Keep checking this page or future issues of Door to Door magazine for latest updates on the repairs situation.
I previously had a specific appointment time. Now I will only get an AM or PM appointment. Why is this?
We know that giving you a repair time, and sticking to it, is really important to you. However, we find that offering specific times for appointments can waste time if a tenant is not home for their repair or our operative finishes a job ahead of the time allotted. With inflation costs increasing, we want to offer a service that also provides good value for money, as well as choice. Please speak to a member of the Customer Services team if you are unable to make an appointment time.
I’ve been waiting for some time for my repair. Now I could have to wait longer! Why is that?
Unfortunately, there may be delays to repairs in some cases as we focus on improving efficiency. By doing this, we are helping to make a better repairs service and appointment availability in the future.
How will I know if my appointment has changed?
A member of our Customer Services team will contact you if we needed to rearrange your appointment. If you have not heard from us, you should receive text or email notifications about your repair as normal.
The fence between me and my neighbour is beyond repair. Why can’t you sort this?
We are gathering all fencing repairs and will only schedule emergency or health & safety appointments. We plan to complete a survey and tender exercise in the future so the fencing works can be scheduled in. Please check our repairs update webpage for latest information.
When can I book my repair online?
We still plan to launch our service that will allow tenants to report and book repairs online. However, until we reduce the wait times for appointments, this would not be an efficient way for us to work.
My neighbour only reported their repair last week. I’ve been waiting 3 months, but we’re still having our repairs done on the same day. Is this fair?
We are prioritising tenants' repairs according to area, to minimise travelling time between appointments so that our operatives can complete more jobs each day. We are also carrying out repairs according to priority.
Why are repairs delayed?
In July 2022, our Chief Executive Michael Newey wrote to all tenants to apologise for delays to repairs and set out our plans for improving the situation, as below.
Ongoing impact of Covid
Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic continues to affect our repairs service. There are delays in sorting out the backlog because of high levels of staff sickness and difficulty accessing materials. At the same time, we still need to book in new requests for repairs from tenants.
From July-October 2022, our repairs team diaries are full, with more than 2,000 repairs to deliver.
Increasing costs
Rising costs for materials and contractors are squeezing our budgets. With rising inflation since April, our costs are now outstripping the income we receive from your rent, despite the rent rises this year.
For this reason we have had to take some difficult decisions.
We are prioritising repairs inside your homes, especially those which affect your ability to live comfortably. This means we will continue to view fencing and other external repairs as non-essential for the time being. See our current repairs priorities.
We are also reviewing the use of contractors to help us catch up on the backlog. This is causing us real financial strain and is unsustainable. We will update you with more information about this as soon as possible.
Short term plan
Until October 2022 we will prioritise repairs by area, to spend less time travelling and complete more jobs each day.
We will not be offering time slots for appointments and will revert back to an AM or PM arrival time. Unfortunately, this means that we will need to rearrange many existing repairs appointments. You have told us that our communication needs to improve, so we will phone you to rearrange your appointment wherever possible. We will continue to call or text before we visit for a repair.
How you can help
- Please keep an eye out for our contact. We will contact you by phone, text or email to re-arrange any existing repair appointment. You do not need to call us.
- Call 0303 303 0003 ASAP if you will not be at home for your repair. If a member of our team arrives and no one is home to let them in, the average financial cost to Broadland (as a charity) is £90. Each missed appointment also needs to be re-booked. This adds to the repair service delays. Sadly we have to reserve the right to recharge for missed appointments.
- Check our FAQs (frequently asked questions) at the top of this page for more information about delayed repairs, instead of calling Customer Services. This will allow our Customer Services team to focus on booking in repair appointments.
Longer term plan
Around 500 tenants took part in a survey about repairs recently. Your top 3 priorities were:
- Quality of work
You continue to value good quality work and components, and we receive positive feedback on completed jobs.
- Timely repairs
This has been the most difficult priority to deliver recently due to the backlog that has built up, but we are taking action to improve this (see above).
- Convenient appointments
Around 50% of tenants said you would rather get your repair done sooner and 50% said you would rather have a more precise appointment time and wait for longer. Longer term, we are looking at how to achieve the best balance between these two points of view.
Get involved with other tenants to improve the repairs service
You are very welcome to join one of our tenant panels to improve repairs and other services. You can also express your interest by email tenantengagement@broadlandgroup.org or call 01603 750 113.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we work to improve the situation on delayed repairs.