If you are an A2Dominion tenant or are a tenant of another registered social landlord, and you have a complaint about a defect in your property, you need to log the complaint with you housing associations call centre before you contact us.
If you are an A2D tenant you can log your complaint online (external website) or ring 0800 432 0077
If your housing complaint is not being dealt with in a timely manner you can ring or email us here in Environmental Health with the details of the complaint.
We will liase with the housing association in finding a solution to the problem. Environmental Health will only get involved if the call has been logged with the housing association in the first instance.
As a tenant you would normally be responsible for the following:
all decorations inside your home.
toilet seats and chains
pest control
replacing light bulbs and fuses
maintaining washing machines, cookers and gas appliances that are your own.
maintaining hedges, grass, trees (except in shared areas)
repairing damage caused by overflowing water from baths, sinks washing machines, toilet overflows (unless the fold was not caused by your property)
replacing fixtures and fittings.
replacing carpets or floor coverings
What is the timescale for repairs?
The time taken to carry out repairs depends on the problem and the time frames each housing association has set. They will vary but as a guide routine repairs will usually be carried out within 28 days or within the time you are given in the event specialist materials need to be ordered. Other types of repairs they will try to fix within 7 days.
What if I have an emergency?
There are two types of emergency repairs and housing associations will have different time scales but generally:
Emergency Repairs - 24 Hours. In this instance the Housing Association will endeavour to fix the problem within 24 hours. This response is for situations that seriously affect how a property can be used. They include:
loss of heating or hot water between 31 October and 1 May for non vulnerable tenants.
blocked drains
emergency systems such as emergency lighting
toilet not flushing (if it is the only toilet in the home)
repairs to specialist equipment such as a stair lift
loss of gas supply (where A2D are responsible)
dangerous roof tiles of slates
Emergency Repairs – four hours. In this instance these emergency repairs are those that need to be done to avoid serious danger to health or safety, or major damage to buildings and property.
These situations include:
loss of heating or hot water systems for elderly, disabled or vulnerable tenants (including children under 3) form 31 October to 1 May.
dangerous electrical faults
serious leaks from plumbing
dangerous structures that need to be made safe
lift breakdowns
blocked flues
complete lighting failure (where they are responsible)
complete public area lighting failure (where landlord is responsible)
loss of electricity (where landlord is responsible)
How can I make an official complaint?
If you are unhappy with the way your complaint has been handled by your housing association and want to make an official complaint, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service. This service is set up by law to look at complaints about registered providers of social housing, for example housing associations, and other landlord’s managers, and agents. Their service is free, independent and impartial. The contact details are listed below.
Local Government
Ombudsman Service PO Box 4771 Coventry CV4 0EH Telephone: 0845 602 1983 Fax: 024 7682 0001 Website:www.lgo.org.uk.
