Milton Keynes sets out plan to improve council home repairs

New arrangements have been set out between Milton Keynes Council and its housing repairs and maintenance contractor to deliver better and faster repairs, including speeding up how quickly an empty property can be turned around for the next tenant.

The new arrangements focus on improving the quality of standards for day-to-day repairs and on reducing repair times from an average of two weeks to ten days.

From November, tenants will be able to request repairs, book and change appointments, track progress and give feedback through a new app and online portal, as well as through existing routes such as drop-in repairs surgeries.

The Council have also introduced new assurances with its contractor that more resources will be made available to tackle complex jobs, and Council staff will be regularly inspecting homes that have had works completed to ensure residents are satisfied with the quality of work.

Cllr Emily Darlington, cabinet member for adults, healthy communities and housing, said: ‘Our tenants deserve to live in good quality homes that are warm and safe. We need to make repairs better for our tenants and if things go wrong make sure that Mears can fix them quickly. These changes mean that tenants will have their repairs done quicker and the quality will be better.’

This announcement builds on the Council’s commitment to invest £165m to improve council homes in 2019, which has so far led to the installation of over 1,000 kitchens, almost 900 bathrooms and 413 new roofs.

The improvements to housing repairs and planned maintenance are expected to be approved at the Council’s cabinet meeting on 7 September.

In related news, in order to address the city’s housing need and increase the availability of high-quality homes, Coventry Council is taking measures to bring empty houses back into use.

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