Posted on 02 May 2024
To highlight how we’re improving our repairs services, we wanted to tell you more about our Repairs teams.
Each day our teams provide vital services for our customers, from tackling damp and mould, to fixing leaks, to helping get empty properties into shape for new families to call home.
The teams help keep our customers safe and comfortable, day in day out.
Who are our Repairs teams?
With a lot of area to cover, we have different teams of repairs specialists:
- Property Maintenance Kent (PMK)
- Property Maintenance London (PML)
- Property Maintenance Havant (PMH)
We’re bringing repairs in-house – so we can better manage our homes and ensure a more consistent level of service. Functions in the teams range from responsive repairs, right through to roofing, electrical, plumbers, gas engineers, carpenters and fencers.
The numbers:
Since October 2023, more than 300 Repairs colleagues have delivered repairs and services to about 30,000 of our homes – about 95% of the 31,000 homes we’re responsible for maintaining
The average number of repairs per home has risen by more than a fifth in the past two years – increased from 2.7 repairs per home to 3.3 repairs per home over the last 2 years; a 22% increase
Last financial year, we carried out a whopping 101,640 repairs to homes
And, last financial year, we spent £7m more on repairs than in previous years (£1.8m major repairs, £3m on responsive repairs, £1m on disrepairs and £1m on damp, mould and condensation).
Recent improvements include:
- October 2022: We brought repairs services, previously delivered by our contractor Mears, in-house, to cover 12,000 homes in Islington, Southwark, Lambeth, Bromley and Lewisham
- From March 2023: Customers could diagnose and book repairs via our online portal MyAccount, giving more control over the repairs process
- July 2023: We started sourcing contractors through the Plentific platform, which gives us access to specialist contractors to help us meet the seasonal peaks in demand for repairs
- October 2023: We brought more repairs services in-house, covering 6,500 homes in parts of London and Kent, following the end of our contract with Equans.
Mark Batchelor, Hyde’s Property Services Director, said:
“Investing more in our repairs service has been essential. Not only is it to meet increased demand, rising costs and changes to our repair responsibilities, but we know that it’s our responsibility to fix things.
“Since the pandemic, demand has increased but we’ve never allowed the number of unfinished jobs to run away with us.
“We’ve invested financially – we easily have 100 more trades specialists now. In the last three months of 2023/24, the teams delivered 8,000 more repairs than we did at the same time last year.”
And, it doesn’t stop there:
Future plans:
- From May, our customers in Peterborough can book repairs via MyAccount
- We’re adjusting our repairs and maintenance service to better support vulnerable customers, in line with our new vulnerability policy
- We’re securing more Hyde vans – which will include at least 10% electric or hybrid vans
Visit our report a repair page to find out more.