Our repairs team always work hard to keep your homes safe, warm and in good repair and we want you to enjoy your home worry free.
We are, however, currently experiencing challenges delivering routine non-essential repairs, the majority of which are beyond our control which mean we must make some temporary changes.
During the pandemic, our team were not able to work from home and continued working hard throughout the lockdowns. Despite this, the less urgent work was not always permitted, and inevitably a backlog of repairs work built up.
Even now, our team continue to operate in incredibly challenging circumstances with national pressures on supply chains and increased costs to labour and materials.
This has all led to a perfect storm and unfortunately this means we are not currently able to carry out as many non-essential repairs as we would like.
-
What this means for you:
We are currently prioritising our repairs.
If you call us about a new, non-essential repair, we will log the details, but we will not be able to book in a date for the work to be carried out.
We will review the situation on a weekly basis and will contact you when the situation changes.
These changes will take effect from 8th August 2022.
We will of course carry out all repairs that are a health and safety concern. Each repair will be considered on a case-by-case basis and individual customers circumstances considered.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience; we do hope to return to a normal service as soon as possible.
-
Questions you may have…
Who is affected by these changes?
Our general needs, sheltered and supported housing customers will be affected.
I have already had my repair booked; will it still be booked in?
Most repairs already booked in will still be carried out but if you booked your repair very recently, we may need to contact you to explain that it will need to go on hold.
When will you contact me?
We are reviewing our position on weekly basis and will contact you as soon as possible but regrettably, we cannot give you a date.
What repairs are classed as non-essential?
- Decoration Programmes
- Fencing (unless the fence is next to a public area)
- Blown Double Glazing (when the seal has gone, and water/condensation is between two glass panels)
- Cosmetic Repairs (Not a functional or structural issue)
We will use our discretion as to whether there are any exceptions to the above and will consider repairs on a case-by-case basis and take individual customers’ circumstances into account.
What are the pressures?
There are several factors impacting our ability to provide our usual service which include:
- A backlog of repairs due to the pandemic and a lack of resources (this is a nationwide issue not just an Orwell issue)
- Significant cost increases across the board (this is a nationwide issue not just an Orwell issue)
- Similar capacity issues being experienced by contractors in our supply chains.
