Types of repairs

We use three main repair categories: 

Emergency repairs
An emergency is classed as causing serious damage to the health and safety of the occupants or risk of extensive damage to the property.

Examples include:

• Total loss of electricity or bare wires
• Burst pipes
• Blockage of the only toilet in the property
• Blocked drains causing sewage spill out (unless on a shared drain, in which case you should contact Severn Trent on 0800 783 4444)
• Broken windows affecting security
• Inability to secure the main entrance to the property
• Serious roof leaks
• Lost or stolen keys (please note, you will be charged to have the locks changed)

If you report an emergency repair out of hours, we will either complete the work in 4 hours or make the fault ‘safe’ so that there is no danger to you or the property.  We will return the next working day (or at a time convenient for you if the issue is not so urgent) to finish the job.

Please note, you may be charged for the visit if the out of hours’ team do not consider the call-out to be an emergency.

Routine repairs
These are repairs that are not urgent and will be carried out by appointment.  Examples include:

• Repairs to plasterwork
• Clearing guttering
• Repairs to kitchen units
• Repairs to internal doors

If we need to establish the precise nature of the work required, we will visit at a time convenient for you.

Right to repairs
The Right to Repair is a scheme for council tenants, which ensures that certain small urgent repairs that may affect your health, safety or security, are done quickly and easily. 

If we do not carry out repairs as agreed, you can, in certain circumstances, request the council to send a second operative or contractor.  If the second operative or contractor does not do the repair in time, we will pay you compensation. 

Only certain types of repairs are covered under the Right to Repair scheme. These are called qualifying repairs. They include insecure windows and doors, unsafe power sockets or electrical fittings, leaking roofs and broken entry phone systems.

A repair won't qualify for the scheme if:

• it exceeds an estimated cost of £250
• we aren't responsible for the repair
• if you're not at home to let the contractor in as arranged

If you report a qualifying repair, we will inspect it to check that it qualifies. If it doesn't, we will write to you and tell you.

If it does qualify, we will issue a repair notice and send you a copy with information on how the Right to Repair scheme works. There will be a time limit (depending on the type of repair as set out by law) for the work to be done.

If the repair work isn't done within the specified time limit, you need to tell us and we will ask for another operative or contractor to do the work. If another operative or contractor is available, we will issue a repair notice to them and send you a copy. We can only use contractors on our list.

If the second operative or contractor doesn't do the repair work within the time limit, you'll get £10 in compensation. For every extra day you wait, you'll get another £2. The most compensation you can get for any one job is £50.

If you have any rent arrears, we can use the compensation to reduce the arrears rather than paying you the money.

Home improvements
For further information about home improvements, please see How you can take care of your home.