2.1 This policy defines the service provided by B3Living to meet our responsive
repair responsibilities for properties, communal areas, components such as
electrical wiring and plumbing, and installations such as kitchens and bathrooms.
2.2 This policy applies only to responsive repairs, which is day-to-day maintenance
work carried out in response to a request from a customer or alternatively,
noticed by B3Living. It is sometimes called a reactive or day-to-day repair.
2.3 The delivery of investment work such as planned or major work programmes,
and routine or cyclical maintenance works, that maintain the decency standards
across the property portfolio, do not fall under the scope of this policy. The
Asset Management Strategy sets out our approach to these longer-term
investment and maintenance programmes.
2.4 In addition, the following services are not within the scope of this policy and are
covered by their own specific policy:
► Asbestos Management
► Electrical Safety
► Fire Safety
► Gas Safety
► Water Safety (Legionella)
► Lift Safety
► Damp and Mould Management
► Adaptations
► Alterations
► Complaints Management
► Property insurance and claims
2.5 The principles of this policy apply to all customers regardless of tenancy type.
However, the full provisions of this policy only apply to customers living in social,
intermediate, affordable and market rented homes with assured, secure, and assured shorthold tenancies. On occasion, throughout this policy, this type of
customer will be referred to as a ‘tenant’ to distinguish the customer from a
leaseholder and/or a shared owner.
2.6 The full provisions of this policy do not apply to:
► New homes that are within the initial defects liability period of up to two
years after handover (customers should refer to their welcome pack for
details); or
► Shared ownership/leasehold properties. We will not carry out repairs for
leaseholders where the terms of the lease state that a repair is their
responsibility. Leaseholders’ repair responsibilities are set out in detail
within the individual lease agreement. The same recharge approach will
apply to leaseholders as for our tenants (see section 3.4 for further
guidance)
► On occasion, B3Living will provide repair services to properties owned and
managed by other housing providers. The provision of these services will be
outlined within the service level agreement between B3Living and that entity.
► Commercial lease agreements do not usually receive a repairs service from
B3Living. The lease agreement will define the repairing obligations of both
parties.
2.7 The differing repairing obligations under each tenure type are set out within the
tenancy agreement or lease and more information about repairing
responsibilities are on our website.

3.1 Landlord Responsibilities
3.1.1 We commit to meeting all the repair and maintenance obligations set out in
relevant legal and regulatory requirements, tenancy agreements and leases. In
addition, we will comply with all applicable decency and quality standards and
have due regard to relevant industry best practice.
3.1.2 We take a proactive approach to identifying, managing, and rectifying hazards
and repairs, to maintain the safety and comfort of customers, within individual
homes and all shared communal areas which B3Living own or manage.
3.1.3 The following services form part of this policy:
► Customer support, appointment scheduling and guidance
► Recharging customers
► Emergency Repairs
► Routine Repairs

3.1.4 The repairs and maintenance service will be delivered using a blend of the DLO
and approved third-party sub-contractors. Where sub-contractors are used, we
commit to providing our customers with a consistent service that mirrors our
DLO.
3.1.5 We commit to a continuous improvement regime through the investment in
technology, listening to our Customer Community, measuring our performance,
and following sector best practice. This will drive performance and provide
effective and efficient services that represent value for money for our customers.
3.1.6 We take a zero-tolerance approach to risks to health and safety, which includes
damp and mould issues, and we will ensure that all properties are fit for human
habitation. Where a customers’ safety is threatened and we cannot immediately
rectify the issue, we will offer short-term alternative accommodation. In the
long-term, if we decide the property cannot be made safe to the necessary
standards, then we will provide alternative accommodation on equal terms to
their existing tenancy.
3.1.7 We will ensure all our colleagues involved in the provision of housing
management services, will be competent, suitably trained and where
appropriate, hold mandatory qualifications.
3.2 Customer Responsibilities
3.2.1 Customers are expected to meet the responsibilities they have for repairs and
maintenance within their home, as set out in their tenancy agreement or lease.
3.2.2 A customer must use their home in line with the requirements of their tenancy
agreement and in a ‘tenant like manner’, which means:
► Looking after their home
► Keeping gardens or outside areas in a reasonable state (where applicable)
► Making sure their home is well ventilated to help avoid condensation
► To carry out small jobs such as changing light bulbs and smoke alarm
batteries
► Repair any damage caused by them, members of the household, or their
visitors
3.2.3 A customer is not expected to leave their home in a better condition than when
they moved in, and they are not responsible for normal wear and tear.
3.2.4 Customers must report, as quickly as possible, any repairs or faults to their
property to prevent disrepair. Where a customer has failed to notify us in a
timely manner, which would have prevented further damage, we may choose to
recharge the customer for the avoidable damage.

3.2.5 A customer must allow access to their home at reasonable times if we, or
someone acting on our behalf, needs to inspect the condition of the property.
B3Living will provide at least 24 hours’ written notice and we will be
accommodating if the time is not convenient.
3.2.6 We recognise that customers may want to carry out alterations and
improvements to their home and we will provide permission when this is
reasonable. Further details can be found in the Alterations Policy and on our
website.
3.3 Customer Support
3.3.1 B3Living provide customers with accessible ways to report issues and request
repairs, dependent on the type of repair and urgency, through various
communication channels listed on our website.
3.3.2 We provide a customer contact centre during working hours, Monday to Friday,
8:30am – 5pm.
3.3.3 In addition, an out of hours emergency repairs service is in operation for certain
specified repairs, including anything considered a danger to life and limb, likely
to cause damage to the property or surrounding properties and structural safety
concerns. The out of hours repairs service priority is to ensure the safety of our
customers by removing the immediate danger and ‘making safe’ rather than a
full repair. The details of the repair will be passed to the customer contact
centre on the following morning (or the following Monday if the repair falls on
the weekend) to address any outstanding issues directly with the customer.
3.3.4 To help us understand the problem accurately and for us to provide a prompt
response, we encourage our customers to report issues directly through the
main channels listed on our website. In addition, if we are made aware by a sub-
contractor or other third party, that a customer has brought an issue to their
attention, we will ensure all issues are captured, processed and the customer is
contacted in line with our repair timescales.
3.4 Recharging customers
3.4.1 We may under certain circumstances complete work that is the responsibility of
the customer, for example, damage caused by the customer and disrepair. We
have the right in such cases to recharge customers for the cost of the work that
has been undertaken. We will always make sure customers are aware of any
recharge prior to undertaking the work.
3.4.2 The customer may also directly request a chargeable repair service from the list
of options on our website.
3.4.3 On occasions, when appropriate, we may choose not to apply recharges.

3.4.4 When necessary, we will take legal action to gain access to customers’ homes, to
complete work that is essential to maintain health and safety, and decency
standards within our properties. In such cases we can reclaim any legal costs we
incur by recharging the customer.
3.5 Repairs Service Delivery
3.5.1 We will proactively seek to complete work at customers’ homes that is essential
to protect health and safety, and to maintain property decency standards.
3.5.2 This means that as well as responding to repair and maintenance issues
reported by customers themselves, we will also receive and respond to issues
identified and reported by colleagues, sub-contractors, and other third parties
acting on our behalf.
3.5.3 We will endeavour to accurately diagnose the problem at first point of contact
and deliver an ethos of ‘right first time’, so we minimise repeat visits and follow
up work.
3.5.4 Where we cannot accurately diagnose the repair, or a previous repair has not
resolved the issue, or the responsibility for the work is unclear, we will ask a
colleague to contact the customer to support the diagnosis of the issue. In these
circumstances, a pre-inspection at the customers home may be required.
3.5.5 We will listen to our customers and make reasonable adjustments to meet
individual needs and preferences, for example, meeting specific access
requirements. Customers can request a reasonable adjustment at any point
during the service delivery process.
3.5.6 Once a repair has been diagnosed, a works order will be raised, and an
appointment will be scheduled with the customer in accordance with our repair
category timescales.
3.5.7 We will ensure customers are regularly updated during the repairs process,
especially if appointments need to be re-arranged or works are delayed.
3.5.8 Customers are asked to act reasonably in giving access to colleagues, sub-
contractors or third parties acting on our behalf. If a customer persistently fails
to keep appointments, we reserve the right to cancel non-emergency repair
requests and may recharge the customer for any associated costs.
3.5.9 We will post inspect some repairs to provide assurance about the quality of work
completed in customers’ homes and support our continuous improvement
culture.

3.6 Repairs Service Timescales
3.6.1 To ensure the most serious issues are addressed first, we organise repairs into
the following categories:
Repair Category Target Completion Time
Emergency Repairs (E1) Within 24 hours of being reported
Routine Repairs (R1) Within 20 working days of being reported
3.6.2 Emergency repairs are for the most serious of issues which are, or could
become, a threat to life and limb, or could cause considerable inconvenience and
damage to property. An emergency repair may not always be resolved on the
first visit, but it will be made safe, and an appointment scheduled to complete
the work. When an emergency repair is made safe it will be re-categorised to a
routine repair and completed in accordance with the routine repair timescale.
3.6.3 Routine repairs are issues that need addressing but are less urgent. This repair
category encapsulates all repairs that fall outside the emergency repair category.
3.6.4 We will always strive to complete emergency repairs within the given timescale.
Routine repairs will normally be completed within 20 working days, however,
there may be occasions where this in not possible due to the customer not being
available. Any extension to the 20-day timescale will be agreed with the
customer.
3.6.5 In addition to meeting the above timescales, we will seek to ensure that all our
sub-contractors take a right first-time approach to the completion of responsive
repairs. Adopting this approach will minimise disruption for the customer,
provide better value for money and improve customer satisfaction.
3.7 Home Improvements
3.7.1 Customers have a legal right to make alterations and improvements to their
home provided that they obtain written permission before they carry out any
works and seek all relevant permissions including Planning and Building
Regulations approval etc.
3.7.2 We will not unreasonably withhold consent when a request to carry out
improvements/alterations are made. If consent is provided, the customer will
become responsible for any subsequent repairs, maintenance, or replacement of
the improvement/alteration.
3.7.3 Further guidance is provided within the Alterations Policy and on our website.

4.1 This policy applies to all customers regardless of identity or protected group. It outlines the standards that customers can expect from B3Living, the timescales in which we will respond to repairs and the responsibilities of us as a landlord and of our customers. It is based on best practice in the sector and legal/regulatory requirements. An easy read guide will also be produced which will summarise key areas of the policy.

4.2 An initial Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was completed to ensure the policy does not discriminate or disadvantage any of our customers. The EIA concluded that this policy does not disadvantage any of the identified equality groups and that a full EIA is not required.

5.1 We will ensure our colleagues, partners, and sub-contractors, will process all personal data in accordance with our Data Protection Policy and Document and Data Retention Policy.

5.2 We will ensure personal information of all customers (new, existing, and deleted)
is:
► Stored lawfully
► Processed in a fair and transparent manner
► Collected for specific, explicit and legitimate for the purpose
► Kept up to date and held only until it is no longer required
► Shared only with other organisations for legitimate processing, the
prevention of fraud or with the person's explicit consent

6.1 Our Customer Community forum has supported the creation of this policy, and we will continue to encourage a wide and diverse range of customers to influence and shape future developments and monitor and hold B3Living accountable for the quality of its delivery.

6.2 We will gather customer satisfaction feedback through several mechanisms that may include text messages, phone, and online surveys, as well as face to face feedback opportunities.

6.3 We will use a suite of customer satisfaction performance indicators including the Tenant Satisfaction Measures prescribed by the Regulator of Social Housing to measure the quality of the service provided and drive future improvements (see Section 11 for further guidance).

8.1 Health and safety is an important consideration in all our repair activities, and this is factored in by our operatives in the completion of their duties, supported by a comprehensive training programme. We also ensure that our teams hold any professional qualifications required to carry out particular repairs, such as electrical work.

8.2 Health and safety incidents are monitored by our Board and our internal Health
and Safety Committee. We also screen our DLO colleagues for health conditions
that may arise as a result of the work that they do.
8.3 Health and safety is an important part of contract management with our sub-
contractors. Our colleagues and sub-contractors will advise customers about any
health and safety precautions they may need to take whilst working in and
around their homes.

10.1 The Executive Director (Operations) has overall responsibility for this policy, with
day-to-day responsibilities as follows:
► Head of Property Services: ensure the effective implementation of the
policy; receiving performance monitoring information and preparing
management reports as required.
► DLO Manager: overseeing the day-to-day implementation of the policy
through line management of the DLO; monitoring performance of
operatives, sub-contractors, and the level of customer satisfaction with the
repairs service; producing performance information on a regular basis.
► Sub-contractors: carry out works in accordance with the instructions raised
by B3Living and to abide by all applicable policies and procedures.
► Customers: to maintain the condition of the property as defined within their
tenancy or lease and report a repair or fault as quickly as possible (see
section 3.2 for further information)