Housing Minister: Property Maintenance to Social Housing Should Now Resume

In an open letter to all social housing residents in the UK, the Government’s Housing Minister Christopher Pincher has recommended that landlords should now resume external planned maintenance and repairs.

Maintenance and Repairs

The letter published on 18th May 2020 said:

“As we start to ease lockdown measures, landlords should be able to carry out routine as well as essential repairs for most households.

There will be a backlog of repairs that they will need to address, so it may take longer than normal to carry out more non-essential work.”

In addition, the letter suggests that landlords “may also carry out maintenance and repairs in empty properties, so that they can be re-let to new residents.”

Finally, with regards to internal planned maintenance Mr. Pincher stressed that internal planned maintenance will only take place in homes where residents are not shielding or self-isolating” and that maintenance operatives should, as a minimum, “notify you in advance of arrival, maintain a safe distance and follow hygiene procedures.”

The Government recently released best practice guidance for working in other people’s homes, which is available to view via “Covid-19 working guidance”.

Welcome news

Following the publication of the Housing Minister’s letter, Operations Director of Novus Lee Hartley said:

“This update from the Government is welcome news to Novus and to the social housing sector as a whole.”

“We are keen to move forward with social housing landlords to help clear the substantial maintenance work backlog caused as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown.”

“As always, the safety of our colleagues and that of the residents is of the utmost importance.”

“We’ve adapted our working practices and provided our colleagues with all the necessary personal protective equipment required to carry out their work safely and effectively.”

A copy of Christopher Pincher’s letter can be found here.

Planned Property Maintenance from Novus

As a planned property maintenance provider, Novus are committed to improving and maintaining building standards for our clients and customers.

See how Novus can help with your property maintenance requirements by contacting us today.