Report your repair via email to
sbha@robertheath.co.uk.
All repairs can be reported at any time. If your repair is
affecting your health and safety, the repair will be passed out to
a contractor immediately. All other repairs will be logged
immediately and prioritised by a contractor at the beginning of the
following working day.
The repair desk operator will make an appointment for all urgent
and routine repairs. Repairs are attended to as quickly as
possible, but specific times for the appointment cannot be
given.
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What will SBHA
repair?
All repairs need to be dealt with as quickly as possible but
some are more urgent than others. We prioritise different types of
repairs into one of four categories:
CATEGORY RESPONSE TIME
Emergencies (Priority 1) Will be dealt with in 24 hours
Urgent (Priority 2) Will be dealt with in 5 days
Routine (Priority 3) Will be dealt with in 28 days
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Emergency Repair
(Priority 1) 24 Hours
The following are classified as emergency repairs:
Electrical
Total power failure - The power will be restored unless there is a
failure in the electricity
Flooding through electrics - Electrics will be made safe
Exposed wires - will be made safe
Partial lighting /Power failure - inside your home will be dealt
with unless fluorescent lights are flickering or the bulb is
faulty. Communal lighting is only an emergency if the lack of
lighting is dangerous.
Plumbing
No water to the property -The supply will be restored if not the
fault of the water company
Flooding - Flooding will be dealt with if it cannot be contained
and there is a chance of damage to the building, electrics or
leaking to a lower floor. If the flooding is found to be the fault
of the tenant they will be recharged.
Blocked WC (Toilet) - Will be cleared if there is no other lavatory
in the property. Otherwise it will be dealt with as urgent
Leaks - will be repaired if they cannot be contained and there is a
chance of damage to the building, electrical items or leaking to a
lower floor. If the leak is found to be through the fault of the
tenant, they will be recharged.
Manholes - Sewage discharges, internal back surges and dangerous
manhole covers will be dealt with.
Leaking WC - will be repaired if the leak cannot be contained
otherwise will be dealt with as an Urgent repair.
WC not flushing - Will only be dealt with as an emergency if the
tenant is elderly or disabled and can't flush with buckets of water
otherwise will be dealt with as an Urgent priority.
Carpentry / Glazing
Attempted Break-in or
fire - The property will be secured.
Lock Out - Will be dealt with only where the tenant is elderly or
vulnerable but the tenant may be recharged for the cost.
No Access to the property due to faulty lock - Will be dealt with
only where tenant unable to go inside the property due to a faulty
lock. However, if the lock out is due to tenant losing the key, it
is the tenant's responsibility and tenants should contact a private
locksmith.
Heating
Individual heating - Lack of heating will only be dealt with if the
tenant is elderly or disabled, if there is a child under the age of
5 in the household, or if there is a threat to life.
Faulty gas fire - As above.
No hot water - will only be dealt with if there is a medical need,
if there are children under 5 in the household or if a tenant is
elderly or disabled. Otherwise it will be dealt with as Urgent.
PLEASE NOTE: IF A HEATING REPAIR IS CARRIED OUT AS AN EMERGENCY
AND THE CONTRACTOR IS UNABLE TO RESTORE HEAT TO YOUR HOME, THEY
MUST PROVIDE YOU WITH AN ALTERNATIVE TEMPORARY FORM OF HEATING.
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Urgent Repairs (Priority 2) 5
Days
The following repairs are classified as Urgent repairs:
Electrical - Urgent electrical works will include
lighting/power faults where there is more than one source of
light/power. Repairs to doorbell or intercom (for disabled
tenant/tenant with support only.) Otherwise will be dealt with as
Routine.
Plumbing - Minor leaks, repairs to taps, fixing of
non-flushing of toilet will be classed as an urgent repair.
Heating / Hot water - Lack of heating or hot
water (central heating, gas fire, immersion heater or electric
storage heating) will be dealt with as an Urgent repair only if
residents are not elderly, do not have medical needs for constant
heating/hot water. This priority applies both in winter and summer
months.
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Routine Repairs (Priority 3) 28
Days
The following repairs will be dealt with as Routine Repairs:
Electrical - Repair or renewal of electrical
switches, sockets, bulb holder, extractor fans, doorbell, intercom
and other similar repairs where it poses no urgent risk to property
or tenant.
Plumbing - Leaking, overflow, clearing of blocked
gutter, repairs to rainwater hoods and other similar repairs where
it is posing no urgent risk to property or tenant.
Carpentry - Repairs to kitchen units, easing or
adjusting doors, windows, repair or renewal of doors / window
handles, hand rails, fencing gate, bath panels, kitchen/bathroom
floor covering and other similar repairs.
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Minor
Repairs
The following repairs are your
responsibility and will not normally be carried out by the
Association:
- Bathroom floor coverings
- Kitchen floor coverings
- Reglazing within the dwelling (unless crime number given)
- Chipped baths, sinks and wash hand basins
- Disinfestation (except in communal areas)
- Damage to tenant's front door (unless Crime number given)
- Damaged bath panels
- Replacement of bath/sink plugs
- Washing lines
- Any domestic appliance
- Loose door handles
- Blown fuses
- Built-in wardrobes
- Toilet seats inclusive of all fittings.
- Tenant's own shower
- Replacement of light bulbs and fluorescent tubes of all kinds,
shaverlights and battery operated smoke alarms.
- TV aerial (unless it's a communal aerial)
- All works associated with 'lock outs' - getting access,
replacing locks and keys.
- Bleeding radiators
- Draught excluders to doors and windows
- Garden clearance (except tree lopping where necessary)
- Additional security
- Tap Washers
- Clearing blocked kitchen sinks, hand basins, baths and bidets,
and clearing blocked external gullies.
- All repairs associated with the Tenants defective
appliances
- All repairs caused by tenant misuse, neglect, damage and/or the
same caused by visitors and family.
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Fault
Finding
The following diagrams show some of the most commonly reported
repair problems. Use this guide when you are reporting a repair to
the Association. It will help us to log the repair more accurately
and save you time.
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Stopcock
It may be necessary at times to turn off your stopcock. It will
help you to find out where your stopcock is located and to test it
at least once a year. You can do this by shutting it off to check
it closes, by opening it fully. Then close it slightly by turning
it back towards off.
When reporting any repair involving water, it will help if you
can tell us:
- if you have a leak, can you see where the water is coming from
and which item of equipment is affected?
- is it the hot or the cold water supply?
- how serious is the leak
- is it affecting your electrical system in any way?
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Toilets
Sometimes a cistern will overflow. If it does, we will take
action to deal with the overflow
There can be a problem with the Cistern, causing it not to fill
up. If you lift off the Cistern lid, you may be able to see if this
is happening.
When you report a repair involving your toilet, it would help if
you can tell us:
- if the pan is cracked, or if any of the pipes or joints are
leaking?
- does the toilet only leak when it is flushed?
- if the toilet will not flush, are there any broken parts, which
you may have noticed from looking inside the cistern?
- how the damage occurred
- if there are any obvious problems, such as a broken
pan?
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Power Failure
In most homes, the main electric switch incorporates an
automatic switch off device called a Residual Current Circuit
Breaker (RCCB), which is a large switch marked 'ON/OFF'. This will
switch off automatically if a situation arises which creates a
potential shock or fire risk.
If the RCCB switches off automatically, you should:
- switch off all MCBs using the smaller switches on them marked
'ON/OFF'
- return the large RCCB switch to the 'ON' position
- switch on each MCB in turn until the RCCB automatically
switches off again. The MCB you last switched on will be the one
where there is a fault
- switch off and unplug any appliance connected to that circuit,
then switch the MCB back to 'ON'
After this if either the RCCB or the MCB fail to return to the
'ON' position, a fault could exist in your circuit, which you
should report to the Association.
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Heating
Systems
When you report a heating repair, it will be helpful if you can
tell us:
- what type of heating system you have
- what type of fuel the system uses
- whether you have tried to bleed the radiators
- whether your heating system also provides the hot water and, if
so, whether you are without both services
- if you have checked the thermostats, timer or fuses
- whether there is anybody in the household who is either under
5, elderly, or has a disability or a medical need
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Locks
When reporting a lock repair, it will be helpful if you can tell
us:
- which lock is affected and if there is a second lock to the
door
- what type of lock it is
- whether the door has been forced open?
- if the lock needs refitting, what is the door made of (e.g.
wood, plastic etc)?
- if the repair causes a security problem?
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Windows
If you are reporting broken glass, please tell us:
- is the window single or double-glazed?
- is it clear or obscure glass (obscure glass is the type of
glass usually found in bathroom windows)
- how the damage occurred?
- if your window was broken anonymously, the Crime number given
to you when you reported the damage to the Police
If you are reporting a problem with the window, please tell
us:
- what type of window is it and what it is made of (e.g. plastic,
wood, metal)?
- which floor is it on and which room is it in?
- If there are any apparent problems e.g. loose or missing putty,
rot in the frame etc
- if you have difficulty closing a window, has it recently been
painted, or does it show signs of warping?
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Drains
If you are reporting a drain repair, it will be helpful if you
can tell us:
- if you have a problem with soiled water backing up, perhaps in
your toilet?
- if the waste trap to your bath, sink or wash basin is blocked
and if so, if you have tried to clear it
- if there is any flooding from an inspection chamber
- is the repair causing any damage to your home?
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