Housing Defects Complaint Procedure

If you are an A2 Dominion (opens new window) tenant or are a tenant of another registered social landlord, and you have a complaint about a defect in your property, you need to complain to your housing association's call centre before you contact us.

If you are an A2Dominion (A2D) tenant you can report a repair online (opens new window).

What if my complaint is not being dealt with?

If your housing complaint is not being dealt with in a timely manner you can email eh.residential@spelthorne.gov.uk with the details of the complaint. We must have the job reference number that A2D will give to you.

We will liaise with the housing association in finding a solution to the problem. Environmental Health will only get involved if the housing association has been contacted first and given an opportunity to resolve the problem.

What is the timescale for repairs?

The time taken to carry out repairs varies.  As a guide, routine repairs will usually be carried out within 28 days.

What if I have an emergency?

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 (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 slate

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) 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 (opens new window) by email at osenquiries@os.org.uk or call 0845 602 1983. 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.

What am I responsible for?

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 flood was not caused by your property)
• replacing fixtures and fittings
• replacing carpets or floor coverings