Our commitment to you

We are committed to providing you with a warm, safe, good quality home and to ensure that any repairs or maintenance needed to that home are carried out in a timely and professional manner. We will always attempt to fix the problem on the first visit, but we recognise that this is not always possible. When more visits or longer term works are required, we will keep you updated on progress, anticipated timescales and any delays.

We are committed to providing all residents with a service that is fully accessible, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

This policy covers all repairs and maintenance work carried out by employees of CKH, its appointed contractors and their sub-contractors. It relates to the repairs and maintenance of tenanted, leasehold and commercial properties owned or managed by CKH. Separate policies cover the management of leasehold and commercial property in more detail, please contact us to request a copy of these.   

 

We will:

·         Repair and maintain properties through effective management and investment, in line with our Asset Management and Neighbourhood Management Strategies. 

·         Carry out repairs and maintenance in line with legal obligations; including section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (Appendix A). 

·         Comply with contractual obligations as set out in your tenancy or lease agreements, including the Right To Repair. 

·         Meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard and any other regulatory requirements including the Consumer Home Standard as set out in the publication “Regulating The Standards”.  

·         Provide a repairs and maintenance service, which is value for money, and in line with our Procurement Strategy.

·         Consult residents and leaseholders in the procurement of repairs and maintenance contracts, or where there are significant changes to the service.

·         Provide a repairs service which is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

·         Provide you with clear information regarding your rights to, and responsibilities for, repairs and maintenance.

·         Ensure a consistent approach to the delivery of the repairs and maintenance service, whilst allowing flexibility to consider reasonable adjustments.

·         Operate an Asbestos Management System, as set out in CKH Asbestos Management Plan.

·         Consider environmental sustainability in relation to repairs and maintenance services reducing CKH’s carbon footprint, conserving resources and improving energy efficiency.

 

 

 

Timescales for repairs

Urgency	Type of repair	Target times
Emergency repairs – P0	These repairs covered by our Consolidated Mechanical and Electrical Contract only   Examples include:- Door entry fault, communal doors not opening or complete system failure, Tynetec or Tunstall fault or cord not working, fire alarm activation, emergency lighting total system failure	Attend site within 1 hour and completed repair within 24 hours
Emergency repairs – P1	These repairs covered by our Consolidated Mechanical and Electrical Contract only Examples include:- Key fob not working, door entry fault and communal doors not securing, handset not working	Attend site within two hours and complete repair within 24 hours
Emergency repairs - P2	These include repairs affecting the safety or basic security of the property, or potentially affecting the health of the household. Examples include:- •      Serious electrical faults •      Total heating failure in winter months	Attend and complete repair within 24 hours
Urgent repairs – P7	These are repairs which are not an emergency but which result in the loss of basic facility, or where further damage will be caused if the problem is not dealt with urgently. Examples might include:- •      A minor leak to the roof •      A partial loss of heating	Attend to and complete within seven calendar days of being reported
Routine repairs – P28	These are repairs that can wait without causing major inconvenience to the tenant. Examples include:- •      Leaking gutter •      A damaged kitchen unit	Attend to and completed within 28 calendar days of being reported.

 

Repairs responsibilities

We are responsible for maintaining the following items in good repair and working order:

·           Basins, sinks, baths, toilet, flushing systems and waste pipes

·           Boundary walls 

·           Boundary fencing

·           Communal areas (as shared areas)

·           Drains, gutters and outside pipes

·           Defective plasterwork eg popping and de-bonding from the structure of the wall (not minor decorative cracks)

·           Heat recovery systems

·           Inside walls, skirting boards, thresholds, floors and ceilings (but not painting and decorating)

·           Internal fire doors

·           Outside doors (including door handles, locks and hinges), window sills, window catches, window frames including any necessary outside redecoration

·           Passenger lifts

·           Pathways, steps and other means of access to external doors (not including driveways or patios)

·           Rainwater harvesting

·           Shared areas such as halls, stairways and passageways

·           Sockets and light fittings

·           Structure and outside of the property including garages and brick outhouses

·           Sweeping the chimney (when in use)

·           The roof/s

·           The installations for space and water heating, sanitation, and water, gas and electricity  supplies (electric wiring, gas and water pipes, heating systems including the supply of hot water) to the property

 

Except where you, your family or visitors cause the damage.

You are responsible for all repairs that are not the responsibility of Cross Keys Homes.

You will also have to repair items that they have not properly looked after, or which your family or visitors have broken.  If a visitor, invited or uninvited, has wilfully damaged the property in any way you will be advised to contact the police to pursue a claim for criminal damage. You are responsible for all internal redecoration, minor repairs included in the following list and the repair or replacement of items damaged by neglect or misuse.

Below is a list of repairs that we have no legal liability for and for which you are responsible:

·      Clearing blocked sink/bath/basin wastes (blocked by waste food/hair)

·      Clearing blocked toilets (blocked by nappies, sanitary towels, baby wipes, or anything else that has been put into the toilet by accident)

·      Connection or removing of any appliances, for example, washing machine, tumble drier, dishwasher and cooker (a gas cooker must be installed by a registered Gas Safe engineer)

·      Driveways and patios

·      Fixtures and fittings provided with the home, for example, doorbells, built-in wardrobes, coathooks/rails, bathroom cabinets, toilet roll holders, sheds 

·      Garden maintenance

·      Garden sheds (wooden and metal)

·      Internal decoration

·      Internal doors 

·      Lost keys (including changing locks, replacing keys, providing new fobs, or any additional keys locks required)

·      Minor repairs, for example, tightening loose screws or cupboard door hinges

·      Minor cracks to inside plasterwork if the structure is not affected

·      Minor repairs to walls and redecorating after repairs

·      Painting and/or staining fencing, gates and sheds

·      Re-lighting pilot lights and resetting the boiler

·      Replacing light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starters 

·      Replacing floor coverings except permanent coverings such as quarry tiles 

·      Replacing/repairing any items which the tenant has not properly looked after or which their family or visitors have broken. This includes anything damaged by neglect or abuse (for example, worktops, doors, windows, floor tiles)

·      Replacing plugs (and/or chains) for sinks, baths and washbasins

·      Replacing bath panels   

·      Replacing toilet seats

·      Replacing shower heads and hoses

·      Replacing clothes lines and rotary dryers (except in shared blocks and sheltered schemes) 

·      Repairs, where necessary, after alterations, improvements or other work which the tenant has carried out or organised

·      Repairing or replacing inside door handles, locks, latches 

·      Replacing broken glass including double glazed units

·      Setting the heating controls

·      Television aerials (unless a communal aerial in a sheltered scheme or block)

·      Testing and replacement of batteries for smoke alarms (if the tenant has refused hard-wired alarms)

·      Adjusting internal doors when the tenant has installed flooring/carpets

 

Planned maintenance 

We will carry out planned maintenance works and improvements based on stock condition information held on the asset management database, Keystone. This will be maintained through a rolling programme of stock condition surveys whereby 20% of homes will be surveyed annually.  

Programmes of work will be produced from Keystone enabling CKH to identity, plan and make adequate financial provision for the maintenance and improvement of CKH properties.  

Planned works will be identified using a just in time approach and agreed life-cycles set within Keystone to identify when property elements are due to fail.  The aim is to preserve the structure of properties whilst reducing the cost of, and need for, day-to-day repairs. 

 

Cyclical maintenance

Cyclical maintenance refers to programmes of work, including testing which will be carried out at standard intervals.  The programme includes:

·           External painting – every six years

·           Gas safety checks – annually and within 12 months of the previous check

·           Servicing passenger lifts – annually

·           Servicing stair-lifts/through floor lifts - annually

·           Electrical inspection and testing – every five years

·           Hard wired smoke alarm check – annually and replacement after 10 years

·           Hard wired CO detector check – annually and replacement after 10 years

·           FAT/PAT testing – annually 

·           Other equipment testing – as per the requirements of the installation and timescales set on the asset management database

·           Internal decoration of communal areas – once every six years

·           Grounds maintenance – as set out in the grounds maintenance schedule

·           Legionella testing – as set out in the Water Hygiene Procedure 

·           Fire risk assessments – as set out in the Fire Safety Management Policy and Procedure

·           Radon – One off survey, monitoring and remedial works to properties as identified through the Radon Policy and Procedure. Where the tenant does not allow access for monitoring or remedial works, these will be carried out once the property is empty. 

 

Your right to make changes to your home

You have the right to undertake alterations and minor improvements to your homes provided that you have written approval from us and any necessary planning/building approvals. Alterations or improvements could include installing showers or hard standing. You need to apply for these under the Tenant Improvement Policy and Procedure. You can find more information about this on our website.

Consent cannot be unreasonably withheld but conditions regarding standards and workmanship can be applied.

 

Aids and adaptations

If you require changes to your home in order for you to be able to live comfortable due to disability or mobility restriction, we will work closely with you, local authorities and relevant agencies to provide an aids and adaptations service, that secures your independence in own home or supports you to move to more suitable alternative accommodation as appropriate to your individual circumstances. There is more information on our website and in our Aids and Adaptions Policy. Please contact us to request a copy.

 

Chargeable repairs

In certain circumstances works or associated repairs costs will be rechargeable to you. Our approach and procedure is outlined in the Chargeable Repairs Policy and Procedure.

 

Condensation and mould

We believe that no one should live with damp and mould. You can find full information on our approach to supporting residents affected by damp and mould on our website and in our Damp and Mould Policy.

 

Asbestos management

CKH policy and procedure for asbestos management is outlined in the document Asbestos Management Plan.

 

Consultation and customer feedback

We will:

·      Ensure tenant and leaseholder representatives are involved in the procurement of new repairs and maintenance contracts and services.

·      Provide a range of customer survey methods to measure tenant satisfaction and feedback with services. Following contact with the repairs service, completion of repairs, planned maintenance or property improvement works we will give you the opportunity to comment on the service received and the quality of the repairs/work carried out to your home. Your feedback will be used to review and improve services.

·      Consult on significant changes to the service through our resident engagement framework.

·      Continually improve services by involving and consulting with residents through our Service Improvement Panel.

·      Where reasonable and practical, involve you in selecting choices of products for planned works; for example colours, and types of kitchen fitments, colour choices for external painting and external insulation.

·      Involve and consult with you when you are affected by environmental or communal improvements to your areas, flats or estates.

·      Consult with leaseholders in accordance with the leasehold and commonhold acts.

 

Reporting repairs

You can report repairs 24 hours a day by telephone on 01733 385030. Emergency repairs should always be reported by telephone.

Repairs can also be reported by one of the following methods:

·           Email to housingrepairs@crosskeyshomes.co.uk

·           Through MyCKH on our website

·           By live chat on our website (Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm only)

·           In person at CKH Customer Central

·           To your Scheme Manager if you live in a retirement housing community or extra care housing.

 

Repairs can be reported by an agreed third party on behalf of a resident providing all the relevant information is provided. The third party must have written consent and approval from CKH.

 

Appointments

We will do our best to offer you an appointment that works for you. The following appointment slots are available for repairs:

·      All day access – 8am – 6.30pm

·      Morning – 8am – 1pm

·      Afternoon – 1pm – 6.30pm

·      School run – 9.30am – 2.30pm

·      Saturday – 8am – 1pm

 

Appointments are not available for emergency repairs and you are expected to arrange access until the contractor can attend.

External repairs where access is not required will be raised as “floating” repairs. 

Where access is required for a repair, we expect you to make arrangements for someone over the age of 17 years of age to be at home.

 

The right to repair

We must, by law, carry out certain urgent repairs, which could cause harm to your health, safety or security This is called the ‘Right to Repair’. Please contact us for a list of qualifying repairs and timetables if you require it. They are limited to £250 in cost. 

If we fail to carry out or complete the qualifying repairs within the specified time scale and without good reason, you may, in certain circumstances, have the repair carried out by a secondary approved contractor. Failure by the secondary contractor to complete the work within the same specified time scale would enable you to make a claim for compensation from us.

This scheme can only be used as a last resort and with our consent. If you do not comply with the scheme requirements you may be required to pay the contractor’s costs.

 

Further information:

Who is responsible for managing our repairs service?

The Assistant Director, Assets and Estates and Director of Assets, Housing Needs and Estates are responsible for this policy.

 

Legislation and regulation

This policy is written in accordance with the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

·      Landlord and Tenant Act, 1985

·      Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018

·      Decent Homes Standard

·      Right to Repair

·      RSH Consumer Standards

 

Information sharing

Cross Keys Homes has an information sharing agreement with key agencies and contractors to share information in relation to the deliver of our repairs service. Information shared must be relevant and the Data Protection Procedure adhered to when handling data.

 

Monitoring and review

The Repairs Policy was written and approved in December 2023 and will be reviewed every three years – next review December 2026.