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London council introduces new category of repair as part of housing services overhaul
A London borough has made changes to its repairs policy, as part of ongoing work to transform its housing services in the wake of several critical reports.
Haringey Council will introduce a new ‘urgent’ repairs category, which will sit between emergency and priority jobs.
In July 2023, Haringey was reprimanded by the Housing Ombudsman after a special investigation into its approach to leaks, damp and mould identified a “culture of apathy” around complaint-handling.
The watchdog’s probe came after Haringey took its housing management services back in-house from its ALMO, Homes for Haringey, in mid-2022.
Shortly before the ombudsman issued its findings, Haringey adopted a major housing improvement plan that committed to revising a number of number of key policies.
Under the north London council’s revised repairs policy, which it says has been co-produced with tenants and leaseholders, leaks will be treated as an emergency repair that should usually be addressed within 24 hours of being reported.
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The policy was approved by Haringey’s cabinet on 17 September.
Urgent repairs have been categorised by the council as those that will not put a person or property at risk but could result in the loss of a basic facility, or where further damage will be caused if the problem is not dealt with quickly.
Haringey’s repairs service will deal with such problems – for instance, replacing an extractor fan or partial water heating failure – within seven calendar days once the category is introduced in March 2025. The timescale for priority jobs, 28 days, will remain unchanged, the council said.
The new policy also states that vulnerable tenants and leaseholders will be prioritised and receive an “enhanced” service. In its 2023 report, the ombudsman criticised Haringey for offering “no evidence of either enhanced support or repair service for vulnerable residents, or any consideration of vulnerability within repairs or associated complaints-handling”.
The report sent to Haringey’s cabinet this week said: “The newly drafted policy will set a new direction that is informed by best practice to underpin an improved repairs services for council tenants and leaseholders and for their wider households.
“Instilling higher standards through the policy will also help to avert complaints and disrepair cases from emerging,” it added.
The cabinet report said the policy will help the council meet the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards, which it was found to have breached in 2023 after failing to complete thousands of ‘high-risk’ fire safety repairs. Haringey said it would also be delegating the right to amend the policy to its director of housing, in conjunction with the relevant cabinet member, so this could be done quickly in response to any future legal or regulatory requirements.
Sarah Williams, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and planning at Haringey, said the borough was “committed to ensuring our 20,000 tenants, leaseholders, and their families live in safe, well-maintained homes where they can thrive”.
She added: “We know we need to improve, and this new policy is a crucial step in transforming landlord services, setting clear standards for our repairs and maintenance service.
“Its development has been shaped by the insights and experiences of our residents, who I want to thank for their contributions,” Ms Williams said. “Their involvement ensures the policy reflects the real needs of our communities and supports our commitment to resident engagement and co-creation in all aspects of housing services.”
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