A step towards improving repairs and maintenance

In 2019, Ms P complained to her local council about “extreme mould” throughout her property. The council undertook temporary work to address water ingress from the roof, but the work was sub-standard and water damage continued. A number of other repair issues were also waiting to be resolved.

The tenant had been raising these issues since 2012, and the council had agreed in 2015 that the roof needed to be replaced. The Housing Ombudsman found severe maladministration in the council’s failure to deal with the roof which negatively affected the tenant’s health. This was one of eight severe maladministration findings published by the Ombudsman so far that year, with seven relating to repairs and maintenance.

Social landlords typically spend around one third of their operational budget on repairs and maintenance. According to analysis, this amounted to £5.4bn in 2020/21. On average, over 10% of repairs are not fixed first time, with a repair operative having to go back out.

The issues experienced by Ms P aren’t just about getting it right first time. There were clearly issues with the council’s complaints process. However, getting repairs right first time will lead to happier tenants. With the regulator set to introduce tenant satisfaction measures, this should be a concern for social landlords. Not having to resend operatives to the same job also saves time and money, increasing the number of jobs that can be completed within a given period.

It seems easier said than done, but there are a couple of steps landlords can take to get the repair done right first time. The starting point is to ensure you’re quantifying what works are being carried out. With over 14,000 unique items, the M3NHF Schedule of Rates contains an inclusive list of all the most commonly needed repairs. It can be used to order repairs, control costs and build a historical database so you can track the most common repairs. You can then plan and have the necessary parts and other resources to deal with repairs as they arise.

It’s also imperative that repair takers accurately diagnose repairs and understand what questions to ask. This helps identify the right type of operative and tools needed before someone undertakes the work. M3’s repairs diagnostics solution, M3Central, enables tenants to describe a repair clearly, so landlords don’t need to waste time and resources. According to William Wiggins from Newark and Sherwood District Council, it’s “a critical tool in efficiently diagnosing repairs, a must have for any modern Housing Repairs Organisation”.

About M3

Founded in 2004, M3 provides a unique combination of expertise in social housing, surveying and software.

See article on page 33: https://issuu.com/hqn_limited/docs/hqm_issue_9_-_may_2022