OUR REPAIRS SERVICE

To report a repair

Please phone the Housing Maintenance Section on (0116) 2888961.You can also email your repair requests to housing@oadby-wigston.gov.uk|.

If you have an urgent repair, it is always better to phone rather than email.

All the repairs that you report to us are given a time limit for the work to be completed. We also use categories to decide which repairs are more urgent. See the section in the ‘Repair Priorities’ for further details.

Repairs that we do

As your landlord, we are responsible for the

structure and outside of your home. We are

also responsible for some of the fittings inside

your home.

The list below provides you with more details of the repairs that we do:

›drains, gutters and external pipes.

›roof, foundations, walls, doors

›windows excluding glazing.

›chimney and chimney stack (but not

›sweeping the chimney.

›paths, steps, entrances to the property and fences. Only if installed by us.

›major plasterworks.

›painting (exterior only).

›installation for heating, hot water,

›sanitation, the supply of gas and

›electricity (from the meters).

›basins, sinks, baths, toilets and cisterns.

›waste pipes, overflows and other plumbing.

›electrical fittings and wiring.

›plumbing (excluding tenants own appliances).

›individual heaters, heating systems and hot water    

appliances (installed by us).

›communal areas to blocks of flats such as corridors, stairways and entrances. Communal facilities such as television aerials, door entry systems, rubbish chutes, lifts and stairway lighting.

Your responsibilities as a tenant

As a tenant, you are responsible for some items

and repairs to your home.

These include the following:

›any damage to your home that has been caused by the wilful or negligent or careless action of yourself, a member of your household, visitor, friend or unknown person.

›internal decoration.

›any fittings that belong to you or have been installed by you, for example: Cooker, curtain rails, extra kitchen fittings, shower etc.

You will have to carry out at your own expense

minor internal repairs to your home.

These small repairs are shown below:

›door bells.

›latches and bolts.

›plugs and chains to sinks, wash-hand basins and baths.

›electrical appliance plug tops.

›replacement of cracked or broken glass.

›draught-proofing of doors and windows.

›minor plaster cracks caused by shrinkage and not structural movement.

›unblocking of external gully grate tops.

The following people will not be expected to

carry out these repairs:

elderly persons.

disabled persons.

Repair Priorities

So that we can provide value for money, all repairs are divided into categories and are completed according to urgency and priority. Each repair order has a priority category which the Contractors will take into account when organising their workload.

The categories are:

A  Emergency repairs        up to 24 hours

B  Urgent Maintenance      within 3 working days

C  Priority Works              within 7 working days

D  Non- Priority Works       within 28 Working days

E  Routine Maintenance     within 12 weeks

A. Emergency repairs

These repairs are carried out to prevent danger to the health and safety of residents and / or serious damage to the property. Your home will be made safe within 24 hours of reporting the problem and, where necessary, follow up repairs will be completed as soon as possible.

Emergency repairs include:

›no water supply at all or where water pipes or tanks have burst.

›complete failure of internal lighting and / or power supply or dangerous electrical fittings*.

›dangerous structures.

›blocked toilet and drains*.

›toilet not flushing where there is no other toilet in the property*.

›total or partial loss of supply*.

›blocked flue to open fire or boiler*.

›total or partial loss to space or water heating between 31st October and 1st May*.

You should make sure that you know where the

stop taps, electricity and gas meters are located

and how to turn them off in an emergency.

Repairs marked with a * are known as qualifying repairs, to which you have a right of repair. See ‘Right to repair’ section for further details. 

B. Urgent maintenance

These repairs are to be completed within 3 working days of the order being received by the Housing Section.

Urgent maintenance repairs include:

›partial loss of electric power*.

›partial loss of water supply*.

›blocked sink, bath or basin*.

›tap which cannot be turned*.

›loose or detached banister or hand rail*.

›rotten timber flooring or stair tread*.

›total or partial loss of space or water heating between 30th April and 1st November*.

C. Priority works

These repairs are to be completed within 7 working days of the order being received by the Housing Section.

Priority works include:

›electrical faults e.g. power points, light fittings, mechanical extractor fan in an internal kitchen or bathroom.

›door entry phone not working.

›plumbing repairs (other than emergencies) for example leaks to waste pipes, toilet out of order or leaking where there is more than one toilet.

›serious roof leaks to main building.

D. Non-priority works

This work is non-urgent but causes some inconvenience. These repairs are to be carried out within 28 working days.

The type of repair work carried out in this category includes:

›plumbing work; including dripping taps and replacement of cracked wash hand basins.

›joinery work; doors, windows, door frames, skirting/floor boards and hinges.

›roof tiles, re-plastering walls and ceilings.

E. Routine maintenance

All other repairs not covered by the above categories – these repairs are to be completed within 12 weeks.

The type of repairs carried out in this

category includes:

›blocked or leaking guttering.

›damp proof courses.

›roof repairs.

›new bath or kitchen units.

›replacement doors and windows.     

›floor tiles.

›relay concrete paths.

›relay uneven paving slabs.

›replace manhole covers.

›fit new gate.

›repair garden fencing.

›repoint brickwork, chimneys, eaves and ridges.

›repair communal stairway lighting and communal TV aerials.

Repair delays

We will try to carry out repairs within the stated priority times unless:

›the repair is to be done on a programmed basis for example, repairs before a painting programme.

›maintenance staff have not been able to get access to your home to carry out the work.

›the contractor has had difficulty obtaining any necessary spare parts

›the weather has been too bad to do the repair.

If you experience any problems in getting your repair completed, please contact the Housing Section.

Emergency out of hours repairs

If you need to report a serious repair when our offices are closed, you can contact our out of hours service. You should only use this service if the repair cannot wait until normal office hours. In most cases the emergency staff will ‘make safe’ or carry out a temporary repair. The full repair will then be carried out within the specified category time limit and during normal working hours.

Right to repair

As a council tenant you have the right to have repair work carried out under the legal contract between you and us as your landlord, as set out in your tenancy agreement. You also have rights under the 1985 Housing Act. In some circumstances you can receive compensation if certain repairs are not carried out within the allowed period of time.

In the ‘Repair Priorities’ Section, some repairs were marked with an * and fall within this scheme. If you report a qualifying repair (up to the value of £250), we must complete it within the terms of the scheme. If we do not

complete this repair as required by law, you will be entitled to compensation. Further information about the ‘Right to

Repair’ scheme is set out in a leaflet, available from – www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/betterdeal2|.