Repairs and voids
Responsive repairs for social landlords
Day-to-day repairs in occupied homes, raised by your contact centre and closed with evidence.
Responsive repairs are the day-to-day jobs tenants report: leaks, broken fittings, failed doors, defective plaster, blocked gutters. We take the job from your repairs system, attend at the priority you set, fix it first time where we can and close it with photos and notes in the format you ask for.
How do we approach responsive repairs?
Most social landlords run repairs on a priority schedule (emergency, urgent and routine, or the categories in your own repairs policy). We work to the timescales written into your order or contract rather than to promises of our own, and we report back on every job, including the ones that need a follow-on visit, materials or a different trade.
What is included?
- Plumbing leaks, taps, traps, cisterns and waste pipes
- Doors, locks, ironmongery, kitchen units and worktops
- Plastering, making good, tiling and minor carpentry
- Gutters, downpipes, fencing and gates
- Window and door adjustments, seals and glazing beads
- Extractor fans, trickle vents and simple ventilation fixes
- Follow-on works raised from a first visit, quoted before they start
What do we hand over at the end?
- Before and after photographs
- Time-stamped attendance and access records
- Notes of any hazards or further defects seen
- Materials used and any follow-on quote
Who is this service for?
- Housing associations needing overflow or patch cover
- Councils covering a gap in their in-house team
- ALMOs and TMOs
- Main contractors subcontracting a trade or an area
Process
How does each job run?
Order received
Jobs come in by email, portal or your repairs system. We confirm receipt and the priority you have set.
Appointment made
We contact the tenant, agree a slot and record access attempts so no-access visits are evidenced.
Repair and record
The operative carries out the repair, photographs before and after, and notes anything else they see in the home, such as signs of damp or a safety concern.
Close and report
We close the job with notes, photos and any follow-on recommendation, ready for your repairs data and TSM reporting.
Rules by nation
Which rules shape responsive repairs in each UK nation?
The legal duties sit with the landlord. These are the rules that set the timescales and standards we work to, as checked on 31 October 2026.
Social landlords must keep the structure, exterior and installations in repair (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11) and keep homes fit for human habitation. The Regulator's Safety and Quality Standard expects an effective, efficient and timely repairs service, and repairs performance is published through the Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
Awaab's Law (the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025) has applied to social landlords since 27 October 2025. Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours. Significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days, with safety work within 5 working days of the investigation. Phase 2, approved by Parliament in October 2026, extends the rules from 30 November 2026 to hazards including excess cold and heat, falls, fire, electrical hazards and hygiene.
Decent Homes Standard (England)Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, landlords must keep the structure, exterior and service installations in repair and the home fit for human habitation.
Awaab's Law applies in England only, and we found no Welsh equivalent when we checked in October 2026. In Wales, the Renting Homes fitness rules list damp and mould among the matters that can make a home unfit, and WHQS 2023 requires homes to be free from damp.
WHQS 2023 (Wales)The Scottish secure tenancy carries a statutory repairing obligation, and the Right to Repair scheme sets timescales for qualifying repairs. Performance is reported to the Scottish Housing Regulator through the Annual Return on the Charter.
Scotland has its own rules: the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 have applied since 6 October 2026. Reported damp or mould must be investigated within 10 working days, the tenant given a written summary within 3 working days, and repairs started within 5 working days.
SHQS (Scotland)The Housing Executive and housing associations set repair categories and response times in their tenancy terms and repairs policies.
Awaab's Law applies in England only, and we found no Northern Ireland equivalent when we checked in October 2026. Landlords' repair obligations and the Northern Ireland Decent Homes Standard still apply.
Decent Homes Standard (NI)Guide prices
What do responsive repairs cost?
Rounded planning figures with their sources and VAT basis. Your price depends on the survey, your specification and the region. Use our programme budget tool for a regional estimate.
| Item | Unit | Guide range | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Responsive repair, average job | per job | £150–£250 | Derived from published totals: Our range around the Housemark sector average of about £180 per repair (2024/25), cited in Homes in Somerset board minutes, March 2026. VAT basis: not stated (accounting cost). |
Prices checked 31 October 2026. See all guide prices and regional factors.
Questions
Responsive repairs: common questions
Do you work to our priority timescales?
Yes. The response time for each job is the one in your order or contract. We do not publish our own response promises, because the right timescale depends on the defect, your policy and, in England, on whether the job falls under Awaab's Law.
Can you take overflow work rather than a whole contract?
Yes. You can use us for overflow, a specific trade, a backlog or a geographic patch. We agree a schedule of rates or price each job, whichever suits your procurement route.
How do you report back?
Every job closes with photographs and notes. We can enter data into your system, send a weekly spreadsheet or use your contractor portal.
What happens if the operative finds damp, mould or a safety issue?
They record it and report it to you through the route agreed in your order. If it may be a hazard that your Awaab's Law or repairs policy treats as urgent, we flag it as urgent rather than waiting for the job to close.
Do you price with the NHF Schedule of Rates?
We can quote against your schedule of rates (including NHF-based schedules) or give a fixed price per job. We tell you up front which items we will price separately.
Related
Which services often go with responsive repairs?
Void property works
Empty homes brought back to your lettable standard, with a clear scope, a price and a handover date.
Learn more
Damp and mould remediation
Mould treatment plus the fix behind it: ventilation, insulation, leaks and cold spots.
Learn more
Housing disrepair works
Remedial works on homes subject to a disrepair complaint or claim, scheduled and evidenced.
Learn moreFurther reading: Awaab's Law explained for social landlords · Housing disrepair claims: the landlord's works route · Tenant Satisfaction Measures and repairs data