Repairs Policy
A Repairs Policy exists which explains our approach as your landlord to managing residents repairs both inside your home or in communal/ block areas where you live.
The policy contains useful information including the different types of repairs categories/ priorities we use and the timescales to complete each of these, the appointment slots we offer, our approach to missed appointments and what types of repairs are our responsibility to fix as your landlord and which are tenants responsibilities.
To view the Repairs Policy and find out more information, click here.
Click here to report a repair online.
Emergency repair
For an emergency repair (for example a major water leak), please call us immediately on 020 8080 6587.
This is our emergency number operating 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have collated a selection of our most frequently asked questions and answers about Repairs and shared them below.
- How do I report a repair online?
If you are a Barnet Homes tenant or leaseholder, you can report a repair online by clicking here.
- Can Barnet Homes help with my repair?
Barnet Homes has a duty to maintain and repair certain parts of your home, but tenants and leaseholders also have their own responsibilities. If you are a tenant, to find out who is responsible for what, click here. If you are a leaseholder, to find out who is responsible for what, click here.
- Where is my stopcock?
A stopcock is a valve that regulates the flow of water or gas through a pipe to your home – it can quickly shut the water off if there is a leak. A stopcock has a handle like a tap, but without an outlet spout. It will be between two lengths of pipe, acting as a connector. You will usually find the stopcock for your home under the kitchen sink, but this is not always the case, especially in older properties. If you cannot find yours under the kitchen sink, please click this link for further information.
- My radiators are not heating up properly, what should I do?
If radiators in your home are not getting hot or, are cold at the top and warm at the bottom, they may need bleeding. If you feel confident and comfortable in bleeding a radiator yourself, please click here to view a step by step guide and video demonstration on how to bleed a radiator. If you do not feel confident in bleeding a radiator, please report the repair online here. - My heating and/ or hot water isn’t working properly. How do I repressurise my boiler?
To determine if you have low boiler pressure, check the water pressure gauge on the front of your boiler. Boiler pressure should typically be between 1 to 1.5, although sometimes it may fall below this range and need to be repressurised. Re-pressurising your boiler means allowing more water to enter the system. If you feel confident and comfortable in repressurising your boiler, please click here for guidance. When repressuring your own boiler, please ensure the pressure level does not exceed 1.5. If you do not feel confident in repressurising your boiler, please report the repair online here.
- Am I allowed to make alterations to my property?
As a tenant, minor alterations to the decoration of your home are permitted, however, to make significant alterations to your home (e.g. kitchen upgrade) you must seek written permission from Barnet Homes. If you make any amendments to your property without permission, you will be responsible for the costs associated with putting the property back to its original condition. For the full list of alterations which may be permitted and those not permitted, click here. To ask permission to make a tenant alteration you must complete this form and email it to AlterationsPermission@Barnethomes.org.
- I have pest issues in my property, what should I do?
If you are a tenant and there are mice, rats, cockroaches, or pharaoh ants in your home, it is Barnet Homes’ responsibility to deal with them. You can report the pest issue online here. If you have an outdoor insect infestation of wasps, bees, garden ants or moths it is your responsibility to deal with it. For further information on pest control you can visit our website here. We do not take actions to deal with pests if you are a leaseholder or shared owner, these are your responsibility to resolve.
- Why is there a long wait for my repair to be fixed?
If you need to report a repair issue, we may not provide you with an appointment time immediately as we are currently experiencing issues with resourcing in our Repairs service. If this does happen, someone from our Repairs team or one of our repair’s contractors will contact you at a later date to agree an appointment time with you. We thank you for your patience at this time. - Where can I find information on the annual gas safety check?
By law, Barnet Homes is required to complete a gas safety check once a year for every tenant. To find out more information including what the check involves and our policy, please visit our dedicated page here and look at the section headed ‘Gas safety checks’. - What should I check before reporting an issue with my boiler?
In many instances, a suspected broken boiler may actually be a minor issue which you can fix yourself. Before reporting your boiler as broken, please check to see if there is credit on your gas meter and whether any other gas appliances are working. If neither of these solutions work, please report the repair online here. - What should I do if I smell gas/ have a gas leak in my home?If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak in your property, call the emergency service provider immediately on 0800 111 999. Please also see our page dedicated for gas safety here for steps to take in the event of a suspected gas leak.
- I am having issues with my heating and/ or hot water and I have a communal boiler, who do I contact?
If you have a communal boiler, you should direct any questions to Purdy’s. Purdy’s can be contacted on 01992 703410 or by emailing commercialgas@purdycontracts.co.uk.
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
As of 1st April 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing’s new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) requirements came into effect. The TSMs are intended to help tenants hold their landlords to account in areas that are important to them and improve the quality of social housing. The TSMs do not apply to Barnet Homes leaseholders, only Barnet Homes tenants.
Barnet Homes are required to annually publish their performance against the 22 TSMs, 6 of these relate to our Repairs service and keeping tenants homes in good repair, including overall satisfaction with the repairs service and percentage of emergency repairs completed within target timescales. To view the latest Barnet Homes TSM results, click here.
Gas leaks
If there is a gas leak, contact National Grid on 0800 111 999.
Non-emergency repairs
You can use our online repairs service to identity and report your repair, or contact us.
Check which repairs are your responsibility.
For problems with your gas central heating, please call our contact centre on 020 8080 6587.
Leaseholder Repairs Service
Please call us on 020 8080 6587.
Password scheme
For extra security, you can sign up to our password scheme. This means our contractors will have to give your password before you will let them into your home.
Repairs complaints
If you would like to make a complaint about our repairs service, please click here.
Repairs jobs
If you are interested in working for our repairs service, please email your CV and a covering letter to Recruitment.BarnetHomes@BarnetHomes.org