Responsive Repairs policy

The Safety and Quality Standard outlines what is expected from providers of social housing to make sure customers have good-quality homes and an affordable, responsive repairs service.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for setting these standards and stepping in if failing to meet them has caused, or could cause, serious harm to customers. The outcomes we are required to achieve are:

• Quality of accommodation – to reach at least the Decent Homes Standard, and keep homes maintained to this standard.
• Repairs and maintenance – to be cost effective, meeting customer needs, offering choice, and provide a responsive repairs service which is right first time. Meet all legal obligations regarding customer health and safety.

There are a number of statutory repair obligations as a landlord. The most important of these is section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, which states that the landlord shall keep in good repair:

• The structure and exterior of the dwelling.
  The installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity and sanitation.
• The installations for the supply of space heating and water heating.
• The communal areas and installations associated with the dwelling.
• The repair will vary depending on the age, character and prospective life of the property and its location.
• We have the right to view the condition and state of repair of the property by giving customers 24 hours’ notice.

If these repairs are not carried out, then a customer may be able to take legal action against us for disrepair.

Our responsive repairs service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and it is provided by an Internal Repairs Team, and external contractors.

Repairs can be reported by:

• Phone, during working hours to our Customer Contact Team.
• Outside of working hours, by phone to our out of hours service provider.
• To a visiting Amplius colleague.
• Online at www.amplius.co.uk
• By email
• For former Grand Union customers, through our customer portal, myGUHG.

When a repair is reported, we will:

• Make an appointment convenient to our customer (wherever there is an available appointment).
• Where an appointment can’t be made at this first point of contact, we will advise of customer of our timescales.
• Complete emergency repairs the same day wherever possible, otherwise within 24 hours of the emergency being reported.

Repairs fall into two categories – emergency or non-emergency. Emergency repairs are when health, safety or security are at risk, or the structure of the home may become harmed. The purpose is to make safe and reduce the risk of harm. A further routine or urgent repair appointment may be needed to complete any repairs required after the property has been made safe.

Our responsive repair categories are as follows:

• Emergency - Attend within 4 hours and complete within 24 hours.
• Emergency - Complete emergency repairs the same day wherever possible, otherwise within 24 hours.
• Urgent - To complete within 7 calendar days.
• Routine - To complete within 28 calendar days.
• Routine - To complete within 90 calendar days.

All operatives from our Internal Repairs Team and from external contractors will be professional, polite and treat customers with respect. Expected behaviours can be found in Appendix B.

Our customers should allow authorised Amplius colleagues or our contractors access to their home to inspect its condition, complete repairs, servicing or carry out improvements. Where possible, we will give at least 24 hours’ notice, but on occasion, we may need to be provided with access in an emergency. In this instance, we may need to force access if we believe there is a risk of personal injury or damage to the property or surrounding properties. We will always attempt to contact you in advance and keep you informed.

We understand that customers may want to make changes or improvements to their homes. We won’t refuse reasonable requests, but customers must get written permission first. We may set certain conditions, and if planning permission or approval for building regulations is needed, it must be obtained before starting the work. Once permission is given, the customer will be responsible for maintaining, repairing, and replacing the changes or improvements made.

We may refuse permission if there are breaches of tenancy. We will explain the breach and what is required to resolve the matter. A new application for permission must be made once the breach is resolved. If a customer has a ‘starter’ tenancy, we will not agree to alterations or improvements within the first 12 months of the tenancy.

Once an application is made under the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire, we will only carry out emergency repairs. This will ensure the property remains wind and watertight and is fit for habitation.

Amplius is responsible for the structure of the property, some services and common parts. Appendix C provides an overview of the items included and Appendix D provides more details.

Tenancy agreements provide obligations for the customer. Appendix E provides an overview of the obligations that Amplius can reasonably expect from their customers.

Customers are responsible for minor repairs to their property. The minor repairs expectation is also shown in Appendix E.

There may be occasions, such as a customer vulnerability, where Amplius will undertake a repair that would usually be the responsibility of the customer, or we may decide to escalate the priority of the repair. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

When a customer is not at home, and/or there is no access to complete the repair, we will try and contact the customer by phone to establish the circumstances. If we are unable to reach the customer, we will post a no access card through the letterbox. At this point, the job will be closed, and the customer will need to contact us in order to re-raise the works and agree a new appointment. This is unless it is a health and safety concern, and we will continue to attempt to contact the customer, and we may request assistance from other teams in Amplius to assist with this. We will consider the use of legal action to complete jobs in this category.

For additional information regarding damp and mould, in line with the requirements of Awaab’s Law, please refer to our Damp, Mould and Condensation Policy. This policy outlines our approach to identifying, managing, and resolving issues related to damp and mould to ensure the health and safety of our customers.

We will follow the Right to Repair rules in the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. This means we must complete certain minor repairs within a set time for eligible tenancies. If we don't meet these deadlines, the customer can hire another contractor to do the work and ask us to pay for it.

Normally, we will not carry out repairs that can be charged to the customer (rechargeable repairs).

However, in certain cases, such as when a customer is vulnerable or to prevent further harm or damage to the property, we may do the repairs. If this happens, we will inform the customer in advance that they may be charged for the work.

We may also charge the customer for a missed appointment, but only if we have followed the proper process for when access is not granted.

If a customer is the victim of criminal damage to their home (e.g. burglary, vandalism, victimisation, domestic violence), we will:

• Carry out emergency make safe repair work.
• Carry out repairs as a result of the crime.
• Provide support to the customer.
• Provide additional security to the customer where appropriate.

Amplius are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and we will ensure that they are integral to the repairs service we provide. We will achieve this by treating people fairly and taking into account individual customer needs.

Amplius recognises that, for various reasons, some of our customers and service users may be vulnerable. Policies therefore will take account of the recommendations made by the Housing Ombudsman and Regulatory recommendations on vulnerabilities. Amplius will take a proactive approach when making a decision relating to a customer or service user and where practicable, tailor and adapt our services to suit the needs of customers and support vulnerable people.

No variations of this policy are required.

• Rechargeable Repairs Procedure – Legacy GU.

Operatives will:

• Be polite, honest and helpful at all times.
• Introduce themselves when calling the customer by phone and show photo identification before entering a customer’s home.
• Park their van considerately.
• Be polite and always wear approved Amplius / other contractors PPE and uniform.
• Explain what work is going to be carried out and discuss with the customer how this might affect them.
• Take care of all customers’ belongings whilst working in their property, for example, protecting them from damage and dust.
• Make sure that materials and tools do not cause danger to anyone in the customer’s home.
• Make sure that when having to use customer’s electricity we ask first but wherever possible use portable battery tools. Where this is not possible the use of electricity must be kept to a minimum. This may also apply to other services such as gas and water.
• Keep mess and rubbish to a minimum, making sure it is all removed at the end of the working day or when the job has been completed.
• Make sure that electricity, water, and gas are connected at the end of each day wherever possible.
• Limit the use of their mobile phones.
• Not smoke or play radios whilst working in a customer’s home or garden.
• Not use a customer’s phone or toilet without asking for permission first.
• Not make or receive personal phone calls during their work, unless it is in relation to the job they are doing.
• Not enter a customer’s property with children under 18 without a responsible adult being present.
• Not accept gifts from customers.
• Not keep keys for customers’ homes.

Amplius is responsible for the structure, services, and common parts of the property.

Examples include:

• Drains, gutters and outside pipes.
• Roof
• External walls, doors and windows (excluding glass)
• Communal aerials, communal lighting, all fire-fighting, and fire detection equipment supplied by Amplius.
• The installations for supplying water, gas and electricity, and for disposing of sanitation and rubbish.
• The installations and appliances for heating the property and for hot water.
• Fixtures and fittings Amplius have installed.
• Pathways and steps which provide main access to the front and back door of the property.
• Garages and outside store places (excluding sheds)
• Lifts and other communal amenities
• Painting the outside woodwork and metal work of properties including shared areas
• Servicing of stair lifts, where installed by Amplius
• Boundary fences/hedges that border a public footpath or access route only.

Amplius is responsible for maintaining:

• The structure and outside of the home
• The fixtures and fittings we have provided
• Any communal areas. 

The customer is responsible for the repair if:

• They, their family or visitors cause the damage. 

To view the responsibility guidelines, please download the PDF version of this policy here.

Customers are expected to:

• Keep the property to a good standard of cleanliness, repair and decoration.
• Keep gardens in a reasonable condition.
• Report a repair as soon as they notice that it is needed, to avoid the situation getting worse.
• Allow access to the property to carry out repairs, annual safety checks, services and any inspections that may be necessary.
• Take action to prevent and control condensation. For example, opening windows to allow fresh air to circulate.
• Ensure external air bricks and internal vents are free from any obstructions to ensure suitable ventilation for gas appliances, solid fuel appliances and condensation issues.
• Take action to prevent pipes from freezing or bursting.
• Keep any shared areas e.g. communal hallways, stairways, landings, lifts, balconies etc. in a tidy condition and unblocked.
• Obtain Amplius’ permission prior to making any improvements to their home, or any additions or alterations to Amplius’ installations, fixtures and fittings. Reasonable requests will not be refused but customers must ensure that appropriately qualified people install their new fixtures and fittings. For example, they might want to replace or install a new gas cooker. A Gas Safe registered engineer must undertake this work, and the appropriate paperwork must be supplied to Amplius. Failure to do so will mean that Amplius will charge the customer for checking their new installation.
• Clear away rubbish.

Customers are expected to undertake minor repairs, such as:

• Replacing electrical fuses and light bulbs
• Care and provision of electricity, gas and water meters.
• Internal decorations
• Replacing batteries in smoke alarms
• Maintaining a garage, driveway or shed which has been constructed by them or previous customers.
• Clearing outside gullies e.g. clearing away leaves
• Replacing toilet seats, as well as plugs/chains to wash hand basins, sinks and baths.
• Replacement of any items damaged by the customer, member of their household or visitors
• Replacement of lost keys & key fobs
• Replacing clothes lines and posts (except in communal areas or part of an independent living scheme)
• Infestation issues i.e. rats, mice.
• Internal and external clearing of domestic pet foul from cats, dogs or other pets
• Items gifted to the customer at the start of their tenancy.
• Only burn smokeless solid fuels if the home has solid fuel heating.