Repairs are prioritised based on urgency:
Emergency repairs
(completed within 24 hours), for example
- Full loss of power or partial loss of power if it is a danger to health and safety (Stair Lift or nebuliser or total loss of lighting)
- Unsafe lighting socket or electrical fitting
- Uncontrollable water leak, including sewage overflowing
- Insecure external window, door, or lock. Or locked out (rechargeable)
Emergency repairs out of office hours
Sandwell Council provides an Emergency Call Out service that deals with emergency repairs outside of normal working hours, including weekends and bank holidays.
If you have an emergency repair when our offices are closed you can contact us FREE on 0800 844 112
*Any misuse of the Emergency Call Out service will result in a charge to the occupier for the visit made.
The Emergency Call Out service only deals with emergencies, and does not respond to repairs which can be safely left until the following day. The team's usually only do temporary repairs or 'make safe'.
Permanent repairs are left for normal working hours, so please do not expect the job to be fully completed during these hours.
Urgent repairs
(completed within 3 working days), for example:
- Partial loss of electric power, water or heating
- Rotten timber flooring or stair tread
- Door intercoms not working
- Extractor fans if there is no window present in the room
- Containable leak including roof, waste pipes and freshwater pipes
Priority repairs
(completed within 25 working days), for example:
- Remedial work from Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)
Routine repairs
(completed within 90 working days), for example:
- First fence panel from property (privacy fencing)
- Paths 900mm wide from highway to front door (where possible)
- Renewal of guttering and downpipes
- Renewal of kitchen units and sinks, baths or bathroom suites
- Renewal of internal and external doors
Cyclical
This is when work is carried out periodically to prolong the life of the building component and avoid either expensive repairs or a complete breakdown.
The following would be classed as cyclical repairs:
- Gas Safety check
- Electrical Safety check
- Communal decorations to low-rise properties
Sandwell Improvement Programmes
Our improvement programmes are a process whereby homes are improved in order to reduce the amount of day-to-day repairs. Properties can benefit from a range of solutions and each home is assessed individually to determine what improvements are required to be carried out.
This is one of the most cost effective ways of keeping properties in a good state of repair.
The council is committed to investing in homes, communities and neighbourhoods across Sandwell and have announced a number of improvement programmes that will help improve the condition of council housing including:
- Internal improvements; kitchens, bathrooms, central heating, rewiring and external work. These works are undertaken following repairs inspections that recommend full replacement of one or more facilities due to being beyond repair or uneconomical to repair.
- High-rise improvements; external refurbishment of blocks including improvements such as external insulation, new roofing and communal area redecoration, as well landscaping and parking improvements.
- Door programme; replacing wooden front and rear doors to composite doors, on an estate by estate basis
- Energy efficiency programme; where funding is available, we will plan and deliver specific projects to improve the efficiency of our housing stock, this can include installing energy efficient heating systems and external wall insulation where homes are of solid wall construction.
Whenever improvement programmes are due to take place we will send out the details beforehand to tenants included on specific programmes.
There will be other programmes that may have an impact on you but we will get in touch with you before any work takes place to provide you with information and help you prepare for any works.
For more information and details about the investment programme as they're announced, keep up to date at www.sandwell.gov.uk or look out for information being sent to you at home.