Paper trail needed on repairs, says ombudsman

Tenants should be encouraged not to report repair issues verbally over the phone, the Property Ombudsman has said. Christopher Hamer said it is important for there to be a paper trail.
A new survey, by property repairs software company Fixflo, found that half of tenants report repair issues over the phone.
But Christopher Hamer said: “TPO’s lettings code of practice requires member agents to keep full written records of all communications with tenants and landlords for at least six years and to be able to produce those records upon demand.
“As a matter of best practice, I also consider it prudent for agents to ask for tenant repair requests to be submitted in writing so that there is a clear trail of exactly what was reported and when that report was received.”
Last year, 8% of letting issues investigated by TPO related to repairs and maintenance, and 13% to poor communication.
Rajeev Nayyar, managing director of Fixflo, said: “Although the survey indicates that a high proportion of tenants still report repairs by telephone we have seen strong growth this year.
“Well over a thousand tenants a week are now reporting repairs online through the Fixflo system, meaning that both they and their property manager have the added protection of time and date-stamped repair requests.”
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