Report a repair
If you are a Winchester City Council tenant and something in your home needs fixing, please report it straight away.
We will assess how urgent it is, arrange the repair, and tell you what will happen next.
How to report a repair
You can contact us by:
- Telephone: Call our Customer Service Centre on 01962 848 000 – press 1 for repairs
- Email: hhub@winchester.gov.uk
- Online: Using our repair request form
- App: Use the Your Winchester App, available from the Apple App store and the Google Play store.
- In person: Visit the council offices during opening hours - Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm
If you need an emergency repair outside office hours, call our Out of Hours Emergency Line on 01962 865 405.
On this page
— Emergency repairs
— Out of hours repairs
— Repair categories and timescales
— Gas leaks and frozen pipes
— Tenant repair responsibilities
— Our promise: Housing Quality Standard (HQS)
Emergency repairs
If you smell gas or suspect a carbon monoxide leak:
- Call National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999
- Do not use electrical switches or flames
We treat a repair as an emergency if:
- there is a risk to your health or safety
- there is a serious risk of damage to your home
- you cannot safely stay in your home without immediate action.
Examples of emergency repairs:
- burst pipes causing flooding
- dangerous electrical faults
- unsafe external doors or windows
- boarding up after a break-in
- no heating or hot water (November to April) where vulnerable people are present.
Important: If you misuse the emergency service, you may be charged.
Out of hours emergency repairs
If an emergency happens outside our opening hours, call our Out of Hours Emergency Line on 01962 865 405.
Cover times:
- Monday to Thursday: 5.00pm to 8.30am
- Friday: 4.30pm to 8.30am Monday
- Weekends and bank holidays
We aim to make your home safe within 2 hours.
Only use this service for genuine emergencies. If it is not a genuine emergency, we may not attend and you could be charged.
Repair categories and timescales
We place every repair into one of five categories. This helps us deal with the most urgent repairs first:
Category A - Emergency
- Response time: Within 2 hours
- What it covers: Danger to life, serious damage, or a health risk
Category B - Urgent
- Response time: Next day / within five days
- What it covers: Significant inconvenience, safety risk or potential damage
Category C - Routine
- Response time: Up to 30 working days
- What it covers: Non-urgent repairs and minor damage that do not affect safety or comfort
Category D - Planned
- Response time: Part of programme
- What it covers: Grouped works such as repainting, upgrades or major improvements
We will tell you which category your repair is in and how long it should take.
Gas leaks and frozen pipes
If you smell gas or suspect a carbon monoxide leak:
- Call National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999
- Do not use electrical switches or flames
In cold weather, frozen condensate pipes can stop your boiler working. Check our Frozen pipe advice leaflet for how to safely fix this before calling us.
Tenant repair responsibilities
We carry out most repairs, but you are responsible for:
- Replacing lost keys or getting back in if locked out
- Changing light bulbs and fluorescent tubes (including sealed units)
- Fixing your own appliances, plugs and fuses
- Replacing broken glass (unless caused by crime with a police incident number)
- Maintaining your own aerials, fences, and outdoor taps
- Installing and maintaining your own cooker (must be fitted by a Gas Safe Register engineer)
- Maintaining fixtures or fittings you have installed (e.g. showers, kitchens)
If we do a repair that is your responsibility, you may be charged.
Our promise: Housing Quality Standard (HQS)
We want your home to be safe, warm and in good condition. Our Housing Quality Standard (HQS) goes beyond the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
We will:
- inspect your home externally every 5 years
- provide a kitchen less than 20 years old
- ensure reliable heating and hot water
- insulate your home to reduce energy bills
- keep your home secure and weather-tight
- tell you about any planned works.