Transforming our repairs and maintenance service

We know that your experience of our repairs service can affect how happy you are in your home, so we’ve been working hard to improve our performance. Our focus has been on three priorities: reducing delays, improving resident satisfaction and fixing things first time wherever possible.

Close-up of door lock being installed with power drill

Reducing delays

Over the past year, we’ve completed thousands of outstanding jobs and cut our backlog by 42%, meaning that we can attend to new repairs more quickly.

We’ve also made sure that our repairs service prioritises residents who need extra support.

Improving resident satisfaction

We’ve increased the number of repairs we manage through our in-house team, rather than contractors. This means we can better control the quality of repairs, set high standards and hold ourselves accountable.

Our team need to visit hundreds of homes every day, so we’re recruiting new team members by encouraging more people – especially women, young people and other less-represented groups – to consider careers in the trades. This includes investing in 70 repairs and maintenance apprenticeships over the next three years.

We’re also improving the way we communicate about repairs, so you don’t have to chase for updates. In December, we launched our Repairs Tactical team within customer services, for residents in London and the South East, who oversee more complex repairs that typically take longer to resolve. Their goal is to provide clear and timely updates, giving you confidence that your repair is in hand.

Fixing things first time

One of the biggest challenges in repairs is understanding exactly what we need to do from the start. So, we worked with residents to develop a new diagnostic tool called RepairFinder. By listening to how you describe common repair problems, this tool helps colleagues diagnose issues correctly, so we can get your repair right first time.

We’re making sure that operatives have the right tools and training and always listen to feedback from you and our staff.

We hope you’re already seeing a positive difference as a result of these changes. By investing in our team, improving our processes, and listening to both colleagues and you, we’re moving forward – one repair at a time.