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Original poster

to think housing associations are going to have to start doing checks outside office hours.

163 replies

JenniferBooth · 12/02/2023 15:00

The amount of checks HAs have to do is increasing
Gas safety checks are once a year and have been around for a while. Electric checks are every five years so not as often.

Last month a new rule came in for fire door checks. fireconsultancyspecialists.co.uk/fire-safety-regulations-2022-fire-door-requirements-from-23-jan-2023/

There seems to be some confusion whether its once a year or every three months but tenants will also need to be in for this if the door of their actual flat is a fire door so they can test it to see if it closes by itself.

There will highly likely be checks brought in for mould so that will be another inspection that tenants will have to be in for.

Tenants should not be expected to use up annual leave to facilitate all this so either employment legislation needs to change so tenants have a right to time off for all this in law or they need to start working round tenants schedules.

OP posts:
Asdf12345 · 12/02/2023 15:04

Given you are the customer of the housing association you have the control. If enough people want out of hours routine work and are prepared to pay a premium for it they will provide the service.

Unless shifting work to out of hours periods can be made to increase income you may struggle to get much traction.

Original poster
JenniferBooth · 12/02/2023 15:12

So basically a whole money making industry has grown on the back of the Grenfell tragedy.

The electric checks that are being done have caused problems. They blew a tenants shower. One tenant was told that his distribution board was dangerous back in AUGUST. And told they would be back in NOVEMBER to change it. So dangerous they were prepared to leave it for three months. And it still hasnt been done. Its unacceptable to go into peoples homes , frighten them by saying things like this and then just leaving it. To frighten tenants like this particularly elderly or vulnerable tenants is unacceptable.

OP posts:
Original poster
JenniferBooth · 12/02/2023 15:16

@Maverickess

OP posts:
starpatch · 12/02/2023 15:24

Yes I see what you mean JenniferBooth. I remember it being a bit of a pain having to be home to facilitate checks when I was a shared ownership tenant. Sounds like there are a lot of checks now. And the fire door thing could feel quite intrusive if it includes the internal doors- we all took the door closers off our internal doors as completely impractical to have doors slamming shut inside your home. The other alternative is that the HA give the option that they will access with their key, if you give permission.

LlynTegid · 12/02/2023 15:27

Whether they should does not mean that they will. I'd suggest they won't, and people will have either to have the option to work from home, or use up leave.

It's not as if those who carry out such checks are looking desperately for work, they can make a living and choose only to do weekday daytime hours.

ThreeFeetTall · 12/02/2023 15:34

It doesn't need to be the tenant who is at home, maybe a friend or relative could wait in for one day? I know someone that does this for her mum (she wfh those days)

I agree it is annoying and something HAs should look at and with this there could be innovation that helps both landlord and tenant. Buy the complications of getting them all done on the same day with multiple trades involved is expensive. Or for paying people overtime to work Saturdays.

ThreeFeetTall · 12/02/2023 15:37

That link about fire doors says it is to check front doors of flats once a year, and fire doors in common parts (not needing tenants to be in) every 3 months.

Maybe they could train the gas engineers to do the fire door checks?

gazpachosoupday · 12/02/2023 15:39

Knowing my HA, I cant see them doing a weekend, considering I have been without my sinks and washing machine for nearly 3 months because of their incompetency

Original poster
JenniferBooth · 12/02/2023 15:40

Was it a leak?

OP posts:
littleducks · 12/02/2023 15:41

Can't the gas check people be trained to also check doors? Then it's one annual check plus electrics every five years. The gas check involved checking CO2 and fire alarms so fire doors should be easy enough to do at same time

hekissedmybottom · 12/02/2023 15:45

Course they should and they can. They can outsource to anyone and they already have out of hours repairs.

WhiteFire · 12/02/2023 16:02

There will highly likely be checks brought in for mould so that will be another inspection that tenants will have to be in for.

Should have already started, the ones that haven't already started on a programme will be getting their knuckles rapped.

Some HA's already offer out of hours appointments.

Tenants should not be expected to use up annual leave to facilitate all this so either employment legislation needs to change so tenants have a right to time off for all this in law or they need to start working round tenants schedules.

That is no different to homeowners having to take time off work to get work / repairs done to their property.

Not all HA's are like yours the same, though how dreadful that there are things in law to ensure the tenants safety. If only the government would crack down on private landlords in the same manner.

BaconIsEvil · 12/02/2023 16:07

Even a bit of flexibility during normal working hours would be nice. I have a gas inspection coming up and the time is "between 0900 - 1630". When I asked if it could possibly take place in the morning as I'm on a late shift then I was told "sorry, we can't do that". So now I face the prospect of wasting a day's A/L if they arrive in the morning or not booking any and then having to phone my boss and explain why I'm going to be up to 3 hours late, all because arranging a mutually convenient time is beyond the HA's capabilities.

Gingerkittykat · 12/02/2023 16:08

I doubt they will do checks out of hours, they don't care about tenant's convenience.

The checks are not too bad, 1 day a year for gas and one check every 5 years for electricity, I think private tenants will have to have similar checks during the day.

BaconIsEvil · 12/02/2023 16:10

That is no different to homeowners having to take time off work to get work / repairs done to their property

But they can arrange the day/time to suit them, we are just told when and are expected to be there, that's the difference.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 12/02/2023 16:10

That is no different to homeowners having to take time off work to get work / repairs done to their property.

It's very different. Homeowners aren't legally obligated to have any of these checks done, for starters.

WhiteFire · 12/02/2023 16:18

BaconIsEvil · 12/02/2023 16:10

That is no different to homeowners having to take time off work to get work / repairs done to their property

But they can arrange the day/time to suit them, we are just told when and are expected to be there, that's the difference.

No, not always. We needed a boiler repair recently, we had an all day appointment slot. Homeowners still have to work around trade availability. The only thing we tend to get in an evening is quotes, or you pay for the privelage of outer hours.

Anyway, I am sorry that your HA's all sound a bit shit when it comes to appointments,as I said they are not all like that.

WhiteFire · 12/02/2023 16:18

"out of hours"

crowsfeet57 · 12/02/2023 16:36

It's only communal doors. Caretakers already report faulty closers etc. Gas and electric checks are outsourced. This won't make much of a difference tbh.

soundsofthesixties · 12/02/2023 16:47

Bacon is evil**
We can rearrange our appointments to when is the best time for us.

LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee · 12/02/2023 16:50

These checks are there to sure the place is safe to live in, the price to pay is to have to be in when they happen - fair enough!
Everybody has to be in for things like these, not just HA tenants, why do you believe they should not be inconvenienced the way everybody else is?

Theunamedcat · 12/02/2023 16:53

We can arrange an appointment for morning or afternoon until 8pm and if I'm doing the school run then they note it and avoid the time

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 12/02/2023 16:55

LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee · 12/02/2023 16:50

These checks are there to sure the place is safe to live in, the price to pay is to have to be in when they happen - fair enough!
Everybody has to be in for things like these, not just HA tenants, why do you believe they should not be inconvenienced the way everybody else is?

There's no legal requirement for homeowners to have annual gas safety checks, or electrical checks, or mould checks - it's entirely optional, whereas for tenants they're compulsory.

ThreeFeetTall · 12/02/2023 16:57

BaconIsEvil · 12/02/2023 16:10

That is no different to homeowners having to take time off work to get work / repairs done to their property

But they can arrange the day/time to suit them, we are just told when and are expected to be there, that's the difference.

Can you not call up and rearrange another day?

40sNonBlondes · 12/02/2023 17:02

Mine has begun asking for a MONTHLY inspection in my 5th year. I work 8-6 and can only take partial days annual leave for medical appointments. My Housing Officer insists they can evict me for refusing even though that's 12 days leave i need to use. That gives me not a lot of scope to use up my annual leave for the things all single parents need to do. I always comply with Gas and other safety checks but I have had no arrears/complaints from neighbours etc, it's a self-contained single family household with NO common areas