Housing Leeds - service standards

Our staff are trained to:

• treat you as an individual
• understand your point of view
• be clear about what we’re doing and how long it will take
• be honest about what we can and can’t do
• thank you for getting in touch
• take responsibility and try to solve your issue

We aim to answer calls within 5 minutes. If the wait is longer, you can choose to get a link to our online services or request a callback. If you call a housing office and no one is available, you can leave a voicemail. The message will tell you who to contact in an emergency.

You can use our Tenant Portal to:

• book non-urgent repairs
• see recent repair history
• check your account and download statements
• view tenancy details
• request things like keeping a pet or making changes to your home

We share important updates across our social media accounts. These pages explain how we protect your privacy and when we’re available to respond.

If you live in a PFI home, you can use the Tenant Portal but will need to contact your PFI provider directly to book a repair.

We send:

• texts to confirm repair appointments, promote services, or share useful information
• emails about services, updates about your home, or to ask for feedback

All letters we send to you:

• are clear and easy to understand
• use a standard format with the Leeds City Council logo
• include a phone number and email so you have a contact for any follow-up enquiries

You can visit us at community hubs across Leeds. Please check which days and times you can get support before you travel. If you meet us in-person, our staff will always:

• be friendly, respectful, and introduce themselves with Photo ID
• keep your information private
• try to solve your issue right away (if not, they’ll tell you who can help)

Home visits are usually by appointment.

You can help us by:

• letting us know as soon as possible when there is an issue about your home or tenancy
• telling us if you change any of your contact information
• telling us about any individual needs you may have or if your needs have changed
• being considerate and respectful to staff and our contractors
• being respectful to your neighbours
• getting in touch with us if we have tried to contact you

We will:

• provide a home that is well-maintained, warm and safe to live in 
• invest in your home to meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard

What you can expect from us:

• Treat your home with respect whenever we visit or carry out work.
• Leave your home clean and tidy after any repair.
• Keep you updated on the progress of your repair.
• Attend to emergency repairs within 3 hours and complete emergency repairs within 24 hours.
• Attend to urgent repairs in 3 to 7 working days.*
• Attend to routine repairs within 20 working days.**
• We must investigate within 10 working days of being made aware if there is a potential significant hazard such as damp or mould. See how we meet other timescales related to potential hazards in your home.
• We will confirm any appointments we make with you.

You can help us by:

• looking after your home and reporting repairs to us as soon as possible
• keeping to any appointment you’ve arranged – or let us know if you need to change it

You can read more about the standards of service you can expect from our contractors (and any subcontractors) in our contractors code of conduct.

*If you live in a PFI home, urgent repairs are attended to in 4 working days.

**If you live in a PFI home in Swarcliffe, routine repairs will be attended to in 28 calendar days.

We will:

• ensure your home is clean, secure, and ready to move into, in line with our ‘lettable standard’ 
• provide clear information about planned maintenance and improvement works

What you can expect from us:

• An annual gas safety check on any gas heating systems in your home.
• Every 5 years, carry out an electrical safety inspection.
• Every 5 years, carry out a home survey to assess the condition of your home to help us plan our future investment.
• If you live in a high-rise home:
  • make information available about the safety of your home and block on the My High-Rise Building Safety hub.
  • annually inspect your flat entrance door to make sure it is working correctly to keep you and your block safe.

You can help us by:

• giving access to your home for a safety check or to complete a survey
• asking our permission if you want to make any alterations to your home

Our approach to gas serving, electrical inspections and other work we do to keep your home safe is available on our housing policies page.

We will:

• share regular information about your tenancy, including your rights and responsibilities
• share regular information about our responsibilities as a landlord
• give you advice and support in response to any queries about your tenancy
• promote a mutual exchange scheme so you can swap your home with another tenant
• offer help and support to make sure your tenancy is a successful one 
• consult with you on any proposed changes to your tenancy or the services we give

What you can expect from us:

• We will accompany you to view any home we offer you.
• A tenancy agreement when you start a tenancy with us, along with a tenant handbook with information about our service.
• Respond to your tenancy queries in a timely manner, providing advice, assistance and information to help you manage and maintain your tenancy.
• A new tenancy visit in the first month of your tenancy, to see how you are settling in.
• A home visit at least every 3 years (more frequently if needed) to check you and your home are OK and to give you the opportunity to tell us about anything.

You can help us by:

• telling us anything about your home or tenancy that you are not happy with
• keeping to the terms of your tenancy agreement

Our approach to how we manage tenancies is outlined in our tenancy policy.

We will:

• give you information about your rent and any other charges
• offer you different ways you can pay your rent
• give you advice and support if you are struggling to pay your rent 
• give you an annual breakdown of how your rent is spent

What you can expect from us:

• Help if you have problems paying your rent. We will:
  • listen to what you say and show empathy
  • discuss payment plans that you can afford
  • help you find out if you are entitled to any benefits
  • direct you to others who may be able to help 
  • send you a rent statement every 3 months showing your payments and any service charges
  • give you at least 4 weeks’ notice of any changes to your rent or service charge

You can help us by:

• paying your rent and any service charges on time
• telling us if you are struggling with your rent or re-payment arrangement – we’re here to help
• making sure your contact details are up to date
• considering the help of trusted others that we signpost – others are here to help too

Our approach to collecting rent and supporting tenants in arrears is described in our rental income policy.

We will:

• work to ensure that residents feel safe in their homes and communities
• give advice and support for anyone experiencing antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse, hate crime or hate incidents
• work with partners, inside and outside of the council, to promote safe neighbourhoods as part of the Leeds Community Safety Partnership
• give advice on being a good neighbour and showing consideration for others

What can you expect from us:

• Respond to reports of antisocial behaviour within 10 working days.
• Respond to the most serious incidences, including hate crime, harassment, hate incidents, threats, or domestic abuse within one working day.

You can help us by:

• showing kindness and respect to your neighbours and the community you live in
• reporting any issues that you might see or experience in your neighbourhood or home
• speaking to the person responsible (they may not realise their actions are affecting you, but only do this if you feel safe and comfortable)
• reporting the problem to us if you can’t resolve the problem by speaking to the person

How we manage your reports of antisocial behaviour, including hate crime and hate-related incidents, is described in our antisocial behaviour policy.

We will:

• have locally-based teams, who will proactively identify and respond to any issues that are having an impact on your community
• work with other council teams like Cleaning Services and Cleaner Neighbourhood Teams to help keep the environment clean and safe
• make sure the green shared spaces and communal shrubs and hedges are maintained and kept rubbish free
• work with West Yorkshire Probation Services (known as Community Payback) who carry out small cleaning and green space improvements on our behalf
• support organised tenants, residents and community groups to help them achieve their aims

You can expect from us:

• Carry out estate walkabouts in every area at least twice a year, where tenants and staff can visit together, spot problems and suggest improvements.
• Remove drug waste (needles, syringes) in public areas within 2 working days of this being reported to us.

You can help us by:

• reporting any fly-tipping or graffiti
• keeping your community clean and disposing of your waste correctly

Find out more about the ways you can get involved in your community and the support we give to groups.

We will:

• give you clear, easy‑to‑understand information to help you access support that meets your individual needs

You can expect from us:

• Respect your privacy and dignity.
• Work with health, social care and voluntary sector partners to help you access support to meet your health, wellbeing and housing needs.
• Offer adaptations and equipment to help you live independently in your home.
• If needed, deliver both minor and major adaptations within the timescales set out in our adaptations policy.

You can help us by:

• asking us for help or an assessment to identify your individual needs

Your communal areas are cleaned by Cleaning Services. What we clean and how often depends on the type of home you live in and the communal areas you have. Read our cleaning standards and find what you can expect from us.