Repairs and maintenance service
Last updated: December 2024
View the latest updates on our repairs service this month and our current wait times for appointments.
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Our repairs service
We’re always working hard to tackle damp, and mould issues all year round. This is really important to keep our homes safe and well maintained.
To help with the high number of repairs, we’ve recruited more engineers to our Thrive Homes Services team. Our supporting contractor Gilmartins is also taking on more appointments. You may be contacted by them on our behalf to get your repairs booked in more quickly.
Gilmartins will also be working on our roofing and drainage jobs from now on, so you’ll hear from them if you have outstanding repairs in these two areas.
By expanding our repairs team and working with Gilmartins, we hope that this will bring our wait times for appointments down and in line with our published timescales. Whilst we work to do this, we’ll use this page to update you on how long you can expect to wait for each trade this month.
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Average appointment timescales this month
We work hard to meet our published timescales but there are times where these will change due to the circumstances of the repair. Weather conditions and the availability of materials needed to carry them out may also have an impact.
We’re very pleased to let you know that 100% of emergency repairs were responded to within 24 hours this month. Take a look at how we’re responding to our routine and planned repairs below
*Please note that these current timescales are for guidance only and do not include our emergency repairs that are attended to within 24 hours
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THS access to your home
We are sometimes unable to complete your repair because we are unable to get access to your property. This was the case for 13.07% of our appointments last month.
If you need to change your scheduled appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer it to someone else. You can get in touch with our Contact Centre on 0800 917 6077.
Routine works
We aim to complete routine repairs in 20 working days.
Planned works
We aim to complete planned repairs in 60 working days. These relate to more complex repair works so take a little longer than routine repairs.
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Safe and secure
Last year, customers told us that one of the reasons they don’t feel safe in their homes is because of issues with older door entry systems.
Many of our door entry systems are outdated and require specialist parts and engineers to fix. Acting on your feedback, we’re working to upgrade most of these systems over the next couple of years to a more modern door entry system. We are working with specialist contractors Energ.B who have already started to install these in some blocks and will be in touch with customers living in properties included in these works.
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Diagnosing your repair
If you need help with a repair, you can diagnose the issue and find out what to do next on our website. You’ll also find handy guidance which may help you fix the issue yourself. Simply head to thrivehomes.org.uk/repairs
If we can’t book a repair appointment right away, we might need to use one of our contractors to do the job. If that happens, we’ll let you know and put them in touch with you directly to book in a convenient time.
We know you prefer our own Thrive Homes Services (THS) engineers because you feel they provide a better service, and you know them. That’s why we’ve been growing the team by employing more engineers. Due to an increase of reported repairs we continue to utilise our contractors to help us get back on track. Last month Thrive Homes Services completed 82.08% of repair requests so you didn’t have to wait for our contractors to help.
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Our performance
83.6% of customers surveyed last month told us they were satisfied with our repairs service.
Do you have fresh ideas to improve our services?
Become a Thrive Customer Voice member to have a say!
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Plans to upgrade our homes
Our rolling Stock Condition surveys help us check over the condition of your home and work out what upgrades are needed. We’re carrying out an increased number of these this year so we can plan works due to take place between April 2024 – March 2025.
We spend millions upgrading kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, roofs and more every year. Our costs continue to increase year on year, and you can find out more by reading our Annual Report for Tenants. To help manage our costs responsibly, it’s important for us to plan ahead and make sure our homes receive the upgrades they need.
Rand, our supporting contractor, will be carrying out many of these surveys and will contact you to book an appointment suitable for you. All Rand surveyors will be carrying identification badges. If you are concerned, please contact us on 0800 917 6077 to verify their details.
To learn more, head to: thrivehomes.org.uk/plannedworks
If your property is included in this survey, you will have been contacted but if you have any questions, please get in touch with us.
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Energy Efficiency
We are continuing to install External Wall Insulation (EWI) in some of our properties to help customers reduce heating costs and lower our carbon emissions.
For more information on the programme schedule, please visit: Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
Loft Insulation
If you don’t have loft insulation, we will ensure it meets the standard by topping it up to 300mm. A survey can help us identify your needs. For more details, visit: Insulation Upgrades
Cavity Wall Funding Programme
We will be checking the condition of insulation in all our properties. Where there isn't an existing insulation warranty (CIGA) in place, our Warm Front team will inspect the home and reinstall cavity insulation if required.
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Asbestos Inspections
We complete annual asbestos inspections in flat blocks where asbestos has previously been identified. This is an important check to make sure your building is in a safe condition.
Our contractors, Environtec carry out these inspections and sometimes attend on weekends. They will always carry an ID badge and let you know before if they need access to your home.
If you would like further details of when your block is due for this inspection, please contact us in your usual way: thrivehomes.org.uk/contact-us
Always beware of bogus callers
If you suspect someone is pretending to work on our behalf, please do not let them into your home or share any of your personal details with them. Call us on 0800 917 6077 to verify their details.
As a reminder – our colleagues and contractors:
- will always carry ID and you can ask to see this
- will never ask you for any cash payment.
If you are suspicious or worried, contact the police straight away.
We want these updates to be meaningful to you, so if there’s something you’d like to hear about next time – leave us a comment.
Best,
Warren Reynolds
Head of Repairs