Although industrial action has now ended, we are still working through a backlog of repairs. Response times in some areas may be affected. The contractor will be in contact in advance to arrange access.
An introduction to self help repairs
You don’t have to wait for us to carry out your repairs. You can do minor repairs yourself under the tenant self help scheme and we will meet the cost up to a maximum of £200.
What can I do? The scheme covers most minor repairs - for example:
replacing defective doors
retiling a floor
fitting a new sink
Emergency or urgent work is not included in the scheme. You must use a qualified contractor for minor plumbing or electrical work.
You must agree the work you are planning with the maintenance officer at your local district office before you start. The maintenance officer will tell you how much you will get paid for the work.
Just as everyone’s home is different, the type of repair and amount we can pay is different for each property. Some examples of work you can carry out yourself are:
replacing bathroom door and frame
fitting a new single drainer sink unit
renewing the front gate
repairs to the front fence (if the fence was provided originally by us)
renewing the front door
You must always get the go ahead from your district office before you start the work. We also reserve the right to inspect any work you carry out and to withhold payment until the work is completed to our satisfaction.
How the self help repair scheme works
Here’s what to do if you would like to tackle the job yourself:
Check your tenancy agreement. This will indicate if the repair would normally be our responsibility. If it is, contact your local office and tell them the exact nature and extent of the repairs needed and that you would like to carry them out under the self help repairs scheme.
For repairs costing under £200 in total we will tell you how much we are prepared to pay. If the repairs cost over £200 you can still carry them out, provided you pay the difference between the £200 limit and the full cost of the repair.
When you apply to use self help a maintenance officer will visit your home and inspect the item that need to be repaired. If the work can be carried out under the self help scheme the maintenance officer will complete a works order giving details of the repair and the value of the work.
When the repairs have been completed you must send the relevant copy of the works order to your local office. When we receive this a maintenance officer will call out to inspect the finished work. If the work has been completed satisfactorily the maintenance officer will agree the amount to be paid.
If you use a contractor you should only pay him once you are satisfied that the work has been completed satisfactorily. Send the relevant copy of the works order to your district office to claim your money.
If, after your start work, you discover that additional work is needed you must stop work and contact your local office immediately. The local office will either authorise you to carry out the additional work or arrange for the work to be carried out by someone else.
Payment
Normally you pay for the work and then claim the agreed amount from us. If it is difficult for you to pay the amount agreed you can use our mandated payment scheme.
We may inspect the work and withhold payment until the work is completed to our satisfaction. When work is completed satisfactorily we will send you a cheque for the agreed amount. If you are in arrears the money may be credited to your account instead.
If you use a contractor it is your responsibility to make sure that the work is carried out satisfactorily before you pay him.
