Housing
Report a repair
Council tenants renting their homes from Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) should contact Qualis for day to day repairs, for both planned maintenance and emergency repairs, and for gas heating and hot water services.
Reporting a repair
Contact Qualis Property Solutions:
- Online on the Qualis website
- Email Repairs@qualispropertysolutions.co.uk
- Call 0333 230 0464 (24-hour contact number)
We will need your name, mobile number, address and full details of the fault. Please give us as much information as possible to help us get the correct materials and book enough time to complete the job first time.
Before reporting a repair please check your rights and responsibilities in section 4 of your Tenants Handbook.
Emergency repairs and gas leaks
Our out of hours emergency service will respond where there is a risk to you and your family, or danger to the property. We may recharge you if you ring outside office hours unless you have a real emergency.
In an emergency we will arrive within 4 hours and make the situation safe. We may need to return another day to complete the full repair.
- Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111999
Our repairs standards
Your repair will be given a priority that sets out when the work should be attended to:
- Emergency – within 4 hours
- Urgent – within 5 working days
- Routine – within 30 working days
When you report a repair, you will be offered an appointment based on the priority. The timeslots are:
- Morning – 8:30am to 12:30pm
- Afternoon – 12:30pm to 4:30pm
- School run – 10am to 2pm
- All-day – 8:30am to 4:30pm
If you provide us with your contact details we can text or email you a reminder of the date and tell you when the operative is on their way.
It may not be possible to provide an appointment if a contractor is due to carry out the repair. If an appointment cannot be offered, you will be contacted at a later date to make the arrangements.
In some instances, a surveyor may need to visit your home to assess what needs to be done. But in most cases, the operative will attend to make the assessment and undertake the work there and then, if they have the right materials available. If not, a further appointment will be made with you to complete the work at a later date.
If you have provided your contact details, once the repair is complete you will be sent an email or text satisfaction survey to complete. Your comments are important to us as they help us to monitor the service provided. You may be contacted by a member of the Qualis team to follow up on any comments.
Responsibility for repairs
This list indicates whether a repair is our responsibility or yours. We cannot list every type of repair, so you may need to contact our housing repairs team for advice.
Housing repairs
| Item | Responsibility | Qualifies for handyperson scheme | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| All airing racks | Tenant | HS | |
| Basins, baths, sinks, including defective taps, tap washers and ceramic discs | Qualis | Unless damaged by tenant |
|
| Brickwork repairs | Qualis | ||
| Chimney stacks and pots | Qualis | ||
| Chimney sweeping | Tenant | ||
| Clothes lines and posts | Tenant | HS | Except communal areas |
| Curtain poles, rails and battens | Tenant | HS | |
| Coat rails, hooks, wall brackets and shelving | Tenant | HS | |
| Doors (external) including frames, windows, woodwork or UPVC repairs (also see glazing) | Qualis | Sometimes held for external painting programme | |
| Doors (internal) including frames | Qualis | Excluding tenant's own furniture. Tenant's damage rechargeable | |
| Door locks and keys (external) | Qualis | HS | Lost keys, gaining entry and damage are tenants responsibility. Tenant is responsible for internal door locks and keys |
| Door furniture (external) | Qualis | HS | Excludes spy holes, security chains and numbering, which are tenants responsibility. Tenants damage rechargeable |
| Double glazed sealed units | Qualis | Council responsible for defective seals. See glazing for broken glass | |
| Drainage, waste pipes and blockages | Qualis | Misuse, blockages and damage caused by tenants, rechargeable | |
| Electric plugs, fuses and bulbs | Tenant | HS | |
| Electric sockets, bulb holders (excluding table lamps) wiring and main fuses and fuse board | Qualis | Excludes tenant's own fittings and alterations (can be rechargeable) | |
| External decorations | Qualis | ||
| Fascias, soffits and barge boards | Qualis | ||
| Fencing (boundary) | Qualis | Replace with chain link fencing - except for hedgerows deemed to be fencing | |
| Fencing (dividing) | Tenant | First 2 meters of rear fence (gossip or privacy fence) councils responsibility |
|
| Fireplace, hearths, frets, grates and bars | Tenant | Tiled surround and brickwork are councils responsibility | |
| Floorboards | Qualis | All floor coverings are tenants responsibility. Tenants responsibility to remove coverings if repair work required to floorboards | |
| Garages | Qualis | HS | Tenant is responsible for keys and garage security |
| Gardens (see also paths) including rear gardens, paths and patios | Tenant | HS | Front access path edging around the building (apron) and manholes are councils responsibility |
| Gates | Qualis | Tenants own fittings excluded | |
| Gas services and appliances | Qualis | Contact gas servicing contractor, excluding tenants appliances | |
| Glazing (broken glass) | Tenant | Exemption for people of state pensionable age or for proven vandalism (responsible person prosecuted or given police caution) | |
| Glazing (window fittings including faulty seals and handles) | Qualis | ||
| Gutters | Qualis | ||
| Heating (other than gas) | Qualis | Excluding tenants appliances |
|
| Immersion heater | Qualis | ||
| Internal decorations | Tenant | Assistance provided through internal decorating programme for older people | |
| Internal woodwork (such as skirting and architraves) | Qualis | Excluding tenants own fittings | |
| Kitchen unit and worktops, council fitted mixer taps | Qualis | Excluding tenants own fittings | |
| Loft and main storage tank insulation | Qualis | ||
| Outbuildings and sheds | Qualis | Excluding any made of wood or tenants own installation. Locks and keys as for doors | |
| Overflows | Qualis | ||
| Paths (see also gardens) | Qualis | Standard path to front door. Tenant responsible for side and rear garden paths, patios, hardstandings and drives |
|
| Plaster and external rendering | Qualis | Except minor surface cracks to plaster which, as internal decorating, are tenants responsibility | |
| Plumbing, interior pipework and stop cocks (not central heating) | Qualis | HS | Excludes connection hoses to washing machines, dishwashers and tenants appliance |
| Roofs | Qualis | ||
| Sanitary ware including toilet pan, bath and basin | Qualis | HS | Excluding plugs, chains, seats and lids. Tenants damage rechargeable |
| Showers including: electric showers, enclosures, curtains, curtain rails, pumps, heads and hoses | Qualis | Excluding tenants own fittings and any shower over a bath (unless installed for existing tenant on health grounds) | |
| Smoke alarms | Qualis | Tenant is responsible for carbon monoxide alarms |
|
| Solid fuel appliances (primary heating source) | Qualis | Tenant responsible for chimney sweeping, also see fireplace | |
| Stairs, handrails, balustrading | Qualis | Rechargeable if tenant alters handrails to balustrading | |
| Tap washers | Qualis | ||
| Wall tiles | Qualis | Excluding tiles installed, broken or removed by tenant | |
| Water butts | Tenant |
Repairs recharge costs
Each year we also spend a lot of money on repairing empty properties and getting them ready for occupation. While some of this work is due to normal wear and tear, a lot is for repairing items that have been damaged by the former tenant.
If we have to remove any items or rubbish from your home after you leave or repair any damage, we will charge you what it cost us to do this work.