Third national Covid-19 lockdown: what Habinteg tenants need to know | Latest news

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 4 January  the whole of the UK is now in lockdown to help slow down the spread of Covid-19.

The health and safety of our tenants, staff and contractors remains our top priority and we aim to continue to deliver repairs services using all appropriate safety measures when working in tenants’ homes.

However we are already seeing that Habinteg’s contractors are being impacted to some extent due to staff absence. Because of this we have had to make a temporary change to our usual service standards. Emergency repairs will be carried out in the usual timeframe but urgent and routine repairs may be subject to some delays, depending on our contractors’ staffing levels.

Here is what you can expect if you need a repair on your home:

Emergency repairs: Emergency repairs remain our highest priority and we expect to be able to deliver these within the usual 24 hour turnaround time. If you have an emergency repair please call Habinteg Direct and report by phone so that we can deal with it as promptly as possible.

Urgent repairs: Please continue to log repairs in the urgent category and we will endeavour to complete the works within 5 working days, however due to reduced contractor resource there will be occasions when repairs are not completed within this timeframe. The contractor will make an appointment with you for your repair and keep you informed of any changes.

Routine repairs: Please continue to log routine repairs and we will endeavour to complete the works within 20 working days however due to reduced contractor resource there will be occasions when repairs can’t be completed within this timeframe. The contractor will make an appointment with you for your repair and keep you informed of any changes.

These are extremely challenging times for everyone and every organisation and we hope that you understand why some delays to non-emergency repairs are likely.

All Health and Safety and Compliance related works, such as electrical testing and gas servicing, will continue to be delivered during the lockdown period. Please make every effort to accommodate the scheduled appointments, as the safety and wellbeing of Habinteg’s tenants remains paramount during this next phase of lockdown.

How to report a repair

The best way to report a routine or urgent repair is to complete our online repair form if you are able to. Any emergency repair should be reported by phone directly to Habinteg Direct, our customer service team on 0300 365 3100.

If you are unsure if your repair is categorised as an emergency, urgent or routine, please refer to our repairs guide on our website.

Shielding advice to clinically vulnerable people

If you were asked to shield during the spring lockdown the Government are advising you to do so again now. You should expect a letter from your local health services advising on your specific situation, and you can read more about the new lockdown rules.

Support for daily living

We realise that full lockdown can be extremely challenging and that for tenants who are asked to isolate it can be difficult to continue with basic daily routines and to cope with the lack of contact with other people.

Please don’t forget that if you’re having difficulty with daily tasks, or you are feeling isolated or stressed by the lockdown conditions there are a large number of organisations offering support both locally and nationally.

On our website you can find a list of organisations offering emotional support where we also have some advice on sources of financial support if your income has been impacted by the pandemic.

If you need support with things like shopping or collecting medicines or would like to be put in touch with a network to help combat loneliness please call Habinteg Direct. They have a list of local mutual aid organisations and can provide you with contact information for organisations in your area that are on hand to help. You can also speak to your tenant representative.

Don't forget to keep up to date on the latest news by visiting our Covid-19 hub.