repairs service

www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com

a guide to your repairs service & adviceon repairs in your home

0800 169 2988[free from most UK landline phones]

0300 123 4560[local rate from a mobile phone]

Please note that our Plus Dane customer contact telephone numbers refered to throughout this leaflet have now changed to:

We are committed to providing wellmaintained and affordable homes.

We use a large part of the rent we receive towards the cost ofmaintaining your home. Theresponsibility of looking after your home is a joint one. We areresponsible for items which werealready in the property or installed by us during your tenancy and for maintaining:

■ The structure of the propertyincluding drains gutters andexternal pipes;

■ The roof, outside walls and windows;

■ Mains services such as water, gas,electricity and sanitation, includingbasins, sinks, showers and baths;

■ Internal walls, floors, ceilings, doors;

■ Central heating, chimneys,chimney stacks and flues;

■ Access pathways and steps;■ Boundary fences and sharedareas in blocks of flats.

Generally, you are responsible for:

■ Internal decorations;■ Keeping yards, paths and gardens clean and tidy;

■ Regularly testing smoke detectors and replacing batteries when needed;

■ Making good any damage to the property caused by you, your family or invited guests;

■ Reporting any defects in a timelyand appropriate manner toprevent any further damage;

■ Keeping door and window keys safe and secure.

How to report a repair

All repair issues should be reported as soon as possible by:

■ Calling us on 0500 026 079;■ Visiting one of our offices;■ Writing to us at the address on theback of this leaflet;

■ Emailing us atrepairs.cheshire@neighbourhoodinvestor.com;

■ Online atwww.neighbourhoodinvestor.com;

■ Telling a member of staff.

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When you report a repair we will ask you questions to find out exactly what the problem is. Pleasebe patient as the more information we have the quicker we will be ableto deal with your repair. If you are not the tenant, we will ask you foryour details.

We will need to know:

■ What and where the problem is;■ How serious it is;■ When someone will be at homeso we can make a convenientappointment – please note thatthere must be an adult over theage of 18 years old at home whenwe call to complete a repair;

■ A contact telephone number;■ Any special requests such as asecure password to identify thecaller, or time allowance for youto reach the door.

Once we have all the facts we canthen make an accurate assessmentof the priority. We will make sure thatwe tell you the priority for the workswhile you are on the phone.

If we are unable to make anassessment at the point of report, we will ask a Surveyor orNeighbourhood Officer to visit you to assess work required.

Although we operate an appointmentservice from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, we also provideappointments for non-urgent worksoutside of these hours if you havedifficulty getting time off work. Please let use know if you would like an out of hours appointment.

Keeping appointments & right to repair

We aim to keep all appointmentsmade. If we fail to keep anappointment, we will contact you to rearrange for another time.

If we do not contact you, we will give you with a £10 gift voucher. If you owe us money we will creditthe payment to your account.

You also have the right, under theRight to Repair Scheme, to apply foradditional compensation for every

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day small urgent jobs up to the value of £250 are not completed and where your health, safety or security might be affected.

Under the scheme you will beentitled to £2 every extra day that you wait for the repair to be completed. The maximumcompensation you can receive for any one job is £50.

Examples of where we will not pay compensation under thisscheme are:

■ If you did not keep your appointment;

■ If you did not allow reasonableaccess which meant the job was not carried out within the stated timescale;

■ The repair is weather dependent.

If you are unable to keep yourappointment please contact us torearrange, it is very important wehave your co-operation in minimisingthe number of missed appointments.

If we call at the agreed time tocomplete the repair and you are notat home, we will leave a calling cardtelling you who called, the date andtime they called and who you shouldcontact to book a new appointment.

Access for repairs

It is important that we have yourcooperation in carrying out works to your home. This includes allowingus access every year to complete a gas safety check.

Except in cases of emergency, wewill give you 24 hours notice that we need to come into your home to complete a repair.

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Emergency Repairs - response time within 4 hours

These include repairs needed to avoid immediate risks to health andsafety or extensive damage to buildings and property for example:

■ Complete loss of heating and hot water or power;■ Major water burst flooding the property;■ Major structural defects.

Once the danger has been removed, the repair will usually becarried through our urgent or routine priorities depending on thetype of work required.

Where your heating has failed and we are unable to carry out a fullrepair on the first visit, we will provide temporary heaters during thewinter months (October to April). We will provide heaters all yearround to our older and more vulnerable customers.

We will aim to have your heating working fully within 10 days ofreporting the problem.

Please do not deliberately report a repair as an emergency in orderto have it repaired more quickly than its priority. You may be chargedif you do this.

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Repair response times

We aim to carry out repairs by appointment at your convenience. The length of time a repair will take will depend on its urgency and the type of work involved.

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Urgent Repairs – response time within 5 calendar days

Examples of what will be considered an urgent repair include:

Heating■ Partial loss of heating (October to March);

■ Total or partial loss of hot water.

Plumbing■ Minor leaks to plumbing installations including cisterns, cylinders, baths and sinks;

■ Faulty flushes;■ Faulty taps (not washers).

Roof■ Leak to main roof;■ Storm damage.

Electrical■ Faulty sockets;■ Broken bulb holders;■ External lights not working;■ Faulty lights in communal areas.

Joinery■ Insecure external doors;■ Faulty locks;■ Rain water coming through doors & windows;■ Window fasteners;■ Dangerous floor boards, decking, ramps, or staircases;■ Loose banisters, stair treads, hand rails.

Routine repairs – response time within 28 calendar days

Examples of what will be considered a routine repair include:

Gas and Electric■ Any modifications or replacement parts to gas or electrical installations.

Plumbing■ Replacing or re-fixing loose or broken fixtures and fittings,such as re fixing bath panels, replacing toilet seats;

■ Replacing broken wall tiles that we have supplied;■ Re-fixing WC’s to the floor.

Joinery■ Repairs to kitchen units;■ Replacing worktops;■ Ease and adjust internal doors, this does not include adjustmentsneeded because you have had new flooring fitted;

■ Repairs to window boards, skirting boards and architraves;■ Repairs to floor boards.

General■ Defective floor tiles that we have supplied;

■ External finishes if causing damp for example rendering or pointing.

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Customer Satisfaction

We are committed to improving ourservices to you and welcome yourfeedback. Each time you have arepair completed or have workscompleted under the improvementprogramme, we will ask you tocomplete either a postal or telephonesurvey. Please help us to improve

our services by taking part in these surveys.

Home Improvements

You have the right to makeimprovements or alterations to yourhome but you must ask permissionfrom us before you start any such

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Planned Improvement Work

This category covers none routine repairs and large capitalinvestment work. We will publish our programme and let youknow in advance of any works starting. Planned improvementwork includes:

■ Replacement central heating;■ Re roofing;■ Replacement window frames;■ Insulation upgrades;■ Replacement Kitchens;■ Replacement Bathrooms;■ Fences when the majority is replaced;■ Paving and concreting of non dangerous areas.

You can find out information about Programmed works foryour home on our website www.neighbourhoodinvestor.comor by calling us.

work. You may also be entitled to compensation for homeimprovement works if you decide to leave your home.

Examples of what a homeimprovement may be is theinstallation of laminate flooring, fire or fire place changes or decorating.When we give permission we mayask you to make sure the work isdone in a certain way or to a specificstandard. This will including checkingthat the work will not damage yourhome or make it unsafe.

For some structural work, such asputting in a through lounge, you may need to get the approval of thecouncil’s building surveyor. We willtell you what permission or buildingcertificates you will need.

We will tell you within 28 workingdays of your request, if you can carryout the improvement work and if youwill be entitled to any money for theworks if you end your tenancy.Below are some examples of wherewe may reimburse you should youend your tenancy:

■ Bathroom suite or replacementbath (colour to match existing);

■ Shower over bath;■ Shower room to replace bath;■ Full kitchen;■ External door;■ Full central heating;■ Additional heaters, balanced flue gas room heater or electricstorage heater;

■ Gas fire;■ Expansion of an existing heatingsystem provided the boiler hasenough capacity.

To calculate a payment we will lookat the cost and the current value ofany improvement, the value willreduce over time. We will also assessthe condition of the improvementwhen you claim.

The minimum amount we pay for home improvements is £250 up to a maximum of £3000.

If you owe us any money at the end of your tenancy, we will credit your account with the amount of compensation forimprovement works.

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We will not make payments if you are buying your home through the‘Right to Buy’ scheme or for anyimprovements costing less than £50.

You will need to make sure thatanyone you employ to do the work isadequately insured against bothdamage to our property and to otherpeople’s possessions or personalinjury. Alternatively we can completethe works for you. This will give youthe piece of mind that our trainedand insured trades people will carryout the works to a high standard.This type of work is called achargeable repair.

If you decide to use your owntradesperson we will inspect thefinished works. If any work on yourhome causes damage, we will eitherinsist that you do the necessaryrepairs or complete them and charge the cost to you.

If you request that we complete theworks, you can make your requestthrough our normal repair reportingways. When you request the work, asurveyor will visit you and agree a

price. Once you agree to the works, we will send you an invoice.

We will normally ask you to pay forthe charge in advance of the workbeing completed but we recognisethat in some circumstances,payment of charges in full would beunrealistic for you. With this in mind,we will work with you to agree anaffordable repayment plan.

Once we have agreed this plan, we will write to you to confirm theagreement and tell you how you can make payments.

If you fail to settle an invoice ordefault on an agreed arrangement,we will seek recovery of the debtthrough a Debt Recovery Agency or Small Claims Court. Please talk to us if you are having difficultykeeping to an agreement.

Home contents insurance

We insure the building but it isyour responsibility to make surethat you take out home contents

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insurance to insure your personalbelongings and furniture.

Certain types of home contentsinsurance can also cover you foraccidental damage to your home.You can check with insurers whatpolicy offers are available.

We offer all our customers a low costhome insurance scheme. Pleasecontact us if you would like moreinformation about our scheme.

Shared areas

Shared or communal areas areplaces more than one resident canuse. We maintain these areas andwill charge a service charge to coverthe cost of this.

You can report any repairs to us for shared areas in the usual way. For more information aboutcleaning and maintaining sharedareas, see our Service Chargeinformation leaflet.

Useful hints & tips

Here’s some useful advice on repairs:

Electrical safety

If you have total or partial powerfailure check whether a fuse hasblown or atrip switchhas beenactivated. If a switchhas tripped,unplug allappliances,reset theswitch, thenplug appliances back in. As you plug them back in try to identifywhich appliance may be causing a problem.

If electrical appliances or fittings are smoking, switch off the powerstraight away and contact us.If lights are not working, check thereis power to the sockets. The mostcommon reason for lights notworking is a blown bulb so check

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that the bulb is working. Pleaseremember to switch off the lightbefore changing a light bulb.

If a socket is not working check theappliance is not faulty by checking it on a working socket.

Electrical top tips

■ Keep a torch handy in case of a power failure;

■ Try energy saving light bulbs;■ Do not take electrical items into a bathroom;

■ Do not overload a power point;■ If you replace any fuses ensureits replaced with one of thecorrect size;

■ Switch off electrical items whennot in use and unplug them;

■ If you experience any flickeringof lights, see or smell burningreport it immediately;

■ Always report water leaks thathave come into contact withelectrical items or supplies;

■ All electrical work must be carriedout by a qualified electrician.

Fire Safety

If there is a fire in your home, leave as quickly and safely aspossible, call the fire service and stay outside until it arrives.

Have an escape plan ready andlearnt remembering the normal route out might be blocked. Makesure you know where the keys areand you can quickly get to themeven in the dark.

The fire service can carry out afree assessment of your home,contact your local fire station formore information.

Fire safety top tips

■ Make sure you regularly test your smoke alarms;

■ Avoid leaving children in thekitchen alone when cooking -keep matches and saucepanhandles out of their reach;

■ Take care when cooking with hot oil - it can catch fire easily;

■ Stub cigarettes out properly anddispose of them carefully;

■ Be careful with candles and makesure they are secured in a properholder and away from materialsthat may catch fire - like curtains;

■ Close inside doors at night tostop a fire from spreading;

■ Don’t tackle a fire yourself:leave it to the professionals -get out, stay out and call 999.

Gas Safety

You must provide us with access toyour home every year to complete agas safety check. As well as having a responsibility to allow us access,you also have responsibilities which include:

■ You must report suspected gasleaks or fumes and follow thesafety advice given;

■ You must allow us access every year to make sure yourappliances are working correctly and safely;

■ If you employ anyone to carry outgas work in your home, you mustensure they are registered with“Gas Safe Register”. Alwaysdouble check by asking to seetheir Gas Safe Register Card. Thiswill include their details, photo ID,and list what area’s of gas workthey are qualified to work on.There will also be a contacttelephone number / website tocheck authenticity;

■ You must contact us immediatelyif you or a member of your familyis sleeping in a room which has an open flue appliance such as a gas fire so that we can checkthat you are safe to do so;

■ Whilst you may enjoy carrying out DIY work around your home,you must not attempt to do anygas-related work or repairs. Notonly could you be breaking the

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law, but any work you carry outcould be life threatening for youand your neighbours. Any gasrelated work or repairs must bedone by a Gas Safe registeredinstaller. If you have any questionsor concerns about gas safety,please call us.

Gas safety top tips

■ NEVER use a gas appliance if you think it is not workingproperly. Signs to look out forinclude yellow or orange flames(except for live fuel-effect fires,which display this colour flame),soot or stains around appliances;

■ NEVER cover an appliance orblock the convection air vents;

■ NEVER block or obstruct anyfixed ventilation grilles or airbricks;

■ NEVER block or coveroutside flues;

■ NEVER fit draught exclusionstrips to doors of a room thatcontains a gas appliance;

■ NEVER allow anyone to carry outwork on a gas appliance unlessthey are a fully qualified, GasSafe registered installer;

■ ALWAYS have your gasappliances checked for safeoperation, prior to using any new ceiling or extract fans.

Plumbing

Blocked or frozen pipes

If you discover your pipes are frozendo not use the boiler or damp down

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a solid fuel fire, turn the water off andcontact us immediately. If you areaway from your home in wintermonths, please ensure you leave theboiler switched on but at a very lowsetting to ensure pipes do not freeze.

Major water leaks

Turn off the water supply using thestopcock. The stopcock is usuallylocated to the side of your kitchensink. Once the water is turned off,call us immediately. You should also:

■ Turn off the electrics using theon/off switch located on the main fuse board if the leak hasaffected the electricity supply;

■ Place a bucket under the bulgeand make a small hole to drainthe water out if the water hasleaked through an upstairs floorand the ceiling below is indanger of collapse.

Minor water leaks

If the leak only affects a wash handbasin, kitchen sink or toilet, locatethe isolator valve and give it a quarterturn with a screwdriver. This will cut

off the water supply only tothat appliance.

Leaks to washing machines can bestopped by turning off the water atthe machine’s connectors - blue isthe cold supply and red is hot.

Internal blockages

If a sink, wash hand basin or toilet isblocked, try using a householdplunger - remember to block theoverflow opening with a rag whendoing this.

Blockages to toilets can be causedby trying to flush inappropriateobjects such as nappies, newspaper and toilet fresheners. Please note that the cost of dealing with these types of blockages will be charged to you.

Plumbing top tips

■ Do not use toilet fresheners ortoilets blocks which dissolve inthe cistern. Clip-on toiletfresheners should be usedwith care;

■ Do not flush nappies, baby wipesor sanitary towels down the toiletas these can all cause blockageswhich we may charge you for anyassociated repairs;

■ Do not open the lid of your toilet cistern;

■ Cover grids with chicken mesh to avoid clogging;

■ Do not pour fat down the kitchensink, waste outlet or drain. The fatwill congeal in the waste pipesand could block the main drain.

Joinery & Glass

Door & Window Damage

If a door or window has beendamaged following a break in orthrough criminal damage, you willneed to get a crime referencenumber from the police. You mustprovide us with this number whenreporting the repair to us.

If you do not give us this reference number you will becharged the cost of completingtheir repair work.

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Door & windowmaintenance

You can help improve themaintenance of your doorsand windows by:

■ Cleaning frames with a softcloth - dirt and grime can beeasily removed with warmsoapy water solution and soft cloth;

■ Drying the area with achamois leather or soft cloth;

■ Keeping debris and build up freefrom window and door drainagechannels to allow water to drainfreely away;

■ Wiping down handles and letterplates using a damp cloth. Theprocess used to colour handles islacquering - cleaners such asBrasso or Duraglit should not be used as over time this willcause the lacquer to deteriorateand discolour;

■ Not using abrasive and ammoniabased cleaners as these cancause deterioration in the finish of the product.

Window opening mechanisms

Some windows have mechanisms to open the window in different ways. These mechanisms can beknown as roller cams, mushroomcams, shootbolts and friction staysliding tracks.

All window opening mechanismsshould be kept free from dirt and grit by wiping regularly using a clean dry cloth.

You can also apply general purposeoil on locking mechanisms at leasttwice a year to allow smoothoperation. This should only be usedon locks and not any other parts of

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the window as grit may stick to theoil and cause problems using the mechanisms.

Window handles

Window handles are usually pushbutton to open and either automaticof locking or key locking. To open windows, grasp the handle and press the button down, turn the handle. For safety reasons, you should remove any key from the window lock when the window is open.

Kitchen cupboard doors

Please do not place unnecessarystrain on kitchen cupboard doors or allow children to swing on them.When reporting repairs to kitchenunits or doors please provide asmuch information as possible.

Timber external doors

All timber doors have acceptablegaps around them to allow formovements because of weatherconditions. When you report a repair

to an external door, our aim is torepair and not replace the door. Only where repairs cannot becompleted will we replace the door.

Joinery & glass top tips

■ Timber is a natural product whichcan expand and shrink dependingon the weather. This can causesticking and may not necessarilyrequire any repair work;

■ Clean glass regularly usinga glass cleaner or warmsoapy water.

Structural repairs

Every house contains some cracks, most are of no structuralsignificance. Some may be due to corrosion of metal parts built into the house; few are due to foundation movement.

Thin cracks in plasterwork inside thehome are called ‘hairline’ cracks.These are more often caused by

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shrinkage in the plaster when it dries. Cracks like these are usually of no concern.

Structural works will be carried out through our planned repair programme.

Cavity wall

Holding the inner and outer walls ofyour home together is a series ofstrong metal rods which are calledcavity wall ties. Over time these cancorrode and cause cracks to appear.

These pose no safety concernshowever we will monitor this type ofcracking and take action to resolvewhen required.

Outside of your home

You must make sure that you keep the outside of your homeincluding gardens, garage and anyoutbuildings clean and tidy. Thisincludes making sure that you keepyour grass cut and do not dumphousehold waste in your garden.

We offer a free gardening service toolder and vulnerable customers tohelp you keep your garden tidy. Ifyou think you may qualify for thisservice please contact us.

If you live in a flat, you must makesure that you keep communal areas clear of rubbish and furniture.Please make sure that you useappropriate bins, provided by your local authority, to store rubbish and waste.

If you leave rubbish in public placesthis is called ‘flytipping’. If you leaverubbish on our property we willclear it and charge you for thecost. If you leave it on landbelonging to the local authority they may charge you for the cost of removing the rubbish.

Condensation

There is always some moisture in the air even if you cannot see it.

As the air gets cooler it can hold lessmoisture so droplets of water appearespecially on cold surfaces. This isknown as condensation.

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Everyday examples of condensationare when you see your breath in cold weather or when the mirrormists up when you have a bath.

A lot of reports of damp are causedby condensation. If you find patchesof mould on walls, furnishings orbehind furniture condensation might be the cause.

Condensation top tips

■ You can remove any mouldgrowth by wiping the affected surfaces with a anti-fungal solution;

■ Some special paints help prevent condensation forming;

■ Wipe down windows and windowledges when condensationappears on them. Wring out thecloth rather than drying it on aradiator or in front of a heater;

■ Fit condensation channels orsponge strips to windows tocollect the condensation. Theseare cheap items that can bebought from most DIY shops.Care must be taken to fitthese properly;

■ Don’t use radiators to dry clothes indoors;

■ Do not leave kettles boiling when you are not using it;

■ If you have an extractor fan, itshould be used when windowsare steamed up, or ideally beforethis occurs, so use it when youstart cooking or bathing;

■ Keep kitchen and bathroomsdoors closed when cooking,washing or bathing;

■ Don’t overfill cupboards andwardrobes. Always make sure that some air can circulate freelyby fitting ventilators in doors and leaving a space at the back of the wardrobe to the wall;

■ In winter open windows slightlyonly as long as they are mistedup. If your windows haveventilators ensure they areleft open.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s answers to questions we often get asked about our repairs service.

Q Will I be charged forany repairs?

A You will only be responsible forthe repairs cost if you or aninvited visitor to your homehas caused the damagewhether deliberately orthrough negligence.

We will always make it clear whywe are charging you and give youthe opportunity to carry out therepairs work first yourself.

At the end of your tenancy youmay be charged for any damageto the property and the cost ofremoving any rubbish you leavebehind in the home or garden.

Please see our ChargeableRepairs information leafletfor more information.

Q I have applied to buy my home,will I still get works done?

A If you apply to buy your home the responsibility for carrying outrepairs changes. We will removeyour home from any ongoing and planned maintenanceprogrammes. We will only carryout repairs that we are legallyobliged to do until yourapplication is processed.

Q The tradesperson has notarrived to complete the work.What should I do?

A Contact us to make another appointment.

If we fail to attend and fail tocontact you in advance, we willgive you a £10 gift voucher as an apology.

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Q My repair cant be fixed firsttime, will the tradespersonorder follow up works or will I have to call?

A No. We ask our tradespeople tocontact us and make anotherappointment. We will then contactyou to make a convenientappointment. Sometimes thesecond appointment may dependon a part that we need to order.

Q When will I have improvementworks carried out?

A We have a planned improvementprogramme which is based onstock condition surveys that wecarry out. We publish our plannedprogramme on our website andthrough our UNiTY magazine. Youcan also contact us to see if youare included in our programme.

If you are due to have workscompleted, we will contact youbefore starting works to discussyour needs as well as talking toyou about the type of work that

will be completed. Where possiblewe will provide you with a choiceof products.

Q Can I stop paying my rent if my repairs do not get done?

A No. If you think that we have notcompleted repairs please contactus and we will arrange for aninspection of your home. Youshould always pay your rent andwill be at risk of losing your homeif you willfully withhold payments.

Customer Feedback

We value your views and would liketo hear from you about what youhave thought about the service youreceive from us.

If you wish to make a complaint,compliment or give us a suggestionabout the way your case has beenhandled you can do so by contactingus on 0500 026 079. Alternatively,see our Customer Feedbackinformation leaflet.

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Plus Dane Group

Shepherds Mill

Worrall Street

Congleton CW12 1DT

3.1C

Produced by Plus Dane Group communications team

© July 2012