The Responsive Repairs team is responsible for repairing and maintaining the structure of Oxford City Council’s Council housing and council garages. This includes the outside together with any fixtures and fittings that we have provided. We are responsible for pipework, wiring and heating, power and lighting. We are also responsible for any shared areas or facilities. We maintain the main steps and paths that lead to the front or back doors, and any fences or boundary walls owned by the council. We look after any open area that we own around your home but not the private part of your garden. We also repair brick outhouses and timber sheds that we have provided.
We will:
- offer a telephone service for you to speak with staff regarding the repairs required. If you call outside business hours and your require an emergency repair* we will provide a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service that will direct you to an on-call member of staff
- in the case of an emergency repair, we will make the situation safe immediately and will return to complete the repair within the timescales detailed in the Tenants’ Repairs Handbook
- complete urgent repairs within three working days and routine repairs within 28 working days Advise you if the repair you have asked for has been put in our programmed work** and let you know when this is scheduled for completion
- ensure that staff and contractors follow the customer code of conduct and carry an identification card, works order or letter from us
- tidy up inside your home at the end of each working day and arrange for rubbish to be cleared away from your home and garden as soon as possible after the work has finished
- take reasonable care to protect your belongings from damage, dust and paint
- be polite and treat your home with respect and you with respect, fairness and dignity
- make sure that materials and tools used do not cause danger and remove them from your home when they are not being used
- repair any damage caused by our work in your home, where we have been negligent
- make sure that gas, water and electricity are connected at the end of each day and when the repair is completed
- warn you about any likely noise or disturbance and keep it as low as possible Keep you informed about how work on the repair is progressing
- carry out a yearly gas safety check for any home that has a gas supply and service any gas appliance once a year that we provide in your home
- carry out safety checks on all electrical fittings and wiring in your home at least every five years Inspect a random sample of repairs completed (approx. 10%) to monitor work quality
- send out questionnaires or conduct phone surveys to collect levels of satisfaction information In cases where damage is caused by you, or someone in your home, we will provide you with an
- estimate of how much we will charge for the repair, before beginning work. You can decide to get someone else to do it, if you prefer. If the damage was caused by someone else and you can supply us with the police crime report number we will complete the repair at no cost to you
You can help us achieve our Service Standards by:
- keeping the inside of your home in a good condition during your tenancy and make sure that it is clean and tidy when you leave
- telling us quickly when a repair is needed
- taking reasonable action to prevent damage once you have noticed a fault Contacting us quickly if our operational staff call or leave a card while you are out Taking action to prevent water in pipes and tanks from freezing
- letting our operational staff and surveyors into your home to carry out repair work, inspections and safety checks
- letting us know if you need to take you children to school or pick them up as we have a category for appointments during the day between 9.30am to 2.30pm
- calling us if you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment
- advising us if the digital programmer linked to your gas boiler warns you that you have 30 days left and you do not have an appointment for a gas safety check
- completing satisfaction surveys and phone surveys when requested
Further information about responsive repairs can be found on the Oxford City Council website
Definitions of Repairs:
* Emergency repairs include a blocked drain to a sink or a blockage that affects your whole property; loss of power to all or part of your home; repairing locks, doors, or windows to make your home secure; a toilet that is blocked or not flushing when there is no second toilet in the home; loss of heating or hot water during cold periods of weather between 1 November – 30 April; very bad water leaks through a pipe, toilet pan or a roof; entry-phone or lift not working and making safe parts of buildings if there is an immediate danger. We may also upgrade other repairs to this category where there are exceptional circumstances that require an immediate response, e.g. where someone’s medical condition would be affected.
Urgent repairs include chimney pots and roof leaks; outside door locks and window catches where there is no immediate security risk; faulty but not dangerous electrical fittings; loss of heating or hot water during May - October; minor leaks from pipes, dripping overflows, or faulty taps; problems with shared television aerials and sockets and toilets not flushing or blocked where there is a second toilet in the home.
Routine repairs include repairs to baths, basins, sinks, taps, and stop taps; locks, hinges, and catches; woodwork such as doors, windows, floors, and kitchen units; guttering, roofs, garages, and outbuildings; outside walls, fencing, gates, and paths; basins, baths, and toilets; plasterwork, tiling and insulation and also replacement of doors and windows.
** Programmed work is when certain routine repairs are put together with others so that we can carry them out more economically in a programme of work in the same area. Examples include fencing, brickwork, and concrete repairs. This can also include upgrades to homes to maintain the ‘Decent Home Standard’. This mainly involves work to kitchens, bathrooms, and associated electrical work.
Further information
ODS is a a wholly owned company of Oxford City Council.
At ODS we're building a new kind of business. A business that’s good for everyone; one that creates a more inclusive and sustainable economy that truly balances purpose and profit, one that considers the impact of their decisions on their employees, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
Find out more on the ODS website.
