Repairs to your home

Repairs to your home

As your landlord, Raven Housing Trust carries out a range of repairs to ensure your home is kept in good condition, but you have certain responsibilities too. This leaflet: outlines what we at Raven are responsible for and what you are expected to do, and explains how to report a repair, when we will carry out the repair, and the service standards you can expect from us. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR: repairing the structure and exterior of your home installing and repairing the gas, electricity, sanitation, heating and water supply. There is a list of who is responsible for each type of repair, and some useful diagrams, in Section 5 of your Tenant Handbook. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR: treating your home with care. You may be charged for repairs or damage that do not count as fair wear and tear reporting problems to us as soon as possible keeping the inside of your home decorated carrying out minor repairs. You have the right to have certain repairs done to your home. If they aren t done, you have the right to compensation. In some circumstances, you may also be able to ask for another contractor to do the work. You can find more details about this in Section 3 of your Tenant Handbook. REPORTING A REPAIR During office hours you can report a repair to us by: calling our freephone Repairs: 0800 289 255 emailing us at housing.repairs@ravenht.org.uk writing to us at Raven House visiting our website at www.ravenht.org.uk. 2

Our office hours are: Repairs: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Raven House: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm When reporting a repair, tell us: your name the address and phone number where we can contact you what and where the problem is whether you or someone living with you has any special needs, such as a disability or a newborn child We need someone from your household to let us in and to stay at your property while the work is being done. We can discuss alternative arrangements in exceptional circumstances. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I HAVE REPORTED A REPAIR? We will: place an order for the work or arrange for your Neighbourhood Surveyor to visit you to inspect the problem and check what work is needed. If we place an order for the work, we will offer you an appointment for all repairs. We will send you a copy of the repair request, which will say what work we have asked for, when it should be completed and who will do it. We will send you a text message the afternoon before the appointment to remind you that we will be coming to do the repair the next day. During 2008, we will send you a text message to confirm the appointment. The tradesperson who will be doing the work will also text you on the day of the appointment to let you know they are on their way, and will give you their name and the registration of their van for added reassurance. You can also check anything to do with your repair through 3

the my account part of Raven s website at www.ravenht.org.uk. To use this part of the site, you will need a password, which we will give you once you have registered on the site. Once you have this password, you can check the progress of your repair via the website. To find out more, log on to the my account part of www.ravenht.org or contact our customer services team. The table on page 6 shows how quickly you can expect repairs to be done. EMERGENCY REPAIRS If you have an emergency during office hours, call our freephone number: 0800 289 255 or customer services on 01737 272 400. Outside office hours and at weekends and bank holidays, phone: 0845 061 3905. In an emergency, we may do a temporary repair and return in normal hours to complete it. Your call is important but these lines can be busy. Please help us to help you by only using these lines to report emergency repairs. What is an emergency repair? flood (but not from washing machines) fire gas leak no power property not secure. WHAT IF THE TRADESPERSON OR CONTRACTOR MISSES AN APPOINTMENT? If an appointment is broken, please contact our freephone repairs line on 0800 289 255 or customer services on 01737 272 400. They will find out why, and let you know. 4

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL AN APPOINTMENT? If you need to cancel an appointment, please let us know as soon as you can. This is very important! The number is 0800 289 255 or 01737 272 400. WHAT IF I M UNHAPPY WITH THE REPAIRS SERVICE? We inspect all repairs that cost over 750 to complete, and we also check 10% of all repairs. Even if we don t check your repair, we welcome your feedback. If you re unhappy with any part of the repairs service, do please tell us. We value your views. By telling us when we get it wrong, you will help us to improve. After the repair, we will send you a satisfaction survey form. Please complete and return it. We will use your feedback to ensure we provide the best possible repairs service. If you are dissatisfied with a repair, please contact us. We will arrange to inspect the repair and have anything that is below standard put right. Our contractors and trades team are expected to follow a Code of Conduct, which you will find in your Tenant Handbook. This code explains how our repairs team is expected to behave in your home. If you feel that a tradesperson or contractor has not complied with the Code of Conduct, please contact us and we will investigate. If you are still dissatisfied with our response, you can use our formal complaints procedure to take things further. HOW QUICKLY WILL MY REPAIR BE DONE? We aim to carry out repairs within certain times, depending the situation. We have put different types of repair into different categories, and the time within which you should expect it to be done: 5

Type of repair Emergency (Priority A) - these include repairs affecting the safety or basic security of a home, or potentially affecting the health of the household (we may initially only make the home safe) Very urgent work (Priority B) - these include repairs where attendance is necessary to make safe, or a temporary repair Timescale Ideally within 2 hours, but as soon as possible depending on the time of notification and the nature of the repair Within 24 hours of being reported Examples Internal gas leaks People trapped in lifts Serious electrical faults Uncontrolled water leaks (i.e. floods) Serious structural failure Fire Blocked sewers Controlled water leaks (such as from joints) Problems with the security of a property Total loss of heating Smoke alarms Repair of a failed heating appliance or boiler Other urgent work (Priority D) - repairs that are not considered an emergency but which result in the loss of a basic facility, or where further damage would be caused if the problem is not dealt with urgently Within 7 calendar days Door-entry phone not working Leaking cisterns and overflows Toilet not flushing properly Leak on a sink waste pipe Routine repairs (Priority E) - something that is defective but not causing further damage or total loss of a facility Within 28 calendar days Leaking gutter Re-plastering Replacement of water tank or cylinder Replacement of floor tiles Repairs to doors and cupboards Repairs of garages and common areas of flats 6

Type of repair Non-priority routine repairs (Priority F) - repairs that we can fit into a programme of similar repairs Timescale Within 42 calendar days Examples Replacement of upvc windows, or specialist equipment or parts Non-urgent fencing and pointing of brickwork If the item you need repaired is not on the list or you need more advice, contact the repairs line on 0800 289 255. GAS LEAKS If you think you have a gas leak, turn the gas off at the meter, get out of your home immediately and report the leak direct to National Grid UK: 0800 111 999. USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS Repairs: 0800 289 255 or 01737 272 400 Emergency repairs: 0845 061 3905 (out of hours only) Email: housing.repairs@ravenht.org.uk An audio version of this leaflet is available on request and we can provide it in large print and in other languages. Please let us know what you need. French Portuguese Arabic Bengali Cantonese Hindi Urdu 7

CUSTOMER CHARTER We have a Customer Charter, which is a document listing the standards you can expect from us. The Customer Charter is available from all our offices. The list below outlines the standards you can expect when reporting repairs. We will: make emergency repairs within 24 hours, including outside office hours, every day of the year provide a local-rate out-of-hours emergency service number make an appointment for all repairs contact you in advance when we know we cannot meet an appointment send a neighbourhood surveyor to inspect the problem if this is needed, within five working days of you reporting it, and confirm the appointment in writing complete urgent repairs within seven calendar days and routine repairs within 31 calendar days visit one in 10 completed repairs to check how well they have been done keep to our Contractors Code of Conduct carry out a gas safety check every year we must do this by law carry out an electrical safety check every five years check and test all communal water tanks in blocks of flats for infection once a year test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms once a year. Raven Housing Trust Raven House, 29 Linkfield Lane, Redhill RH1 1SS Telephone 01737 272400 www.ravenht.org.uk 02/02 08 Raven Housing Trust Limited is a charitable Industrial and Provident Society, registration no. 30070R, and is registered as a social landlord with the Housing Corporation, registration no. L4334.