Housing Repairs and Maintenance

• Electrical problem with fuseboard
• Sparking sockets
• Loose tiles on the roof
• Burst pipe in attic/1st floor
• Leaks from bath/sink/shower where the leak isn’t caused by broken seals
• Problem with water tank
• Heating system not working – provided you are paying the maintenance charge on your rent account

• Broken glass, no matter how it is caused
• Plaster cracks
• Flooring
• Woodwork – floors/doors/skirting boards
• Repairs to kitchen units/wardrobes
• Doors locks & handles – internal/external
• Window catches/stays/restrictors
• Internal decoration
• Fences and garden boundary walls
• Front/side gates
• Clearing gutters
• Replacement of light bulbs/switches
• Clearing airlocks in pipes
• Repair/replace all taps
• Repair/replace toilet bowl or cistern
• Repair of cooking or heating appliances that you install
• Any damage caused by you or your visitors
• Sealing around the bath and shower tray
• Maintenance of your garden – front & back
• Chimney Cleaning

Call the Maintenance Section on Telephone: 01 890 5588 during office hours

Our out of hours emergency number is (01) 890 5000.

The emergency number is for emergencies only – where there is an immediate danger to your life or to your home. Please don’t use this number to log routine maintenance complaints as you may be liable for a call-out charge for non-emergency calls.

When you call in a maintenance complaint our staff will take the details of the problem, your address, your phone number and ask when you are at home to give access to make the repair. We don’t make appointments to carry out repairs.

The Council has 4 categories for maintenance complaints:

1)     Emergency

Problems where someone’s life is in danger.

These complaints take 1-3 working days to complete.

2)     Urgent

Problems which could cause serious damage to the house.

These complaints take 10 working days to complete.

3)     Routine

Problems which require attention but don’t pose an immediate danger to life/property.

These problems have to wait until emergency and urgent problems have been dealt with and can take up to 12 weeks to complete. Please be paptient and we will carry out the repairs as soon as we can.

4)     Cyclical

External painting of your house and any necessary joinery works.

We have a schedule to carry out these external works to all our dwellings in rotation. We will write to you in advance to let you know when this work will happen.

If you smell gas please turn off your heating and call your gas provider. The Council cannot deal with gas leaks under any circumstances.

The Council will only carry out repairs to your heating system if you are paying the maintenance charge on your rent account. This charge includes a boiler service. The Council will write to you to let you know when you should get your service and what number you should ring to make an appointment. If you are not paying this charge you must arrange for your own repairs and you must get an annual service and send a copy of your servicing certificate into the Maintenance Section every year.

If you have a prepay gas meter and aren’t sure how to use it give us a ring and we can send you some information. Remember that you need to keep the meter in credit otherwise your heating won’t work.

Important Safety Tips for Boilers

• Never carry out repairs yourself
• Don’t keep flammable materials near boiler
• Don’t store anything in the boiler cabinet
• If you set your thermostat to a high temperature it will cost you more money to heat your home. Turning down the heat by a couple of degrees can save you money.

If you have sparking sockets or exposed wires please report it to us immediately.

You can’t get a Prepay meter installed without the Council’s permission. You must ring us before you allow any work to be done.

You can’t make any alterations to your house without the Council’s permission. You must write to the Estate Management Section outlining your plans before any work is done. The Council will review your plans and inspect your house to see if it’s safe for you to proceed. You may be required to provide a cert from a qualified architect/ engineer that the work complies with Building Regulations. Don’t do any work until you have the Council’s written approval.

You don’t need permission to decorate your home or for normal upkeeping repairs.

You must not block the vents in your home – they are vital to maintain the airflow through the house. Condensation happens when warm moist air comes in contact with cold surfaces and this can cause mould. You should treat mould with warm soapy water or with sugar soap. We will not do these repairs for you.

Your bathroom is not water-tight. You should not use buckets of water in the bathroom as this will cause leaks and leads to serious damage to the house. If you cause this kind of damage to your home the Council may hold you responsible for the cost of repairs. If you are installing a shower be sure to install it away from the window in the bathroom and tile the walls to over head height to protect the walls. The silicon sealing around your bath/shower tray is your responsibility and you should maintain it as required.

You can’t dispose of grease, nappies or baby wipes down your drains as it leads to blockages. If you block your drains this way it will be up to you to unblock and clear the drains.

Smoke alarms save lives. You should test your smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the test button. If your smoke alarm is battery operated you should change the batteries as required. The alarm will chirp to let you know that the batteries are low on power and need to be changed.