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Home \ Tenants \ Living In Your Home \ Repairing, improving, adapting and decorating your home \ Repairs Service

Repairing your home

Responsibility for repairing your home is shared between Gloucester City Homes and our tenants.

Our Responsibilities

Inside your home - we maintain the structure of your home and are responsible for repairs to water and gas pipes, wiring, heating systems, drainage, power and light fittings, and any items originally provided by Gloucester City Council BUT not items which are your responsibility - see Your Responsibilities set out below.
Outside your home - we repair and maintain the outside parts of the property you live in, such as gutters and roof tiles. In the private part of your garden we are responsible for any fences, walls or brick outbuildings originally provided by Gloucester City Council and for the main path that leads to your front or back door.
Communal or shared areas - we maintain any open area around your home, any communal areas and facilities that are owned by Gloucester City Council and any garages we provide.

Your Responsibilities

Your general responsibilities are:

to allow repair workers into your home to carry out repairs, annual safety checks and inspections
to decorate inside of your home to a reasonable standard, including filling minor cracks or holes in walls
to let our repairs partner know as soon as you notice a repair is needed and to take action to prevent it getting worse
to fit, repair and maintain any fixture or appliance you own
to take action to prevent and control condensation - see the handy hints in your Repairs Handbook
to take steps to prevent blockages in wastepipes or drains
to take action to prevent pipes from freezing or bursting - see the handy hints in your Repairs Handbook
to arrange for the repair of any damage caused by you, a member of your household, or a visitor. For further information see our rechargeable repairs web page.

You are also expected to do certain repairs yourself or arrange and pay to get them done:

replacing door locks or keys when keys are lost or broken, or you get locked out
replacing window keys
getting extra keys cut
replacing glass in windows or doors unless you can provide us with a police crime reference number
fitting bells, latches, knobs, handles or chains to doors or cupboards
fitting additional locks to windows and doors
replacing locks and latches on internal doors and cupboards
adjusting doors, particularly when you have fitted carpets or laminate flooring
fitting curtain rails, pelmets, picture rails and coat hooks
replacing light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starters
resetting trip switches
replacing TV aerials and sockets (unless communal aerials)
testing and cleaning smoke detectors and replacing batteries in battery operated detectors - see the handy hints in your Repairs Handbook
trying to clear blocked basins, sinks, baths and toilets - see the handy hints in your Repairs Handbook
replacing toilet seats
replacing plugs and chains on baths, basins and sinks
descaling shower heads
fitting wastes and pipework for washing machines and dishwashers and vents for tumble driers
replacing clothes lines and posts (except in communal areas)
maintaining general garden paths (not the main one that leads to your front or back door) and any other garden features
keeping gully grids clear of leaves and rubbish
getting chimneys swept if used for open fires.

Changes you make to your home

You can carry our changes to your home if you get our written permission - see our Home Improvements| web page. This includes additions such as gas or electrical fittings and laminate flooring. However, you will be responsible for any repairs to these changes and for removing and re-installing them if we need to carry out a repair.

Who carries out the repairs for Gloucester City Homes?

Gloucester City Homes repairs service is provided by our repairs partner Lovell Respond| .

Lovell Respond logo

Lovell Respond is a national company who provide maintenance services for a number of housing organisations across the UK.

We also employ Lovell Respond to carry out repairs to empty properties; carry out a range of regular maintenance and carry out adapations to your home if you are disabled.

Lovell Respond do sometimes employ other specialist partners to help them with this work. Any specialist partner will be expected to carry out the work to the same high standards that we expect from Lovell Respond.

How do I report a repair?

To order a repair first refer to your repairs handbook to help you clearly identify what it is that you need repairing. The more accurate you are in helping us to understand what repair is required to greater the likelihood that we will be able to complete the repair on the first visit. Our call centre operators are also trained to ask you a range of questions that help clearly identify the fault. Then either .........

or

You can also report non-urgent repairs using our online repairs reporting service .

Please note if your repair is an emergency you should always report it by phone.

How quickly will Lovell Respond carry out the repairs?

Lovell Respond are responsible for completing work to you home within the following timescales:

Emergency repairs : We aim to respond within 2 hours and make the situation safe within 4 hours.

This includes repairs that are need to remove immediate danger to people, avoid flooding ir major damage to the property, make the property secure, or restore total loss of heating in winter. If we need to do any follow up work we will let you know when we will do this.

Click here to see examples of emergency repairs| .....

Urgent repairs : We will complete the repair within 5 working days.

This includes work to restore full or partial failure of sanitation, water or electrical supply, or heating systems and any other urgent work to prevent immediate damage to the property, to overcome serious inconvenience to the tenant or where there is a possible health, safety or security risk.

Click here to see examples of urgent repairs| ......

Routine repairs : We will complete the repair within 20 working days.

This includes work where the fault or failure does not cause immediate inconvenience or present a danger to occupants or the public, but should not wait for a planned programme of work.

Click here to see examples of routine repairs| .......

Right to Repair : To be completed within the times stated within the Right to Repair. For further information on the Right to Repair please contact us| for further information, see the Right To Repair Timescales| webpage and download the Right to Repair| booklet from the Government's Department for Communities and Local Government.

Rechargeable repairs : We will complete rechargeable repairs| within the same timescales as set out above for emergencies, urgent and routine repairs.

Other timescales may be agreed in specific cases depending on the nature of the work.

If we need to inspect before repair work can be ordered, we will make an appointment with you when you report the repair to us. The time taken to carry out the inspection will be included within the target time allocated to the repair.

Will I be offered an appointment?

If Lovell Respond need to get in to your home to do a repair, you will be offered a morning or afternoon appointment, to suit your convenience. Morning and afternoon appointments are available within two hour slots.

Lovell Respond will send you an acknowledgement for each repair reported, so you know that we will deal with it, what priority it has been given and details of the appointment you have made.

If you have reported the repair by letter and the appointment offered is not convenient for you, please contact Customer Services on 0800 408 2000 and select Option 1 to arrange for the appointment to be rearranged.

Please do keep your appointment . Once an appointment has been made it is important that you are in when the worker calls. If you are not in the worker will leave a card asking you to contact us to confirm our new suggested date/ time for the next appointment or to rebook an appointment at a more convenient time.

It is essential that you contact the repairs service again to confirm the new appointment or rearrange another appointment. Please quote the job number on the card when you call.

Missed appointments cause delays to you getting repairs done and uneccessarily result in wasted time for repair operatives and wasted money.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU ALWAYS KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENTS. THANK YOU.

Appointment times

Monday to Friday

Morning appointments are available from 8 to 12pm.

Afternoon appointments are available from 12 to 4pm

Evening appointments are from 4 to to 6pm.

Saturday

Saturday appointments are between from 8am and 12 noon.

Who should I give access to my home?

Gloucester City Homes' officers, and any other person we have authorised, such as Lovell Respond or their specialist contractors, may need to get into your home. For example, access may be needed to inspect the state of a repair or to carry out repairs to your home or to an adjoining property or to carry out survey work. Access will also be required to carry out annual servicing of any gas central heating installed.

Under your tenancy agreement you must allow them access to the premises at any time between 7.30am and 8.00pm, and at any other time in an emergency. We will give advance notice whenever we can.

How will I know the workers are from Gloucester City Homes, Lovell Respond or an approved partner?

Gloucester City Homes officers will always show you their identity card before entering your home.

Lovell Respond workers will wear a red uniform showing the Lovell Respond and Gloucester City Homes logos and will always show you their identity card before entering your home. Occasionally, for weekend or emergency call-outs, Lovell Respond may need to use staff from the Stroud area to deal with your repair. In this case, their vehicles will have Lovell Respond and Stroud District Council logos.

Other specialist contractors will either have their own identity cards and should have an order clearly indicating that they are carrying the work out on behalf of Gloucester City Homes or Enterprise.

If you are in any doubt about whom you are letting in to your home, always contact us |, and don't let them into your home until you are satisfied they are who they say they are.

For further information on when to allow access to your home please look at Gloucestershire Constabulary's web page on avoiding Bogus Callers.|

What standard of customer care can I expect when Lovell Respond or their specialist partner are working in my home?

They will:

Treat you with respect and always behave in a professional manner;
Introduce themselves and show you photo identification before entering;
Explain what they are going to do and discuss how this will affect you;
Protect your belongings from damage, dust and paint;
Make sure materials and tools do not cause danger to anyone;
Keep you informed about how the work is progressing;
Clear rubbish from your home at the end of each working day;
Take reasonable steps to keep your home safe; and
Make sure electricity, water and gas are connected at the end of the day.

Repair workers are not allowed to:

Smoke or play a radio or CD player in or around the home;
Use bad language or behave inappropriately;
Use mobile phones during their work to make or receive personal phone calls;
Use your gas or electricity supply;
Use any equipment belonging to you including your phone;
Be in your home with children under 16 without a responsible adult being present;
Receive gifts or payments from tenants;
Keep keys to tenants homes; or
Do private work for tenants.

They must also ask your permission to:

Take their lunch break in your home.
Use your toilet; or
Go into other rooms in your home.

What should I do if I am not satisfied with the service I receive from Lovell Respond?

We will be working closely with Lovell Respond over the coming months to ensure that you see real improvements in the repairs service you receive. If you have any queries or comments please contact us| , or make a comment online| .

If we have been unable to carry out essential repairs to your home or communal area within the agreed timescale, a discretionary allowance may be made. Please contact our repairs service by calling 0800 408 2000 and selecting Option 1 for further information.

Our performance

Click here to be taken to our performance reports| which give you information on how well we are performing against our key performance indicators e.g. how quickly do we carry out emergency, urgent and routine repairs.