Our Repairs Standard - Q&A
Our Repairs Standard makes it really clear what you can expect from us, but we still get a few good questions about it. Here are a few.
Here are some questions that we have received about our service standard.
I’ve had a repair turned down. What exactly does my rent cover?
Your rent pays:
- to keep the structure and the exterior of your home in good repair
- to supply water, gas, electricity and sanitation i.e. bath, basin, sink, toilet etc
- to keep your heating and hot water systems working i.e. boiler, central heating system etc
You can find out more in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
Why has the Trust changed its repairs policy and not consulted with customers?
We have not changed our repairs policy. We recently decided to make our service offer a bit clearer so that it is in line with our existing Repairs Policy and our legal obligations. This will help us to better provide you with a consistent repairs service that is value for money (VFM).
Is the Trust trying to save money on repairs?
Value for money is important and whilst savings will be made where we will no longer be completing repairs above and beyond our legal obligations, this will allow the Trust to focus on the repairs we are responsible for and complete these within our service standards.
Any financial saving will be reallocated to capital investment programmes, such as new kitchens, bathrooms, external doors etc.
What if something in my tenancy agreement is not included in the Trust’s repairs service standard?
No problem. Let us know. We will check your tenancy agreement and, if correct, we will complete the repair.
What if I want to make a complaint because you haven’t accepted my repair request?
We will deal with your complaints in the normal way and we’ll check your tenancy agreement too and take if from there.
If your repair is not found to be our responsibility, then the complaint will be rejected.
The standard mentions "fair wear and tear". How do you decide if a kitchen repair is considered as "fair wear and tear"?
If a repair is requested for a kitchen that is less than 10 years old, or the repair requested is as a result of some form of 'impact' damage, then the repair will not be considered as "fair wear and tear".
I have a tenancy agreement so we do we need a Service Standard?
We want to keep your home to a good standard of repair and meet our legal obligations.
To provide a real fair and consistent approach for all our customers we have come up with the Service Standard, which meet our legal obligations and makes it crystal clear which repairs and jobs are our responsibility and which ones are yours.
We apologise if this hasn't always been clear in the past.