Repairs and maintenance

We aim to deliver a first- class repairs and maintenance service that keeps tenant’s homes safe and in good condition. The service includes:

• Responsive repairs (repairs instructed mainly as a result of repairs reported by tenants),
• Cyclical works such as external decoration and works to maintain safety such as annual gas safety checks, electrical safety inspections and fire safety checks
• Planned Maintenance works: Improvements such as kitchen, bathroom, central heating and window and door replacements and upgrades, re-wiring and structural works to maintain and improve the quality of a property.

We work to ensure that repairs and improvements are carried out to a high quality, including completed right first time. We use local contractors to carry out works. These contractor’s must meet prescribed criteria, including all relevant accreditations and qualifications, to join our Approved Contractor list and undertake repair works on our behalf.

We take a great deal of pride in the quality of our repairs service and are committed to achieving continuous improvement. We particularly value any feedback on the service received (good or bad) in order to help review and improvement. Feedback can be provided  by logging into your Portal and telling us what you are happy with, or where you think we need to improve. Alternatively, feedback can be provided by email, telephone or letter. We carry out monthly surveys of a sample of tenants who have recently had repair or improvements carried out in order to ensure regular feedback

Although Westfield Housing are responsible for most of the essential services and structural repairs on your home, when it comes to repairs and maintenance, there are some areas that are the tenants’ responsibility. These are detailed on the Responsibilities and Rechargeable Repairs page of this website.

Your Safety

As part of our repairs and maintenance service we carry out regular checks and services to ensure that your home is safe. Aside from the annual gas servicing’s these include:

· Electrical safety.  We are working on a 5 years rolling program to ensure every one of our homes has a legal updated EICR certificate in place.   Foxcroft Electrical carry out these checks .  We will write to notify you when your property is due and our contractors will contact you directly to make an appointment that is suitable for you. 

· Maintaining an asbestos register and checking asbestos risks, as necessary.

· Carrying out fire safety checks of all communal areas including weekly checks of alarms and any potential fire risks, and an annual fire risk assessment carried out by a suitably qualified Fire Officer.

Where these checks identify any safety issues, these should be attended too quickly.

In order to carry out these checks and tests it is important that we are able to access your home. We ask that you always provide access as requested so that these important checks are not missed.  Failing to allow access for any these legal requirements is a breach of your tenancy. 

Any contractors that we have asked to attend your home will always carry ID, please ask to see their ID before allowing access. 

If you have any concerns about the above checks and works and/or the safety of your home, please let us know.

Westfield Housing Association insure our buildings with Zurich.  Please bear in mind it is tenants responsibility to insure the contents of your home.  Zurich have created a short video to help tenants and residents prevent fires in your home.  They take a look at different ways to help prevent the most common ways fires begin in homes, including smoking, candles and barbecues. Please take a look at this link for https://www.zurich.co.uk/news-and-insight/how-can-we-help-prevent-fires-in-housing