| Type of repair | Responsibility | How long will it take? | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boilers - solid fuel | |||
| Drain down back boiler to make safe | Us | 24 hours | Elderly, disabled, medical or young children only |
| Repair back boiler | Us | 5 days | Providing type of boiler is available (parts are often needed for boilers, if so, we will keep you informed) |
| Central heating | |||
| 1 October to 30 April | Us | 24 hours | Elderly, disabled, medical or young children only |
| 1 May to 30 September | Us | 5 days | |
| Partial failure Airlock in radiator |
Tenant | 5 days | Tenants responsibility |
| Chimneys | |||
| Make safe dangerous chimney | Us | 24 hours | Unless on imminent contract |
| Repair to chimney pot cowl or chimney stack | Us | 25 days | |
| Blocked flue | Us | 24 hours | |
| Chimney sweeping | Us Tenant |
Yearly 6 monthly |
|
| Repairs to flashings | Us | 25 days | |
| Re-bed and repoint joints to roof tiles | Us | 25 days | |
| Stairs and lifts | |||
| Stairs and lifts not working | Us | 24 hours | Disabled and young children |
| Repair banister rail | Us | 5 days | |
| Repairs to stair case | Us | 25 days | Treads loose - 24 hours |
| Walls | |||
| External walls make safe | Us | 24 hours | |
| External brickwork including pointing | Us | 25 days | |
| External rendering | Us | 25 days | |
| Internal plastering | Us | 25 days | |
| Windows | |||
| Broken glass | Us / tenant | 5 days | Glass replaced where police involved and incident number given. Alternatively we will board up and secure the property Providing window can be secured - if not then 24 hours |
| Broken glass in communal areas (where not an emergency) | Us | 5 days | |
| Secure window frame | Us | 24 hours | |
| Reputty window | Us | 25 days | |
| Repair where window cannot be opened or closed | Us | 5 days | |
| Window cannot be opened or closed on ground floor | Us | 24 hours | |
| Ease, oil and adjust | Us | 25 days | |
| Repair or replace window catches | Us | 25 days | |
| Fix new window frame sills | Us | 25 days | |
| Rain penetration | Us | 25 days | |
| Worktops | |||
| Worktops provided by us | Us | 25 days | Where due to fair wear and tear |
| Clothes lines / posts | |||
| Line | Tenant | ||
| Posts | Us | 25 days | Council will remove from site if requested |
| Communal clothes line and rotary driers | Us | 25 days | |
| Coal bunkers | |||
| Coal bunkers supplied by us | Us | 25 days | We supply bunkers when there is no outhouse |
| Condensation | |||
| Mould growth less than 25 per cent | Tenant | 25 days | We will advise on condensation prevention |
| Mould growth more than 25 per cent | Us | 25 days | Mould eradication kit supplied |
| Cookers | Tenant | Except at hostels | |
| Decoration | |||
| External / internal decorations after disruptive repairs | Us / tenant | 25 days | Tenant given re-decoration allowance |
| Internal decoration | Tenant | ||
| Internal decoration after contract work | Tenant | ||
| Doors | |||
| Make safe or secure external door | Us | 24 hours | |
| Gain access - keys lost etc. | Us / tenant | 24 hours | Lost keys are tenants' responsibility. Rechargeable. |
| Glazing to external doors | Us | 5 days | Glass replaced where the police are involved and incident number given - rechargeable |
| Repair or replace unusable locks to external doors | Us | 24 hours | |
| Useable but sticking lock | Us | 25 days | Alternatively, we will board up and secure the property within 24 hours |
| Repairs to internal doors, locks and handles | Us | 25 days | Excludes tenant damage |
| Kitchen cupboards | Us | 25 days | |
| Repairs to internal cupboard doors and catches | Us | 25 days | |
| Letter plates / numbers | Us | 25 days | |
| Door knockers and door bells | Tenant / us | 25 days | Door bells for sheltered accommodation - responsibility of us |
| Letter UPVC doors | Us | 25 days | |
| Drains | |||
| Blocked drains | Us | 24 hours | Council owned drains only |
| Electricity | |||
| No electricity at all | Us | 24 hours | |
| No lights at all | Us | 24 hours | |
| Lights and / or power to only part of property | Us | 24 hours | |
| Check electrics after water penetration | Us | 24 hours | |
| Dangerous or exposed wires | Us | 24 hours | |
| Repair or renew fuse box | Us | 24 hours | |
| All other internal electric work | Us | 25 days | |
| Fuse plugs on appliances | Tenant | No exceptions | |
| Communal hallway lighting and landing lights | Us | 5 days | Complete lighting failure - 24 hours |
| All bulbs / tubes | Tenant | Except communal areas | |
| Smoke detectors | Us | 24 hours | If due to battery failure we may recharge the tenant for the cost of the visit. |
| Smoke detector batteries | Tenant | Only in exceptional circumstances | |
| Carbon monoxide detectors | Us | 24 hours | |
| Fences / Gates | |||
| Repairs to fences and gates | Us | 25 days | Only to council installed fences |
| Gate catches and locks | Us | 25 days | |
| Fireplaces | |||
| Fire grates and other parts | Us | 25 days | Depends on type or part required |
| Tiled surround | Us | 25 days | |
| Tiles to surround | Us | 25 days | |
| Smoke problems | Us | 25 days | |
| Glass to solid fuel heater | Us | 5 days | Depends if the only source of heating is smoking and how long since chimney swept. |
| Floors | |||
| Floorboards | Us | 25 days (if dangerous, 24 hours) | Except where damaged by tenant or by tenants' contractor |
| Floor tiles | |||
| Quarry tiles | Us | 25 days | |
| Rescreed floor / concrete floor | Us | 25 days | Subject to severity and possible structural survey |
| Repair / replace skirting boards | Us | 25 days | |
| Garages | |||
| Garage door locks | Us | 5 days | |
| Keys to garage | Tenant | Lost keys - tenants responsibility | |
| Defective roofs | Us | 25 days | |
| Light in garage | Us | 25 days | Not bulbs |
| Repairs to garage doors | Us | 25 days | 24 hours if unable to get car out |
| Gas | |||
| Gas escapes | Us / tenant | 24 hours | Report immediately to Transco |
| Total failure to gas heating fitted and / or approved by us | Us | 24 hours | |
| Meters | Transco | ||
| Gas cookers, connection pipes and other tenant appliances | Tenant | No exceptions | |
| Gutters | |||
| Clear blocked gutter | Us | 25 days | |
| Replace broken gutter | Us | 25 days | |
| Remake leaking gutter joints | Us | 25 days | |
| Replace fascia board under gutter | Us | 25 days | Unless on imminent contract |
| Immersion heater | |||
| Only form of water heating | Us | 24 hours | |
| Repair / replace | |||
| If alternative water heating available - repair / replace | Us | 5 days | Unless tenant is elderly or has medical grounds |
| Outhouse / sheds | |||
| Lights in outhouse | Us | 25 days | Only brick / concrete structures |
| Other repairs to outhouse | Us | 25 days | Unless tenant is elderly or has medical grounds |
| Locks | Us | 25 days | As above |
| Lost keys | Tenant | Lost keys tenants responsibility - rechargeable if work undertaken by Us | |
| Glazing | Us / tenant | 25 days | Possible recharge |
| Paths / external steps | |||
| Repairs to paths | Us | 25 days | If representing a trip hazard - 5 days |
| Driveway and steps | Us | 25 days | |
| Replacement of paths | Us | Future contract | |
| Washing line path | Us | Future contract | |
| Pipes / tanks / cylinders | |||
| Burst pipes - internal | Us | 24 hours | |
| Burst pipes - external | Us | 24 hours | |
| Leaking soil pipe | Us | 5 days | 24 hours if soil pipe is internal |
| Water hammer | Us | 25 days | |
| Refix rainwater pipes | Us | 25 days | |
| Replace section of vent pipe | Us | 25 days | Provided that it is not leaking |
| Air lock | Us | 5 days | No water from air lock - 24 hours |
| Burst tank | Us | 24 hours | Given immediate attention |
| No water at all | Us | 24 hours | As above |
| Continuous overflow | Us | 5 days | |
| Minor leaks - internal | Us | 5 days | |
| Faulty stop cock/valve | Us | 5 days | |
| Insulation to cylinder | Us | 25 days | |
| Insulation to pipes | Us | 25 days | |
| Manhole cover | Us | 25 days | Unless dangerous - then 24 hours |
| Plumbing fittings | |||
| Blocked WC pan | Us | 24 hours | In cases of abuse this repair may be rechargeable |
| Refix / replace WC pan | Us | 25 days | Unless unusable then 24 hours |
| Blocked sink/bath/wash hand basin | Us | 5 days | |
| Replace sink/bath/wash hand basin | Us | 25 days | Unless on imminent planned works |
| Refix wash hand basin brackets | Us | 5 days | Breakages tenants responsibility – unless severe leak |
| Refix bathroom tiles SDC fitted tiles only | Us | 25 days | Only first 1/2 courses of splash backs responsibility of Us |
| Refix bath panel and framework | Us | 25 days | |
| Plugs, chains and cleaning | Tenant | ||
| Taps will not turn off e.g. running full bore | Us | 24 hours | |
| Replacement tap | Us | 25 days | Unless unusable, then 5 days |
| Other repairs to taps e.g. reseating and rewashering | Us | 25 days | Unless unusable, then 5 days |
| Roofs | |||
| Slipped tiles - dangerous | Us | 24 hours | |
| Make safe after storm damage | Us | 24 hours / 5 days dependent on risk | As far as possible |
| Major roof repairs | Us | Future contract | |
| Rain penetration | Us | 5 days | Dependent on severity |
| Refix or replace loose or cracked tiles or slates | Us | 25 days | Dependent on severity and health and safety issues |
| Defects to roof outhouses or garages | Us | 25 days | Make safe as soon as possible |
This policy covers the day to day repairs service provided by Selby District Council for repairs that are reported, require remedial work and are outside of the modernization and cyclical repairs programmes.
Overall principles
Our aim is to provide a repairs service for you that:
- meets the highest standards expected by our customers
- ensures the Health & Safety of our customers and the general public.
- is cost effective
- safeguards the future of the property
- protects the environment
To achieve this we will:
- carry out repairs quickly and in one visit if possible
- respond quickly to Health & Safety issues.
- arrange appointments to carry out work at a time to suit the customer
- set a high standard of workmanship for our contractors and staff
- listen to any problems that you have about repairs and try to put them right
- consider the environmental impact of the building products used and recycle materials where practical
1. Repair obligations
Our repairs duties are set out in the Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and are incorporated in the Terms and Conditions of Tenancy.
Under the Act we must keep your home in good condition. We will repair and maintain if in the ownership/responsibility of Selby DC:
- the structure and exterior of the building – roofs, walls, floors, ceilings, window frames, external doors, drains and drainpipes
- kitchen and bathroom fixtures -basins, sinks, baths and water pipes
- electrical wiring and gas services
- heating equipment and water heating equipment
- any communal areas around your home – stairs, lifts, landings, entrancelighting
- communal halls, paving, shared gardens, parking areas and rubbish disposal chutes
2. Reporting repairs
We will respond to repairs reported in any of the following ways:
- to an officer of SDC who is out visiting
- at Access Selby
- by phone at Access Selby
- in writing
- by email
- by text
- by fax
- through the Lifeline Service
We will send you confirmation of your repair within 3 working days.
3. Timescales for carrying out repairs
Repairs fall into three groups and the response times for each group are different.
Emergency repairs - E
We will respond to Emergency Repairs within 24 hours
Urgent repairs - U
We will complete Urgent Repairs within 5 working days of the repair being reported.
Non-urgent repairs - N
We will complete Non-Urgent Repairs within 25 working days of the repair being reported.
(Appendix A sets out timescales for the most common repairs carried out by us, it is not a comprehensive list).
4. Appointments
We will offer appointments:
- for internal repairs or inspections if required
- for external works or inspections if required
We will:
- attend any appointments as arranged
- offer an alternative that is convenient to you where we failed to meet an appointment
- at all times try to accommodate appointment requests and ensure all contractors attend any arranged appointments
5. Home visits
We will:
- always wear and show our identity badges
- offer an appointment to visit you
6. Keeping you informed
- We will keep you informed if your repair takes longer than the agreed timescales.
- We will keep you informed if a repair requires parts/materials etc. that are not stock items and must be ordered.
- We will still try to achieve the proposed completion date.
- We will only delay a repair when there is very bad weather that prevents it being carried out which could be a hazard/Health and Safety issue to the operative.
7. Repairs completed in one visit
We will always aim to do the repair in one visit.
8. Customer safety checks
- We will always prioritise accordingly when a customer’s sense of security, health or safety are compromised.
- We will always remove graffiti.
- We will secure and make safe properties after unlawful access.
- Where persistent unlawful access damage occurs, we will only carry out duties under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
9. Inspections
Pre inspections will be carried out, when required, in the following timescales:
- urgent Repairs within 5 working days
- non-Urgent Repairs within 25 working days
10. Quality control checks
We will check 10% of repairs after completion on a random basis.
11. Right to repair scheme - compensation
- We will operate Right To Repair Scheme – Compensation.
- We will pay compensation up to a maximum of £50 per repair.
- To come under the Right to Repair scheme, a repair must be what is known as a ‘Qualifying Repair’.
12. Customer satisfaction
- We will provide a customer satisfaction survey to everyone who reports a repair.
- We will investigate any response returned showing dissatisfaction.
- This will ensure that satisfaction reflects the views of our customers.
- We will randomly sample 5% of customers who do not respond to our surveys.
- We will publish satisfaction results twice yearly in the tenants Newsletter.
13. Complaints
- We will investigate all complaints.
- We will correct the problem where appropriate.
- We will set up a system to ensure it does not happen again.
14. Equality and diversity
All inspections and repairs will be done in accordance with:
- The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- The Rent Act 1977
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Disability Discrimination Amendment Act 2005
- Selby District Council policies and procedures
- Selby District Council’s Repairs Charter
- The Code of Practice in Rented Housing for Social Landlords as adopted by the Housing Services Unit