If you have a repair that requires attention, please help us to fulfil our responsibilities by reporting it to us without unnecessary delay.
You should take all necessary precautions to protect yourself and the property until the problem is remedied.
Repair reports can be made by;
Telephone: 0121 745 4281 or 07931756573 ,
E-mail: maintenance@scha.org.uk
or in person at the Scheme Support Offices
You should give your name, address telephone number and wherever possible a suitable access arrangement. If you have made an access arrangement and you are not going to be at home then you must notify the Association in advance so that abortive calls and unnecessary costs are minimised. Tenants should be aware that they might be recharged for unnecessary attendance or abortive calls.
Please give as full a description of the repair as you can, as this will help to ensure that correct and effective repairs are instructed.
It is very important that you advise the Association if you are not completely satisfied with the work carried out.
Out of Hours Repairs
If an emergency repair occurs out of normal office hours, weekends or public holidays you should telephone the Solihull Care Housing Association Out of Hours number on 07582 822734.
Please do not report routine non-emergency repairs via these numbers. This is an abuse of the emergency service and tenants will be recharged for callouts which are not classified as emergency repairs.
It is vitally important that access is available for emergency repairs to be carried out. If access is unavailable on such occasions the Association has the right to force entry in order to avoid endangering other occupants or damage to property.
Response Repairs
The Association has (four) categories of repairs and corresponding response times within which the repair should be attended to and completed:
- EMERGENCY REPAIR – Emergency repairs will be made safe within 6 hours. However, we aim to attend within 2 hours. An emergency repair will generally involve an immediate threat to health, safety or security i.e. flood, fire, security, gas escape. A complete loss of a utility, such as power, gas, water etc. may be out of the control of the Association and should be reported to the relevant utility company.
- URGENT – A contactor will respond within 5 working days of the report. An urgent repair will generally involve a situation that does not present an immediate danger, however, if left unattended has a potential to do so i.e. minor leak etc.
- ROUTINE – A contactor will respond within 20 working days of the report. A routine repair will generally involve a situation that does not present any immediate danger to health, safety or security.
- PROGRAMMED/ CYCLICAL – Non-urgent works that can be grouped together for economic or practical reasons, we will aim to get these done at the same time as the other works the maintenance officer uncovers during regular inspections. These repairs are likely to be very minor things that are more of a cosmetic nature.
Rechargeable Repairs
Some repairs may be recharged to you if they are deemed to be your responsibility i.e. the Association may carry out the works and recover the costs from you. You may have to pay in advance of the work being carried out.Repairs attended to in the evening and at weekends can be very expensive. If a rechargeable repair can reasonably be left until the first available working day then your cost will be far less.
Please find below some common examples of repairs that may be rechargeable to you:
- REPLACEMENT KEYS
If you lose your keys and then require a replacement, you may have assigned your spare key to SCHA – it will be possible for us to return your spare key at the point of reporting the lost key.
In order to ensure SCHA have a spare key at all times – SCHA will charge you for the cost of having the replacement key made, as they are specialist order keys the cost is higher than an average Yale Chubb Lock Key – SCHA will provide you a copy of the invoice to ensure the correct amount is paid.
- NEGLECT OR MISUE (Intentional / Malicious)
If damage is caused to any SCHA property through neglect or misuse e.g. damage arising from failure to report a repair i.e. Leaking Pipe, Blocked Shower etc this will be subject to a recharge to the tenant as you have an obligation as outlined in your tenancy agreement to make the association aware of any repairs within your property. Other instances could be unlawful damage e.g. broken windows caused by a resident or a visitor of a resident, malicious damage caused to any fixtures or fittings as well as intentional / malicious damage to any structural part of the property.
Landlord / Tenant Responsibility:
SCHA are responsible for a repairs to your property inclusive of some fixtures and fittings;
- Electrical wiring
- Gas pipes and boilers
- Heating and hot water
- Flooring (if installed by SCHA)
- Sinks, Baths, Toilets, Pipes and Drains
- Common areas including Entrance Halls and Stairways
- The structure and exterior of the building, including walls, stairs and bannisters, roof, external doors and windows
The Tenant is responsible for:
- fixing appliances or furniture you own (items SCHA have not installed)
- damage caused by you, your family or your guests (SCHA will undertake repair and re-charge you)
- Decoration of your property (only if the damage has not been caused by SCHA Fixtures and/or Fittings)
Maintenance Advice:
Maintenance Staff, in partnership with our approved contractors, are here to help you. Our aim is to maintain the property in our care to the very highest standard possible.
We aim to be approachable, helpful and efficient in out dealings with you so that you are, and remain, satisfied with the service we provide.