How to report a repair to your Portsmouth Homes property

Contact the customer repairs team during office hours (8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm Friday):

• Call 023 9284 1311
• Email CustomerRepairsTeam@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
• Visit your local area housing office.
• Report online.

If you need to report a repair out of office hours, contact the out of hours team on 023 9282 4244.

Service request

A service request is when a tenant or resident asks the landlord to carry out a normal, expected housing service. There is no dissatisfaction expressed, they are simply reporting something that needs doing or requesting information.

Examples of a service request

• Reporting a routine repair (“My kitchen tap is dripping.”)
• Requesting a repair appointment or update
• Asking for information (“Can you send me my rent statement?”)
• Reporting an issue the landlord is responsible for without expressing unhappiness (“The communal light is out.”)
• Requesting adaptations or property improvements

Complaint

A complaint is when a tenant/resident expresses dissatisfaction about the housing service, a missed obligation, or poor handling of an issue.

This aligns with the Housing Ombudsman’s definition: ‘A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether spoken or written, about the landlord’s action, lack of action, or the service provided.’

Examples of a complaint

• “I’ve reported this leak three times and nothing has been done.”
• “The repair was poor quality and now it’s worse.”
• “You missed my gas service appointment again, I’m really unhappy.”
• “I’m not satisfied with how my anti‑social behaviour case was handled.”
• “No one called me back and I’ve been waiting weeks.”

When reporting a repair, we will need the following information:

• your address, including your postcode
• your preferred contact phone number
• best time to contact you (and when not to phone, such as during the school run)
• a brief description of what needs repairing and whether the repair relates to something you have already told us about.
• a date and time that you would prefer the repair to be carried out (we aim to carry out repairs when it’s convenient for you)

You must let us, or our contractors, into your home to diagnose and carry out repairs. This includes inspecting and servicing the gas supply and any gas appliances, which we are required by law to do once a year. We will give you reasonable notice.

If we need to carry out an immediate repair because there’s a risk of personal injury, damage to our property, or others’ property, we reserve the right to enter your property without giving you notice.

If you are a Portsmouth Homes leaseholder, you will usually be asked to contribute a share of any repair costs that relate to the structure of the building, including windows and external doors.