Repairs

We are making some changes to our Customer Contact Centre opening times, our telephone number to report repairs, our response times and our delivery partner. You can find out more below:

When can you contact us?

Our Customer Contact Centre is open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday to take repair enquiries. Call Freephone 0800 197 2880 or 0300 500 4444 from a mobile.

You can still report repairs outside of normal business hours (between 5.30 pm to 8.30 am Monday to Friday and on weekends and bank holidays). Just call one of the telephone numbers above.

Please note that we will only attend emergency repairs out of office hours, so we can make safe any fault in your home that is an immediate danger to any person or the fabric of the building. All other repairs, that are not considered an emergency, will be reported and booked into our system the following day for a suitable appointment.

Do be aware that out of hours call operators will not have access to your tenancy details.

How can you contact us?

Always report any emergency repairs by telephone. For a list of emergency repairs see How we prioritise a repair.

Call 0800 197 2880 or 0300 500 4444 from a mobile.

Remember you can call these numbers at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.

Urgent or Routine repairs can be reported by telephone and also:

Contact us at repairs.russethomes@circle.org.uk with any non-urgent or routine repairs.

 

Report a repair online >>

 

What will happen when you contact us?

We will ask you some questions to help us understand your situation. We will then tell you the type of repair you have – we group our repairs under three types. See How we prioritise a repair.

We will book an appointment for a skilled operative from our partner Keepmoat to visit you. We will do our best to find a date and time that is convenient for you so we can resolve your problem.

What should you tell us when reporting a repair?

When reporting a repair please give us as much information as possible – tell us your name, address, telephone number, nature of repair, location of repair, preferred access days, times etc. We need this information so we can inform our partner Keepmoat what needs to be done and they can be prepared.

When will my repair happen?

The category your repair falls under will be decided when you contact us. You can find out more about the categories here: How we prioritise a repair.

We group repairs under three types:

• Emergency – carried out within 4 hours of being reported
• Urgent – carried out within 72 hours of being reported
• Routine - carried out within 28 calendar days of being reported.

We understand that if you are frail, elderly or disabled or are a supported housing service user things that go wrong in your home can be more than just an inconvenience. We will always prioritise repairs for frail, elderly or disabled customers and supported housing service users, particularly for things like broken heating systems where your health may quickly be affected if the system is out of action. If you live in a care home or in sheltered housing we will automatically give your repair request a higher priority.

Who will complete the repair?

From 1 March 2013 we will be working in partnership with Keepmoat to provide our day to day responsive repairs service, but Swale Heating will support any repairs to heating systems.

At the time of your appointment you will be visited by one of their skilled operatives to complete your repair. Operatives will always show you their ID on arrival at your home. Always check the ID before allowing any operative into your home. If you are not sure please contact us.

What if you have a heating problem?

If you need to report a repair about your heating system, you can contact our heating contractors, Swale Heating, direct on Freephone 0800 783 0668 or call 01795 477098 from a mobile.

What repairs are we responsible for?

As your landlord we must make sure that your home is structurally sound and weather tight, and that you are provided with hot water and a means to keep your home warm.

The type of repairs that we will carry out include repairs to:

• heating and hot water;
• electrical wiring, sockets and light fittings;
• plumbing;
• roofs, outside walls, windows and doors;
• drains and gutters;
• inside walls, floors and ceilings;
• kitchen units installed by us; and
• baths, basins and toilets.

Please consult your Tenancy Agreement for more details.

What repairs are customers responsible for?

Customers are responsible for carrying out any repairs that are caused by accidental damage, misuse or neglect. This includes any damage caused by friends and visitors to your home.

There are different rules if you live in supported or sheltered housing. Please talk to your Scheme Manager or Neighbourhood Officer for more information.

Customers are also responsible for:

• interior decorations;
• replacing light bulbs;
• broken windows;
• door handles and latches inside;
• replacing keys and locks if you have lost your key or it has broken in the lock;
• clearing blockages to sinks and basins if you have caused the blockage; and
• TV aerials (unless you have a shared aerial that we have provided), phone lines, satellite and cable TV, and broadband.

If we have to lift any laminate flooring that you have fitted to carry out a repair, you are responsible for refitting it. We cannot be held responsible for any costs you may have to pay for re-laying or replacing this type of flooring.

What repairs will we charge customers for?

We will charge you if we have to carry out a repair to your home that you are responsible for. You will generally need to pay before we carry out the work and we will charge you the full cost of the repair plus an administration fee and VAT.
An adviser will give you more details on repairs we are charging for, if this applies.

Report a repair
You can report a pair online using our online repairs form >>

Last modified 01/03/13