Repairs Maintenance Service Standard 2024
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Contents
- Our commitment to you
- What you can expect from us
- What we expect from you
- How we categorise repairs
- Repair and maintenance responsibilities
- Damp, mould and condensation
- Decoration
- Improvement, cyclical and regulatory compliance work
- Garden fencing and maintenance
- Pest control
- Leaseholder obligations
- Appointments and access
- Permissions and alterations
- Pre-inspection survey
- Rechargable repairs
- How we monitor and measure standards
- Repair responsibility tables
The objective of the repairs and maintenance service is to support the vision of Manchester City Council’s Housing Services, A Place Called Home, which aims to establish and deliver a resident-led housing service for Council residents that is high in quality and value.
We are committed to listening to you, to understand what you need from your services and how those services need to be delivered. A Place Called Home is made up of three key priorities for improved service delivery:
- Resident-led services, putting you at the heart of everything we do
- High-quality housing services and home improvements for secure, warm, sustainable homes
- Welcoming, safe, and vibrant neighbourhoods.
We will also:
- Treat you fairly, according to your needs, whatever your age, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation
- Keep you informed
- Take a right-first-time approach
- Provide you with a good-quality, consistent service
Our contractors will:
- Introduce themselves, tell you what they have come to work on and how long it should take
- Wear a uniform and photo ID
- Provide dust sheets, wear-over shoes and clean up properly after they have finished the job
- Check you have no other repair issues
- Keep disruption to an absolute minimum
- Take pictures before and after their work to show it was completed correctly and that they have cleaned up properly.
Before you move in
We will inspect your home and carry out any work to ensure it is safe, secure and ready for you to move in.
After you’ve moved in
We will continue to carry out repairs and maintenance in line with this service standard, to keep your home in good condition.
- To keep your home and garden in good condition
- To always report any repairs or damage to your home, including external and shared areas as soon as you notice them
- To let us in to your home to carry out repairs, inspections, maintenance and annual servicing
- To treat our staff and contractors with respect.
How we categorise repairs
Owing to the varied nature of repairs we do, we categorise them in four ways:
- Emergency repair – three hours
- Routine repair – 28 days
- Planned repair – 60 days
- Major repairs – 90 days.
There may be circumstances when we are unable to fully complete repairs within the timescale. We will put additional resources in place to ensure we can meet the needs of residents during periods of severe weather. This will include making sure our partners’ contractors have a sufficient supply chain in place to cope with any increase in demand on the repairs service during severe weather.
We will ensure you are kept up to date with all communication regarding your repair.
This is when there is a serious risk to you or your home. We will attend within three hours to make it safe; however, there may be a need to make another appointment to complete the repair to a satisfactory standard.
The main aim is to ensure everyone is safe and the property is secure. This depends on what the repair is and your circumstances, such as if the household includes elderly or disabled people, or children under three years old.
Examples of emergency repairs:
- A security risk to a property (eg. a smashed window, external door not locking, or a resident being locked out)
- The only toilet in the property is blocked
- Unsafe electrical sockets or fittings (including sparking)
- Uncontainable leak (leaks contained using buckets, towels, bowls etc are not classed as an emergency)
- If, during 1 November to 31 March, there is no heating or hot water.
Provision for emergency repairs outside of normal working hours can be accessed through the standard Manchester City Council Housing Services contact centre. Only repairs categorised as an emergency are to be dealt with out of hours. If the repair is deemed not to be an emergency, you will be asked to call back during normal working hours.
Repairs in this category pose no immediate risk and can be booked at a mutually convenient time. The work will be completed within 28 days. We will prioritise appointments based on the urgency of the repair.
Examples of routine repairs:
- Faulty tap
- A leak that can be contained
- Internal and external doors that need easing and adjusting
- Intermittent fault with heating and/or hot water
- Issues with external drains where there is no full blockage.
Repairs in this category are significant and will often relate to the fabric of your home or surroundings. They require extensive preparation and planning before work can start.
A repair request larger and more complex than a standard, routine repair may be classed as a programmed, planned repair and will be completed within 60 days.
A repair request larger and more complex than a standard routine or planned repair may be classed as a programmed major repair.
Major repairs can include full kitchen/ bathroom replacements, and multiple jobs or repairs that are complex in nature. Because of the extensive nature of these, further planning time is required.
We aim to complete programmed major repairs within 90 days. However, if the work is extensive, we will let you know when we aim to finish.
Owing to health and safety regulations, there may be times when repairs cannot be carried out while you are in the property. In these cases, we are responsible for arranging alternative accommodation while the work is completed.
Repair & Maintenance Responsibilities
Our repairs service complies with regulatory and statutory obligations to ensure the health, safety and security of people and property are always maintained.
As a minimum we will always undertake repairs as set out in Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This includes managing any health and safety risks. You can find out more about the Landlord and Tenant Act by visiting www.legislation.gov.uk
We also have a legal obligation to carry out the repairs described in your tenancy agreement.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to damp, mould and condensation, and we are proactive when identifying the root cause and carrying out the work to tackle this.
We use data to support a risk-based, proactive approach to identifying residents’ homes that may be at risk. From the surveys and data collected, we aim to introduce a continual programme of work to tackle damp, mould and condensation across our homes. This includes introducing monitoring technology.
Our approach will:
- Risk-triage every report of damp, mould and condensation, and respond with a specialist inspection that will remove any immediate health risks and identify the root cause of the issue.
- Undertake any work required to treat the root cause and, if required, ensure that the actions taken have been successful.
- Undertake a proactive and risk-based approach to identifying properties at risk of condensation, damp and mould.
- Undertake stock condition surveys of all properties at least once every five years to identify signs of condensation, damp and mould.
- Take reasonable and proportionate steps to gain access. In the instances where we are unable to gain access, we will use legal proceedings to ensure our homes are safe.
- Use temporary accommodation where appropriate and support residents to move into the accommodation while specialist surveys and remedial work are carried out.
In situations where repair work has damaged decoration, we will reimburse you with decorating vouchers or issue a compensation payment to cover reasonable costs.
Where damage to decoration has resulted from repairs that are considered investment or programmed major repairs, we will reimburse residents the full cost of the affected area on a like-for-like basis with a decoration voucher or compensation payment to rectify the damage.
We will carry out regular inspections and servicing of all gas installations, electrical systems, fire safety equipment, lifts, emergency lighting and other communal facilities, as well as tests for legionella.
These inspections will be carried out:
- Gas servicing – annually
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) – every five years
- Lifts – every six months
- Emergency lighting – monthly tests and annual inspection
- Firefighting systems – every six months
- Legionella – between three months and two years (depending on the aspect of legionella requirements)
- Asbestos – annually (communal areas).
We keep a record of all inspection logs. Any remedial work required following inspection will be completed within 28 days; however, if the work is urgent, it will be completed sooner.
Where we require access to your home, we will contact you in writing with an appointment.
We will also carry out planned improvements and cyclical maintenance programmes arising out of stock condition surveys of homes. These comprehensive programmes will be scheduled in line with our 30-year investment plan. We will write to you 12 months prior to the programme
starting where possible.
When carrying out improvements, we will give you a range of choices wherever possible, including styles, patterns and colours.
We will carry out garden fencing work as part of the cyclical painting and environmental planned maintenance programmes.
We will carry out health and safety-related repairs to existing fencing or erect new fencing only where there is a risk to health and safety. Once a new fence has been erected, it is your responsibility to maintain the fencing to a reasonable standard until the next programme cycle. We will aim to repair and paint external surfaces, boundary fencing and gates every seven years. Internal communal areas will also be refurbished and decorated every seven years.
It is your responsibility to maintain gardens and paths that are not the main access and egress to your property, as well as grassed areas, shrubs, bushes and trees, and other environmental areas. These
include waterlogged gardens.
We do not have any legal obligation to resolve waterlogged gardens. However, where there is severe flooding that affects your property or one adjacent to it, or where there is a health and safety risk, we will undertake work to mitigate the flooding.
Concessionary gardening takes place across our estates and there is a programme for maintenance.
We will carry out pest control services for all Manchester City Council properties. Details of the pest control service can be found on the Manchester City Council website.
You can contact us regarding pest control services by phone on 0161 234 4928 or by email pest.control@manchester.gov.uk
Leaseholders should refer to their lease for details of repair and maintenance responsibilities.
Leaseholders are responsible for repairing any damage due to neglect or carelessness caused by them, a member of their family, residents or visitors.
Appointments & Access
When you report a non-emergency repair, we will arrange a mutually convenient appointment for the work to take place. This will be between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).
Appointment slots will be offered as an all-day appointment; however, we can offer a morning, afternoon or an ‘avoid school run’ appointment for residents with school- age children. In exceptional circumstances it may be possible for repairs to be completed outside of the operating hours.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we make every effort to accommodate residents’ needs when they report repairs and when we enter their home to complete a repair. At all times we will adhere to Manchester City Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
For communal areas or external repairs, where no resident access is required, appointments will still be scheduled. However, they will have lower priority than repairs to residents’ homes, unless the repair is to something deemed a risk to residents, members of the public or the property.
You must provide access to your home for repairs at the appointed time. You must remove belongings to enable the work to be carried out, and provide a clean, smoke-free environment for our employees
and contractors to work in. This includes ensuring any pets and young children are kept away from the area where the work is carried out.
If you need to change your appointment, where possible you must tell us no later than 24 hours before, and we will arrange a more suitable time.
If you are not at home and miss an appointment, we will take an image of the front door of the property and leave a card to advise that the repair will be cancelled within five days if we do not hear from you. You must then contact us to arrange a further appointment.
If we fail to gain access and the repair is a health and safety issue, we will contact you to arrange another appointment.
Where there is an immediate risk or hazard to property or people, we may take further steps to gain access to the property.
You must ensure there is an adult over the age of 18 in the property while work takes place. This is to safeguard our residents, staff and contractors.
You must have written consent from us before removing, building or installing any structures, such as:
a garage
a parking area
a shed
a greenhouse
an outbuilding within the boundary of the property.
You will be responsible for all maintenance and repairs to any structure you install with our permission.
Should you make any additions, alterations or improvements to the property or any garden area without our written permission, we may ask you to put the property back to its original condition.
You are responsible for repairs to fixtures or fittings that do not belong to us. You are also responsible for repairs to any alterations or improvements you have made.
Any work that you do must comply with all current building regulations and have planning permission. You must make sure you employ suitably qualified contractors for all installations and repairs.
You can request permission by contacting us on our website. Visit
www.mcchousingservices.co.uk/contactus
or write to
Manchester City Council Housing Services,
White Moss Road,
Blackley,
Manchester M9 6NZ.
A pre-inspection survey may be required before a repair appointment can be arranged; this will be carried out within ten days. The survey is carried out when a repair cannot be diagnosed with the information provided by the resident.
Following the survey, the repair will be diagnosed and planned with the resident following the appropriate timescale. The survey will be completed by a Manchester City Council surveyor.
To ensure we provide a high-quality repairs service and give value for money, a minimum 5% sample of completed repairs are inspected each month. This inspection will be completed by Manchester City Council surveyors and our partnering contractor. Inspections will be undertaken via a combination of desktop reviews and onsite inspections. If we require access to your home, we will contact you prior to the visit to agree a mutually convenient time.
If your home is damaged by you or a visitor on purpose or by accident, you will need to pay for the repair. This is a rechargeable repair, which is defined in our policy as ‘repairs that are above and beyond normal wear and tear, and arise from abuse, accidental damage, neglect or deliberate and/or malicious damage’.
How we will monitor and measure these standards
Continual assessment of the repairs and maintenance service is essential to ensure that it is always fit for purpose. We will continue to learn, develop and redesign the repairs and maintenance service to ensure it fits with an ever-changing environment and resident base. The repairs service will be regularly benchmarked against other organisations to ensure the service remains current and value for money for our residents.
We will listen to you, our staff and partners, and ensure that all feedback is used to make positive changes that will deliver excellent services.
Performance management reviews will be utilised to highlight areas of concern and effect continual improvement. Key performance activities:
- Performance management reports are produced monthly, giving high- level analysis of end-to-end timescales, financial performance, good-quality information, and resident satisfaction. The reports are used by all managers for their respective service areas and monitored at a corporate level.
- Tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) are undertaken quarterly if we identify areas of high and low performance, ensuring improvements are identified and implemented across Manchester City Council Housing Services.
- Demand analysis reviews are carried out quarterly by the Resident Service Centre, specifically recording all failure- led demand that affects the repairs service. The findings from the review are crucial to our continual improvement plans and will ensure improved service development around your needs.
- Performance meetings are held monthly at a service-area level with the partner repairs contractor and other external contractors where relevant.
- Resident ‘Your Voice’ focus groups will develop and approve any changes to the repairs service.
- The Cabinet, Committees and Housing Advisory Board will review the submission of regular reports in relation to performance and service-review processes and practices.
- Self-assessment performance will be measured against the Regulator of Social Housing Regulatory Standards to ensure compliance with the measures set by the regulatory framework.
Repair Responsibility
Roofing and external finishes
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Roofing and gutter repairs |
× |
|
| Repairs to the fabric of the property, such as brickwork, render, cladding, damp-proof course |
× |
|
| Graffiti removal from external walls or surfaces |
× |
External windows and doors
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Smashed glazing |
× |
|
| Failed double-glazed unit |
× |
|
| Stolen or damaged locks and keys (our responsibility if you have a crime reference number) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of door numbers, nameplates, doorbell, chains and doorstops |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of door or frame |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of window or frame |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of fire doors inclusive of all fixtures and fixtures such as door closer, hinges and handles |
× |
|
| Replacement window keys |
× |
Heating and hot water
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Repairs following a gas leak (you should always call Cadent on 0800 111 999 in the first instance) |
× |
|
| No heating and/or hot water |
× |
|
| Boiler settings that require changing |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of gas and/or electric fire |
× |
|
| Cold radiator – bleeding air from radiator |
× |
|
| Leaks to heating pipes and radiators |
× |
|
| Upgrade of existing heating appliances and installation of new ones |
× |
|
| Meter cupboard repairs |
× |
Electrics
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Total loss of power (check with electricity provider first) |
× |
|
| Unsafe electrical power supply or fittings – unsafe wiring, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of electrical fittings – consumer units, switches, sockets, extractor fans, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of TV sockets |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of extractor fan |
× |
|
| Installation of cookers and cooker connections, such as bayonet fittings |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of electrical appliances, cookers, fridges, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of light fittings and starter motors |
× |
|
| Replacement of light bulbs (if you live in a sheltered and supported housing scheme, this will be our responsibility) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of doorbells |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of security lights, burglar alarms or other security devices |
× |
|
| Upgrade of new or fitting of additional sockets, light fittings, extractor fans, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of warden call system, or alarm failure |
× |
Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Repair or replacement of mains-operated interlinked smoke, heat and CO detectors (if your CO alarm is sounding, you should always call Cadent on 0800 111 999 in the first instance) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of battery-operated smoke and heat detectors |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of battery CO detectors where solid-fuel appliances are present |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of battery CO detectors where solid-fuel appliances are not present |
× |
|
| Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack etc within property boundary |
× |
|
| Blocked or leaking shared foul drain outside property boundary |
× |
|
| Blocked toilet |
× |
|
| Blocked basins, sinks, baths, showers and level-access shower wet room gullies (if no repair present) |
× |
|
| Total or partial loss of water (always check with your utilities provider first) |
× |
|
| Leaks to basins, sinks, baths, showers and toilets, and associated internal pipework |
× |
|
Bathroom
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Repair or replacement of floor coverings installed by us |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of timber or concrete floor |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of plugs and chains, tap washers (if you live in a sheltered and supported housing scheme, this will be our responsibility) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of toilet seats and covers (if you live in a sheltered and supported housing scheme, this will be our responsibility) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of tiling, grouting and sealant |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of toilet, bath, sink, basin or shower |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of shower rails, curtains, shower head and hose (if you live in a sheltered and supported housing scheme, this will be our responsibility) |
× |
|
| Installation of a shower where there is already a bath |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of bath panel |
× |
Kitchen
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Repairs to kitchen units, drawers and worktops that are considered as fair wear and tear |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of kitchen unit and drawer front hinges and runners |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of kitchen unit and drawer front handles and pulls |
× |
|
| Upgrade or addition of new kitchen units and worktops |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of kitchen sinks and taps |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of plugs and chains, tap washers (if you live in a sheltered and supported housing scheme, this will be our responsibility) |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of floor coverings installed by us |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of timber or concrete floor |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of tiling, grouting and sealant |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of white goods and cooker, including connection (if you pay a service charge for this item, we will be responsible) |
× |
Internal joinery
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Boxing in pipework (we will box in pipework that is vertical heating or hot water pipework that could cause potential scalding) |
× |
|
| Make Safe Hands-related internal door repairs |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of internal doors and door ironmongery, such as locks, handles and hinges |
× |
|
| Internal door changes to accommodate carpets, including refixing of any draught excluders |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of faulty internal door frames |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of curtain pole, rail or track |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of handrails, balusters, newel post, stair tread, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of skirting |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of timber flooring, ie. floorboards |
× |
Internal finishes
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Major wall and ceiling plaster defects – holes bigger than a £1 coin, cracks wider than the width of a £1 coin |
× |
|
| Minor wall and ceiling plaster defects – holes smaller than a £1 coin, cracks thinner than the width of a £1 coin |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of floor finishes (excluding kitchen and bathroom, such as vinyl flooring supplied by Manchester City Council) |
× |
|
| Painting and decoration (if damage to decoration has been caused following a repair, we will contribute to decoration costs) |
× |
External areas
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Removal of health and safety hazards to fencing, gates, gateposts and boundary walls, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of fencing, gates, gateposts and boundary walls etc that are not deemed a health and safety risk |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of communal area fencing, gates, gateposts and boundary walls, etc |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of defective paving/tarmac deemed the main access or egress to your property or a health and safety risk |
× |
|
| Make safe any health and safety-related hazards on an outhouse that is separate to your property |
× |
|
| Repairs to an outhouse that is separate to your property, such as locks and fittings, windows, doors, finishes, etc |
× |
|
| Repairs to an outhouse that is adjoined to your property and integrated garage |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of aerials or satellite dishes serving an individual house or flat |
× |
|
| Repair or replacement of washing lines and rotary dryers at an individual house or flat |
× |
|
| Maintenance of trees, grass, hedges, shrubs, moss etc where there isn’t a grounds-maintenance contract in place |
× |
|
| Maintenance of trees and shrubs etc causing structural damage |
× |
|
| Removal or control of invasive weeds, eg. Japanese Knotweed |
× |
Adaptations
| Repair item |
Manchester |
Resident |
| Installation of new minor adaptation, such as grabrail, handrail, step |
× |
|
| Major repair and new adaptations, such as wet room installation, specialist toilet, ramp, stairlift (contact your occupational therapist for further assistance) |
× |
