Know your rights when requesting a repair
The right to repair gives you the right to arrange your own repair if we don't do it within a set time.
The right-to-repair scheme aims to ensure that small urgent repairs costing less than £250 and that may affect your health, safety or security, are done quickly. Not all repairs qualify under the right-to-repair scheme.
You also have rights under the 1985 Housing Act. According to an amendment to this Act you can, under certain circumstances, receive compensation if certain repairs are not carried out within the prescribed time period.
Details of your rights are given in a leaflet called 'The Right to Repair', produced by the Department of the Environment. Copies are available at any of our offices or Customer Service Centres.
The regulations only cover the repairs listed below. There are also some exceptions.
Description Of Right to Repair Defect Target in full working days.
- Total loss of electric power: 1 day
- Partial loss of electric power: 1 day
- Unsafe power or lighting socket, or electrical fitting: 1 day
- Total loss of water supply: 1 day
- Partial loss of water supply: 3 days
- Total loss of gas supply: 1 day
- Partial loss of gas supply: 1 day
- Blocked flue to open fire or boiler 1 day
- Total loss of space or water heating: 1 day (31 Oct - 1 May) / 3 days (30 Apr - 1 Nov)
- Partial loss of space or water heating: 1 day (31 Oct - 1 May) / 3 days (30 Apr - 1 Nov)
- Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack, or toilet pan (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling: 1 day
- Toilet not flushing (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling): 1 day
- Blocked sink, bath or hand basin waste pipes: 3 days
- Tap which cannot be turned: 3 days
- Leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern: 1 day
- Leaking roof: 7 days
- Insecure external window, door or lock: 1 day
- Loose or detached bannister or hand-rail: 3 days
- Rotten timber flooring or stair tread: 3 days
- Door entry-phone not working: 7 days
- Mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen or bathroom not working: 7 days
You can find out which repairs are covered under the scheme, what to do if your repair isn't carried out one time, and what compensation you may be due on the DirectGov and Shelter websites.
Last update: 08/06/2011
