Understanding communal repairs
Communal repairs cover shared spaces such as entrance halls, corridors, stairwells, car parks, roads and bin stores. They can also include shared structural parts like roofs, guttering and external walls – any part of your building or estate that’s used by more than one home.
Where it’s safe and practical, we aim to repair items rather than replace them, helping to keep your costs as low as possible. But in every situation our top priority will always be the safety of you and your neighbours.
How do I report a communal repair?
You can report a repair online, through the self-service portal, by calling our Customer Hub, or via the emergency line outside office hours. Although we inspect communal areas regularly, resident reports help us identify and fix issues early.
If we need to access your home because a shared system runs through it, we’ll offer flexible appointments and keep you updated if anything changes.
How quickly are communal repairs completed?
If there’s an emergency in a communal area, we’ll attend within four hours and make it safe, or complete the repair, within 24 hours. In higher-risk settings like supported or sheltered housing, we’ll get there even sooner.
For routine repairs, we usually fix the issue within 28 days - and often much sooner. If the job is more complex and needs specialist contractors or scaffolding, it may take a bit longer.
Why am I being charged if I didn’t report the repair?
Communal repairs cover shared parts of the building or estate, not individual homes, because if something goes wrong it affects all residents.
And anyone can report an issue - whether that’s a resident, a member of staff or a contractor. Once we know about a problem, we’re legally responsible for investigating it and carrying out any repairs needed to keep shared areas safe and well maintained.
How are repair costs shared?
Communal repairs are funded through service charges.
For tenants, repair and maintenance services are included within rent arrangements. Leaseholders, and some freeholders depending on their agreement, contribute towards communal repairs and shared structural elements through their service charge.
Your lease or tenancy agreement explains how your share is calculated.
Why do some repairs need more than one visit?
Where we see the same issue happening repeatedly, we review whether a longer-term solution would be better value for money.
If we see the same issue happening over and over again, we’ll review the situation to see if there’s a long-term answer that would be better value for money.
What if I’m unhappy with the quality of a repair?
If you’re concerned about the standard of work, please contact the Customer Hub. We’ll arrange for the issue to be reviewed and, if needed, put right. If you’re still unhappy, you can raise a formal complaint.
Need to get in touch?
You can contact us by phone, email or the My Peabody portal. Here are the details that’ll really help us sort out the problem:
- Your name and property address
- Specific location of the concern (e.g., "front lawn area," "hedge on north boundary")
- Clear description of the problem
- Photos if possible (especially helpful for overgrown areas or damage)
- Any safety concerns
Phone
If there’s an urgent issue (such as dangerous trees, blocked drainage, or safety hazards) give us a call:
0800 123 4567
Our lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. For out-of-hours emergencies, press option 1.
For anything that’s not urgent (like general questions or feedback about this service) you can email us:
We’ll try to get back to you within 2 working days.
Online
You can also report issues, track progress, and view scheduled works through your online account:
We’ll send you an automatic update when any work is scheduled or completed.