Repair Priority Guidlines
(i) Priority ‘1’ (same day repair)
Definition: Emergency work necessary to prevent risk of :
(a) serious damage to property
(b) damage to health
Examples should be limited to work within the following categories of repair :
Electrical
- Check electrics after water damage
- Total loss of power
- Total loss of power to all sockets (not individual sockets)
- Total loss of power to cooker control where the tenant is reliant on an electric cooker
- Total loss of power to lighting circuit (not individual lamps)
- Any dangerous wiring (make safe only)
- Renewal of an immersion heater if there are special circumstances
- Defective communal lights
- Total loss of electrical heating system
Plumbing
- Burst water pipe (not leaking waste pipes, WC flush pipes or cone
- joints, or any supply pipe which has only a slight leak)
- Gas leak (leak on tenants appliance is re-chargeable)
- No cold water supply
- Blocked toilet (if there is only one toilet in the property)
- Blocked rainwater drains of flooding internally
- Overflows on blocks of flats
- No heating
- No hot water (elderly or just come out of hospital)
Joinery
- Make safe after break in (if Police have been notified)
- Change locks - Lost keys also re-chargeable
- Break in if keys locked in, making safe or change lock, all rechargeable
Miscellaneous
- Security work (vandalism with Crime Reference only)
- Roof leaks causing internal damage
- Gutters/downspouts/slates hanging dangerously
- Blocked drains
- Re-glazing (for security reasons)
- Immersion heaters are not usually classed as an absolute emergency unless the customer has just come out of hospital or is sick, and it is the only form of hot water provision
- Front or back door will not close – creating security and safety problems
- Intercom defective
- Defective door entry phones
- Defective door entry system
- Replacement of bulbs to communal areas
The priority 0 (emergency priority) is for emergency/make safe work, i.e. an emergency, life or safety threatening job
(ii) Priority ‘1’ (three day response)
Definition: Urgent works not requiring an immediate response, but cannot await a response of 21 days
Examples include:
Electrical
- Defective outside lights
- Defective door bells
- Defective storage heaters
- Loss of power to kitchen lamp holder
- Loss of power to immersion heater if this is the only source of hot water
- Renewal of an immersion heater if this is the only source of hot water
- Repairs to individual sockets/lamp holders, switches
- Most non urgent electrical repairs will come within this category
Internal
- Minor leaks to sink waste, bath waste, supply pipes
Plumbing
- Unblock bath waste or sink (NB This may be the tenants responsibility)
- Renew DBV to WC cistern and MST
- Unblock WC outlet
- Broken WC/wash hand basin/bath (not simply cracked)
- Renew syphon to flush mechanism – WC not flushing
- Blocked/leaking waste pipes to internal systems
- Leak or damage to soil pipe
- Taps dripping, stop cock seized, renew washers
- Blocked waste or rainwater gullies/downspouts
- No hot water
- Defective WC flush
Glazing
- Re-glazing, where the glass is cracked, or failure of double glazed unit
and the Association is responsible
Joinery
- Loose/defective stairs, including handrails, if considered urgent
- Loose/defective floorboards, if considered urgent
Miscellaneous
- Slate loose (not hanging dangerously)
- Repairs to/re-fix roof flashings
- Defective aerials
- Defective ignition to gas fire
- Defective door entry systems
(iii) Priority ‘2’ (21 days or 28 days if an inspection is required)
Definition : Non-urgent repair works not requiring an immediate response
but cannot await a future programme, and are not categorised as low priority, for example
Electrical
- Most repairs under this trade will be of a higher priority Installation of electrical humidistat fans
Plumbing
- Sink units/wash hand basins/baths where repair work rather than renew is appropriate
- Cold/hot water storage tanks (any leaks, refer to higher priority)
- Fitting renewal if non-urgent
- Renewal of sink or base units or kitchen cupboards
- Repairs to gutters, rainwater downspouts, soil pipes (if leaking, refer to higher priority)
Joinery
- Kitchen units
- Fencing
- Repairs to doors, door frames, ironmongery
- Renewal of fencing
- Manufactured joinery
- D.P.C.’s
- Renewal of gates
- Brickwork
- Brick boundary walls
Miscellaneous
- Plastering - if dangerous, refer to higher priority
- Footpaths (existing) – repair if economically possible and appropriate, i.e. one/two flags uneven and possibly a hazard
- Anti condensation treatment
(iv) Cyclical Work
Examples - Minor pointing
N.B. When considering whether a repair falls within this category, other identifying features will include :
(a) Delaying completion of the repair would not lead to a major increase in expenditure
(b) Deterioration of the item is gradual
(c) The repair can be best carried out as part of the planned maintenance cycle and would not be referred to the remedial list