Thousands living in Hackney Council homes can now enjoy next-day plumber services and use a newly launched online portal to report non-emergency repairs at any time.
Under the new leak services introduced by Hackney Council on Monday, all Hackney Council home leak reports will be visited by a plumber by the end of the following day to either fix the leaks or schedule any repair works.
This is part of the damp and mould action plan launched by the Mayor of Hackney last year.
The council also launched a new online system on Thursday, where council home tenants can book a visit by a repair officer as they report any non-emergency repairs in their homes. The system is open 24 hours so tenants no longer need to wait until the council’s repairs contact centre office hours to report.
Councillor Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation, said in a statement: “We are constantly looking at ways of making it easier for the people living in our homes to contact us with any concerns and issues they have.”
“This system (online portal) will mean that people will be able to log their non-emergency repairs with us at any time… rather than having to wait for our repairs contact centre to open.”
He believes speeding up the council’s response times when handling leak reports is “important in our work” so residents can have a “decent, safe and warm places to call home.”
However, some local council home residents do not have much expectation of the newly launched system and services.
Mulkinaz Ozvacca, a mother-of-three, who lives in Keynsham House, on the Woodberry Downs estate in the north of the borough, told ELL: “My doorknob has been unfixed for four years, which makes me cannot close the door well. Someone came and checked it for once after I first reported to the council, but there’s nothing else since then.”
She said she is “scared every day” and does not trust the new online system can help them much.
Another resident, Johura, who declined to give her second name, who lives in Kilpeck House, also on Woodberry Down, told ELL that the mould and unfixed leaks in her home “is not good” for her child who has asthma: “On many days they come and see and go. Nothing was done. It’s been over a year now.”
She is “not sure” if the new leak service can really help solve their problems faster. However, she agrees that the new online system is “easy for us” to report non-emergency repairs.
Councillor McKenzie said: “In the past we know that how we have responded to damp and mould may not have been as good as we would have wanted. However, through the steps outlined in our action plan we are sending out a clear commitment to do all we can to tackle the issue.”
Hackney Council house residents should contact the council’s repairs centre on 020 8356 3691 if they detect a leak or any other emergency repairs to schedule a visit. The number is open 24 hours a day.
For non-emergency repairs, visit either the online portal or call the repairs centre during its office hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 5 pm; Wednesday from 9 am to 4 pm).
