We would like to apologise to tenants for any delays being experienced in our repairs and maintenance service. We are currently dealing with thousands of repair requests following storm damage at the weekend.
The damage was caused by severe weather that hit the North East over the weekend, affecting roofs, fences, gable ends and trees. This damage is in addition to the huge amount damage caused to properties by Storm Arwen in November.
We are asking for tenants’ understanding as we re-prioritise emergency repairs caused by the severe weather.
We were already in the process of working through thousands of repairs following Storm Arwen in November, before Monday, when we received a record number of telephone calls in one single day. Almost 3,000 tenants called in to report damage or repairs on Monday alone, which caused delays for tenants.
We are in the process of assessing the latest damage that has been reported by tenants since the weekend, with repairs being re-prioritised in an emergency.
We had drafted in additional support following Storm Arwen, with several external contractors appointed to help us carry out repairs caused by the storm as quickly as possible. However, a global shortage of building materials has impacted on how quickly some of these repairs can be carried out.
Nigel Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at Gentoo Group, said:
“Storm Arwen caused a huge amount of damage, and we were already dealing with an unprecedented number of repairs caused by the storm. We were doing everything we could to carry out those repairs for tenants as quickly as we possibly could.
“Unfortunately, the severe weather at the weekend has caused further damage to properties right across the city, and in many situations, existing damage has been made worse.
“We are working as hard as we can to re-prioritise repairs that need to be made safe in an emergency.
“The large number of tenants attempting to contact us after the weekend was a record number, and this has resulted in longer than usual wait times on our telephone lines.
“We also know that some tenants are waiting for repair work to be carried out following Storm Arwen and we are contacting those tenants to reassure them the repair is in hand.
“We apologise for any delays tenants are facing and would like to assure tenants we are doing everything we possibly can do carry out these repairs.”
