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

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.

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.

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)