Report a repair and priority timescales

Repair timescales

There are many ways to report a repair to us. Fill in the online report a repair form or telephone our repair line number where the team will be ready to advise and help you report your repair: 01329 824771.

Our office opening hours are 08:45am-5:15pm, Monday to Friday

When you call, you can help us by letting us know:

• Your name
• Your address and up to date telephone/mobile number
• Details of the repair including what the problem is, providing as many details as possible.

If you prefer, you can email your repair to us at responsiverepairs@fareham.gov.uk.

Alternatively, you can visit our reception in person at Civic Offices, Civic Way, Fareham, Hampshire.

Another option is to write to us at: Civic Offices, Civic Way, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7AZ.

Please help us by providing as much information as possible when you report the repair, eg. location, severity etc., as this will help us to send the right repair person with the right materials and the right tools to your home.

Please ensure your home is safe for us to work in, eg. pets are kept safe, repair is accessible, children under 18 are not left alone in the house.

If you need to report an emergency repair or gas repair outside of our office opening hours, please telephone the emergency out of hours telephone number as follows:

Emergency out of hours: Text EMERGENCY to 07860 098627. The on-call officer will receive your text and call you back for more details. We also have an out of hours emergency voicemail system; you can call 01329 824747 and leave a voicemail for the out of hours officer to action. Both of these numbers go straight to the on-call officer.

Gas repairs (anytime): 0800 9702512

Other contact telephone numbers that may be of help:

If you think you have a gas leak or carbon monoxide present then:

• Turn off your gas meter
• Open all windows and
• Do not smoke or touch light switches and call National Grid  Emergencies on: 0800 111 999
• See full details on what to do

Repair priorities and timescales

When you ring us to report a repair, your repair is instantly assessed by the repairs advisor and given a priority which has a realistic target time for completion.

The repair advisor can tell you what priority your repair has been given, which will be prioritised into one of the following categories:  emergency, priority,  routine or planned routine.

On some occasions further investigation of the repair issue might result in it being re-categorised. This could result in the repair being escalated and completed quicker, or being identified that the required works will fall under a future planned maintenance project.

What is an emergency, priority or routine repair?

Emergency repairs: an emergency repair is something that is likely to cause immediate risk to property or persons if not attended to immediately. We aim to complete your emergency repair or make safe within 24 hours from receiving your repair request (including an out of hours emergency repair). Examples of an emergency repair include:

• Total or significant loss of electric power or lighting
• Unsafe lighting socket or electrical fitting
• Total or significant [RL1] loss of heating or hot water, although the full repair may take several days if appliance or parts are required
• Blocked or leaking foul drain or soil stack
• Toilet not flushing (when there is no other toilet at the dwelling)
• Insecure external window, door or lock
• Stairlift failure, although the full repair may take several days if appliance or parts are required
• Internal leaking or burst pipes (only when the tenant cannot control the leak and there is a danger to the property and/or belongings)
• Burst tanks or cylinders
• Locked out (may be chargeable)
• Blocked sink, bath or wash hand basin (may be rechargeable)
• Gale, fire, flood or explosion damage (when causing immediate risk).
• Loss of water supply, this may be the responsibility of your local water company

Please note that if you report your Emergency repair outside of office opening hours which could not be reasonably classified as an Emergency, we may charge you the extra costs of doing the work outside office opening hours.

Priority repairs: a priority repair is something that is likely to cause risk to property or persons if left for more than a week. We aim to complete your priority repair within seven calendar days.

Examples of a priority repair include:

• Partial loss of water
• Roof tiles missing or damaged
• A tap which cannot be turned off/on or dripping
• Door intercoms not working, although the full repair may take several days if appliance or parts are required
• Glass replacement (where security is affected)
• Minor leaking pipe work or waste pipes which is not affecting the building
• Severe mould and condensation within the home with vulnerable persons

Routine repairs: a routine repair is one that does not fall within either of the above priorities. It may also include subsequent, or follow-up works following an emergency or priority repair.

We aim to complete routine repairs within 28 calendar days.

Examples of a routine repair include:

• Repair damaged fencing
• Renew or repair internal doors
• Refix letter plates
• Repair gutter or downpipes
• Replace boiler
• Minor case of mould and condensation within the home
• Extractor fans in kitchens or bathrooms

Planned routine repairs: a repair or works within the home that do not fall within any of the above priorities and are not part of the planned maintenance programme.

We aim to complete low routine repairs within 6 months.

Examples of a routine repair include:

• Internal decoration of a room
• Plastering repairs
• Rebuild masonry walls
• Replace fencing/gates
• Replace roof
• Replace window(s)

Complex repair investigations: these repairs require investigation or monitoring periods to understand the cause and do not fall within any of the other categories.

We aim to complete repairs upon conclusion of the diagnose of the repair. These are often significant building defects and may involve professional consultants or insurance companies.

Examples of these include:

• Flooding and water ingress from the highway or land affecting the home
• Underpinning or settlement causing structural damage
• Inherent building structure issues e.g. roof spread, thermal/expansion cracking, cold bridging etc.
• Building fabric thermal improvements

If your home requires a complex repair investigation then we will explain this to you.

Planned Maintenance Works: these works are works, repairs and improvements that will be fully addressed as part of a future planned maintenance programme.

Examples of these could include:

• External redecoration of a home
• Guttering replacement at flats
• Window replacement and/or upgrades
• Roof replacements

If at anytime you would like an update on a logged repair with us, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are dissatisfied with an element of the repair service, including the category/priority that your repair has been assigned, then the Council have a complaints procedure which can ensure your concern is escalated to an appropriate manager.