Repairs
General
The tenancy agreement makes clear which repairs are the responsibility of West Herts Homes, and which repairs are the responsibility of the tenant. In practice, West Herts Homes is responsible for carrying out most repairs and, where this is so, each repair order is given a priority rating – Emergency, Urgent, or Routine.
Responsibilities
We expect tenants to take care of their property and, where a property has shared facilities, to work in partnership with other tenants to keep those shared facilities in good condition and free from hazards.
We aim to organise work in a way that provides best value for money, so some works we will carry out on a cyclical basis (like external decoration); some works we will do as part of a programme (replacing window frames, etc. to more than one property); and other works we will do in response to requests for repairs.
Repairs within office hours
West Herts Homes office is open Monday to Friday, from 9.00am until 4.30pm.
For any service queries or repairs requests during these hours phone the office on 01442 244484.
If you have an emergency between 4.30pm and 6.30pm in the afternoon, please phone our Housing Manager.
Out of Hours service and emergencies
If you are unable to establish contact with the Housing Manager. Please contact one of the contractors below and also report to WHH
They will attend to the following repairs in an emergency:
1. Loss of Heating and or hot water for tenants with electric heating
2. Total loss of power supply to socket outlets
3. Major plumbing leaks
4. Toilet blockage if there is only one toilet for use in the property
Swale Heating
01795 477098 option 1
or by email:
www.swaleheating.com/repairs/existing-customer/ where you can register to report a repair.
They will attend to the following repairs in an emergency:
1. Gas boilers where there is a loss of heating and or hot water
Drain Care Limited
01582 467111
They will attend to the following repairs in an emergency:
Blocked drains
Abbey Locksmiths
0800 052 0775
They will attend to the following repairs in an emergency:
Where a communal street door lock fails in a shared house or block of flats or window glass is broken through no fault of a tenant.
Please note residents are responsible for their own room/ flat door locks and will be responsible for the cost of repair and will need to pay the locksmith directly.
Neptune, Swale, Draincare and Abbey Locksmiths may refer you back to our office to arrange a maintenance visit if the repair is not urgent.
Rechargeable Repairs
West Herts Homes will charge for some works, when requested by the tenant. Work will only be carried out when payment has been made in advance. Please contact West Herts Homes’ office, on 01442 244484, for details of the costs.
Examples include:
-
replacement of door locks and providing new keys
-
re-glazing broken windows
-
renewing light fittings on non-standard units (fluorescent tubes)
West Herts Homes does not routinely replace light bulbs. If a request to replace a light bulb within a tenant’s property is received, the tenants will be informed that it will be done on a rechargeable basis.
We advise tenants to take out insurance to cover any items – like broken windows and lock changes – that are subject to a recharge.