Your Right to a Repair
The right to repair scheme ensures that emergency or urgent repairs costing under £250 are completed quickly.
Tenants will qualify for compensation where a contractor fails to complete qualifying repairs within a reasonable time, usually twice the stated response time of the qualifying repair. Advice on qualifying repairs can be obtained by contacting the Office.
When you report as repair you will be given a date when this repair must be completed. If the work is not completed by this date contact the Association’s office.
You will be given a new date when this work must be completed by:
- 24 Hours for an emergency repairs
- 4 days for an urgent repair
Some examples of qualifying repairs include:
- Total loss of electric
- Leaking roof
- Insecure external windows or doors
- Block foul drain when no other WC is in the dwelling (if blockage is within property boundary)
Compensation will normally be restricted to £10 for the first day or part thereof that the qualifying repair remains outstanding and £2 for each subsequent day up to a maximum of £50.
The “Right to Repair” will not normally apply where:
- the tenant has not granted reasonable access for a qualifying repair to be inspected by staff or attended to by the contractor
- A tenant advises the Association that the qualifying repair is no longer required
- The tenant has failed to comply with their obligations under the tenancy agreement, for example their actions causing
- A pipe or drain to be blocked
- The repair is of a routine nature
- The delay is not the Association’s fault such as in extreme weather or a lack of parts
Can a tenant carry out the repairs and then charge the Association?
You cannot normally carry out or engage your own contractor to carry out repairs and then send the bill to the Association. You are also strongly advised not to withhold rent payments if you are dissatisfied with repairs not completed or the standard of the work. Failure to pay your rent could lead to court action to regain possession of the property.
Rechargeable Repairs
The Association may from time to time carry out repair works in the property which are deemed to be the tenants’ responsibility. If this is the case the cost of the work will be charged to the tenant.
If the repair work is necessary through misuse, neglect or wilful damage by you, your household or visitors you will be charged for the full cost of this repair. It may be possible for these repairs to be carried out by the tenant, but they must be completed to an agreed timescale and standard.
it is also important to remember that neglect and damage to the property are both grounds for the Association to seek to regain possession of the property through the courts.
The Association may also recharge tenants for reasonable costs incurred when they request.
The Association may also recharge tenants for reasonable costs incurred when they request maintenance to be carried out but no fault has been found. This is more likely to occur when requesting a repair to the gas appliance and the gas meter is switched, a thermostat is too low or a time clock is not correctly set.
The Association is sympathetic to tenants who have to pay for repairs they are responsible for through acts of vandalism or crime. This would most likely include broken window panes and damaged doors and windows. Although the tenant is still required to pay for the costs of the repair, agreement can be reached to pay to cost over an agreed timescale in instalments. The Association will require a PSNI crime reference number when to initial report is made to the office.
In cases of crime or vandalism which are likely to result in a conviction by the PSNI through the courts, the Association will carry out the repair in full and attach the costs onto the criminal proceedings.
Newington Housing Association Repair Responsibilities
The Association will carry out its duties to you in relation to repairs in your home when necessary.
The Association is responsible for the following:
- repairs to garden paths, walls, fences and gates provided by the Association
- replacement of refuse bins and rotary driers at commencement of tenancy if missing or damaged
- maintenance of communal amenity areas (unless the area is the responsibility of Belfast City Council)
- outside repair work involving structural repairs to walls, outside doors, windows (but not replacement of glass), roofs, chimneys, valleys, gutters, downpipes and house drains
- external paintwork
- electrical wiring
- repairs to electrical appliances, fires and heaters installed by the Association
- door entry systems to communal blocks
- ceiling roses and lamp holders • sockets and switches
- repair of defective heating systems
- repair and service of gas and oil boilers • window frames and sashes
- repair of defective internal and external doors, saddles and door frames
- hinges, locks and handles on external doors and letter boxes
- door entry systems
- walls, staircases and structural timbers, roof, chimney and gutters
- wall and floor tiling if installed by the Association
- architraves, skirting boards, timber sills and other internal decorative woodwork (but not the decorating)
- roof insulation
Please note: This list is not exhaustive and the Association is also responsible for repairing items in communal areas of schemes.