The new category includes a loss of hot water where no occupant is at risk
Senior councillors in Hull City Council’s Cabinet have approved a new Repairs and Maintenance Policy which seeks to address faults and issues its tenants face. The updated policy includes the introduction of an ‘urgent repairs’ category which will see such incidents dealt with within five days.
The new ‘urgent’ category of housing repairs will join the council’s two pre-existing categories which are ’emergency repairs’ – those that should be fixed within 24 hours, and ‘routine repairs’ with can take up to 28 days to repair. The report presented to the Cabinet states: “An urgent repair can be classified as any disrepair that is causing serious inconvenience to the occupants or likely to cause further problems to the property.” This may include, a loss of hot water where no occupant is at risk, leaking roofs, minor electrical re-wiring, and minor plumbing.
Regarding an emergency repair, the report states: “An emergency repair can be classified as any disrepair that causes an immediate threat to the safety, security or health and safety of occupants or members of the public. A repair can be considered an emergency, when major damage has not yet occurred, but has the potential to do so. The aim of an emergency repair shall be to make safe and may require further works to rectify the issue.”
A less serious routine repair is described as “any disrepair that is not urgent or an emergency.” This can include leaking gutters, broken tiling, and loose floorboards.
It’s estimated that the new urgent category would cover around 6,000 repairs every year, with the majority of them expected to be completed in a single visit. The change also means that more repairs can be raised via the myHousing App rather than tenants having to phone up, as urgent repairs now join routine repairs in being able to be raised on the app. Urgent repairs will come with an appointment time and date, as agreed with the tenant upfront.
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The portfolio holder for housing, Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, said: “This new Repairs and Maintenance Policy builds upon the work the council is already doing to provide safe and warm homes in our welcoming neighbourhoods. But we are boosting things by introducing an Urgent repairs category and providing a definition of a vulnerable tenant, which will help the Council deliver more tailored services.
“We’ve engaged with our Tenants’ Forum on the introduction of the Urgent category, as we recognise that responsive repairs is one of the most important services we provide to our residents. We’re committed to our repairs being cost-effective, timely and of a high standard for our tenants and look forward to further improvements to the service and updated policy in due course.
“These revisions will ensure our policy continues to meet tenants’ needs and expectations around vulnerability, as well as first time fix for repairs. It also optimises levels of trade operative resource through simple, efficient and smarter processes, and means we’re in line with legislative requirements including Awaab’s Law.”
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