What you told us and what we're doing

What we asked

We asked tenants and owners to review the updated Common Repairs Policy, which explains how we manage repairs and maintenance to buildings where we share responsibility with other owners.

What you said

90 responses were received. Of these, 77% were tenants/tenant representatives and 23% were owner‑occupiers.

Key findings:

• 88% said they support the revised policy
• 90% said it was easy to read and understand
• 4% felt a section should be reworded
• 12% felt something was missing
• 3% felt something should be removed

Feedback mainly focused on clearer terminology, understanding responsibilities, and improving communication.

What we did

We reviewed all comments. No changes were made to the policy because:

• Most suggestions related to issues outside the scope of the policy
• Some points were already covered by legislation or existing procedures
• Individual concerns were passed to relevant teams
  

We’ll now develop plain‑language resources, supporting information, and online guidance to make the policy easier to understand.

What’s new in the policy

The updated policy:

• Clarifies owner and Council responsibilities
• Explains how decisions are made
• Sets out how planned, essential and emergency repairs are managed
• Provides clearer information on cost‑sharing, debt recovery and support for owners

Next steps

The final revised Common Repairs Policy was approved for implementation by elected members at the meeting of the Housing and Community Safety Committee on 12 March 2026. You can read the report presented to Committee here.

The revised policy will start on 1 April 2026.

We'll:

• Keep tenants and owners informed of any changes
• Update our information and webpages
• Update our procedures and provide staff training
• Publish supporting guidance and plain‑language materials

The revised Common Repairs Policy has been published on our Housing Policies webpage.