BHA Repairs Service - Repair Timescales

Why do we need to prioritise repairs?

We prioritise repairs to ensure that we use our resources available wisely. As emergency repairs cost more to deliver, we need to ensure that your rent monies are used effectively. For example, we would want to fix an external door to enable it to be locked at night before we refitted a cupboard door where there was no hazard.

Will I be offered an appointment?

From the beginning of September 2024, we will move to a full appointment service for all repairs other than emergencies. This will include any external works relating to your property.

We will endeavour to make an appointment for you when you call us to report a repair. The appointment slots on offer from September 2024 are as follows:

AM 

8:30-12:30 or

9:30 – 12:30 (school run AM)

PM 

13:00- 17:00

13:00 – 14:45 (school run pm)

To make the best use of their resources, some of our contractors may call you to rearrange an appointment. We welcome your flexibility, where possible, if this happens. If you are unable to accommodate due to work commitments, it is fine.

For an emergency, we will expect you to remain in your property until the contractor arrives unless it’s a situation where it is unsafe for your to do so. In such cases,  you must provide us with a number to contact you and you should be able to be present at the property quickly. If you have to attend to a school run or have another emergency errand, please provide us with your contact number and do try to return to the property as soon as possible.

Please note that the contractor is not able to wait for any length of time to gain access in an emergency repair situation as they may have other emergencies to attend to.

Why do you want to inspect sometimes?

Sometimes it is not always clear what the required repair is so it is better for one of our technical team member to inspect before we issue the work.
When you contact us to report a repair, it would be really helpful if you could share with us the following:

• What room/ area of your home is impacted?
• How is it impacted? Has something come off/ is it making a noise etc.
• Can you provide an relevant measurements – for example, 2 metres of fencing has come down on a 5ft high fence.
• When you might be in for an appointment to be raised?
• If you have any particular needs that you need to tell us about to help us to help you?

What you should get from us?

• Confirmation that a repair/ inspection has been raised
• The level of priority of the repair and timescale we anticipate it will be done in
• Your appointment date and time

How many times will you contact me to arrange access for a repair I have reported?

3 times. Strange as it may sound, we do have repairs reported where we have been unable to arrange access to carry out the repair and at some point, we have to assume that the repair is no longer required.

However, there are some exceptions to this. For example, if you reported a small leak that falls under an urgent priority and did not give us access, we may have to use our ability under the tenancy agreement to gain access. A small leak can over time cause significant damage and we would be keen to ensure this is resolved as soon as possible.

Will a contractor call on me without a repair?

We have agreed that this is an option for our contractors. The hope is that this might be a win for both yourselves and the contractor. If the contractor is in your area and has time to do the job, it makes sense for them to see if you are in and able to let them have access to do the work. This might mean you do not have to wait in for an appointment later on.

If it is not convenient, please do feel free to decline. This will not count as one of your 3 attempts.

What if I have particular needs – will that be taken into account?

When you report a repair, please outline any particular requirements you have to the person taking your report. All colleagues have flexibility in terms of prioritising repairs where there is a particular need relating to a repair. For example, where an external door is sticking and this is more of an annoyance, for some with mobility issues, this would stop them from going out. In such a case, we may make this an urgent rather than routine priority. We will, however, keep a close eye on emergencies though and a routine priority job is unlikely to ever be made into an emergency.