Frequently Asked Questions

You can report a repair in the following ways:

• By logging your repair request using the on-line repair reporting system
• By telephoning or writing to our office
• By visiting our Office

Please give the nature of the repair and when access will be available for the repair to be undertaken. Depending on the nature of the repair an inspection may be required before the repair is undertaken.

We try to ensure that all repairs are carried out as quickly as possible. In order for our approved contractors to prioritise their work, repairs are categorised as follows:

• Immediate Call out (ICO) 4 hours
• EMERGENCY To be undertaken within 24 hours
• URGENT To be undertaken within 4 days
• ROUTINE To be undertaken within 28 days

Typical Emergency Repairs :

• Building Repairs Dangerous wall, chimney stacks, floors.
• Plumbing Repairs Burst pipes, blocked sewers.
• Electrical Repairs Failure of cooker circuits, failure of Economy 7 heating (in winter), failure of all lights.
• Roomheater Repairs Blocked flues/fumes (in winter).
• Sheltered Dwellings Warden call systems, lifts and fire alarm systems, communal lighting.

Typical Urgent Repairs :

• Building Repairs Fallen roof slates, security repairs.
• Plumbing Repairs Lack of hot water, leaking radiators, faulty w.c. cisterns.
• Electrical Repairs Failure of lighting / socket circuits, faulty door entry systems.
• Heating Repairs Failure of central heating pumps and boilers.

Typical Routine Repairs :

• Cleaning or repairing gutters.
• Easing doors and windows.
• Plasterwork repairs.
• Kitchen cupboards and worktops.

You need to fill in an application form and send it to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. This also applies to previous social tenants that are no longer in social housing that want to re-apply.

You need to fill in the same application form that is used to apply for the first time, only you need to return it to your landlord. In many cases this will be the N.I.H.E. but if your landlord is a housing association, then you need to return it to them.

Your application will be registered, and the assessing officer will contact you to do an assessment if you qualify for housing. You may be awarded point based on your circumstances which will be put onto a central waiting list that is used by all registered social landlord (N.I.H.E. and Registered Housing Associations). You will also only qualify for certain types and sizes of properties. For example, you may only require two bedroom accommodation, therefore you won't be offered 4 bedroom accomodation etc.

The term waiting list seems to imply that you wait a certain amount of time and then will be re-housed, but this isn't the case. It is not based on time, but rather points at a given point in time. If a suitable property becomes available, the allocations officer will offer it to the person with the most points at that time. So you could be at the top of the list at a point in time, but someone who is newly assessed with more points will go above you. For this reason no time frame can be given.