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Repairs and Maintenance

All repairs that are reported to us are important, but we need to deal with them in order of priority.

Your repair may need to be attended to quickly because it could lead to injury or property damage. Depending on the repair, we can attend within 24 hours, every day of the year.

In an emergency, don’t report your repair in writing or online. Call us straight away on 01454 411172 (during office hours) or 0808 169 2910 (outside of office hours)

We will make you aware of how quickly we can attend when you contact us. Depending on the incident, we might make sure it’s safe to complete the works first and then arrange a follow up appointment to complete the works.

Please note that if you provide misleading or false information that makes us believe your repair is an emergency when it’s not, we’ll charge you for the call-out.

All other repairs will be appointed and we will arrange time and date that is convenient for you, within a maximum of 21 days. 

Our operatives may carry out an assessment at first and then may request an additional appointment to complete your repair.

Safety Checks

It is the residents’ legal responsibility to allow Elim access to complete safety checks.

Please note that before the gas and electrical safety checks can be carried out, it is your responsibility to ensure you have gas and electricity credit on your meters, as the service cannot be completed without gas and electricity being available.

As a landlord, we must make sure all gas appliances, flues and pipework within homes that we manage are safely maintained and checked once a year. Our gas service engineers need access to your home to carry out the annual gas safety check.

  • By law, we must carry out a gas safety check every 12 months.
  • We will normally be in touch several weeks before the anniversary date to arrange an appointment and make sure that the check is completed before the anniversary date.
  • All of our checks are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer - they all carry an ID card.

When dealing with low pressure in boilers, an engineer may not be needed to get your boiler working efficiently again. We have put together useful guides to help you top up low pressure in your Worcester or Baxi Boiler. 

As a landlord, we must ensure that all electrical installations are in a satisfactory condition for continued service. At Elim, these tests are completed every 5 years.

Periodic inspection and testing is necessary as electrical installations deteriorate due to a number of factors such as damage, wear and tear, corrosion, excessive electrical loading, ageing, and environmental influences. 

Your Repairs Responsibilities

We take responsibility for repairing and maintaining your home. However, there are some things in your home that we expect you to look after and take responsibility for. It is the tenants responsibility to obtain Home Contents Insurance for any personal belongings. 

Your Repairs Appointment

Our contractors will be in touch to make an appointment to carry out your repair. Please clear any area our contractors might need to access to during the visit. Please ensure dogs are kept in another room. If you can no longer make the appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. Missed visits are rechargeable.

Please make sure there’s a responsible adult over the age of 18 there when we arrive – if there’s not, we won’t be able to carry out the repair and will have to re-book the appointment.

Making Adaptions to Your Home

We will normally ask that an occupational therapist assesses your needs and provides us with a report to recommend adaptations specifically designed for you. You can get occupational therapy for free through the NHS or social services, depending on your situation.

We carry out minor adaptations for residents and work with local authority partners when major works are required. We can help residents apply for Disabled Facilities Grants when appropriate. If you would like advice or support on making your home safer and more convenient for you or a disabled family member who lives with you, please let us know.

Improving or Maintaining Your Home

To make your house a home, you might want to make changes or do some DIY – but it’s important you don’t start any work without talking to us first. In most cases we’ll be happy for you to make minor changes, but you still need to let us know what you want to do and ask us for permission before you begin.

You don’t need our permission for low-level decorating, like painting walls.

We will need you to complete a Permission for Adjustments form so that we can consider the details of what you would like to do. We’ll get back to you, to either give you permission or tell you why you can’t make the changes.

 

Damp and Mould in Your Home

If you are experiencing damp, mould or condensation in your home, it is important you let us know as soon as possible. As your landlord, we take the problem very seriously and if your home is affected, we are here to help.

This page provides further information on  what to do if you identify damp,  mould or condensation, along with a few tips that may prevent the situation from getting worse.

 

What causes Damp, Condensation and Mould?
Damp is often caused by a fault in the home. This includes water coming in from the outside of the building, internal leaks causing rot, damp or damage, or possible rising damp, which is the movement of water from the ground.

Condensation is caused by excess moisture indoors. It forms when moisture held in warm air comes into contact with a colder surface and then condenses, producing water droplets. Some conditions that increase the risk of condensation include poor insulation, inadequate heating, or air being unable to circulate around all parts of the home.

Mould is an organic growth that can develop in damp conditions. This is often more obvious in situations where condensation damp is present.

What to do if you identify damp or mould in your home
If you find damp, mould or condensation in your home, please report it to us as soon as you can. We will treat reports of damp, mould or condensation seriously and in the same way as any other maintenance request.

We would also encourage you to report any leaks in your home, or any faults in the heating, windows, extractor fans or vents which might contribute to or cause damp, mould or condensation.

Addressing cases of damp and mould
Once we have identified the cause of damp and mould, we will work with you to help fix it.

Sometimes, this may be possible through general guidance on how to manage condensation in your home, and we will provide advice to help you with this. Dependent on the scale of the issue and the level of support you require, we may be able to provide a mould wash at your property.

In some cases, further work may be required and we will order any relevant repairs works that are needed. If needed, we may also put in place in longer term measures, such as mechanical extract fans, to help the future management of condensation or damp.

Each damp and mould case is different, and we will always listen to our customers to understand their individual circumstances.

Reducing the Likelihood of Damp and Mould

In some cases, for example where damp is caused by an issue with your property, it is very difficult to manage damp and mould without assistance.

In cases where condensation damp is the main issue, there may be a few steps you can take:

 

  • Always use lids on saucepans while cooking.
  • Make sure to switch on extractor fans when cooking.
  • Do not dry wet clothes over the radiator or use a clothes dryer in a closed room.
  • Make sure tumble dryers are vented outside.
  • Leave internal doors to kitchens and bathrooms closed to avoid warm air entering other rooms in the house.
  • Wipe down windows or window sills (especially in bedrooms) to remove condensation.

 

  • Do not block air vents and do not draught proof bathrooms or kitchens.
  • Try to leave gaps between curtains and walls during the day.
  • Keep cupboards and wardrobes ventilated and avoid putting too many things in them as this stops the air circulating.
  • Position wardrobes and furniture against internal walls.
  • Ensure that there is a gap around furniture and cupboards.

 

  • Keeping rooms warm prevents damp and mould. Ideally room temperatures should be around 19 degrees C for living rooms, kitchen and bathrooms and less in bedrooms.
  • It may seem counter intuitive to ventilate by opening trickle vents, but it is easier to let the moisture out and to heat up cold air.
  • Do not heat up cold rooms in the evening by opening the door to heated rooms. Water vapour in the warm air will condense into the cold walls of these rooms.

 

  • Wipe condensation from windows and other areas with a dry cloth in the morning and open window for a while.
  • Wash or dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets.

In cases where there is only a small amount of mould, and no ongoing issue with damp or condensation, it may be suitable for you to treat this yourself. In this instance, please use a mould specific cleaning product to wipe away the mould. Do not use bleach or a washing up liquid, as this can make the problem worse.

We recognise that affordability can be a real issue when it comes to heating your home. If you are struggling to meet your household bills or need assistance with one-off purchases such as a dehumidifier, please speak to your Housing Officer who may be able to help you access a scheme for financial support.

If you have any questions or concerns about damp, mould or condensation in your home, please get in touch with us on 01454 411172 or email us at info@elimhousing.co.uk. We will work with you to identify the main cause of damp, mould or condensation and help to fix it.


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