repairs and maintenance

essential repairs only

The latest changes in coronavirus restrictions have created new challenges for our repairs service.

We are responding quickly to ensure the reliability of home repairs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many other large organisations in the north east, believe housing is facing reduced staff availability due to isolations.

In mid-July more than 10% of believe housing’s frontline workforce were isolating after coming into contact with someone who has had a positive coronavirus test.

To ensure that customers know what they can expect when booking a repair, and to ensure the reliability of key repair work, we have introduced some temporary changes to services.

From today, (Tuesday, 20 July 2021) we will only be handling essential repairs requests until further notice and we have suspended the self-appointing repairs section of our customer app to enable our operatives to prioritise essential repairs requests.

This change means the only new appointments available at present, will be for essential repairs and safety critical work like gas and electric checks.

We would ask if you could refrain from reporting non-essential works at the current time.  We will notify you as soon as possible to let you know when services are back to normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please visit our coronavirus page for more information about the measures we are taking to minimise the spread of the virus.

what are essential repairs?

Essential repairs are any defects that put the health, safety or security of properties, customers or anyone else at immediate risk.

They include:

• total loss of electrical power and lighting
• total loss of water
• total loss of Heating
• serious water leak
• dangerous structure
• blocked flue on an open fire
• serious sewerage fault
• insecure external windows and doors

Urgent repairs, for example contained leaks, will be assessed on a case by case basis.

To report an essential repair please call 0300 1311 999.

Emergency repairs

An emergency repair would be an issue that poses a threat to your health, safety or security.

Please note: you must not abuse this essential service, which is for genuine emergency repairs only. In doing so, you may delay response to a genuine emergency and place other people at risk. Anyone found to have abused the service may be required to pay a call-out charge.

Ask for identification

All of our employees and contractors carry identification cards. External agencies carry a letter of authorisation issued by us. Always ask to see some form of identification before you let anyone into your home.