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Housing Executive and housing association tenants - your right to repairs

Housing Executive and housing association tenants have the right to get some small, urgent repairs done within certain timescales.

Your right to repair

The Right to Repair scheme covers small, urgent repairs costing up to £250 (£200 for Housing Executive tenants), which, if not carried out within a reasonable short, prescribed period of time, are likely to jeopardise your health, safety or security.

Housing Executive and housing associations' response times endeavour to ensure that all repairs that are the responsibility of the landlord are completed within this prescribed timescale.

An association should have published target response times, for example:

  • emergency: one working day (24 hours) - defects affecting the safety, security or health of the tenant
  • urgent: four working days - defects causing loss of facility to the tenant or likely to cause further deterioration to the structure, fabric, fittings, fixtures or services to the building
  • routine: 28 working days - defects which can be deferred without serious inconvenience to the tenant

You may be entitled to compensation when the contractor fails to complete qualifying repairs within the prescribed period. The amount of compensation should be moderate to reflect the delay in completing the repair and not the cost. Entitlement to compensation is removed if exceptional circumstances occur which are beyond the control of the association.

What repairs can you get done?

A qualifying repair will be considered a repair which does not cost in excess of £250 (£200 for Housing Executive) to carry out, but if not completed within a specified time is likely to jeopardise your health or safety. The majority of these repairs would be electrical or plumbing work, although there will be instances where building repairs will be deemed as qualifying repairs.  

Qualifying repairs include repairs to:

  • total or partial loss of electrical power
  • unsafe power, lighting socket or electrical fitting
  • total or partial loss of water supply
  • total or partial loss of gas or oil supply
  • blocked flue to open fire or boiler
  • total or partial loss of space or water heating
  • blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack or (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling house) toilet pan
  • toilet not flushing (where there is no other toilet in the house)
  • blocked sink, bath or basin
  • tap which cannot be turned
  • leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern
  • leaking roof
  • insecure external window, door or lock
  • loose or detached banister or handrail
  • rotten timber flooring or stair tread
  • door entry phone not working
  • mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen or bathroom not working

This list has been prepared for guidance and should not be considered exhaustive.

How can you get repairs done?

You should tell the Housing Executive or the housing association what repairs need to be done. They will advise you of all repairs that are deemed to be qualifying when acknowledging receipt of a repair request. When a reported repair is deemed to be a qualifying repair you will be informed in writing, giving details of:

  • the name of the designated contractor
  • the last date for completion

You must let the Housing Executive or housing association know when someone can be at home to let the contractor in. You should also check their identity before you allow them into your home.

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