic work, like plastering small cracks, painting walls or mould washing) so please don’t call to report them. We know this might be frustrating if you have been waiting for a while, but we are limiting home visits where possible for everyone’s safety. We will let you know when we start these repairs again.

Keeping you and our staff safe

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, on a case by case basis, following advice from our public health team. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

What you can report and when

To help our staff work through the backlog of reports, we will be opening types of repairs one by one. You can report your urgent repair from:

15 June – Plumbing and electrical repairs

Provisional dates (subject to change)

22 June – Carpentry, roofing, bricklaying and paving

6 July – Welding

13 July – Glazing and flooring

20 July – Essential plastering and tiling

Please only call when we are accepting your type of repair on 020 7974 4444 option 3 then 1. You can report an emergency or communal repair at any time.

Thank you for your patience. 

Although you might not see your usual caretaker on your estate as we move staff around to cover as necessary, we reassure you that essential services – cleaning, health and safety, reporting emergency repairs in communal areas and supporting our most vulnerable residents – will continue to be our priority across the borough. 

Our focus is on protecting our most vulnerable residents, and we will be providing extra cleaning in our sheltered schemes where people need it most. Your caretakers will keep estates safe and clean, but we are asking every resident and visitor to follow the Public Health England advice that everyone should wash their hands thoroughly when they get home to protect themselves and their families. Public Health England advise that you:

• wash your hands more often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitiser when you get home, when you blow your nose, sneeze or cough, eat or handle food
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid close contact with people who have symptoms
• cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in your home

Please help your caretakers to keep everyone safe and well by disposing of your rubbish properly, in tied up bags and in the right place.

Electrical meter reading service to restart

We will be resuming the electrical meter reading service from Monday 29 June 2020. Staff will follow social distancing guidelines to keep you and themselves safe. 

If you have any questions about meter readings, please call 0207 974 4444 (option 3 and then option 5) or email meterreading@camden.gov.uk  
 

Coronavirus advice for landlords

The government’s eviction ban put in place to protect private renters during COVID-19 has now ended. This means courts will be able to grant landlords permission to proceed with evictions.

For information on financial help and changes to our procedures, please read our COVID-19 landlord advice. 

Coronavirus advice for tenants

The government’s eviction ban put in place to protect private renters during COVID-19 has now ended. From 1 June your landlord or letting agent has legal powers to serve an eviction notice.

Your landlord cannot make you leave your home without giving you the appropriate notice. The notice period is usually four months, however sometimes this can be reduced to 2-4 weeks in serious cases.

Anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms or who is self-isolating will not be expected to leave their home through eviction.

If you rent in Camden and have received a notice or if you have been told by your landlord that you need to leave please know that help is available to you. This includes:

• support to prevent you from becoming homeless
• advice about your rights as a private renter
• talking to your landlord or letting agent on your behalf
• advice on the financial support available to you.

Please read our COVID-19 tenant advice or call us on 020 7974 5801 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) for more information.

Camden Council has been developing emergency services to ensure that homeless people and people rough sleeping receive the highest possible protection and support amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Camden already has one of the largest hostel pathways in the country, providing over 640 beds to some of the most vulnerable in our society. We are working with our local partners and with neighbouring councils and the Mayor to ensure that anyone rough sleeping or experiencing homelessness can access care, support and shelter during this time. 
Camden is currently: 

• Stepping in to ensure homeless people displaying coronavirus symptoms have access to a bed to self-isolate regardless of whether they qualify for Government support;
• Sourcing extra beds needed for self-isolation – this could mean going beyond beds in our hostels to commandeer spaces in hotels, student accommodation and hospitals; and
• Working with voluntary organisations to get meals to homeless people self-isolating in these beds.
• Action card for homeless settings (PDF)

If you’re worried about a rough sleeper you can use the Camden Safer Streets app or phone 020 7846 3535 to let us know and we will send officers to help.

To download the app or find out more about our work with rough sleepers please visit: camdenrts.co.uk