Direct Works
For Tenants
The majority of repairs are carried out by Direct Works, our in-house team of fully qualified operatives.
We will provide a responsive repair service, alongside the planned maintenance programme.
Reporting Repairs
Our emergency repairs number is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Outwith office hours, calls are handled by our contractor, James Frew Ltd.
When reporting a repair, you should give as much detail as possible so that we can assess the work which will be needed and ensure we send the right Tradesperson with the right materials. We will tell you the length of time in which your repairs should be completed and whether a member of staff will need to inspect the repair before issuing instructions to our Operatives.
You should also give a contact number where possible, and give details of when you can let us in.
Emergency Repairs Team: 0800 068 1466
24 hours per day, 7 days per week
RESPONSE TIMES
What you can expect when you report a repair.
Emergency: Made safe in 4 hours, 24 hours to restore
Urgent: Carried out within 2 working days
Routine: Carried out within seven working days
Non-Routine: Carried out within 28 working days
Repair by appointment: Repair carried out on an agreed date
Some repairs may take longer to complete if we find out they are more complicated than we first thought or if we need to order parts or materials.
We will always begin the repair within the target time and let you know if there will be a delay in finishing the job.
Report a non emergency repair online
Using our easy to complete form
Who Is Responsible For What?
Most repairs to your home are our responsibility. However, certain items are your responsibility and the information below lists these responsibilities.
- Maintaining the heating systems
- Painting and repairing the shared areas or closes
- Reglazing windows (if you have made a police report and the damage was not caused by your or your visitors)
- Maintaining sanitaryware (toilet bowls, cisterns, etc) – not including toilet seats.
- Maintaining hot and cold water supplies in the property
- Maintaining kitchen fitments and fixtures – taking account of fair wear and tear
- Replacing lost keys or forcing entry (we can do this for you but you will be charged)
- Decorating
- Cleaning shared areas – (unless this is a chargeable service we provide)
- Clearing blocked waste pipes – caused by fat or household items
- Resetting tripped circuit breakers
- Replacing plugs and chains on baths, sinks and wash hand basins
- Damage caused through neglect of the property by the tenant, family, or visitors
Some emergency and urgent repairs are covered by the ‘Right to Repair’ regulations for Scottish Secure tenants. When you tell us about a problem, we will tell you whether the repair falls under this scheme.
You can view information on the Right to Repair here.
Right to repair means that if we do not deal with qualifying repairs within the agreed timescale, you have the right to appoint another contractor from our approved list to carry out the work. You are also eligible for compensation for the inconvenience if the repair is not carried out.
The list below shows the repairs that we class as emergency items:
- Gas escapes
- Burst pipes causing flooding
- Blocked drain or soil pipe causing a serious leak of sewage into your home
- Blocked toilet
- No hot- or cold-water supply in the property
- No gas central heating if no other form of heating is available in the property
- Broken or damaged door lock or door locks*
- Broken or damaged windows
- Broken handrail to stairs
- Serious roof leak or water leaking into the property
- No electrical power to the home
- No electrical power for lighting*We will only repair items 7 and 8 if the fault is due to vandalism and has been reported to the police.
When we receive your report, we will decide whether to arrange for one of our staff to inspect the problem or to ask our Direct Works Team or contractor to come out. We will normally try to have the repair passed directly to an Operative, so the more information you can give us about the problem, the better our chances of getting the repair done quickly and effectively.
Once a repair has been carried out, we will sometimes check that it has been done to the correct standard and represents value for money. A member of staff may arrange to inspect the completed repair. They will ask you for your views on the quality of work and the overall service you received. If there are any problems, we will arrange for them to be resolved.
We make sure our contractors are fully qualified and have the relevant up-to-date insurance certificates, as well as other accreditations where appropriate. We also expect them to work to an agreed code of conduct.
For example, they must keep to current health and safety regulations. They will be polite and show respect for your property and keep any disruption to a minimum. All our contractors carry official company identification which you should always ask to see before letting them into your home.
If you want to carry out improvements or alterations to your home, such as installing a shower or a new kitchen, you should get our permission before making a start.
We will consider all reasonable requests and give advice on how to proceed. We will not unreasonably withhold our permission to carry out improvements, although it will normally depend on certain conditions.
For example, this may be in terms of the standards of workmanship and making sure any work is carried out by fully qualified contractors. You or your contractor must repair any damage to our property as a result of the improvement work.
At the end of your tenancy, you may be eligible for compensation for certain improvement work that you have carried out with our permission. You can get more information from us about the types of work that may qualify for compensation.
We may charge you for the cost of repair work in the following circumstances:
- Damage due to neglect or vandalism, or accidental damage caused by you or your household or visitors to your home.
- Damage caused by unauthorised alterations or installations.
- Replacing lost or stolen keys.
- If the repair is not covered under our normal repairs responsibilities, but you have asked us to do it knowing that we will charge you. We will tell you if we are going to charge for a repair. and if possible, we will give you an estimated cost before the repair is carried out.
- If you are giving up your tenancy and have been given notice to put right any damage or alterations identified during the ‘pre-termination of tenancy inspection’.
It is your responsibility to decorate the inside of your home and you should keep your home well decorated.
If you move into one of our homes within 12 months of it being built, there is a different repairs procedure because the property is still in the ‘defects liability’ period. You should still report repairs to us in the normal way.
We will then pass them on to the contractor to carry them out. If the problem is a minor one that isn’t likely to cause further damage or inconvenience, it will be placed on a list of work that is done at the end of the ‘defects liability’ period. This lets the contractor arrange for all the minor repairs in the scheme to be done at the same time.
We are not responsible for dealing with pest problems in your home so you need to contact your local council’s pest control or environmental health department and ask for their advice. The advice is free but some councils charge for their service, so ask them beforehand what the cost may be. You will find contact numbers here, with more information available by clicking on your local council:
North Ayrshire Council
01294-310000
East Ayrshire Council Pest Control
01563-553520
Dumfries & Galloway Pest Control
03033-333000
If you come across pests in shared areas, such as bin stores or closes, contact us immediately. We will investigate and carry out the work recommended by the local council.
You can view these local authority websites for further information on Pests & Vermin Control.
We want to make sure that people can stay in their homes as long as possible. If a medical problem affects your ability to get around, we can carry out adaptations to your home to help.
If you need your home to be adapted in some way, you should first have an assessment carried out by one of your local council’s occupational therapists. They would then make an application to us on your behalf.
You can get contact numbers from any of our offices. We receive funding from the Scottish Government to do this type of work, but this funding is limited and demand is high. We keep the applications on a list until funding becomes available. For more information, please contact us.
Cyclical repairs are those which are needed within a certain time such as electrical safety checks and painting closes and fences. These are routinely carried out based on the life cycle of the item which needs repairing and maintaining.
Condensation happens when there is a build-up of moisture in the air and warm, damp air hits a cold surface. This moisture will cling to certain surfaces including leather, outside walls, tiles, mirrors and windows. If this moisture is not dried out with natural ventilation, it may turn into mould. To avoid this you should try:
- Producing less moisture by covering boiling pans
- Drying clothes in well-ventilated rooms
- Using air vents or opening windows
- Keeping your home warm (so the moisture can dry out)
- Wiping down mould (you can use diluted bleach, a mixture of white vinegar and water or specialist cleaning products)
- Not using Calor gas or paraffin heaters
- Using extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms (most have them fitted)
Reporting a Repair
If you would like to report a repair for your property you can use the form on this page to submit your request and a member of our Repairs Team will contact you as soon as possible. If your repair is an emergency you can call our Direct Works Repair Line on: 0800 068 1466
Contacting us regarding an emergency repair
Direct Works Repair Line
(emergency out of hours repairs)
0800 068 1466
CHA Direct Works Repair Reporting Form
Please note that this form is not for reporting an emergency repair. If your repair is an emergency you can use our “Emergency Out Of Hours Repair” number 0800 068 1466
What Our Tenants Think
An amazing improvement to the upstairs bathroom!
Amazing work, the Bathroom is beautiful
Excellent in all correspondence I have had with all staff I dealt with or met with at CHA Ltd
Outstanding service from Plumber and Joiner!