This guide explains about ‘Your Right To Repair’ - a scheme
to ensure certain small urgent repairs which may affect
your health, safety or security are done quickly and easily.
The guide explains what repairs are covered, how you can report them, how long we have to complete the work and what you can do if we don’t manage to undertake the work in time.
How can I get my repairs done?
You need to tell us what repairs you need done. We may need to send someone to your home to check the problem first.
If the repair comes under The Right to Repair scheme we will do the work in the set timescale and will send you a copy of the repair notice.
This notice will show information that will include:
• Confirmation of who is doing the repair and how to contact them. (Usually it will be Bernicia but occasionally it may be a contractor);
• The arrangements made for whoever is doing the repair to attend.
• What the repair is; and
3 Your right to repair
How long do I have to wait for you
to carry out these repairs?
This depends on the type of repair you need and the information is provided at the back of this guide. Qualifying repair times are set by law - not by ourselves.
Type of Repair Timescale
Total loss of electric power 1 day
Partial loss of power 3 days
Unsafe power or lighting socket, or electrical fitting 1 day
Total loss of water supply 1 day
Partial loss of water supply 3 days
Total or partial loss of gas supply 1 day Blocked flue to open fire or boiler 1 day Total loss of space or water heating (31st October & 1st May) 1 day Partial loss of space or water heating (31st October & 1st May) 3 days Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack, or toilet pan (where
there is no other working toilet in the dwelling) 1 day Toilet not flushing (where there is no other working toilet in the
dwelling) 1 day
Type of Repair Timescale
Blocked sink, bath or hand basin waste 3 days
Tap which cannot be turned 3 days
Serious leak from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern 1 day
Leaking roof 7 days
Insecure external window, door or lock 3 days Loose or detached banister or hand-rail 1 day Rotten timber flooring or stair tread 3 days
Minor water leaks 7 days
Door entry-phone not working 7 days
Extractor fans 7 days
What happens if you do not do my
repair in time?
If we don’t carry out your repair in time, you can opt for a
secondary contractor to attend instead. The second contractor has the same amount of time to do the repair(s).
If the repair is not completed in time after the second attempt, you will receive £10 in compensation. For every extra day that you wait, you will get another £2 up to a maximum of £50. We will pay the compensation to you unless you owe us any money for things such as rent arrears or re-chargeable repairs. If this happens we will deduct the compensation from the amount that you owe. Sometimes there may be a good reason why a repair can’t be done. For example, if you didn’t allow us into your property, we won’t have to pay you compensation.
What repairs are covered?
You can get certain small urgent repairs done (up to the value of £250) if they are likely to affect your health, safety or security. These are called qualifying repairs and include:
• Unsafe power or lighting sockets or electrical fittings;
• Blocked flue to open fire or boiler;
• Leaking roof;
• Toilets which don’t flush;
• Blocked sink, bath or basin;
• Leaking from a water or heating pipe, tank or cistern;
• Loose or broken bannisters or handrails.
Please note that upon attending a repair there may be occasions when the repair will take longer to remedy than the target timescale due to factors beyond our control. For example, cuts to power or water supplies.
This will not qualify the repair as ‘The Right To Repair’ but we will keep you informed of the approximate time to remedy it. Where a repair will take longer than the target timescale, the repair will be made safe and another repair raised to complete the works.
7
How do I find out more?
If you would like to find out more about the right to repair, please contact us in any of the following ways:
Everyone asks
Telephone our Customer
Contact Team on:
0344 800 3800
Email:
info@bernicia.com
Website:
www.bernicia.com
In writing to:
Bernicia
Oakwood Way
Ashwood Business Park
Ashington
Northumberland
NE63 0XF
Your right to repair 7
9 Your right to repair
Notes
11 Your right to repair
Information provided by the Bernicia Group: Bernicia Group Limited is a Registered Society in England and Wales under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 No. 30268R. Affiliated to the Federation of Housing Associations. Registered under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. Registration No. L4512 Vat Registration No. 733 8036 38
Bernicia Group Ltd Oakwood Way
Ashwood Business Park Ashington Northumberland NE63 0XF
www.bernicia.com
T: 0344 800 3800 F: 01670 819844 E: info@bernicia.comAll our publications can be made available on request in large print, braille, or audio and in other languages.