Avoid scams by reporting repairs directly to us
Sometimes doorstep callers, claims management companies or solicitors can put pressure on customers to report repairs to them so they can raise a legal claim and make a profit – these companies are sometimes called ‘claims farmers’. Claims farmers might promise you a big payout but you’ll rarely see the money.
It’s a lucrative business for claim farmers; in a typical claim, solicitors fees can be anything from £6-12k. If you make a successful claim, you may receive a small proportion back – usually less than £1k. If your claim is unsuccessful, you can be liable for legal costs which can stretch into thousands.
Asking a claim farmer to get involved with a repair can also lead to long delays in getting your issue fixed.
“Don’t risk debt or delays by using claims companies. Report repairs directly to us – it’s the quickest and safest way to keep your home safe and well maintained.” – Phil Benson, Asset Manager (Programmes)
If you’re worried about claims farmers putting pressure on you, or you receive a leaflet about repair claims, talk to us, we can offer you support and report the company to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
You can check whether someone’s working on our behalf, or if messaging is really from us, by:
- Asking to see an ID badge. APS, Equans, Sure Maintenance, and Savilles carry out work on our behalf but will carry joint-branded ID.
- Checking the phone number. We’ll call you from a Leeds-based phone number which starts with ‘0113’. We never call you from withheld phone numbers. The phone numbers we usually text from are: 07908 250809 and 85123.
You can phone us on 0113 386 1000 to double check whether ID badges, phone calls, texts, letters, leaflets or adverts are legitimate.
How to report a repair
The sooner you tell us about a repair that needs doing in your home, the sooner we can fix the issue. Reporting repairs to us as soon as you notice them also stops problems getting worse.
You can report routine and emergency repairs to us between 9am-5 pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) by:
If you need an emergency repair outside this time, our out of hours team will pick this up on our usual phone number: 0113 386 1000.
If you need to change your appointment, let us know as soon as possible so we can rearrange it for you.
Remember, if you’re not happy with how we’ve handled things, or the repair we’ve made, you can make a complaint.
