What type of repairs are there?
We split repairs into emergency and routine so we can fix the most urgent things first. There are also some repairs that you’ll need to do yourself.
We've listed what's counted as an emergency repair below and added in some examples of non-emergency repairs too. Below that we've given examples of our planned repairs which include things like fixing fencing or redoing plastering.
We’ll do repairs as soon we can, for some routine repairs we guarantee we’ll do them in 28 days, for others it’s 90 days. We'll be able to give you more details when we have more information on your specific repair.
If you suspect a gas leak, call National Gas Emergency Services immediately on 0800 111 999
- Total loss of electricity, gas or water supply
- Unsafe power, lighting or electrical fittings
- Blocked flue to open fire or boiler
- Total loss of heating in winter months
- Taps that cannot be turned off and are running at full flow
- Uncontainable water leak
- A home being insecure because of fire, police activity, harassment, domestic violent or if the property is empty
- Serious roof leak or a major structural failure
- Total loss of hot water (for vulnerable customers)
Call our customer experience team as soon as possible on 0345 366 4404. They’re available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We know some things can’t wait so, for emergency repairs, we’ll come out to you and make your home safe within 4 hours and complete the repair within 24 hours of you reporting it.
If you're in one of our new build homes and in the defects period, please be aware that the timings are a little different. The builder (rather than Yorkshire Housing) will come out to your home within 24 hours instead. If you're not sure this is you, don't worry - we'll help you on the phone.
- Minor issues with toilet e.g. water running into the toilet pan
- Loose brickwork or brickwork has eroded
- Internal joinery repairs e.g. kitchen unit door with loose hinges
- Doors or windows sticking or causing a draught
For non-emergency repairs we'll get someone out to you within 28 days.
We also have some repairs that we plan in, these are non-emergencies and cover things like roofing, guttering and fencing fixes, larger plastering and brickwork jobs as well as repairs that need scaffolding or specialist machinery to finish. For these types of repairs we have a 90 day window to complete the job, that's because it often needs some specialist skills, machinery or materials.
If you'd like some more details, you can take a look at our full repairs policy.
The other type of repair you need to know about are chargeable repairs. A chargeable repair is where there’s been accidental or wilful damage or neglect to a Yorkshire Housing home.
A few examples of the most common chargeable repairs are:
- Replacing broken windows or doors
- Replacing locks or lost keys
- Clearance of homes or gardens once you’ve moved out
- Replacing flooring when you move out from pet damage or damage caused by moving white goods
- Putting homes back to their original state if alterations are done without our approval eg. painting kitchen cupboards
You can find out more about chargeable repairs in our chargeable repairs policy.
What repairs do I do?
There are some repairs that you need to do yourself. You can find some handy videos on our looking after your home page. But here's a few examples of the types of repairs you're responsible for, and for the full list of what we do and what you're responsible for, take a look at our responsive repairs policy.
- Bleeding radiators
- Changing a toilet seat
- Replacing lost keys or getting access to your home if you're locked out
- Tightening hinges on doors and cupboards
- Containing leaks and preventing water damage
FAQs on your repairs
Once you’ve reported a repair, we’ll send you an email to confirm what we’ll do and when you can expect it to be done. The easiest way to check for updates is by logging into your online account or you can give us a call.
Emergency repairs will be done within 24 hours. Routine repairs can take up to 365 days, though we’ll aim to do them quicker than that.
Your repair will be prioritised if you:
- Have specific care needs and circumstances
- Are disabled
- Are elderly
- Have small children
If there’s a reason a repair needs doing quickly, we’ll take that into account. For example, if your garden fence is broken and it borders onto a main road or public footpath potentially causing a risk to small children or pets, it’ll need fixing as soon as possible.
We’ll be in touch 10 weeks before your gas safety certificate expires to arrange a check. You can find out more on our gas safety page.
To make sure you're safe at home we'll visit you each year to do some important safety checks. These include checks on:
- Yorkshire Housing-owned gas appliances, such as boilers (this usually happens eight weeks before the annual gas safety certificate expires)
- Yorkshire Housing-owned electrical appliances, such as fridges or washing machines
- Customer-owned gas appliances
- Solid fuel chimneys
- Oil boilers
- Heat pumps
- Unvented hot water cylinders
- Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm testing (these are carried out at the same time as other safety checks in your home)
Need help with using heating systems in your home? Check out our user guides and manuals page for all the information you'll need.
Here with handy how-to's by make and model for your:
- Storage heaters
- Heat pumps
- Solar panels
- Environmental sensors
- Infrared heat panels
It’ll usually be a Yorkshire Housing colleague doing your repairs, and they’ll have an ID and Yorkshire Housing uniform. Sometimes though, we’ll use contractors who won’t have these to show you. If you’re unsure, please give us a call on 0345 366 4404 and ask the contractor for a job number. Our team will check it for you and confirm they are the right person for the job.
Temporary house moves
Sometimes you’ll need to move out of your home so we can fix something. We might do this in an emergency if there’s something that makes your home unsafe and unliveable, like a fire or a flood. Or it might be a temporary move whilst we fix something that can’t be done safely whilst you’re living there.
Someone from our repairs team will come to your home and if they think it’s safer for you to move out, or that the work that needs to be done it will be too disruptive, they’ll let you know. One of our housing officers will then get in touch to answer any questions you might have and start the process, and they’ll stay in touch with you at least once a week to keep you updated.
We’ll cover the cost of your temporary accommodation and any additional costs like food and travel. The allowance depends on a few things like:
- Where you stay, whether that’s in a hotel/ B&B, or with friends and family
- Your age and the age of the people living with you
- The facilities your accommodation provides
We’ll call the allowance a ‘subsistence payment’, and this will be agreed with you from the beginning and transferred into your bank account. You can claim back for other costs like travel by sending us receipts.
Your housing officer will speak to you to find out where you'd prefer to go. Sometimes customers prefer to temporarily move in with friends and family rather than staying in a hotel, and that’s fine.
We’ll do our best to make sure you stay local to your home, and let you know what your options are at each step.
Most of the time you can leave your belongings at home and just take what you need with you, a bit like going on holiday. But depending on the extent of the repairs at home, sometimes you’ll need to take a bit more with you. In this case, we’d arrange and pay for removals for you, or you can arrange it yourself and we’ll agree how much we’ll cover before the move. The same applies for moving you back home too when the work’s been done.
We know that pets are part of the family, so just let us know if you have any and we’ll do our best to make sure they stay with you.
We’ll keep you in the loop at least once a week so you know how the repairs at home are going. You’ll need to continue paying rent, council tax and utility bills on your home, and we’ll cover the cost of where you’ve moved temporarily.
Your housing officer will get in touch and let you know the date you’re able to move back into your home. If we arranged for removals when you moved out, we’ll do the same for you when you move back in too.