How to report a housing repair issue to your social housing landlord

If you live in a social housing managed by a council, housing association or cooperative you may be eligible for paid repair works when something breaks within your home or in a communal area.

Similarly to private landlords, housing associations and other social housing providers (such as local governments and councils) must maintain and repair parts of the property they are responsible for maintaining.

In this guide, you’ll find answers to the most common questions asked about reporting housing repairs and the differing responsibilities of landlords and tenants. 

Contents:

• How do I request a repair?
• Why don’t all providers offer online reporting?
• How do I request a repair in a communal area of a council property?
• What happens to my report once it’s sent off?
• What repairs do councils have to carry out?
• What counts as an emergency repair?
• Who pays for the repair?
• What should I do if the repair was not completed?
• What repairs are tenants responsible for?
• What should I attempt to repair myself?

How do I request a repair?

Reporting a housing repair is different for each council and housing association. In some councils, you’ll only be able to report a problem or repair by calling their repairs hotline. We recommend you do a Google search for ‘report a repair [social housing provider]‘ to find the best way to report a repair.

Other providers will have digital services where you can submit an issue by web form, email or webchat. Please check with your local authority or housing association for the best method to report a housing repair in your property. 

Don’t forget that some repairs are considered urgent and therefore you may need to report them in a different way to non-urgent repairs. For more information on what repairs may be considered urgent click here.

If you’re finding that reporting a repair is challenging because of opening hours, wait times or accessibility, let us know. We have a housing repairs reporting product co-designed with tenants that we can recommend.

Why don’t all providers offer online reporting?

According to a 2017 report from Microsoft, 90% of users expect to be able to access an online self-serve portal, and the expectation with housing repairs is no different. 

From our analysis of 189 councils in the UK in 2023, only 73% of councils had an accessible online housing repair reporting tool. The remaining 23% (including 51 councils) either didn’t have an online platform or they did have an online platform but it didn’t work or was not accessible due to being incompatible with current browsers and security requirements or it was inaccessible through the app stores for similar reasons. 

Not only is there an expectation from tenants to be able to report housing repairs online, but an online reporting tool offers the greatest convenience and fastest way to report an issue with a property when compared to calling.

Some residents have reported waiting up to 35 minutes to report a repair via telephone. This is almost 8 times longer than our online housing repairs reporting tool which takes an average of 4 minutes to log a repair.

We know that reporting a repair online is the easiest method and can be made even easier by removing the need for login credentials while still remaining secure – read more about our login-free repairs reporting product here.

So why don’t all social housing providers offer an online reporting tool for housing repairs? It depends, but it’s usually due to the limitations of their current software that can’t be adjusted to accommodate this.

How do I request a repair in a communal area?

Similarly to reporting a repair in your home, you may also be able to report a repair that is required in a communal area such as issues with lifts, CCTVs and bins.

In these cases, the reporting process may be the same.

However, we have identified that some social housing providers have a different process for reporting repairs in communal areas.

Please refer to your landlord for information on how to contact them regarding these kinds of repairs. 

What happens to my report once it’s sent off?

The process of evaluating and managing repairs varies from provider to provider. Typically repair requests for social houses go to a housing repairs manager who will look over the report to identify if they need any further information so that they can assign the repair to the right repair person (such as an electrician or plumber). 

The housing or repair manager will then try to arrange a time with the tenant.

Once a repair has been scheduled someone will come to the property to review the repair and either conduct the repair using parts from their van or will buy parts at their local hardware store.

If another visit is required, this should be logged with the repairs team, who will order the required parts and arrange for the repair operative to return on future date to complete the repair.

The process of approval, access to the property and scheduling varies between social housing providers depending on their systems, processes and the availability of parts and labour.

What repairs do landlords have to carry out?

Your landlord, whether they are a local authority or housing association will be responsible for carrying out all Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Details of these responsibilities can be found in your tenancy agreement alongside any other repairs they are responsible for. 

At a minimum, they must pay for repairs to:

• Gas, pipes, and boilers
• Broken heating systems
• Water leaks
• Toilets, baths, and sinks
• Roof, walls, windows, and external doors
• Electrical wiring 
• Any appliances provided in your home (such as fridges, freezers, washing machines)

If you live in a flat, they could also be responsible for:

• The structure and exterior of your home, including walls, stairs, bannisters, roof, external doors, and windows
• Shared areas like lifts and stairways
• Electrical wiring
• Gas pipes and boilers
• Heating and hot water
• Chimneys and ventilation
• Sinks, baths, toilets, pipes, and drains
• CCTV
• Bin areas
• Gardens
• Car parking

Your local council or housing association is always responsible for these repairs even if this is missing from your tenancy agreement or it says something different.

There may also be additional responsibilities that lie with your landlord which are laid out in your contract. We recommend you scrutinise your contract to be sure about what is and isn’t included – especially at the beginning of your tenancy so there are no nasty surprises and you get the full coverage that’s agreed.

What about after the repair?

It’s also important to note that they are also responsible for any redecoration that may be required once the problem is fixed. For example, if part of your wall had to be replastered after a repair, it should also be painted the same colour as your wall at the time of the agreement (provided you have not painted it another colour).

Tenants also have their own responsibilities which can be found here. 

What counts as an emergency repair?

There are some issues that are considered emergency repairs. The timelines and next steps to address these emergency repairs vary. Any of these should be considered as an emergency repair:

• Damp and mould
• Leaks
• Rats, mice and pests
• If you smell gas
• If your fire alarm or carbon monoxide alarms are not installed or working properly (beyond changing the battery)
• No hot water or heating
• Exposed wires
• Your windows or doors won’t lock

Who pays for the repair?

Any of the repairs covered under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, including the emergency repairs are all the responsibility of your landlord. They must fix them and pay for the costs of the repair and any redecoration required should your property be damaged.

What should I do if the repair was not completed?

There are several ways of handling a dispute if your repair wasn’t completed or is not being addressed.

If your repair was not complete, you should contact your housing repairs team as soon as possible with your repair reference number (if you have it), a description of the issue and the repair that was attempted.

Provide pictures of the issue before and after the repair attempt was made as it will help the housing repairs team to assign the right person and materials to complete the repair faster.

It helps to have all this information to hand when contacting the housing repairs team, so gather your evidence in advance.

If there is a dispute about the timeline or urgency of the repair and you cannot resolve this with the housing repairs team, we suggest you review this resource from Shelter about escalating the issue.

Timelines for repairs and the process of escalating depend on the type of repair. 

What repairs are tenants responsible for?

As a tenant, you are responsible for maintaining parts of the property such as keeping it clean and tidy and ensuring no damage is done to the property or landlord-owned appliances through misuse and carelessness. 

If you cause damage to the property, fixtures or fittings that the landlord is responsible for repairing due to misuse then you may be responsible for the cost of repairs.

In most cases, tenants are responsible for:

• Replacing lightbulbs and batteries
• Cleaning ovens, washing machines, dishwashers etc
• Ensuring ventilation is uncovered/ fans are turned on to reduce the risk of condensation and mould
• Maintaining any private garden or driveway; keeping it in the condition it was at the time you moved in 
• Maintaining toilets and sinks

When should I attempt to repair myself?

It’s always important to bear in mind the responsibilities you have as a tenant when taking on a new property and what you feel you can manage. Depending on your proficiency there are some things that you could easily try to maintain yourself, such as the items in the list above.

For example, a large back garden may be hard to maintain if you have mobility issues or cannot access or store a lawn mower.

Unblocking drains, replacing bulbs and batteries and keeping your home clean are all things that do not require a specialist (though you may want to hire the help of a professional or friend to assist).

We do not recommend you carry out any repairs on electrics, appliances, plumbing or gas. Leave this to the experts and report any issues to your landlord straight away.

As mentioned, we do offer a fully accessible housing repairs reporting and management product for social housing providers of all sizes. If you have any concerns about the processes and management of housing repairs by your landlord, we’d like to hear from you to see if Made Tech Repairs is something you and other residents could benefit from.

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