Keeping your home safe and compliant 

In 2023, we consulted with you about important safety work we do in your home, such as checking fire doors and water systems. Most tenants and leaseholders wanted us to have greater control over this work. 

We listened, and since then we’ve been reviewing contractors to find the right people to carry out these checks. As we appoint contractors, we’ll publish more details here.  We have also created a page on our website on this topic for lots more information. 

How to report a repair  

Mears deliver our repairs and maintenance contract and offer several ways to report repairs. Please remember it is important that they have your current contact details. 

• Online: Log into Mears’ portal and log a repair at a time that suits you.  
• Phone: Call Mears on 0330 123 2522. 
• Email: Send your details and a brief description of the repair to Mears at repairs.miltonkeynes@mearsgroup.co.uk and their customer contact team will get in touch to schedule an appointment.  
• Emergency repairs: Call Mears on 0330 123 2522. This line is available 24/7.  

Mears Social Value 

Beyond just handling repairs and maintenance for MKCC, Mears is dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and the broader community in MK. Their commitment goes beyond the basics, aiming to create lasting positive impacts and foster a sense of community well-being. 

For example, in 2024, they: 

• Spent 153 hours supporting schools, including speed interviewing events at secondary schools. Milton Keynes apprentice A. Clarke attended the Worktree 'Get That Apprenticeship' session at St. Paul's School, helping students dive deeper into the world of apprenticeships. She shared her journey, offered valuable advice, and provided insider tips. 
• Gave over 1600 hours to support the Woughton Wellbeing Centre. Thanks to their hard work, a grant from the Mears Foundation, and support from local suppliers and businesses, a new health and wellbeing community hub opened its doors at the end of the year. 

In 2025, they are: 

• Supporting the Camphill Village Trust with a variety of volunteering tasks to including gardening transformation.
• Supporting MK Children’s Centres with gardening and redecoration. 
• Offering a Sheltered Housing Handy Helpers Programme, across all MKCC schemes. 

Tenant Responsibilities – What You Need to Maintain  

As a tenant, you're responsible for certain repairs and maintenance in your home.  With the warmer weather upon us, don’t forget that garden upkeep—like mowing the lawn and trimming shrubs—is part of your responsibilities.  

Other responsibilities include: 

• Cleaning and testing smoke alarms weekly 
• Internal decoration (e.g. painting, wallpapering) 
• Fixing or replacing toilet seats  
• Clearing gutters (except on flat blocks) 
• Repairing any damage caused by you, your family, or visitors 

Want the full list? Check out our Repairs and Maintenance Policy for more details. 

Disrepair claims – What You Need to Know 

A housing disrepair claim is when a tenant takes legal action against their landlord to fix issues that make the property unsafe or unliveable.  Typically, this must be done within six years of first reporting the issue.  

If you need a repair, please use our repairs service and give us a reasonable amount of time to respond. This includes: 

• Providing access to your home 
• Letting us know if the issue comes back 

Submitting a claim without using the repairs service may result in charges if the claim is found to be invalid. 

Recently, some disrepair claims included inaccurate information. In one case, the tenant’s claim was incorrect, but their legal team still requested over £7,800 in fees.  We challenged the claim in court.  The judge agreed with us, reducing the claim to just over £400. That’s a big difference— saving £7,400 for essential works needed in other tenants' homes. 

We’ll continue to challenge inaccurate claims and excessive legal costs—so we can reinvest more into maintaining and improving council homes. 

Remember:  

• Report repairs directly to us—we’ll handle them faster than legal teams can. 
• No mutual exchanges are allowed while a claim is active. 
• Unauthorised alterations will need to be put back and you will be charged for this, no matter the claim outcome. 

Mears Voice of the Customer 

When tenants share their experiences it helps us understand what’s working well and where we can improve. 

At Mears they’re committed to listening and learning through tenant feedback.  Through their Voice of the Customer programme they focus on three key areas:  

1. Overall Satisfaction  
2. Ease of Doing Business  
3. Likelihood to Recommend 

 Between January and April 2025 85.2% of tenants scored satisfaction as Good. 

Update: Mears has been awarded new repairs and maintenance contract 

Thank you to everyone who shared views on how repairs and maintenance should be carried out in council homes. We’ve listened to what you told us and made sure what matters most to you has been included in a new contract which will run from 4 August. Following consultations, engagement and a comprehensive procurement exercise this contract has been awarded to Mears. The focus for the contract is on: 

• New evening repair appointment option. 
• New 14-day priority repair to make sure repeat jobs are done quicker – between emergency repairs (4-24hrs) and routine repairs (within 28 days). 
• Stronger contract management oversight of how works and services are done, with robust performance management. 
• Aligning how the works and services are done to the new regulatory requirements for council homes. 

Over the summer, we will be holding engagement sessions so keep an eye out for this on this webpage. We will let you know where and when the sessions will be. Over the next 2 months we will be working to structure the new contract ready for it to start on 4 August. Please keep reporting your repairs in the usual way. 

In July’s News and Updates, we’re focusing on how your feedback is shaping the way we deliver our services.   

Your voices are helping us make meaningful changes — and we’re excited to share what’s already happening and what’s coming next.

You said you wanted more information on your home and how we manage its repairs and maintenance.  

We reviewed our website information and looked at how other social landlords communicate with their residents. 

So we have updated our website pages and have provided more information covering repairs, maintenance and keeping your homes safe. 

The Housing Ombudsman recommended reviewing our complaint handling process to align with their complaint handling code.  

We assessed the volume of complaints we receive and the resources available to investigate and respond within the Housing Ombudsman’s timescales. 

We identified the need for additional team resources to support our complaints process. As a result, we have enhanced our complaint handling, acknowledging complaints upon receipt, and improving investigation timescales—allowing us to respond to complaints more quickly. 

Courteney's Lodge refurbishment 

Courteney's Lodge is a specialist Dementia Care scheme, originally built as general sheltered housing. With dementia diagnoses on the rise, the Housing Maintenance team recognised that a thoughtfully designed environment can help people living with dementia maintain independence and quality of life for longer.  

We learned that people with dementia can sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between surfaces—walls, floors, countertops and bathroom fittings—when they’re all similar in colour. This can make it hard to locate important fixtures like toilets or kitchen cupboards. So, when it came time to replace the kitchens and bathrooms, we carefully selected designs and materials that provide clearer contrasts, making everyday tasks easier and safer.  

By thoughtfully redesigning these living spaces, we’re helping residents with dementia feel more confident and independent in their daily routines. It’s a small change in appearance, but a big step in making life easier, safer, and more dignified for the people who call Courteney's Lodge home. 

What's next?  

We are preparing for the new Housing Repairs and Maintenance Contract, launching on 4 August. This will bring key improvements, including: 

• Regular quality checks and contract monitoring by MKCC
• A streamlined repair timescale structure:
  • Emergency repairs: Completed within 4 to 24 hours
  • Priority repairs: Completed within 14 days
  • Routine repairs: Completed within 28 days
• New evening booking slots on Wednesdays - available once a week for routine repairs, providing greater flexibility. 

Mears are holding resident engagement sessions — a chance for you to meet the team, ask questions, and learn more about the new service: 

• 22 July - 4pm to 7pm at Netherfield Meeting Place, MK6 4HS
• 24 July - 4pm to 7pm at Woughton Wellbeing Centre, MK6 5DR