Timescales for repairs and maintenance

Gas leaks

Turn the gas supply off and telephone Transco on Freephone 0800 111 999.

Water leaks

Turn the water off at the stop tap. For internal leaks, contain the leak as much as possible. In many cases we will complete the repair during the initial visit. Sometimes we have to do a temporary repair to stop the emergency then return to complete the repair. For external leaks outside of the property boundary, contact Yorkshire water on 0800 573553.

Emergency repairs (within four hours)

Including:

A flood or seriously leaking pipe
Something else that is deemed to be a serious and immediate risk to your health and safety

Emergency repairs (within one working day)

Complete loss of power and hot water
Complete loss of heating (between 30 October and 1 May)
A minor leak from a domestic pipe if the leak is not containable and/or it is causing damage to property or belongings
Blocked toilet but having another toilet within the property
Downstairs broken windows
Anything else that is a risk to your health and safety, but is not likely to be immediate

You must report all emergency repairs as soon as they occur.

Urgent repairs

Complete loss of heating (three days) (between 30 April and 1 November)
A minor leak from a domestic pipe if the leak is containable (five days)
No lighting in one room (five days)
Upstairs broken windows (five days)
A minor leak from a waste pipe (nine days)

Non-urgent repairs (four weeks)

Some non-urgent repairs will be carried out within four weeks of you reporting it to us (in line with government guidelines).

These non-urgent repairs are things that we must put right that don't cause a risk to your health or safety, such as loose skirting boards or missing wall tiles.

Plastering less than 5sqm is also carried out within four weeks of you reporting it to us.

Other types of repairs may be allocated to a programme (see below).

Non-urgent repairs (allocated to programmes)

Non-urgent repairs may go into one of several programmes, depending on the type of repair or routine maintenance required:

Internal maintenance work to be completed within 12 months of being reported
External repairs to be put on a rolling five-year Planned Maintenance Programme (making sure all Council homes are wind, water tight and structurally sound)
Annual gas safety checks
Electrical safety checks
Plastering over 5sqm (Please note: If the plastering is over 5sqm but is having a detrimental effect on the customer or property then the plaster is made safe within four weeks and follow on works will be programmed)

If you report a non-urgent repair request which is to be undertaken as part of a planned programme we will write to you within five working days to confirm the timescale for completing the work.

Repairs to Council homes - The Right to Repair Scheme

If you live in a Council home, we are obliged to carry our some of repairs within a certain period of time, as covered by the Right to Repair scheme.

Spending Your Money More Wisely

In recent years, there has been a move towards a repairs programme where similar non-urgent maintenance works are carried out to a number of homes in the same area at the same time.

If we were to answer every repairs call-out as it was received, our staff would be spending most of their time travelling backwards and forwards across the borough rather than spending that time actually carrying out the repairs. It makes sense if homes require similar work, we group them to do them all at the same time, at a later date.

Repair programmes help us spend your money more wisely. We can get more repairs done in less time and it provides Council rent and rate payers a more efficient and a better value for money service. This approach only applies to non-urgent maintenance; in other words, things that don't cause a risk to your health or safety, such as loose skirting boards, plastering or missing wall tiles.

Once you have reported your repair, we will write to you to let you know whether it has been put into a programme and the timeframe for carrying out this maintenance.

However, a non-urgent repair for one customer may be urgent to another customer, so the way we class repairs depends on not only what needs doing, but also your personal circumstances.

Remember

If your personal circumstances change or the urgency of the repair changes at any time whilst you are waiting for us to carry out the work, then please let us know.

Last update: 17/02/2012