COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, December 13, 2021
QUESTION NO.10
QUESTION: Councillor T. Costello
How many housing maintenance requests are currently in the system. Can I have details of how long requests have been outstanding
REPLY:
The Council categorises and responds to maintenance requests for repairs in accordance with the following guidelines:
| CATEGORY | TIMESCALE | EXAMPLE |
| Emergency | 1 – 5 working days |
Smoking Fuse Board, Burst water tank |
| Urgent | 10 working days |
Leak under sink unit, Leaking roof |
| Routine | Up to 12 weeks |
Replace toilet cistern, Faulty radiator |
| Cyclical | 1 – 7 years |
Gutter replacement, replacement hall door etc. |
The response may involve an initial inspection of the property to determine the exact nature of the works to ensure that the request is correctly categorised. Works are then either classified as response or cyclical and the maintenance request is closed out with works assigned to a particular response or planned maintenance programme. In addition, some maintenance requests received are deemed tenant responsibility at point of contact or following inspection and would not be repaired by our maintenance team or contractors which accounts for differences between the number of housing maintenance requests received and works orders completed.
The previous system for recording maintenance requests did not readily lend itself to analysis of specific maintenance requests actioned or outstanding as there was no capacity to link and track the associated work programmes within the system. However, the introduction of a new integrated housing system in 2021, together with the recent system upgrade, will greatly enhance reporting on maintenance requests and timeframes once the system is fully operational for all tenants and fully embedded in our maintenance staff work practices. The system will also provide tenants with the option of tracking the progress of their own maintenance requests through the Housing Online system.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, associated health and safety requirements and Government guidelines, only emergency/ urgent repairs were carried out by direct labour/contractors for an extensive period. Our housing maintenance operations have also recently been restructured to include a dedicated workstream focussed on our response maintenance programmes, with a dedicated Clerk of Works supported by four Foreman of Works and the recruitment of an additional Assistant Foreman of Works.
The table below outlines the monthly number of housing maintenance requests received and corresponding works orders generated in 2021 to date:
|
Month/Year |
Jan 2021 | Feb 2021 | Mar 2021 | Apr 2021 | May 2021 | Jun 2021 | Jul 2021 | Aug 2021 | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 | Nov 2021 | Dec 2021 | Total |
|
Maintenance Requests |
1,703 |
1,633 |
1,107 |
1,400 |
1,248 |
1,247 |
1,223 |
1,344 |
1,438 |
1,557 |
1,703 |
15,603 |
|
|
Work Orders |
978 |
1182 |
833 |
1393 |
1252 |
1033 |
963 |
1031 |
1171 |
1264 |
1655 |
12,755 |