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Our Repairs team use local contractors to get your repairs sorted as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. If there is an emergency, call us IMMEDIATELY so we can get a contractor out straight away. If you have a routine repair, you can report it using our MyHightown online service. 

Make sure your outside tap doesn’t freeze in winter

  • Isolate the outside tap inside the property (this should be its own isolation valve, not the stopcock for the entire property).
  • Then open the outside tap to drain off any excess water left in the pipework.
  • Once outside tap is drained, turn off the tap and leave the isolation valve off until the warmer weather returns.
  • You can find your valve under your kitchen sink or in the cupboard upstairs - depending on the property. A lot of the new builds should have a label on it saying 'outside tap'.

Emergencies 

Between 9am-5pm on weekdays 01442 292301
Out of hours

0845 160 00 77 (local rate)
or
0203 701 3525 (from a mobile phone)

Report a Repair 

Call 01442 292301     Log in to MyHightown     More info on repairs

You can report a repair and track repairs to your home or block using our MyHightown service. Once your repair is done, use MyHightown to tell us how it went.

We rely on you to let us know about any repairs needed in your home and to let us in to do them.  We will fix problems caused by fair wear and tear. You will need to fix anything that you damage. Please note: if you own your home (incl. shared owners) then you are responsible for repairs in your home but you can log into MyHightown to report repairs to any communal areas.

You can also send in repairs via email at maintenance.services@hightownha.org.uk or call 01442 292301 during office hours.

Home Contents Insurance

Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen.

To help you decide whether home contents insurance is right for you, Hightown Housing Association have teamed up with Thistle Tenant Risks, and Ageas Insurance Limited who provide the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, a Tenants Contents Insurance policy designed for tenants living in social housing.

The My Home Contents Insurance Scheme can offer you insurance for the contents of your home including cover for items such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, bedding, electrical items, jewellery, pictures and ornaments.

How do you get further information?

  • Contact your Housing Officer for an information pack
  • Call Thistle Tenant Risks on 0345 450 7288
  • Alternatively, please visit the thistlemyhome.co.uk for more information or to request a call back.

More information on repairs

See below for frequently asked questions about our repairs service. For full information and tips on things you can fix yourself, check out our Repairs Handbook.
If you want to check when you repair is due to be done, log in to MyHightown to track your repair.

  • When will my repair be done?

    When you report a repair our Repairs team will decide what priority the repair is. Our response times for repairs are linked to their priority so we can get to the most urgent problems first.

    You can use MyHightown to track your repair and check our target for getting it fixed.

    We have 3 different repair categories:

    1. Emergency - within 24 hours

    Our first priority is any problem that puts the health, safety or security of our tenants or the building they live in. Please call us on the numbers above to report an emergency repair. If you misuse the emergency repair service, we may charge you for the call-out costs.

    Read below for more information on what sorts of repairs are emergency repairs.

    2. Urgent - within 3 working days

    Some examples might include:

    • Partial loss of electricity
    • Leaking radiators, minor pipe leaks
    • Failure of entry phone
    • Loss of heating or hot water for period 1st May to 30th September
    • Loose banister or handrail
    • Faulty communal TV aerial

    3. Routine - within 20 working days

    Some examples might include:

    • General joinery repairs
    • Repairs to tiling
    • Inside door repairs – wear and tear
    • Mechanical extractor fan repairs
    • Boundary fencing repairs
    • Replacing/repairing dripping taps
  • What is an emergency repair?

    We class any maintenance problem as an emergency if it puts your health and security or the safety of the building at immediate risk.

    There are many things that could be emergency repairs, but some examples are:

    • Loss of heating or hot water (from 1st October to 30th April)
      • If parts are required to fix the fault we will provide you with temporary heating
    • Gas leak or loss of gas supply – contact National Grid 0800 111 999
    • Flooding
    • Severe storm damage
    • Total loss of electricity supply – unless due to power cut
    • Offensive or racist graffiti

    Please call us on the numbers above if you think you have an emergency repair to report.

    If you deliberately use our emergency repairs services when they are not needed, we may charge you for the call-out costs.

  • What am I responsible for?

    Your tenancy agreement will give you information about exactly what you are responsible for in your home and what Hightown will fix. Here are some general guidelines about who is responsible for what.

    Our tenants are responsible for:

    • letting us know about repairs as son as possible
    • giving our contractors access to fix the problem
    • fixing anything that you, your family or guests have damaged. (Hightown will charge you to repair something you have damaged)

    Items in your house that you are responsible for:

    Area Item(s)
    Kitchen
    • Cupboard door catches, hinges and handles
    • Cooker connection and your appliances. (*Intermediate Rent tenants are entitled to repairs for appliances provided by Hightown)
    Bathrooms & WC
    • Blocked bath, basin or sink
    • Bath panels, plugs and chains
    • Towel rails, toilet seats, toilet roll holders, cabinets etc
    • Showers that you have fitted or has been assigned to you
    • Shower curtains
    Heating & Electric
    • Fuses, plugs, light bulbs and tubes (not in communal areas)
    • Leaking radiator as a result of being removed for decorating purposes
    Windows & Doors
    • Damage not related to a crime (if a crime and crime number is provided, Hightown will repair)
    • Gain access (lost keys) and additional locks and bolts
    • Additional locks and draught proofing strips on windows and doors
    • Letterbox plate, spy hole or security chain
    Gardens
    • Dwarf walls, ponds, trellis, sheds, decking or landscaping, pruning trees.
    TV & Broadband
    • Supply and maintenance of either a TV aerial, satellite or cable (if you live in a property which does not share a communal system)
    • If your property has an aerial when you move in, this is automatically gifted to you and immediately becomes your responsibility
    General
    • Decorating inside your home (including papering, woodwork or coving and damp due to condensation)
    • Fitting & checking battery operated smoke alarms
    • Removing pests (except in communal areas)
    • Carpentry jobs e.g. boxing in pipes following change of boiler etc.
  • Why am I charged for repairs?

    We may charge you for the cost of carrying out a repair if:

    • you, your family, any visitors or pets damage any part of your home and you do not fix it yourselves
    • you have a repair done and it is not completed to a reasonable standard by a qualified professional (e.g. repairs to gas or electrical appliances)
    • we have to repair doors or windows to make your home secure (unless you have a crime number)