Repairs and Maintenance

Reporting a Repair During Office Hours

Our office hours are:

• Monday-Thursday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
• Friday: 9:00am – 4:30pm

Requests for a repair can be submitted to the Association by any of the following methods:

• Via the Tenant Portal 'My Home'
• Telephone Head Office on 028 90752310 and ask to speak to a member of the Maintenance Team
• Contact your Scheme Supervisor
• Email the Maintenance Team on repairs@arkhousing.co.uk 
• Visit in person or write to our Head Office at the following address:

Ark Housing Association, Hawthorn Office Park, Unit 1, 43 Stockmans Way, Belfast, BT9 7ET

All emergency repairs during office hours must be reported by telephone to ensure that a member of staff processes it immediately

Report a Repair

When reporting a repair please ensure you state the following:

• Your name
• Your address
• A telephone number where you can be contacted
• Details of when your home can be accessed
• A full description of the fault

Reporting an Out of Hours Emergency Repair

If you have an emergency repair that needs to be dealt with when our office is closed, please telephone our Emergency Repairs Number:

03301 233337  Click on link if on mobile phone

It is important that you only use this number in an emergency.

Emergency repairs may only make safe the problem and the final repair may then be completed during normal works hours.

For more information on reporting repairs please read our

Repairs Handbook

Repairs will be given a timescale within which the Association expects the work to be completed. By giving us contact details and information on the best times to call we can then advise our contractors and ensure a more efficient prompt response to your repair request.

Maintenance Priorities

Emergency Repairs

A repair to be completed within 24 hours.

These are defects and repairs, which may endanger the health, safety and welfare of tenants, or the general public, or could cause serious damages to the fabric of the building. Some Emergency repairs may only make safe the fault at the first visit.

Urgent Repairs

A repair is to be completed within 4 working days.

These would include repairs such as partial loss of electrical power, a minor leak, insecure external window or communal door lock

Routine Repairs

A repair to be completed within 20 working days. 

These are repairs, which do not cause major inconvenience to tenants or staff, or damage to the fabric of the building.

We will carry out repairs to the outside of your property, the main structure of the building, and any fittings and appliances provided with your tenancy. We will also maintain shared or communal areas of our buildings.

We must, by law, carry out an annual service of any gas appliance that we are responsible for. Also, we must carry out a safety check on all gas pipework even if it leads to your own appliance. This is done for us by specialist gas contractors. It is your responsibility to make sure that your own gas appliances are serviced annually.

Check out Our Reponsibilties on Page 9 and Repairs & Maintenance on Pages 13-19 of the Repairs Handbook

The Right to Repair scheme covers small, urgent repairs costing up to £250 which, if not carried out within the prescribed period of time, are likely to adversely affect the health or safety of the tenant. 

The Scheme also allows for tenants to be compensated where such repairs have not been completed within a prescribed period.   Information and advice about the Right to Repair scheme can be found on the Department for Communities website and the Ark Housing Right to Repair Leaflet. 

As a tenant you have the right to make reasonable improvements to your home but you must first ask and receive written permission from the Housing Association to do so.

The Association will assess each request on merit. Any alterations that would make your home less safe or would reduce its values will not be approved.

Improvements which may require written permission include:

• Any additions or alteration to the Associations fixtures and fittings, or to do with the services provided, e.g. putting in a new kitchen;
• Erecting TV/Radio antenna, satellite receivers;
• Carry out external redecoration, laying patio, erecting sheds or extensions, changing windows or heating systems;
• Removing internal walls
• Erection of railings
• Conversion to attics
• External decoration
• Changes to electrical fittings
• Hard landscaping

The Association will not unreasonably refuse permission to make improvements but may require certain conditions for example, that the work is carried out by a competent contractor to a proper standard, supervised and that statutory approvals such as Building Control and Planning Permission are obtained. Permission will not be given where alterations are deemed to make the dwelling unsafe, decrease the value of the dwelling or increase the cost of maintenance.

Where a tenant replaces items or carries out alterations it will become the tenant’s responsibility to maintain such items.

Ark Housing works closely with the Health and Social Care Trusts, Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to provide aids and adaptations for tenants with sensory impairments or disabilities in our accommodation.

For more information, please read the following leaflet: Your Guide to Aids and Adaptations

The following Maintenance Leaflets are available to read and download:

The following leaflets provide advice on precautions to take to prevent fire, flooding and gas leakage.