Woking Repairs Service (WRS)

                      

Back to top

What repairs will the Council carry out?

Woking Borough Council aims to effectively carry out its repair obligations to tenants as stated in the tenancy agreement and policy.

                                 

We will:

  • Keep the structure, exterior and common parts of any building in good repair.

  • Repair internal walls, skirting boards, door frames, architraves, doors, thresholds, floors and ceilings, tap washers, kitchen units and work tops where there is general wear and tear or if there is a safety issue, flood damage etc.

  • Keep in proper working order lifts, door entry systems, landlords lighting, rubbish disposal systems, space and water heating (internal and external).

Back to top

How quickly will my repair be carried out?

All repairs are given a priority assessment from the information you give us when you report the repair. We aim to complete them in the following timescales:

  • Out of hours emergency: two hours.

  • Day time emergency: within four hours.

  • High: within five working days - e.g. repair ball values, renew broken light fittings, repair trip hazards.

  • Medium: within 25 working days - e.g. all general plumbing and carpentry repairs that are not emergencies.

Back to top

What is an emergency repair?

An emergency repair is any repair needed where the property or people are at risk. The Council provides a 24 hour service to cover any emergency housing repair which may occur.

Should an emergency occur during office hours it will be dealt with as a make safe or emergency category repair within four hours of it being reported.

If you have an emergency repair, whatever time of the day, it should be reported to the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.

If you have any doubt whether the repair you need is an emergency or not please phone. The officers on the phone will be able to advise you.

Emergency repairs include:

  • main drains                                    

  • no electricity

  • unusable toilets

  • lock changes

  • insecure properties

  • no mains water

  • gas leaks.

                             

Back to top

What repairs are the tenant's responsibility?

The tenancy agreement states which repairs are the tenants responsibility to carryout. They include:

  • Internal re-decoration.

  • Damage by member of household or visitor.

  • Replacing lost keys and damaged locks (unless wear and tear).

  • Fitting door furniture (internal).

  • Fitting curtain track batons.

  • Clothes dryers and posts (unless communal).

  • Replacing WC seats.

  • Plugs and chains to sinks, baths and basins.

  • Broken window glass unless a crime number is obtained following police involvement.

  • Fitting draught excluders.

  • Replacing electric light bulbs, tubes, starters, plugs and fuses.

  • Replacing air filters including those in cooker hoods.

  • Replacing batteries for smoke detectors.

  • Clearing internal blocked waste pipes, gullies or traps.

  • Repairing minor cracks and holes in plaster.

  • Cost of sweeping flues and chimneys unless part of a gas safety check.

To help you with your repair responsibilities we have produced a number of information sheets to help you. If you would like a copy of these contact Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.

Back to top

How can I report a repair?

When reporting a repair, please have your Reporting Repairs handbook on hand so that you can refer to it whilst describing the repair or fault to us. 

For Emergency Repairs, outside of office hours, phone 0800 521555.  

For all other repairs, please contact us in one of the following ways:

  • Phone the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555. This number is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).
  • Write to the Woking Repairs Service at Unit 14a, Monument Way East, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5LY. 
  • Email: WokingRepairsService@woking.gov.uk
  • Fill in the online reporting a repair form.
  • In person: by visiting the Civic Office. Opening hours vary. Please check the opening times first.
  • Mosque Repair Box: by completing a repair card and dropping it in at the mosque.

If you have any questions about a repair you have already reported, you should call the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.

Back to top

What do you need to tell us?

When you report a repair use your Reporting Repairs handbook, this will help you provide the correct information. You will need to tell us:

  • your name and address

  • a telephone contact number for you (this can be a work, home or mobile number)

  • the times when someone will be at home to let us in to inspect the repair or carryout work

  • details about the repair needed and how any damage occurred

  • is it something that was fitted by us

  • details of any special requirements that you or a member of your household has which we need to be aware of in order to carry out the repair (e.g. any disabilities)

  • if you would like an appointment

  • if you have already reported the same repair in the past six months.

Back to top

What will happen next?

We will advise whether the repair is the Council's responsibility or not.

If it is the Council's responsibility, we will order the repair when you first contact us and give you a target time for the work to be completed. We will try to do this as often as we can.

If we need more information we will arrange an inspection, but in most cases we will be able to give you an appointment for the repair to be made safe or repaired.

Back to top

Can I make an appointment for the repair?

Woking Borough Council has the aim of giving an appointment for every non urgent repair ordered. We also wish to minimise the inconvenience to our tenants, so we will try to complete all repairs on the first and only visit.

When you phone to report a repair you will be asked what day of the week is convenient and whether mornings (9am to12 noon) or afternoon slots (1pm to 4pm) are most suitable. You will also be asked if you want to avoid a call in the school dropping off and picking up times.

If, for any reason, you are unable to make an appointment, please contact us to rearrange it.

If we need more information, we will arrange an inspection.

We don't usually offer appointments for repairs to the outside of your home. If you would like to be there whilst the work is being carried out, we may be able to offer you an appointment. Please ask us when you report a repair.

If you have made an appointment but were not in when the worker called, the job will be cancelled and you will be left a 'cancellation card'. The card will give you a telephone number so that you can rearrange the appointment, if you still want the repair to be carried out. You will be asked to quote the job number on this 'cancellation card'.

Back to top

Do I receive a repair receipt?

Once you have reported a repair to us, you will get a repair confirmation letter which will tell you which job has been reported, the appointment date (if already agreed) and the contact number for the contractor who will be carrying out the work.

This letter has the WRS freephone number on it (0800 521555) so that you can call us if you are not happy with how the repair has been fixed. If you do not get a repair confirmation letter within three working days of reporting the repair, please contact your Woking Repairs Service to ask why.

If the repair is not going to be ordered or is to be placed in a planned programme, you should be told this in writing.

Please note: If a repair was carried out by an estate caretaker, please contact your Housing Officer to report a complaint.

Back to top

Can a Housing Surveyor come and see what the problem is?

A Pre-inspection Protocol has been agreed with the Tenants' Repair Panel which confirms when a Housing Surveyor will pre-inspect a repair request. Woking Repairs Service aims to remove the need for inspections where possible, so that tenants do not have to stay at home more than once to have the repair carried out. The aim of the Woking Repairs Service is to complete all repairs on the first and only visit.

A Housing Surveyor will inspect in all cases where:

  • a tenant requests a pre-inspection

  • work is associated with an insurance claim

  • work is associated with a boundary dispute

  • work is valued over £500

  • work is complicated and requires a visual inspection.

If you would like a Housing Surveyor to visit you about a repair please phone Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.

Back to top

What will happen when the contractor attend?

Most repairs are carried out by our own Woking Repairs Service, but we have to use other contractors for specialist work. All contractors working for the Council will show you an identity card. Always ask to see this card before letting any contractor into your home. If they can't show you a card, or you have any other reason to be suspicious, please don't let them in, and inform Woking Repairs Service on 0800 251555.

If in doubt - keep them out!                           

Any contractor doing work for us will treat you and your home with courtesy and respect. They will try to work creating as little mess and disruption as possible. They will clear up when they have finished and remove any rubble or materials that day.

The contractor will tell you:

  • what work they have come to do

  • which rooms they will need to work in

  • roughly how long the work will take

  • whether your gas, electricity or water will need to be turned off and for roughly how long.

Back to top

Can contractors carry out additional minor repairs?

The contactor can generally only do the work that has been ordered. In some cases they can do some small repairs. There are strict limits to how much extra work that can be done, but can include:

  • extra repairs that will not take longer than one hour to complete
  • repairs that the contractor already has the materials to complete
  • work that the contractor is skilled to do (i.e. this excludes jobs outside of a contractor's own trade).

For more information, please contact  Woking Repairs Service on 0800 251555.

Back to top

How long will I have to wait for a repair to be finished?

Woking Borough Council has agreed a number of repair priorities, for more information please see the section on 'How quickly will my repair be carried out?'  

Some target times for completing repairs are set by the Government and others have been set by the Council. In some cases we are able to do the repairs more quickly than required.

Back to top

What happens if the job isn't finished on the first visit?

Most repairs are finished in one visit, but if different contractors are needed to complete the repair, the contractor will arrange this for you. They will agree with you when they will visit and you will be given a contact number in case you need to rearrange any new appointments. If you have given us a contact number, this will be passed on to the contractors so that they can let you know about any arrangements to finish the work.

Back to top

What repairs do I pay for?

Woking Borough Council is not responsible for repairs that are needed following damage that you, the tenant, your family, friends or visitors cause to your home.

If we decide that a repair is 'rechargeable', you may be asked to get the repair carried out yourself or pay for us to repair the damage. If you decide to carry out the repair yourself, you will be expected to repair the damage at your own cost, to our satisfaction and within a reasonable time frame.

Examples of rechargeable work includes, but is not limited to:

  • blocked sinks
  • blocked toilets
  • broken doors
  • broken windows
  • floods from washing machines
  • lost keys.

If the work is not carried out to our standards, we may remedy the repair and charge you for the cost of doing this.

If the damage is caused by vandalism we will make your home safe but will not do any further repairs unless you have a Police crime report number.

If the damage is caused by you and you leave the property without fixing the damage, we will charge you for any damage that is not fair wear and tear.

If you decide you would like us to repair the damage, you can pay either in full or in instalments (a set amount on a weekly or monthly basis). If the agreement is not kept to or a payment is not received, the matter will go quickly to a court hearing and you will incur court costs on top of the cost of making good the repair.

In all cases of rechargeable repair, you will receive an invoice for the cost of the repair. In addition to this cost, you will be charged V.A.T. and a £40.00 administration fee. You will receive a payment book to pay by instalments or in full.

You may not have to pay if any of the following apply:

  • If the damage was caused by an accident which no reasonable degree of care could have prevented.
  • If the repair is due to vandalism or deliberate damage caused by a third party and where the damage has been reported to the Police.
  • If you wish to appeal against the recharge, you should write to the Planned Maintenance & Repairs Manager, explaining why you think the cost of the repair should not be recharged to you.

If you see anyone carrying out damage or vandalism to Council property, especially in communal areas, please report it immediately to the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 251555.

Back to top

Can I have help with decorating following repairs to my Council Home?

If repairs are carried out to your home, and as a result of these repairs, damage is done to your decorations, then you may be entitled to decorating vouchers to cover decoration costs.

In order to make a claim contact the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.

The Housing Surveyor will assess the claim depending on the area affected and in which room.

It takes approximately 10 working days to process a claim and issue any decorating voucher. The vouchers are redeemable for decorating materials at local shops.

Back to top

How can I tell the Council how satisfied I am with a repair?

If you have recently had a repair and would like to tell the Council how satisfied you were, you can complete this form. You will then be entered into a monthly prize draw for a £25 voucher.

Alternatively, when any repair requested is completed you will be sent the same satisfaction form by post within 10 working days of the completion. Any returned forms will also be entered into the prize draw.

It is vital we get your feed back so we can continue to improve the service further.

Back to top

How can I complain about a repair?

You can complain by:

  • calling the Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555

  • writing to the Woking Repairs Service at:
    Unit 14a
    Monument Way East
    Woking
    Surrey
    GU21 5LY

  • emailing us with the problem straight away. We will then reply within the following timescales.

We will write to acknowledge the complaint within three working days of receiving the information.

If we need time to investigate, we will inform you and explain why. We aim to reply within a further 10 working day, possibly requesting any further information required to help resolve the investigation.

We would aim to close the investigation and inform you within a further 15 working days.

If we cannot deal with the complaint in the above timescales, we will tell you why and let you know when you can expect a reply.

If you are not happy with our reply, you can then ask to speak to the Planned Maintenance & Repairs Manager.

Back to top

What is the Residents' Right to Repair?

Government legislation makes sure that small urgent repairs that could affect your health safety or security, are carried out quickly. These include repairs such as:

  • a blocked sink, basin or bath waste
  • leaking or blocked drains, soil stack, toilet pan or pipes
  • insecure external door, lock or window
  • unsafe electrical fittings
  • loss of gas, electric or heater supply
  • blocked flues
  • leaks to roof causing internal damage.

As a Council tenant, you may be entitled to compensation, of £2 per day up to a maximum of £50, if a qualifying repair is not completed within a target time. Any qualifying repair must not cost more than £250 to carry out. To find out the time limit for a repair see How quickly will my repair be carried out? 

For further information and a compensation claim form, please contact Woking Repairs Service on 0800 521555.