Repairs and maintenance
IMPORTANT UPDATE ABOUT YOUR REPAIRS SERVICE
We’re extremely busy dealing with customer queries at the moment and, as a result, it may take us longer than usual to get back to you.
We’ll continue to keep you updated when we can, however, we may not be able to meet the timescales set out in our service standards.
We thank you for your continued patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Updated: 03 April 2024
Repairs contractors
The following contractors deliver our voids and repairs service across our three geographic regions – the east, south and west:
- Morgan Sindall Property Services – east region
- Fortem Solutions – south region
- Ian Williams Limited – west region.
Find out which region you live in and which contractor delivers your repairs service.
We’ve appointed six additional repair and maintenance contractors to help us complete the amount of outstanding repairs we have more quickly.
Although we’ve worked incredibly hard with our three main repair contractors to improve the service our customers receive, we’ve continued to face significant challenges as we try to turn things around as quickly as possible.
For more information on the additional contractors, please click here.
Repair priorities
Emergency (we’ll fix or make safe within 24 hours)
This is when your health, safety or security is at risk, or the structure of your home could be harmed. Examples include an insecure door or ground floor window and substantial leaks that cannot be isolated or contained. A further routine or urgent repair appointment may be needed to complete any necessary repairs required after your property has been made safe.
Urgent (completed within seven calendar days)
Urgent repairs are where the repair isn’t an immediate risk but needs to be completed as a priority. Examples of urgent repairs include partial loss of electricity and lighting, a tap that cannot be turned on or off, and rodent infestations inside properties and internal communal areas owned by Longhurst Group.
Routine (completed within 28 calendar days)
Issues that don’t put your health, safety or security at risk or cause harm to the structure of your property. Most repairs fall under this category, including repairs to kitchen units, bathrooms, general electrical repairs, plumbing and containable leaks.
There may be instances, due to the complexity of the work or when new parts need to be ordered or made, that mean the repair can’t be completed within the above timescales. If this happens, you’ll always be kept informed.
Heating repairs and servicing
Aaron Services delivers our heating repairs and servicing as well as new heating installations and electrical testing.
Heating repairs priorities
Emergency
Attended to and made safe within 24 hours.
This covers any fault that endangers the health and safety of customers and/or those living nearby. This can include gas leaks, carbon monoxide and/or smoke detector activation, electrical fittings or installations coming
in contact with water, defects that could cause a fire, burst pipes and tanks, water penetration or failure of heating and/or hot water systems where it's the only source of heating/hot water in the property.
Urgent
Completed within 72 hours
This covers issues such as water leaks where damage is not apparent, overflowing cisterns or water-filled expansion tanks, failure of heating systems and/or hot water systems where it is not the only source of heating/hot water in the property and partial heating loss.
Routine
Completed with 14 calendar days at a convenient time for the customer.
This covers all work of a non-emergency or urgent nature, planned works and all other works.
Appointments will offered in either morning or afternoon (AM/PM) slots.
Grounds maintenance service
During the spring/summer season (March to October), your Grounds Maintenance contractors will be on site on 18 occasions. In the winter season (November to February), operatives will make four visits.
Read a full run-down of what you can expect from our Grounds Maintenance service
Our service standards
We’ll maintain your home to a good standard and aim to provide a quality repair service. Our partner contractors have agreed to these promises and will carry these out on our behalf.
Read more in our Customer Charter
Did you know?
It's your responsibility to carry out some of the repairs that may be needed in your home, and not all repairs are our responsibility. Below, you'll find all the information you need to know before you report a repair.
For more information, please get in touch
To report repair, please call 0800 111 4013 and select option one, followed by option two and then:
- Option one for emergency repairs
- Option two for all other repairs.
We class an emergency as an immediate risk to your safety, security or health.
Calling us
It’s our aim to answer your call as soon as we can. We understand that waiting in a queue can be frustrating, but we’re working hard to answer your call as quickly as possible.
*We’ve now introduced a queue number information system which’ll keep you updated on how your call is moving through the queue.
If your call hasn’t been answered within 30 seconds, we’ll let you know where you are in the queue. We’ll then update you every 60 seconds as you move up the queue until your call is answered.
Please continue to hold. We’ve increased the number of call handlers working in our Contact Centre, so you can move through the queue quite quickly.
*Please note, the queue system is not in place for calls to our heating repairs contractor, Aaron Services.
We’d also recommend calling outside of the busiest times, which are 8.30am to 5pm on Monday, and 8.30am to 11am and during lunchtime (12pm to 1pm) on weekdays.
Please note, if you’re reporting a repair outside of our office hours (9am–5pm), the option sequence will be different. Please listen to the full message before selecting the appropriate option.
If you have an existing appointment and the issue is resolved before we attend or the agreed date is no longer convenient, please contact us as soon as possible so we can reschedule our contractors to help other customers.
Unfortunately, things can go wrong in your home.
Sometimes, the solution is a fairly routine repair which, with some guidance, you can complete yourself.
One of our repairs contractors, Morgan Sindall, has created a series of ‘how to’ videos to help you carry out such routine repairs.
Each year, we invest millions of pounds in our major improvement programmes to ensure we provide safe, comfortable homes with modern facilities.
Internally, this includes heating systems, kitchens, bathrooms, fire doors and communal decoration. External work includes doors, windows and replacement roof coverings.
We aim to carry out a stock condition survey at each of our properties every five years, to help us decide which major improvement works are a priority. This ensures that homes in greatest need of improvement are addressed first.
When your home is due for any improvement works, we'll let you know what work we are planning and when this will happen.
Click here to find out our promises to you - please read our Customer Charter.
If you suspect a gas leak please contact the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
We'll:
- Complete an annual service and safety check to all gas, solid fuel and renewable energy appliances.
- Provide you with a copy of the annual heating service record for your property, within 28 days.
- Check communal smoke alarms regularly.
- Carry out an inspection of electrical installations every five years.
- Check and maintain all lifts owned by us.
- Service and check all communal fire alarm equipment, emergency lighting and door entry systems every year.
- Carry out water hygiene testing, where required.
- Carry out any other safety checks as required.
Please click here to read our Customer Charter - the charter covers the service standards you can expect as one of our customers.
We’ve teamed up with our heating servicing, repairs and installations contractor Aaron Services to provide some quick fixes that you can try if you find that you’ve got no heating or hot water.
If you or a family member are experiencing difficulties in maintaining your independence, we may be able to help by adapting your home.
We can help you live more comfortably and safely with minor adaptations such as the installation of grab rails and handrails or lever taps on sinks.
Typically, we're not able to fund major adaptations such as stair lifts, over bath showers, level access showers or structural alterations such as the widening of doors or installation of ramps.
You should be able to apply for a Disability Facility Grant (DFG) from your local council. How much you can receive depends on your income and savings, so you may have to pay towards the cost.
Although we cannot make a grant application for you, we may be able to help you with advice on aspects such as agreeing the plans and specifications.
If your home is unsuitable for adaptations, we may still be able to assist by helping you move to a more suitable property.
Find out more
To find out more, please call us on 0800 111 4013 (press option 3 for Customer Services) or visit our Contact Us page to get in touch online.
Please note that due to the number of sites we maintain, the frequency of visits on each site will vary from weekly, to four times per year.
Included on each visit:
- Vacuum all carpets where fitted
- Sweep hard flooring and damp mop with sanitiser
- Clean stairs including risers
- Wipe passenger lifts
- Handrails and banisters will be dusted
- Light switches will be cleaned
- All door frames, internal door glazing, doors, ledges and skirting boards will be wiped down
- All cobwebs will be removed
- Where loose fitting entrance mats are fitted, they'll be removed and the mat wells cleaned
- Ashtrays will be emptied (where provided).
Windows
Wipe down all outside window frames and sills. (Usually four times per year)
Bin stores
Communal bin stores will be cleaned and all bin rooms will be pressure washed and sanitised every six months.
Please note – During spells of cold weather and when no heating is available in communal areas, no wet mopping will take place due to the risk of water not drying and creating a slip hazard.
What ISN'T included?
- Internal window cleaning in communal areas
- Removal of hazardous bodily fluids, including blood, will not be cleared as part of normal cleaning. When this is required, a specialist team will be used.
You may want to make improvements to your home yourself. It's likely that you'll need our permission to do this.
Major alterations to your home won't be accepted.
Please don't start any work on your home until you have our written approval.
Please complete the alterations permission form to make a request.
By following our guidance you can limit the amount of condensation – and reduce the effects of mould in your home - all year round.
Advice and guidance on how to deal with condensation related mould in your home can be found here.
We let all of our homes to our lettable standard and will expect your home to be in the same standard when you leave it.
We'll recharge you for any repairs needed as a result of damage, alterations or neglect which are required to bring the property back up to the lettable standard.
For more information, please contact us.
When appropriate, we'll replace your existing central heating system with a new air source heat pump system which‘ll provide both heating and hot water for your home.
All the information you need on your air source heat pump heating system.
As part of our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the homes we build, we’re installing ground source heat pumps at several of our new developments - click here to find out more.
We’re committed to ensuring the homes we provide are maintained to a suitable standard.
As part of our continued drive to improve the quality of our properties, we need to carry out quick and simple surveys of your home every few years.
Click here for all the information you need on stock conditions surveys.