Right to Repair
Some repairs are covered by the 'Right to
Repair'. This means that, by law, the Council must carry out
certain small, urgent repairs which are likely to affect your
health, safety, or security. The council must carry out the repair
quickly and at no cost to you. Only certain types of repairs,
called qualifying repairs are covered by this law and there are
different timescales allowed for different repairs. The table below
gives a full list of these.
|
Description Of Right to Repair Defect
|
Target in Working Days
|
|
Total loss of electrical power
|
1
|
|
Partial loss of electric power
|
3
|
|
Unsafe power lighting socket or electrical
fitting
|
1
|
|
Total loss of water supply
|
1
|
|
Partial loss of water supply
|
3
|
|
Total or partial loss of gas supply
|
1
|
|
Blocked flue to open fire or boiler
|
1
|
|
Total or partial loss of space or water
heating between 31st October and 1st May.
|
1
|
|
Total or partial loss of space or water
heating between 30th April and 1st November.
|
3
|
|
Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack, or
(where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling-house)
toilet pan.
|
1
|
|
Toilet not flushing (where there is no other
working toilet in the dwelling-house).
|
1
|
|
Blocked sink, bath or basin.
|
3
|
|
Tap which cannot be turned.
|
3
|
|
Leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or
cistern.
|
1
|
|
Leaking Roof.
|
7
|
|
Insecure external window, door or lock.
|
1
|
|
Loose or detached banister or hand rail.
|
3
|
|
Rotten timber flooring or stair tread
|
3
|
|
Door entry phone not working.
|
7
|
|
Mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen
or bathroom not working.
|
7
|
If you need a repair to your home, you should
contact our Repairs Team on 0300 003 0711. You will be told if it
is covered by the Right to Repair or is a standard repair and when
you can expect it to be repaired.
If your repair is covered by the Right to
Repair, we have to carry it out within a certain number of days.
But sometimes things will go wrong. If they do, you should tell us.
You can ask us to get another contractor to do the work. If the
second contractor still does not do the repair on time, the council
will pay you compensation.
The compensation is prescribed by law, and
states that the landlord must pay £10 compensation plus an
additional £2 for each day that the repair is delayed up to a
maximum of £50 in total.
Sometimes there may be a good reason why a
repair can't be completed on time. For example, access was
not provided for the contractor, and they therefore could
not carry out the repair, we won't have to pay you any
compensation.
To tell us of a problem or discuss an ongoing
repair, please contact our Repairs team by phone on 0300 003 0711
or by Email
repairs.housing@ashford.gov.uk.
This webpage was updated on
1/6/2010