Tenants have a range of options for reporting repairs to us: by phone and at our office receptions, Over 55s and supported housing schemes during our normal business hours (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm) and 24×7 for emergency repairs; online using our appointment selector tool; by email; and on our Facebook page. Repair requests are handled by our specialist repairs team in Connect, who provide an appointment for most new repairs on the first call from a tenant.
We also have an online reporting form for Jigsaw employees and councillors to report any external maintenance issues seen in our neighbourhoods.
Timescales for repairs completions are set in our responsive repairs policy and communicated on our website.
Our appointments booking system takes account of these timescales when offering appointment slots in Connect and online. Our repairs planning team monitors the progress of repairs and takes steps to prevent repairs going outside of target timescales.
Jigsaw uses SMS text communication to confirm and remind tenants about repairs and servicing booked at their homes and carried out by the Jigsaw maintenance team. In cases where booked appointments need to be changed by Jigsaw, our repairs planners team will contact the tenant.
A small proportion of repairs are carried out by third party contractors. We have staff dedicated to keeping tenants informed about these repairs.
Communication of planned maintenance to tenants is by letter. We supply explanatory leaflets for major works such as roof replacements.
Our maintenance responsibilities for communal areas are clearly defined in our repair responsibilities table and form part of the material used by Connect advisors to correctly progress a repair request.
Jigsaw staff carry out a programme of regular fire safety inspections, checks and assessments of communal areas, which may lead to maintenance action being taken. Jigsaw’s teams of caretakers ensure there is ownership of, and responsiveness to the needs of communal areas.
Jigsaw has developed for sharing with tenants specific information on which items may and may not be kept in communal areas and the use and storage of mobility scooters.
Jigsaw involves tenants in the development of its repairs and maintenance policies through Jigsaw Rewards surveys. In recent years, tenants have led scrutiny exercises on repairs timescales (2024) damp and mould (2023) and fire safety (2019), which have resulted in action plans for priority improvements.
More intensive resident involvement work is carried out to support building safety and sustainability works which can be a cause of interest or anxiety for tenants.
Jigsaw will take into account individual tenants’ needs when handling repairs requests. We may adjust timescales or make changes to how the work is carried out to cater for specific needs. With planned maintenance, we carry out pre-entry surveys with the tenant to identify any vulnerabilities or other factors that may require adjustments to our work.
Jigsaw’s own maintenance team carries out around 95% of responsive repairs work, and much of our planned activity, which delivers a saving compared to contractor work on which VAT is payable. Our repairs operatives are equipped with mobile technology to enable them to receive and record work efficiently. An IT system is used to deploy operatives so that skills are matched to the work required and travel time is minimised. We monitor and manage tightly the productivity of our employed trades people.
Work that is carried out by contractors is awarded under our Financial Regulations through competitive tender or an approved procurement framework.
Jigsaw has garnered significant economies in recent years from employing a ‘failure-based’ approach to major component replacements, informed by the annual property assessment. This also benefits tenants as much disruptive work is carried out while a property is empty.
