Repairs and maintenance

As well as carrying out repairs to your home, there are a number of improvement works Accent Nene undertakes, other than normal day to day to repairs.

We set out below details regarding repairs. For information on planned works see our planned works page.

Repairs

It is our mission to undertake repairs quickly and on a right first time basis. Although everyone's repair is important, we prioritise the most urgent ones. Before you report a repair, you should work out if your repair is an emergency, urgent or routine repair.

You can do this using the information below under the heading ‘Is your repair an emergency?’ Also see our repairs handbook before reporting a repair.


		If your repair is an emergency or urgent repair, please report your repair by telephone to the repairs team on 0800 393 890 (freephone) or 0845 603 7673 (Lo-Call) or 01733 295400 and press 1 to be connected to repairs. Outside normal working hours you will automatically be connected to our emergency repair contractor, Fosters Property Maintenance, who will handle your emergency.


		You can also request a call back from the repairs team, who will aim to contact you within two hours of your request to discuss your repair requirements. Please note that this service is only available 8.30am-5.00pm Monday to Friday.


		Report a non-urgent repair online If your repair isn't an emergency or urgent repair, you can use our quick and user-friendly online reporting service.

Please note that if you report an emergency repair you will need to ensure someone is available at the property for the following 24 hours to allow our contractor access.

Is your repair an emergency?

Please read the information below to find out if your repair is an emergency, urgent or routine. There may be other examples of repairs that are not included.

Please note that the response times are for your guidance, and we will try to achieve a quicker response time for elderly or vulnerable residents. Please ensure you inform us if the repair you are reporting will cause you a specific problem or difficulty.

Emergency - attendance within 24 hours

An emergency repair is one that causes a risk to your health and safety:
Serious leaks and major structural failures or fires.
Loss of gas, electricity or water supply where it is not your responsibility.
Loss of entire heating service in cold weather, or where the resident is vulnerable due to age, disability or illness, or has children under the age of five. If we cannot do the repair straight away, temporary heating will be provided.
Securing of property because of damage caused by racial harassment, fire, domestic violence or other police involvement.

It may not always be possible to carry out an emergency repair in 24 hours. However, we will visit you to make sure that your home is safe and secure until the repair can be done.

Urgent - completion within 7 days

Urgent repairs are those affecting your comfort or convenience, including:

Overflows running.
Roof and chimney repairs.
Leaking toilet or cistern.
Part failure of electricity supply (lights and/or sockets)
Stopcock problems
Taps which cannot be turned off/on
Street lighting (where it is our responsibility).
Door entry phone not working

Routine - completion within 28 days

Routine repairs are those which can wait a short while before being dealt with including:

Kitchen unit repairs.
Gutter repairs
External repairs (unless unsafe or causing additional damage to occur), including fencing, gates, paths, brickwork and roofing
Plasterwork.
Window or door frame repairs/adjustments (unless property is insecure)
Loss of one light/power socket
Dripping taps
Garage repairs

More information on types of repairs, who is responsible for them, and how to prioritise them, can be found in your repairs handbook.

Appointments

On your initial call an appointment will be offered to you within a two hour time slot where possible. The two hour time slots are 8am-10am, 10am-12noon, 12noon-2pm and 2pm-4pm.

We will try to avoid school runs as long as you tell us. We will also offer you the option of a call from the contractor 20 minutes before they arrive.

Appointments will normally be offered between the hours of 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. In exceptional circumstances appointments may be possible in the evening (up to 8pm Monday to Friday) and Saturday morning (up to 12.30pm) .

Note: Evening and Saturday morning appointments will not be offered unless you make us aware of your exceptional circumstances.

We will ask you for your views on repairs when they have been done and involve you in choosing and monitoring our contractors.

Your Right To Repair

The Right to Repair scheme was designed by Government to make sure that certain types of repair are carried out within a set timescale. The scheme covers small urgent repairs which may affect your health, safety or security, and will cost no more than £250 to complete. These are called qualifying repairs. Repair times vary depending on the type of repair, and time limits for qualifying repairs are set by law – not by Accent Nene. Contact us for a full list of repairs that are covered by the scheme.

If we fail to carry out the repair within the specified timescale, and there is no good reason for the delay, you can ask us to get another contractor to do the work. The second contractor then has the same amount of time to do the repair work as the first contractor had. If the second contractor fails to complete the repair in time, you may be entitled to compensation.

Where there is good reason why a repair was not done (for example, if you did not keep your appointment to let the contractor in to inspect or carry out the repair), we will not have to get another contractor or pay you compensation.

If a compensation payment is agreed, you will receive a £10 one-off payment, plus £2 for each day that the repair is still not done after the second contractor has failed to complete the repair (up to a maximum of £50). If you owe us money, the compensation payment will be deducted from your arrears. See A Better Deal for Tenants: Your Right to Repair leaflet for further information.