COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 13, 2023
MOTION NO.
MOTION: Councillor L. Dunne
As members of the public have raised issues with the limitations of the Housing Maintenance Portal this Council calls on the Chief Executive to reinstate the Customer Care Desk in the Council for the public to attend for advice & emergencies, to allow for walk-ins for maintenance requests and to allow maintenance requests over the phone to support tenants who are not IT literate/or for those who do not have access to the internet or for those who have a disability
REPORT:
As part of the Council's ongoing digital transformation to provide enhanced and optimal customer service, the Housing Online (HOL) portal provides an online, fully mobile responsive self-service area that allows housing customers to self-serve 24/7 on any device for various housing services. In this context, the online housing maintenance service facilitates the submission of maintenance requests straight into the system which will allow a more timely and responsive service.
A series of explanatory videos showing customers how to register and log a maintenance request online is available at: Housing Online - SDCC and to make a repair request at : Maintenance and Repairs - SDCC while internet access is also widely available through the network of libraries and elsewhere in the County. Any tenants experiencing challenges with using HOL can e-mail hol@sdublincoco.ie for assistance.
Maintenance requests in the first instance should be submitted by the tenant directly through Housing Online where they are able to do as this will facilitate the swiftest categorisation and assignment of work to either our direct labour staff or an appropriate contractor. This will allow more efficient responses to address maintenance issues in tenants’ homes.
Already, almost half of tenants have registered on the new system which is straightforward to use and submit maintenance requests from any device at any time once registered. As we know, most people are digitally literate to a reasonable degree but where barriers to use of the system exist, a dedicated phone service is available for calls during office hours to report maintenance issues from tenants who are older, have additional needs or who have digital literacy/access issues and our maintenance staff are also providing assistance with user guides and step-by-step assistance to use the new system.
The Council’s new Housing Customer Centre at County Hall, Tallaght officially opened on 13th July 2023. This new facility consists of a public counter, online services portal, a number of private meeting rooms and a family-specific area. Members of the public can access the Housing Customer Centre by contacting the Council on 01-4149000 to request an appointment.
Dedicated frontline staff have been nominated to act as digital champions and are available to show customers how to operate on-line self-service processes for applying for housing, maintenance and repairs, rent account queries and housing grants.