Repairs & Improvements

Repairs

The Right to Repair Scheme for Tenants

The Right-to-Repair is a piece of legislation that was introduced in 1994.
It means that landlords are responsible for doing small urgent repairs if they are likely to affect someone’s health, safety or security. It only includes “qualifying” repairs that cost less than £250.

Length of Time to carry out Qualifying Repairs

The “qualifying” repairs and the “prescribed” timescales are set out by the legislation. The period varies according to the type of repair. The repairs and time-scales are listed below.

Normal response times – the “prescribed period”

The “prescribed period” starts on the first working day following the request. For example, where a qualifying repair with a response time of 7 days is ordered on a Monday, Homes for Islington has until the following Monday to complete.

If Homes for Islington needs to carry out an inspection to determine a qualifying repair, the “prescribed period” begins the first working day after the repair request has been issued.

What happens if the repair is not completed on time?

If a repair is not completed within the “prescribed” timescales you must
contact Homes for Islington and request that a secondary contractor is appointed to complete the repair (see list below of exemptions where Right to Repair does not apply).

The second contractor has the same timescales as the first to complete the repair.

Exemption from Right to Repair

The Right to Repair does not apply in the following circumstances:

• You have told us that you no longer want the repair
• Where the repair exceeds £250.00
• Where you have failed to provide details for the contractor to gain access to your home
• Where you have failed to provide access for the contractor
• Where the contractor needs to order specialist materials to complete the repair
• When severe weather conditions prevent the contractor from completing the repair

Compensation

If the second contractor does not complete the work by the end of the second “prescribed period”, you may be able to claim compensation. The compensation is fixed by the legislation at £10, plus £2 for every day that the repair is not finished, up to a limit of £50.

Qualifying Repairs

Defect	Prescribed Period in Working Days
Total loss of electric power	1
Partial loss of electric power	3
Unsafe power or lighting socket or electric fitting	1
Total loss of water supply	1
Partial loss of water supply	3
Total of partial loss of gas supply	1
Blocked flue to open fire or boiler	1
Total or partial loss of space heating or water between 31 October and 1 May	1
Total or partial loss of space heating or water between 30 April and 1November	3
Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack or (where there is no working toilet in the dwelling) toilet pan	1
Toilet not flushing (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling)	1
Blocked sink, bath, basin	3
Tap which cannot be turned	3
Leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern	1
Leaking roof	7
Insecure external window, door or lock	1
Loose or detached banister or hand rail	3
Rotten timber flooring	3
Door entry phone not working	7
Mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen or bathroom not working	7