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3. How quickly can I expect MHS to react, i.e. if it is an emergency?
MHS will attend within 3 hours and make safe within 24 Hours. Otherwise as above.
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4. What do I do out of hours?
The MHS Helpdesk will provide a 24/7 service to respond to calls. The Occupant should ring the MHS Helpdesk, and MHS will respond as per the rectification times (above).
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5. Will I be given an exact appointment time?
For response maintenance issues reported to the Helpdesk by Occupants, MHS will generally offer AM or PM time band appointment. However, they will offer flexibility to accommodate Occupants who have commitments such as taking children to school; this will affect the times they are available to allow MHS access to the property. MHS will also ask whether an Occupant is available all day to give them the greatest flexibility to schedule their operatives.
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6. What happens if the appointment is not kept?
MHS will in any case be taking necessary management action to investigate the root cause of any such event to improve their service and avoid repetition.
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7. What happens if the repair is not carried out?
Our aim is to complete repairs first time to reduce inconvenience to Occupants. However, there will instances that prevent works being completed on the first visit. On these occasions our operatives will seek to provide a temporary solution until they are able to carry out a permanent repair. All follow up action will be co-ordinated by MHS through the Helpdesk, with the Occupant being contacted to agree the follow up appointments.
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8. How will the workmen identify themselves?
All operatives have identity cards containing their photograph. In addition, Occupants will be able to contact the Helpdesk to confirm the identity of the tradesman attending their home.
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9. What can I do if I have a complaint with either the service or the quality of the repair?
If you are dissatisfied with either the service provider or the quality of the work undertaken, MHS would wish that you discuss your concerns with the tradesman, whilst he is still at your home. However, should you feel uncomfortable in doing this, then you should contact the Helpdesk (via Option 3) as soon as he has left your home. They will take details of your complaint and instigate follow-up action. If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint, then you will be free to escalate your complaint to the Customer Care Manager at MHS. If you are still not satisfied with the resolution, you can escalate your complaint to the DE Housing Ops Team at Stage 3 (see the complaints procedure in the MHS Maintenance Manual for further information).
On the completion of any works in your home, you will have the opportunity to complete a customer satisfaction questionnaire. We would encourage you to return this on all occasions as this will be used to drive improvements to MHS’s overall service delivery. MHS also undertake outbound telephone surveys in support of these questionnaires.
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10. What will happen if I arrange a visit time and have to reschedule at short notice, due to doctors appointment etc?
If this should occur, please contact the MHS Helpdesk as soon as you are aware that you will not be able to keep the appointment. If you wish to leave your key with a neighbour or the local DE Housing Officer, then please pass this information to the Helpdesk, so that the tradesman can still complete the works. Alternatively you will be able to make a new appointment whilst you are in contact with the Helpdesk.
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11. Do I always have to be there with the contractor?
No, you do not have to be in your home for the whole time the tradesman is working. This is purely your choice. However, you would need to advise the tradesman of how long you will be away from your home, to ensure that it can be secured should he complete the work before you return.
Note: The MHS Company Policy states that Operatives are NOT to be left alone in the property with children (aged under 16). If a parent or guardian is not present, the Operative will not enter the property and will immediately leave if the parent or guardian leaves the Operative alone with the child.
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12. What are the reasonable hours I can expect someone to call, so if I have a water leak in the early evening will I have to wait until morning for some help?
Contracted hours are 8.00am to 4.30pm. Services other than emergencies will be provided within these hours. If the leak is serious and falls within the Emergency category, a tradesman will attend your home within 3 hours of you reporting the problem to carry out a temporary or permanent repair depending upon the scope of the problem.
For the convenience of occupants, MHS understands the desirability of providing services outside of contracted hours, eg. the early evening when working family members will be at home. We are considering the options for the provision of services outside contracted hours to meet this need.
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13. If I can’t get someone in urgently can I arrange a repair independently and claim the cost back?
No, all repair requirements must be reported and managed through the MHS Helpdesk.
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14. If my heating breaks down in the winter, when is this likely to be fixed?
If there is a total loss of heating during cold weather (31 Oct to 1 May), then we will attend the job as an Emergency. An operative will visit you within 3 hours and make the situation safe within 24 Hours. Subsequent permanent rectification will be in line with Urgent and Routine categories.
If your heating cannot be fixed straight away, the operative will leave an appropriate number of temporary heaters with you to keep you comfortable.
It is strongly recommended that you test run your heating at the end of the summer (August / September) so that this will give MHS a full month to fix any problems there maybe before the colder weather sets in. This will also help us in avoiding a log-jam of jobs in the first week of November when you may well want your system working.
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15. Who is responsible for things such as street lighting repairs and tree trimming i.e. outside the quarter but impacting on the resident?
This will depend upon who is responsible for the street lights and trees. It may be that the local Authority is responsible, in which case representation should be made to them. If DE is responsible it will maintain such items through either its Housing Prime Contract or its Regional Prime Contracts, as appropriate.
If the occupant is unsure whose responsibility this is, they should call the Helpdesk. The Helpdesk will then treat this call as any other call and either action it, or refer it to DE for further instruction.
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16. Who is responsible for maintaining gardens?
The occupant is responsible for cutting the grass in the garden whilst MHS or the Regional Prime contractor maintains and cuts the grass of communal areas, and is responsible for the maintenance of all trees and large hedges on the estate (whether they are in gardens or not). Occupants are asked to report such works to the Helpdesk.
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17. Who is responsible for the provision of carpets and curtains?
DE is responsible for the provision of carpets and curtains and obtains them via the Housing Prime Contract.
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18. If I have requested a replacement carpet, how long does this take?
The carpet replacement process is under critical review and details will be promulgated shortly.
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19. Am I able to request new works i.e. extra electrical sockets, etc?
MODern Housing Solutions is contracted to carry out repairs as they arise, but any new works have to be approved by DE. Occupants requiring the provision of a new work should request it via the MHS Help Desk, but it will be subject to agreement by Defence Estates. If approved, such requests are likely to take longer to implement than response maintenance.
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20 How do you treat Ants in the Garden?
Whilst we understand that ants may be a nuisance, they do not carry disease. Accordingly, we are unable to provide a service for ant colonies residing outside of the property or for ants getting into the property from outside. To assist with the problem of ants coming into the property from outside, please wipe the floor with soapy water where the ants are coming in from as this will remove the food scent that they normally follow.
Ant nests residing inside the house will be covered as part of our service.
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21 I require patch painting to my SFA – does MHS provide this service?
We do not carry out patch painting; it is the Occupants responsibility to look after the property. If, however, damage is caused by a repair (i.e. water leak and walls are damaged), then MHS will make good and rectify any damage made.
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22. Will I get my property upgraded or modernised?
Over the life of the Contract, DE will require MHS to raise the standard of some SFA to Standard 1 for Condition (subject to the availability of funds). The group of properties to be included in any one upgrade project will be specified by DE. The scope of work involved in these upgrade will vary, depending on the state of the property, but in some cases will have to be done when properties are unoccupied.
There are also various elements of properties that have a planned life e.g. boilers, cookers, kitchens and electrical systems. We have implemented a Strategic Facilities Planning Programme to replace such elements and need to carry out these repairs whilst houses are occupied. We will advise occupants of the properties affected by these programmes of work, and will endeavour to meet individual needs and convenience issues. Occupants should be aware that these works will be agreed with DE and are subject to the availability of funding.
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23. What happens if there is an emergency and I have to move out of my SFA temporarily?
If there is an emergency situation and your property is uninhabitable, please contact the HelpDesk. We will try to source a temporary void SFA with the assistance of Defence Estates. If no suitable property is available, then the HelpDesk Agent will book you into a hotel through our travel service. The Agent will ask you for any requirements that need to be taken into consideration (e.g. travel, pets, etc) and will clearly explain the financial limits of this service.
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24. Who is responsible for Misappropriated Properties?
When misappropriated is agreed, DE Ops Housing will hand the SFA over to an administering unit who will assume responsibility for funding external and interior maintenance works throughout the period of the misappropriation.
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25. Will I still have someone I can talk to directly on my Station?
In respect of repairs, in the ordinary course of events there will be no need to deal with any agency other than the MHS Helpdesk. In the event that there is a complaint that the Helpdesk cannot resolve then you can complain to DE. DE Ops Housing will continue to provide allocation and Move In/Move Out service and contact numbers for Housing Information Centres will be available in due course.
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26. What is the Housing Information Centre?
From 1 April 2007, occupants will no longer be able to visit local housing offices. Instead, for all housing services other than repairs (for example to be allocated a house or to arrange a move out or move in), occupants will contact the Housing Information Centre (HIC) via a single national freephone number - 0800 169 6322. If your enquiry requires geographical knowledge, there will be a menu facility to select one of seven regional HICs. All occupants should have received a letter from the Chief Executive, DE, explaining how to use the HIC service. Repairs should continue to be reported to the MHS Helpdesk.
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27. Does this mean that the local Housing Officers will disappear? If so, who can I speak to?
You will no longer be able to visit the local housing office, but the HIC will be able to deal with your non-repairs housing enquiries and can arrange for Housing Officers to attend moves in, moves out and pre move out inspections as now.
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28. What happens when I need to move house?
Move in/outs will be organised by the Housing Information Centre, who will agree appointment times with occupants.
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29. How do I book my Move Out?
By contacting the Housing Information Centre.
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30. Will I only have limited choices of days to move out/in and consequently what happens if these days do not align?
The Housing Information centre will arrange a mutually agreed date for Move In/Out.
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31. How do I book my removals?
You should continue to do this as now i.e. through your Unit.
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32. What happens if I am dissatisfied with the cleanliness of the quarter when I move in?
Your property will have been cleaned and checked to the agreed Move In standard as defined by DE. However, if you feel that your home is not to Move In standard then the first point of contact will be the DE Housing Officer who will be attending your Move In.
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