Bromford
We transferred the council's housing stock to Bromford (formerly HomeZone) in 1997, and as a result, the majority of social rented homes in Lichfield District are managed by Bromford.
The majority of Bromford properties in Lichfield District are advertised through Lichfield District Homes. Some Bromford properties are published on the Moving Soon website.
Bromford is a nationwide housing association and has a neighbourhood office based in Lichfield.
How to request a repair from Bromford
If you are a Bromford tenant and want to request a repair, the easiest way is to request it online.
You can also call the Bromford team on 0330 1234 034, Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm.
Before requesting a repair, it's worth double checking what Bromford will fix and what is your responsibility as a tenant:
Things Bromford will fix
- roof, chimney, gutters, down pipes
- outside walls and floors
- external doors and frames
- windows, frames, sills, catches
- baths, basins, sinks, toilets, cisterns and waste pipes
- meter cupboard doors
- drains and waste pipes
- sockets, switches and light fittings
- central heating, water heaters and fitted fires
- garden fences which face a public boundary
- communal entrances, halls, lifts, passageways, rubbish chutes and other communal parts including electrical lighting and shared TV aerials
Things you'll need to fix
- all internal decorations unless your agreement says otherwise
- replacing light bulbs, fluorescent tubes/starters, fuses and batteries
- replacing floor coverings unless they were fitted by us
- replacing plugs and chains to baths, basins and sinks
- filling minor internal cracks in walls
- adjusting/replacing letter box covers
- replacing kitchen cupboard catches
- altering kitchen units to fit new appliances
- repairing or replacing washing lines or posts, with the exception of those in communal areas
- toilet seat renewal and fitting
- plumbing and/or fitting of appliances
- providing additional power sources and sockets
- glazing, you should claim on your contents insurance. If you do not, we will make safe but you will be re-charged
- cutting extra keys or replacing keys if they are lost
- providing extra key fobs if they are lost, damaged or not returned to us at the end of your tenancy - these fobs can cost up to £40 each.
- replacing locks and keys, and any repairs caused by us lawfully forcing or gaining access, or if you lock yourself out of your home
- replacing bathroom fittings such as toilet roll holders
- environmental treatment of wasps and ants nests, vermin, pigeon, squirrel, flea or beetle infestation inside the home unless due to property defect, and in all instances outside the home
- garden fences between neighbouring properties and timber sheds
- work to trees in individual dwellings, unless they are subject to a tree preservation order, a maintenance agreement or may cause damage to the property if not pruned
- TV aerial repairs, unless you share a communal aerial (see above)
- more than one annual chimney sweep
- unblocking sinks where the blockage has been caused by the wrong items being put down - this could be things such as fat and food waste
- view Bromford's DIY guides to common repairs.
- Bromford do not automatically insure tenant's furniture, belongings and other personal items against theft, fire, vandalism, burst pipes and other household risks. This is likely to be your responsibility. Find out more about low rate contents insurance.
What to expect when you request a repair
The Bromford team deal with repair requests in order of priority, and from time to time may rearrange an appointment if there's an emergency somewhere else.
Emergency repairs
The Bromford team aim to make emergencies a priority, and get to them as soon as possible. Your repair will be considered an emergency if
- there's a risk to someone's safety, security or health
- there's a risk of severe damage to property
The team at Bromford aim to attend to emergencies within 24 hours.
Non-emergency repairs
For all other repairs, the Bromford team will book an appointment with you and aim to agree a time that's convenient for you.
Sometimes, they will send an engineer or surveyor first, so they have everything they need when they come to complete your repair.
The below timescales are set out by Bromford in their responsive repairs policy - view Bromford policies.
| Type of repair | Description | Target timescales |
| Emergency |
Works that present an immediate danger to customers or members of the public and/or will result in severe damage to property. Make safe, secure and isolate as a minimum, repair if possible. |
24 hours |
| Urgent | Work that required urgent attention to prevent future damage to property with no immediate danger to person and/or property. | 5 days |
| Routine | Work that does not pose a significant risk to customers/public welfare or safety and will not cause further damage in the short term. | 20 days |
| Complex repair or specialist works, preventative maintenance | Work that falls outside of the usual scope of responsive repairs that require additional time due to manufacture, complexity, or specialist trade, examples include window replacements, roofing works with scaffolding, plastering. Preventative work such as pre-winter maintenance. | 90 days |
Criminal damage
If your property gets damaged by someone you don't know, you will need to get a crime reference number from the police before booking your repair with the Bromford team.
Complaints about repairs
If the Bromford team do not resolve your repair in a timely manner, we would recommend you first speak to your neighbourhood coach or call the repairs team on 0330 1234 034, Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm to raise a concern/ask your repair is delivered in line with their published target timescales set out above.
If this proves unsuccessful, we recommend you consider making a formal complaint by writing to the Bromford complaints team at 1 Venture Court, Wolverhampton WV10 6TB. You can also complete the Bromford complaints form.
Whatever way you complain, we recommend you keep a written record of your complaint, the dates you have raised issues and the responses/actions you have received.
If you need support in making your complaint, the Housing Ombudsman can help you.
What happens after you make a complaint
Once submitted, your complaint will be investigated by the Bromford customer solutions team.
| Stage | Description | When you will recieve a response |
| Stage one | The Bromford customer solutions team will investigate and respond to everything you raised in your complaint | 10 working days |
| Stage two |
If you’re not happy with our first response, we will review our stage one response to see if we can resolve things for you. If we can’t, you can request a stage two review. |
We aim to complete our review and respond to you within 20 working days. If your complaint is complex, we may talk to you about extensions to the 20 day timeframe. |
Ombudsman complaints
If you're still dissatisfied after you’ve been through stage one and two of the Bromford complaints process detailed above, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman or refer your complaint to a designated person, such as a such as a local councillor or MP.
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman by:
- emailing info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
- visiting the Housing Ombudsman's make a complaint page
- calling 0300 111 3000
- writing to the Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET
The Housing Ombudsman may support you to try and reach a solution prior to this as part of their early resolution approach. For more information read their guidance on early resolution.
You can also refer your complaint to a designated person. They can help by trying to resolve your complaint or can refer your complaint direct to the Housing Ombudsman. More information about using a designated person is available on the Housing Ombudsman website.
For more details, you can read the Bromford's complaints policy.
When we can help
If you have been through the Bromford's complaints process and your concerns have not been resolved and you are living in unsafe or uninhabitable conditions that breach the housing health and safety ratings system (HHSRS) and need urgent support to safeguard you and/or your family's wellbeing, you can reach out to us and we may be able to offer support.
To contact us email enquiries@lichfielddc.gov.uk. Please provide as much detail as possible, including when you first raised the repairs request, when you first raised a formal complaint, and if possible please provide copies of the stage one and stage two complaint responses you have received, plus any photographs or evidence you would like us to look at.