Reporting a Repair

Inside your home: 

• Water and gas pipes
• Heating systems
• Electrical installations
• Gas central-heating systems
• Appliances owned by Watmos (annual service)  

Outside your home:

• The structure of the building
• Lights
• Lifts
• Gutters and drainage
• Communal areas and facilities owned by Watmos

In private gardens:

• Paths to front and back doors
• Garden walls
• 2 metres of fencing between houses
• Outbuildings that were already there when you moved in 

Upgrade works

We also carry out planned upgrade programmes for kitchens and bathrooms, windows, doors and communal areas, on a cyclical basis.

You are responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of your home . For example, this includes: 

• Replacing light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries, door handles and toilet seats.

• Decoration and filling minor plaster cracks.

• Unblocking sinks, baths and toilets. 

• Maintaining private gardens.

• Fixing day-to-day damage, such as to window panes, tiles or cupboard hinges.

We strongly advise you to take out home contents insurance . This will cover you against damage to your personal belongings, carpets, furniture and other household contents and decorations including due to fire or flood damage. 

We have 2 recommended schemes, although you are free to choose your own insurer.  

For tenants in Walsall the WHG scheme is available. We can send you an application form if you are interested or you can download it here .

For tenants in Lambeth , we recommend the Thistle ‘My Home Insurance’ Scheme, in partnership with the National Housing Federation. Visit www.thistlemyhome.co.uk to find out more or contact us for an application form.

If damage was caused by you or someone in your home , you are responsible for getting it repaired. We can also arrange the work for you and charge you the cost of the repair. 

We will quote you a fixed charge for standard work, or give you an estimate for an unusual repair. Unless it is an emergency, payment must be made before we order the work. 

If damage is the result of a break-in or vandalism , ask the police for a crime reference number. We will make your home safe. We will then need a copy of your crime reference number, to complete the repairs without charging you the cost.  

Here are the ways to request repairs and book appointments. 

• Online - login or register to MyWatmos to order and keep track of repairs 24/7.

• Telephone - call 01922 471910 (Walsall) or  0207 043 0670 (London)   

• Email - send an email to i nfo@watmos.org.uk (Not suitable for emergencies)

For emergency repairs outside of normal office hours, call 08000 662 742.

When you book a repair, please  confirm your contact details and any individual needs, e.g. extra time to answer the door.

We will give you a works-order number . Please keep this ready for the appointment day.

We will categorise your repair as ‘emergency’, ‘urgent’ or ‘routine’, or add it to a planned program of upgrades. Sometimes we will need to inspect the problem first. 

Here are the target response times for different categories of repair: 

• Emergency (Attend within 24 hours)

If there is an immediate threat to your health and safety, including full power cuts, dangerous leaks, or loss of heating in winter. (Please do not book for non-emergencies, or you may have to pay a call-out charge.)

• Urgent  (Complete within 5 working days)

If there is a risk to your health and safety, or to prevent serious damage to your home, including partial loss of power, heating or water.

• Routine (Complete within 25 working days)

For repairs that do not cause serious inconvenience or present a health and safety risk.

• Programmed work

We may add your non-urgent job to a list of planned property upgrade works in your area. 

• Inspections  (Attend within 4 working days)

We will book an inspection when we need to look at the problem before organising works.  

• Damp & Mould (Attend within 10 days)

We will inspect damp & mould within 10 working days of being notified, and provide a written report within 3 working days of the inspection.

When you book a repair, you will be given a choice of date and a morning or afternoon appointment.

Please make sure that you or another responsible adult (over 16-years-old) are at home for the entire time. If you are not at home when the operative arrives, they will leave a card. 

If you have booked an emergency repair, please make sure someone stays at the property. If nobody is at home when the operative arrives, you may be charged for the call-out.

Please arrange removal of any furniture or floor coverings that restrict access to the repair, before the appointment. Our operatives use dust sheets and shoe-coverings, however, we do not accept responsibility if furniture or floor coverings are damaged while accessing the repair. 

(If you are unable to arrange this, please let us know when you book the repair.)

Before you let contractors into your home, always ensure they are genuine by checking their identity card and the works-order number. If you are unsure, just ask them to stay outside and contact us to check.

Please help keep everyone safe during repairs . For example, make sure that a responsible adult is present and keep children and pets away from the work area.

If you are unhappy with the work, please let us know . Please treat our operatives with courtesy at all times. Our staff will refuse to attend any property where their health and safety may be at risk. 

If your repair can’t be completed in one visit ,you will be given another appointment before the operative leaves. Unfortunately, the Great British weather can get in the way sometimes. In severe frost, heavy rain or gale force winds, operatives may only be able to make things safe and book a return visit. This is for their own safety, and yours too.

When the work is complete, we will send you a satisfaction survey by text. Please reply with your feedback. Your experience will help us to improve our repairs service for tenants.  

We also carry out random quality checks by calling or visiting to check the work was completed to a satisfactory standard.   

If your repair is not completed within the response times  shown above, please let us know and we will follow it up immediately.

If you need to make a complaint about the service you have received, please contact us or complete a comment and complaint form online. We will get in touch to discuss your complaint and investigate it thoroughly. 

If our contractors cause damage to your property,  you may be able to claim compensation. If this happens, please contact us to discuss the problem.