Reporting repairs

For emergency repairs, please call us.  If you are calling outside our working hours, please use our main number above.

If you smell gas, please call the National Gas Emergency Service on Freephone 0800 111 999.

Where applicable, a suitable date and time for the appointment will be selected for an internal or external approved contractor to attend and a works order issued.  Where an appointment is not available, the contractor will be issued a works order and requested to make contact direct with the tenant to book in for the works to be completed.  The same priority system for these repairs will be adhered to as detailed in the Repairs priorities section below.

Repairs completed in one visit
We will try to ensure that repairs are completed in one visit to the resident’s home, wherever possible. If the repair cannot be completed in one visit we will agree an appointment to return and complete the work at a mutually convenient time.

Keeping tenants’ informed of delays
If a repair requires parts or materials that must be ordered, the repair may not be completed within the published timescale. In this case, we will inform the tenant of the likely date for completion of the repair.

We set target response times for carrying out repairs reported to us. Jigsaw Group operates four repair priorities set out below:

Job Priority and Target Response Time

Emergency repair (Priority 0): – Up to 24 hours
Urgent repair (Priority 1): – Up to 5 working days
Essential repair (Priority 2): – Up to 15 working days
Routine repair (Priority 3): – Up to 90 working days

• Emergency repairs are defined when there is an immediate risk to the health & safety of a tenant/occupant, or where there is a danger of serious damage to a buildings structure.
• Urgent repairs are defined when a situation is causing a tenant discomfort, inconvenience and nuisance and it is likely to lead to further deterioration if the problem persists.
• Essential repairs are defined where faults or defects are not causing an immediate discomfort, inconvenience and nuisance to the tenant/occupant and with no risk of long term deterioration of the building.
• Routine repairs are categorised when an initial repair attendance results in more complex or substantial work being required to complete the repair in full. These tend to be longer duration repairs or replacements that require organisation of materials, access equipment and on occasion, support from specialist contractors.

In some instances only a temporary repair will be carried out to make a situation safe and secure. Once this has been done, arrangements will be made with the tenant to complete the full repair within an appropriate timescale. In rare cases where heating repairs cannot be completed within 24 hours, forms of temporary heating will be supplied by Jigsaw Group.

Major works are repairs which are deemed to be more extensive than a routine repair then a further category applies which is classed as ‘Major Remedial works’.

Emergency repairs:

Examples of Emergency repairs are:

• Complete power failure to property
• Burst water pipes, excessive water ingress
• Blocked drains and toilets where sewage is overflowing into the property
• *Complete failure of heating and water systems
• Dangerous or insecure structures
• Insecure external doors and low level windows
• Offensive graffiti
• Instances of flood and fire
• Complete failure of warden call system.

*Complete failure of heating and water systems are classified as an emergency repair during periods of extended low and sub-zero temperatures i.e. commencing late autumn and through the winter when temperatures are consistently less than 5 degrees.  During the warmer months of the year, generally commencing early spring through to the autumn, where temperatures tend to range from mild to hot, no heating and hot water repairs are classified as urgent repairs. We treat these with the highest priority and we will offer the first available appointment for attendance.

Urgent repairs:

Examples of Urgent repairs are:

• Blocked drains and toilets (rechargeable to tenant)
• Partial loss of communal lighting
• Roof leaks where water is present
• Partial heating or hot water failure
• Leaking boiler/radiators
• Faulty door locks, handles and closers
• Faulty communal aerial
• Intermittent smoke or CO detection beeps.

Essential repairs:

Examples of Essential repairs are:

• Minor repairs to internal joinery such as kitchen units, window-frames/catches, floorboards, floor tiles, skirting boards, banister rails and doors
• Replacement internal doors
• Glazing repairs including handles, vents and double glazed units
• Faults with extractor fans and or other forms of ventilation
• Partially blocked and defective gullies / rainwater goods
• Intermittent electrical faults to lights and sockets
• Dripping or leaking taps and showers
• Replacement taps and showers
• Low water pressure
• Loose wall tiles and defective sanitary sealants
• Small area plaster repairs
• Mould washes
• Minor roof repairs including broken/slipped tiles and water staining where no leak is evident
• Replacement of defective radiators, storage heaters and electric fires.

Routine repairs:

Examples of Routine repairs are:

• Repairs or partial replacement to external paved areas, fences and boundary walls
• Damp prevention works including tanking, plastering and associated decoration
• Roof repairs requiring scaffolding and/or other forms of access equipment
• Repair works to rooflines including gutters, facias and soffits
• Plastering of walls and ceilings larger than a 10m2
• Repointing to large areas of brickwork or paving
• Timber floor replacements
• Wet room flooring replacements
• Partial kitchen or bathroom replacements i.e. a replacement of multiple units, worktops, sinks, baths and shower enclosures
• Replacement individual external doors and windows that don’t pose an immediate health & safety risk.

Jigsaw will offer fixed date appointments for the following:

• The repair work being carried out
• Pre-work inspections

Jigsaw will always aim to do repairs within published timescales.  When tenants report a repair we will aim to advise when the work will be done by and offer an appointment (this depends on how urgent it is) or if it will need to be inspected.

Several appointment slots are available Monday to Friday as follows:

Monday to Thursday Appointments

• 08:00 am – 16:15 pm all day appointment
• 08:00 am – 12:00 pm appointment
• 12:00 pm – 16:15 pm appointment
• 10.00 am – 14:00 pm appointment.

Friday Appointments

• 08:00 am – 14:15 pm all day appointment
• 08:00 am – 12:00 pm appointment
• 12:00 pm – 14:15 pm appointment
• 10.00 am – 14:15 pm appointment.

Appointment slots are offered for Urgent, Essential and Routine repairs. Emergency repairs are arranged to be undertaken the same day.

Where the association cannot meet the tenants’ preferred appointment within the target timescales, we will offer the choice of a later mutually convenient appointment, or inspection.

Jigsaw’s staff and contractors will attend appointments agreed with the tenant. Where we fail to meet an appointment, the resident will be offered an alternative to suit them. In special circumstances this appointment might be out of office hours.

Where a tenant fails to keep an appointment the repair or inspection request will normally be cancelled.

We are responsible for the main structure of a property and for repairing items that were part of the premises when a tenancy started. These include:

• External walls and foundations
• External doors and windows
• Roofs, gutter and rainwater pipes
• Drainage
• Water services
• Electrical fittings
• Boilers and heating systems
• Communal areas including grounds maintenance
• Pathways and steps that provide main access to the front and rear door of the property
• Communal aerials
• Shared gardens, parking areas and rubbish chutes
• External decoration.

The responsibility to make sure your home is maintained in a good state of repair lies with both you as a tenant, and us as your landlord. Your main responsibility is to report repairs quickly to avoid further problems arising.  However, there are a number of ‘responsive’ repairs which are the tenants responsibility. These are outlined in your tenancy agreement and on our website Repair responsibilities.

In situations where it is necessary for a repair to be pre inspected in advance to diagnose the full nature of the work required. I.e. dampness and structural defects, tenants will be offered a suitable appointment for a Jigsaw representative to attend. Any repairs resulting from the visit will in raised in accordance with the timescales highlighted above.

Pre-work inspections will be carried out where:

• The tenant is unable to explain the problem in full to the Connect team
• The repair may be the tenants responsibility
• Where a repair has been monitored but there has been no improvement
• Surveying measurements, schedules, specifications etc. are required prior to ordering the work
• Investigations to identify the problem are required
• A previously completed repair has not solved the problem
• The tenant has a history of wrongly reporting repairs or abusing the property
• The tenant wishes to consider upgrade or improvement
• Repairs covered by an insurable event.

Internal decoration of homes is a tenant’s responsibility. Occasionally when carrying out some repairs, minor decorating will be required. We will always try and ensure any damage is kept to an absolute minimum.

Where damage to décor has occurred as a result of disrepair then one of the following options may be offered and will be confirmed in writing:

• The association will redecorate and make good the damage to the specified décor to the nearest match as is possible
• A decoration allowance voucher will be offered in accordance with the guidelines set out in our Redecoration Procedure so that the tenant can rectify the décor themselves e.g.
  • Standard living room or dining room: £30
  • Bedroom: £30
  • Bathroom/Kitchen: £15.

Where the tenant or a household member is unable to redecorate (for example in supported accommodation), we will ensure any re-decoration returns the tenants home where practicable, to the same standard as before the repair was carried out.

We will maintain any existing adaptations or fixed equipment provided by Jigsaw, where still needed to meet the needs of the disabled household member for whom it was provided.

We will remove on request (for re-use elsewhere), semi portable equipment, such as stair lifts, that are no longer needed due to bereavement or a permanent change in the household makeup will be referred the relevant Local Authority for removal.

Where a repair is needed to minor adaptations such as handrails or semi portable equipment provided for a disabled person and those persons no longer needs the adaptation, these items will be removed, unless the need for the equipment by another disabled household member is evident or confirmed by Social Services.

Non-removable adaptations such as structural alterations, concrete ramps etc. will be retained and maintained by Jigsaw. In some cases the structural alteration will be reversed.

Customer satisfaction in relation to repairs is important to Jigsaw Group and will continually be monitored utilising a customer satisfaction automated survey. The responses will be analysed to ensure the highest standards are achieved.

When a repair is completed to an individual dwelling the tenant will be given the opportunity to provide feedback. They can do this by participating in an automated telephone survey that will happen within 24 hours of a completed repair.

When a response is returned showing any dissatisfaction Jigsaw may contact the customer within 5 working days and ensure that:

• Dissatisfaction is investigated
• Cause is remedied, wherever possible
• Customers are advised of the action taken or to be taken.

We will monitor and report on:

• The rate of return of repair satisfaction results and what action is taken
• Analysis of any trends that appear.

 Complaints and dissatisfaction

Customer dissatisfaction can be expressed through any of the methods which repairs can be reported. All Jigsaw tenants have a right to complain. This is covered by a separate Complaints Procedure.