05-12-2008

THE TENANTS' HANDBOOK

Reporting repairs

Please give us as much information as possible about your repair.

Your Enquiry

Who do I contact about repairs?

The best way is to telephone the 'repairs' number for your Neighbourhood or TMO or report your repair online. You can also visit your Neighbourhood Office and use the freephone in reception. When you report a repair please give us as much information as possible.

What if it is an emergency?

If you have an emergency outside office hours you should call the 'out of hours emergencies' number for your Neighbourhood or TMO. See USEFUL CONTACTS. There are staff on emergency duty all the time. Be sure that it is a genuine emergency because if you call us out on an emergency without good cause, or you are not at home when we respond to an emergency, you may be charged for the repair operative's time.
If we need to get into your home to carry out an emergency repair and we cannot contact you or you unreasonably refuse to let us in, we will break in.

Who will carry out the repair?

There are different contractors for different areas of Hackney. There are some general contractors and some specialist contractors. All repair operatives must carry identification. Always check their identification and phone the 'repairs' number for your Neighbourhood or TMO if you are in any doubt.
Operatives must also follow a strict code of conduct while they work in your home. See REPAIR STANDARDS.

What We Need to Know

  • Which item needs repairing or replacing?
  • What is the problem eg: is it loose, leaking, broken?
  • What is causing the problem?
  • Where is it: which room inside or whereabouts outside?
  • Can you describe the item: what type, size, shape or colour is it?
  • What is it made of: wood, metal or plastic?
  • How big is the problem?
  • what area or length is affected?
  • Is it causing any other problems or damage?

When You Call

Let us know your name, address, telephone number and the details of what needs repairing.
We will discuss the problem with you and will tell you:
  • whether an order for work will be placed immediately, or whether a surveyor needs to visit to assess what needs to be done
  • if it is an order, the response category it falls into
  • the job number which you can check against the repair operative's order when they call.

Arranging a Time

We will discuss what time of day you can be at home to let a repair operative in to carry out work.
For all urgent and normal category repairs we will agree a specific morning (8am-1pm) or afternoon (12pm-4.30pm) when a repair operative will call. If you are not in a card will be left asking you to telephone to agree another time.

Are You Satisfied?

When the work has been completed, the repair operative will ask you to sign that he or she has attended to the repair.
We may phone you shortly after your repair has been done to find out if you are satisfied with the service. We do not do this for all repairs.