Repairs and maintenance

As your landlord we want to keep your home in good order and maintain it properly. Delivering a quality and reliable repair service that’s easy to access and gets repairs done right first time wherever possible.

To do this, we’ll:

• Provide easy and simple ways to report a repair including online and by phone
• Offer an appointment for most non emergency repairs when you report the repair
• Send at least two text reminders to confirm your appointment before we arrive
• Let you know as soon as possible if we can’t make an agreed appointment or, what happens next if we can’t complete a repair at our first visit
• Be polite and respectful in your home
• Adopt and use safe working practices
• Endeavour to make an appointment for follow on work whilst at your home if we can’t complete a repair on the first visit

As a tenant you share this responsibility for looking after your home by making sure that you:

• Treat it with care
• Keep your home and garden clean and tidy
• Repair or replace everyday items that get broken or damaged (light bulbs, fuses, basin/bath plugs and chains etc)
• Report any repairs to us as soon as possible
• Keep all appointments that we make with you. Missing an appointment prevents someone else from receiving the service that they need

Tenants are responsible for managing everyday condensation in their home.

Condensation can happen during normal daily activities, such as cooking, bathing and drying clothes indoors. If it is not managed, it can lead to damp and mould, which may affect your health and the condition of your home.

To help reduce condensation and prevent mould:

• Keep your home well ventilated by opening windows or using extractor fans
• Wipe away moisture from windows, walls and other surfaces
• Keep your home heated consistently where possible
• Avoid drying clothes indoors unless the room is well ventilated

These simple steps can help keep your home safe, healthy and in good condition.

You must get written permission from us before carrying out repairs, alterations, improvements or DIY work in your home.

This helps us make sure any work is safe, suitable and does not affect the building, services, warranties, legal requirements or future maintenance.

Permission is needed because some work could disturb hidden materials, including asbestos or other hazardous materials. These are not usually a risk unless they are damaged or disturbed.

You do not need permission for simple internal decorating, such as painting or wallpapering. This only applies if the work does not involve textured coatings, drilling, sanding, scraping, cutting or disturbing walls, ceilings, fixtures or fittings.

We will not approve work that could put health and safety at risk or damage the property.

You must keep copies of any written permission from Bernicia, as well as any planning permission or building control approval. If you cannot show this, you may be asked to remove the work and put the property back to how it was, at your own cost.

If you carry out work without permission, you may also be charged for any repairs or remedial work needed.

If you are unsure whether you need permission, please contact us before starting any work.

We are not responsible for any equipment you have installed yourself.

Some textured coatings on walls and ceilings, often known as Artex, may contain asbestos if they were applied before the year 2000.

Asbestos is not usually a risk unless it is disturbed. You must not remove, drill into, sand, scrape or damage textured coatings without our written permission.

Please contact us before starting work if:

• You are unsure whether a textured coating is present
• You think a coating may contain asbestos
• Materials you think may contain asbestos have been damaged or disturbed
• Textured coatings or sealants are peeling, flaking or breaking away

We have two types of repairs:

Emergency (including out of hours) – this is a response within 24 hours to situations such as:

• Complete loss of electricity
• Serious flooding or leak
• Complete loss of cold water supply
• Lift breakdowns
• Damage to doors or windows that make property insecure
• Dangerous structures
• Dangerous electrical fittings

An out of hours emergency will only be responded to where there is a direct threat or risk to life, limb or structure or where there is a definitive need to attend for an identified vulnerability. In most instances only temporary repairs will be carried out to make situations safe and/or secure. Where further work is needed to fully remedy the problem this will be ordered and arranged as quickly as possible.

Standard – all other jobs will be booked on the next available appointment agreed with you.

Emergency (including out of hours)

Our target response is to attend 100% of emergency repairs within 24 hours.

Examples of emergency repairs are;

• Complete loss of electricity
• Serious flooding or leak
• Complete loss of cold water supply
• Lift breakdowns
• Damage to doors and windows that make the property insecure
• Dangerous structures
• Dangerous electrical fittings

An out of hours emergency will only be responded to where there is a direct threat or risk to life, limb or structure or where there is a definitive need to attend for an identified vulnerability. In most instances only temporary repairs will be carried out to make situations safe and/or secure. Where further work is needed to fully remedy the problem this will be ordered and arranged as quickly as possible.

If you falsely or deliberately misuse the emergency service you may be charged for the call out.

Emergency (including out of hours) for heat and hot water

Our target response is to attend 100% of emergency repairs within 24 hours or sooner, examples of emergency repairs for heat and hot water are;

• Total or partial loss of heating to a full floor
• Serious flooding or leak
• Leak from heating pipe, tank or cistern

If the loss is to the entire scheme;

• Maximum unplanned outage time per annum (for heat and hot water) of less than 1.0% of total supply hours and completed within timescales
• Average time to restore heat and hot water to customers of less than eight hours (complete schemes only)
• Hot water only outages to have an average restore time less than four hours (complete scheme only)
• There will be no more than one interruption per customer per year (complete scheme only)

We will investigate potential emergency hazards within 24 hours of becoming aware of them, and if confirmed, start safety work.

Serious damp and mould (Awaab’s Law)

Where damp or mould may pose a significant risk, we will:

• Investigate within ten working days
• Provide a written summary within three working days of completing the investigation
• Complete the work needed to make the home safe within five working days of the investigation

Preventing the problem from returning

If more work is needed to stop the problem from coming back, we will:

• Start the work, or take steps to arrange it, within five working days of completing the investigation
• Make sure all further work begins within 12 weeks
• Explain the expected timescale and complete the work as soon as reasonably possible
• Where follow on repairs are needed we will aim to deliver these in line with our repairs timescales

Standard

Our target response is to complete 80% of standard repairs (including minor aids and adaptations) within 30 working days on an appointment agreed with you.

There may be times where we cannot complete the repair within 30 working days and the appointment agreed with you may be outside of this timescale. Where this happens, we will tell you.

Some standard repairs that are of a larger scale will be classed as batched repairs.

Our target response time is to complete 80% of batched repairs within 90 working days. Not all batched repairs require an appointment if you do not need to be at home, although we will book one and advise you of the time the appointment will take place.

For batched repairs we will group together certain repairs, such as fencing, brickwork and guttering and complete them within a programme of work. For works such as whole kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors we will also book these as batched repairs and we will advise you of when this happens and the timescale for completion.

Heat Networks are defined as a system that supplies heat from a central source to multiple buildings or dwellings through a network of insulated distribution pipes. The full policy is appended to this guidance. Living on a heat network can offer efficiency and carbon-saving benefits, but unlike individual gas boilers or electric systems, a shared network introduces some collective risks which are Bernicia’s responsibility.

Common disruptions include:

1. A loss of heating supply, from plant room failure for example, which will affect all parts of the building simultaneously.
2. Loss of domestic hot water, which may occur from faults in the heat interface unit, this could be localised to individual dwellings or be network wide depending on the design.
3. Planned maintenance interruptions could be necessary for safety purposes when upgrading the network or servicing elements in the plant room. Though planned, if these are not communicated to tenants these could still cause inconvenience.
4. Supply quality issues can arise from inconsistent temperatures, low flow rates or poor controls, which could lead to unsatisfactory heat levels, perceived partial outcomes or discomfort.

To ensure we provide a reliable heating and hot water supply to tenants on a heat network, Bernicia has set the following standards in line with the Heat Trust Guidance to ensure reasonable benchmarks. These targets ensure that.

• Supply interruptions are kept to a minimum
• Residents are informed promptly and supported during outages
• Restoration of supply is achieved within a reasonable timeframe; and
• Performance is reviewed and improved annually

Bernicia offers a Priority Services Register (PSR) service for vulnerable heat customers. This is a free support service which will ensure that additional services and support are available for customers on heat networks.

Repairs and Maintenance services will be tailored to support vulnerable customers to suit their needs where possible.

You can find about more heat networks by visiting our dedicated heat networks web page.

Some repairs may be rechargeable if damage is caused by misuse, neglect or accidental damage, rather than normal wear and tear. This can include things like broken windows, damaged internal doors,
blocked drains caused by unsuitable items being put down them, or damage to fittings such as kitchen units, toilets and sinks. We will not charge for repairs caused by fair wear and tear. This means the normal ageing of your home through everyday use.

You may also be charged if:

• A repair is not reported within a reasonable time and the problem gets worse
• Work is needed because you made changes to your home without permission
• Tenancy responsibilities have not been met, such as looking after your garden or keeping your home clean and safe

If damage is caused by a crime, such as vandalism or a break-in, you will not usually be charged if you report it to the police and give us a crime or incident reference number.

We know some tenants may need extra support. If you are in vulnerable circumstances, we will consider this when deciding whether to recharge you and will work with you to provide support where needed.

We will usually tell you before the repair is carried out and explain any costs in advance. This may not always be possible in an emergency or if urgent work is needed to make your home safe.

To help avoid rechargeable repairs, please take care of your home and report problems as soon as they happen.

We offer appointments for most repairs which will be agreed with you at the time you report the repair.

Appointments are available Monday to Friday (with the exception of bank or public holidays) with a choice of:

• Morning 9.00am to 13.00pm
• Afternoon 13.00pm to 17.00pm

You will be given a repair reference number at the time of reporting and your appointment will be confirmed by text with two reminders being sent before we arrive.