Repairs
Repairs and property condition are consistently the most complained about topic seen in our casework. This page offers guidance, reports, and learning for landlords and residents to help you navigate this key topic.
Upcoming spotlight report
Last year, we issued a ‘call for evidence’ to inform our next Spotlight report – repairing trust, following an unprecedented rise in complaints about disrepair impacting residents’ safety.
The report will highlight some of the positive changes landlords have made to raise to the maintenance challenge and explore the complex relationship between landlords, contractors, and residents, with a particular focus on accountability, roles, and responsibilities.
Ahead of this publication, we continue to share resources and information to support landlords and residents understanding their role in managing repairs.
Helpful Links
Guidance
Landlord expectations
Landlords can read the expectations to find out how to respond to complaints about repairs and maintenance, proactively and implement learning from our casework.
Resident factsheet
Residents can read this information to understand what to do if they are experiancing issues with repairs in their home.
Reports
Spotlight report on complaints about repairs
Published in March 2019, this report explores the common causes of complaints about repairs, featuring case studies on new lettings, responsibility for repairs, the time taken to carry out repairs and record keeping.
Read the full report to understand how these issues affect residents and how landlords can improve their response to complaints.
Spotlight report on attitudes, respect and rights
This report examines vulnerability in social housing, highlighting the need for landlords to develop human-centric policies.
It features case studies from our work that provide practical learning on topics including reasonable adjustments, discrimination, contact restrictions and complaints handling.
Spotlight report on knowledge and information management
Discover how improved knowledge and information management can transform complaint handling.
The report highlights how weaknesses in landlords' data systems can impact complaints, while our follow-up report reveals that 89% of landlords who implemented our recommendations experienced positive service improvements.
Podcast
We publish our podcasts on SoundCloud, offering the opportunity to listen to the latest insights while on the go. Tune in to hear about current topics and the latest learning from our casework. Our playlists also feature interviews with special guests, providing updates from across the housing sector.
Upcoming Spotlight report - repairing trust
In preparation for our upcoming Spotlight report - repairing trust, this playlist features discussions on repairs in social housing with guests from member landlords.
Join us as they discuss how they have risen to the maintenance challenge and share how they have made service improvements.
Case studies
No maladministration
We found the landlord responded appropriately to repairs and maintenance requirements despite being limited by a resident's Right to Buy application.
Following a resident's report about issues with their front door and damp and mould, the landlord acted quickly by arranging a survey and gave recommendations on how to reduce condensation.
While the resident's Right to Buy application limited what actions the landlord could take, they continued to address emergency repairs and maintained clear communication with the resident about their limitations. Once the residents application was withdrawn they resumed general maintenance work.
We found that the landlord's actions were consistent and reasonable, showing a commitment to addressing the resident's concerns within the constraints of the Right to Buy process.
We did not find any maladministration in the landlord's handling of the repairs or the residents complaint.
Severe maladministration
Our investigation found that the landlord did not complete roof repairs within a reasonable timescale. This delay resulted in ongoing water ingress, causing damage to the resident's property.
The landlord's communication with the resident was poor, failing to provide clear updates or resolutions. The resident had to repeatedly chase the landlord for action, which caused significant distress and inconvenience.
We found that the landlord failed to provide a Stage 1 complaint response. Its Stage 2 response acknowledged errors and promised remedial actions, but these were not completed within the promised timeline.
The landlord's inadequate record-keeping caused confusion about what steps had been taken to address the repairs.
We ordered the landlord to pay compensation to the resident, provide an apology, conduct a full inspection of the property roof and set a clear action plan for any outstanding work.
Resident resources
Helpful information for residents
Our helpful information pages are available to support residents in resolving questions or complaints about the topics we hear about most frequently. You'll also find useful guidance on how to make a complaint and when it's appropriate to contact our service.
The Learning Hub
Centre for Learning online platform
Log in and discover the training options available to you including CPD e-learning, workshops and case study videos.
If you have not logged into the new Hub, you will need to set up an account to gain access to a range of learning materials.