Reporting repairs and keeping you safe

Please use the contact details of your housing support worker locally and any emergency contact details you have been given.

You can also find the contact details of services in our Service Finder.

If you can’t find your number you can contact one of our six area managers during working hours – Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

Contact details

North West: 07971 242795
Midlands: 07764 194970 / 07977 148580
Wales: 0800 0858903
North East: 07423 434033
London and Essex: 07436 272734
Lincolnshire: 07710 805883

For Nacro Homes Agency (NHA), please use our Service Finder to find your service.

For out of hours, weekends, and evenings, you’ll be given an out of hours number by your support worker.

If you live in a CAS-2 property, for emergencies please call:

0300 555 0264 (for support related matters)
0300 555 0263 (for maintenance emergencies).

A dedicated Health and Safety Lead for the organisation is required by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. This is to ensure the health and safety of tenants of social housing.

Our Health and Safety Lead is Andrew Hodges. He is responsible for:

• Notifying the Regulator
• Monitoring Nacro’s compliance with health and safety requirements
• Assessing the risks of failure to comply with health and safety requirements

Find out more

For more information, see our safeguarding team, or email: andrew.hodges@nacro.org.uk

We take our responsibilities as a landlord seriously. We are required to comply with a number of regulations and monitor our performance on these. We also set our own performance measures and commit to sharing these openly with you.

Performance measures from March 2022

We ensure our tenants have regular opportunities to share their feedback on how we are performing. This is through local feedback as well as a Nacro-wide satisfaction survey.

We are committed to providing a high-quality service and this feedback helps us to continuously improve.

In our last survey, 82% of tenants said they were happy with the service from Nacro. We have undertaken further consultation to better understand how we can improve and continue to act on these findings.

Complaints

We know how important it is to listen to feedback and are committed to responding promptly and efficiently where we receive complaints. During 2021-2022, our annual complaints reports showed that:

• Of complaints made by a member of the public
  • Number of complaints acknowledged within five working days – 91%
  • Number of complaints resolved and responded to within 10 working days – 70%
• Of complaints by a tenant (tenant dissatisfaction)
  • Number of complaints acknowledged within five working days – 94%
  • Number of complaints resolved and responded to within 10 working days – 79%.

As your landlord, we will:

• ensure all installations, maintenance safety checks, and annual gas services are carried out by a Gas Safe Registered installer
• complete a gas safety check and service on each relevant gas fitting/flue in your home every year
• check all gas appliances/flues where the properties are not shared before a new resident moves in
• keep a record of each annual safety check and service
• give you a copy of the Landlord’s Gas Safety Record for your home on completion of the safety check. If it’s a shared property, we will place it where all residents can see, for example on a noticeboard.

If you smell gas:

• don’t use electric switches or naked flames (such as lighters, hob, or candles)
• isolate the gas supply, open all doors and windows, and exit the property immediately
• call the National Grid gas line on 0800 111 999 and follow their instructions.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds:

• open as many windows and doors as possible
• turn off all fuel-burning appliances (such as ovens and fires)
• exit the property
• call National Grid gas line on 0800 111 999 and follow their instructions.

If your boiler stops working:

• do not tamper with the boiler
• report the issue to your support worker/housing management officer.

As your landlord, we will:

• ensure all installations, maintenance safety checks, and electrical servicing are carried out by a qualified electrician
• keep a record of all safety checks and services.

The main cause of electrical problems at home is the misuse of electrical equipment. Keep an eye on your appliances on a day-to-day basis. Immediately stop using anything that looks damaged.

As a tenant you should:

• turn off electrical appliances when you’ve finished using them
• check cables – if anything looks worn or loose, don’t use the item
• make sure the leads from your kettle, toaster or other kitchen appliances do not trail across your cooker
• ensure your smoke alarm is tested on a regular basis, this will be done by your Nacro worker
• never use a bulb with a higher wattage than the light fitting says is safe
• never run the cables from your appliances under carpets or rugs
• never overload your sockets or adapters by plugging too many appliances into one place
• defrost your fridge or fridge freezer at least once a year if it is not a frost-free model
• never use water to put out an electrical fire.

Electrical amps

The maximum number of amps (A) that can be safely drawn from a standard UK electrical socket is 13A. If multiple appliances are plugged into an extension lead or adaptor, please check that they do not exceed 13A in total. Overloading sockets is dangerous and could result in burning, fire and complete loss of power.

Extension cables

If using an extension cable, please make sure the cable does not pose a trip hazard, for example, it’s not near stairs or walkways and is kept away from children at all times. Do not use if the cable is damaged in any way and/or the wires inside are exposed. Using cables that are visibly damaged can result in electrocution.

Multi-way adapters

Do not insert heavy or large plugs, which could result in cable strain and overheating.

Appliances

Do not use any visibly damaged or faulty appliances. If an appliance trips the electrics, smokes, or makes an unusual noise, this could mean it’s faulty and could be a safety risk. Turn off all appliances (excluding fridge/freezer) when not in use, especially overnight.

If you suspect any faulty or damaged electricals, or have any questions about electrical safety, please contact your support worker/housing management officer immediately. Under no circumstances should you attempt any diagnostics or repairs of this nature.

What do in an emergency

• If you experience a power cut, please call 105 (free call) for help and advice.
• If you have issues with an appliance, stop using it, switch it off by the mains, and contact your support worker/housing management officer for advice.
• For electrical emergencies which are outside of your property (for example overhead power lines) call the National Grid (free number) electric emergency hotline on 0800 404 090.
• If your electrics are not working and there’s no evidence of a power cut, make sure you have enough credit on your pre-payment meter (if you have one) and reset the main trip switch. If this does not solve the issue, contact your support worker/housing management officer, or the emergency out-of-hours number you’ve been given.

As your landlord, we will:

• regularly carry out fire risk assessments in our shared properties and those that have communal or shared spaces
• carry out monthly fire safety checks to ensure your home is safe and all fire control measure are in place and working correctly
• test any fire alarms, smoke detectors and emergency lighting regularly and check that fire doors are closing and exit routes are clear
• check fire doors regularly, as they help stop fire and smoke spreading through the building
• arrange a convenient time with every resident to gain access to their property to service any appropriate fire detection equipment.

As a resident, you are responsible for:

• ensuring you are aware of the fire hazards in your home, and work to reduce the risk of fire
• referring to the Fire Action notices in buildings with communal spaces – usually found near fire exits including the front door
• reading any information we send you about fire safety.

In the event of a fire, all occupants must immediately and safely exit the property by the nearest fire exit and call 999. Do not re-enter the property until you are instructed to do so by the fire service when the property has been deemed safe to enter.

Smoke alarms are critical for the early detection of a fire in your home and could mean the difference between life and death. To ensure your smoke alarms are in good working order, you must:

• never cover your smoke alarms
• never remove the batteries or disconnect the power source
• inform your support worker/housing management officer immediately should an issue arise with a detector or detection system. If a detector is beeping frequently, it could mean loss of power.

If your detectors sound and there’s no evidence of a fire, for example with burnt food, open as many windows and doors as possible to allow the smoke to escape, make the situation safe and reset your smoke detector.

In the kitchen

• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
• Use a spark device to light a gas cooker – they are safer than matches or lighters because they don’t have a naked flame.
• Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen while cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down.
• Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking.
• Avoid cooking when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

With electrical items

• Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.
• Use an adaptor when using a non-UK electrical appliance. Never put two prong plugs into three prong sockets.
• Don’t use portable heaters for drying laundry. If this can’t be avoided, make sure the heat source and clothing are kept at a safe distance.

Let us know immediately if you are concerned about the electrics in your property. For example, if you notice burn marks around plugs or cables.

An extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take, most are 13 amps, so be careful not to overload them to reduce the risk of fire. Be particularly aware of electrical appliances that generate a lot of heat, these will need to be plugged into a socket by themselves, for example a hair dryer or an iron.

Around the house

• Be careful with candles and tea lights. Avoid placing them on or near materials that could burn or catch fire – like curtains.
• Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Never have a barbeque on your balcony if you have one.
• Check to make sure that your own furniture has the fire-resistant permanent label.

Asbestos is most likely to be found in the following locations in and around the home:

• cold water tanks
• pipe lagging
• roof felt, sheets, and tiles
• textured coatings
• fascia and soffit boards (such as roof overhangs)
• toilet cisterns
• wall panels
• fuse boards
• boiler/heater cupboard
• floor tiles
• rainwater guttering and downpipes.

We maintain an asbestos register, containing results of the survey of your property. This information is supplied to operatives carrying out any work in your property. We also carry out surveys on your property before any major refurbishment works are carried out.

Asbestos containing materials in good condition will not release asbestos fibres. There is no danger unless the fibres are released. Usually no action is required on your part and you do not need to tell us if you think you have asbestos in your home.

• Don’t panic if you think you have asbestos containing material in your home – it’s only an issue if it gets disturbed. We will not normally remove asbestos in your home, unless it’s likely to be disturbed.
• If you think you have damaged or disturbed asbestos in your home, you should speak to your support worker or housing management officer. If we need to remove asbestos containing material from your home, we will agree a plan with you for this.
• Please take care to avoid damaging anything that may contain asbestos in your home or communal areas. Asbestos products should not be drilled, cut or disturbed, scraped or sanded.
• Don’t attempt to remove anything you think may contain asbestos. Only specialist contractors should attempt to remove asbestos from your home.

Our main priority is protecting you from legionella.

Legionella is a bacterium that is naturally occurring in water sources such as lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. It can enter the water systems in homes through the mains supply and, given the right conditions, can potentially pose a threat to your health. The bacteria is usually not harmful if ingested, but if the bacteria comes into contact with someone with a weakened immune system, they could contract Legionnaires’ disease.

The majority of Nacro properties are very low risk because they have a mains fed water supply. Nacro risk assesses hot and cold water installations in all its properties. Only where there is clearly a risk of legionella will we carry out further checks and cleaning of water supply systems.

Make sure you clean your taps on a regular basis, and any infrequently used taps should be run through on a weekly basis.

• Damp looks like a wet patch on a wall or ceiling and appears when condensation is left for a long time. Left untreated, damp can cause structural problems over a long period of time.
• Mould looks like little black dots in the corners of the windows or anywhere water collects. Mould can be bad for your health, so it’s important you act if you spot signs of mould in your home.
• Condensation is when moisture or water in the air collects on a cooler surface. Most people have a little bit of condensation, like the droplets you see on your windows after a shower. While it’s usually nothing to worry about, condensation can lead to damp and mould if left for too long.

We ensure all our properties are maintained, going above and beyond the minimum Decent Homes Standard. However, we know that damp, mould, and condensation can appear through normal usage and living in our properties.

We provide you with advice and guidance on how to maintain and protect yourself, and if there are any on-going issues or concerns, you can raise a request by emailing us..

Alternatively, you can report it to your housing support worker and they will report it to Nacro’s maintenance team and/or give advice on its removal.

If your windows are getting steamy or your window ledges are wet then there’s too much moisture in the air. Here are some tips to help you prevent condensation and mould in your home:

• When cooking, close your kitchen door and cover pots and pans with a lid so any steam is contained. Where possible have the window open or extractor fan on so steam can escape.
• When showering, close your bathroom door to contain any steam and have the window open or extractor fan on so steam can escape.
• Drain the water from your sink or bath as soon as it’s no longer needed. This denies the water time to evaporate which, in turn, moistens the air.
• Dry your washing outside where possible, or in the bathroom with the door closed plus window open or extractor fan on so moisture can escape.
• Open the door of any rooms in your home which aren’t being heated – warm rooms are less likely to be affected by condensation.
• Open your windows plus any wall and window vents so any moisture can escape.
• If possible, keep your heating on a ‘low’ setting all day, whenever the weather’s cold – warm rooms are less likely to have condensation.
• Remove clutter from rooms and cupboards so air can flow through your home.
• Regularly wipe down windows, window sills and walls to prevent condensation build-up.

If you find that you have mould in your property, it can be removed by scrubbing with a mould-specific cleaning product from your local store or supermarket. Please don’t use a vacuum cleaner, bleach or washing up liquid on mould – none of these measures will be effective.

When removing mould, you should wear protective gloves and a face mask.

If the mould persists, please email us.