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Guide · Repairs

See where repairs time and money go, in-house and contractor.

Repairs carry a large share of your spend, your complaints and your TSMs. Yet the data usually sits across a repairs system, operatives' mobile apps and several contractor portals. This guide covers the measures that matter, how to join the data into one view, and how to hold every team to the same standard.

Book a callSee the measures

By Peter Chase, Enterprise Account ManagerLast reviewed 10th November 20269 minute read

£10bnspent on repairs and maintenance in 2025, up 13%Regulator of Social Housing, 2025 global accounts.
73.6%median tenant satisfaction with repairs in 2024/25Larger providers, low-cost rental, TP02.
No. 1property condition is the most common complaint the Ombudsman decides onHousing Ombudsman, 2024 to 2025.

00The problem

Why is repairs data so hard to trust?

Because one repair is recorded in several places. The call is logged in one system, the job raised in another, the visit recorded on an operative's app or a contractor's portal, and the cost in finance. Each uses its own statuses and timestamps.

£10bnspent on repairs and maintenance in 2025, of which £3.9bn was capitalised

Spend on repairs and maintenance rose 13% to £10bn in 2025, and the Regulator forecasts investment in existing homes averaging £10.9bn a year over the next five years (Regulator of Social Housing).

Residents notice when it goes wrong. Property condition is still the most common complaint category the Housing Ombudsman decides on, and repairs complaints are increasing. The Ombudsman often finds failings "compounded by poor communication, complaint handling, and record keeping" (Housing Ombudsman).

In 2024/25, the median larger provider recorded 73.6% satisfaction with repairs and 69.5% satisfaction with the time taken. The median completed 82.5% of non-emergency repairs and 94.9% of emergency repairs within target (Regulator of Social Housing). Those figures are only as good as the records behind them.

01What to measure

Which repairs measures matter most?

A handful of measures tell you most of what you need: speed, quality, cost and what residents think. Each needs specific data, and each has a common trap.

MeasureThe question it answersData it needsCommon trap
Completed within target (RP02)Are we fixing things on time?Reported, raised and completed timestamps, priorityClock starting when the job is raised, not when it was reported
First-time fixDid we fix it on the first visit?Visits per job, follow-on jobsFollow-on work raised as a new job, so the first job looks fixed
Repeat repairsAre we fixing the same thing again?Property, element and job type over timeVague job descriptions that hide the pattern
Backlog and ageHow much is waiting, and for how long?Open jobs by status and date raisedStatuses that differ between teams and contractors
Appointments keptDid we turn up when we said we would?Appointment slot, arrival time, no-access reasonNo-access visits not recorded as attempts
Cost per jobWhere is the money going?Schedule of rates, variations, invoicesCosts held in finance with no job reference
Satisfaction (TP02, TP03)What do residents think?Survey responses linked to the jobSurvey results that cannot be matched to the repair

RP02 measures every responsive repair end to end, including contractor and recharged repairs. Check each definition against the Regulator's technical requirements.

02Joining the data

How do you join in-house and contractor repairs into one view?

Give every job one reference and every home one property reference, then map each team's statuses and timestamps to a single set. Only then can you compare teams fairly.

  1. One job reference. The reference raised in your repairs system should follow the job into every operative app and contractor portal, and come back on every update.
  2. One property reference. Every job should attach to a home, or to a block or communal area that links to the homes it serves.
  3. One set of statuses. Map each team's and contractor's statuses to a short shared list, such as raised, scheduled, attended, completed and closed.
  4. The timestamps that matter. Reported, raised, appointment, attended and completed, captured the same way everywhere.
  5. Cost on the job. Link invoices and variations to the job reference, so cost per job does not depend on a manual match in finance.

Data pipeline tools can bring contractor and repairs system data together automatically each day, so the joined view does not depend on someone downloading spreadsheets.

Questions to ask your team
  • Does every contractor update carry our job reference?
  • Do we have one list of statuses that every team maps to?
  • Can we see the time a repair was reported, not only when the job was raised?

03Contract and performance

How do you hold contractors and in-house teams to the same standard?

Measure everyone the same way, from the same joined data. Then a conversation about performance is about the work, not about whose spreadsheet is right.

  • Write data into the contract. Set out which fields a contractor must send, in what format and how quickly after each visit, including your job reference.
  • Use the same definitions. The in-house team and every contractor should be measured against the same targets, statuses and clock.
  • Compare like with like. Split results by priority, trade and patch, so a team doing harder work in older homes is not judged unfairly.
  • Look at the detail. Repeat jobs, no-access visits and variations by team show where performance is really slipping.
  • Share it. Give contractors and team leaders the same view you use, so problems are fixed in the week, not argued over at the quarterly review.

The Housing Ombudsman's latest review points to excellent contract and performance management as part of a good repairs service. Good data is what makes that possible.

04Finding the causes

How do you spot repeat repairs and their causes?

Look at the home and the element over time, not the individual job. Three leak repairs to the same roof in a year is a planned works decision, not three responsive repairs.

Repeat repairs are one of the clearest signs that money is being spent in the wrong place. To find them, group jobs by property and by element, such as roof, windows or heating, over a period you define, and flag where the same element keeps coming back.

Job descriptions are often the weak point. AI can classify free-text descriptions by element and cause, for a person to check, so patterns show up in the numbers.

Repeat leaks, condensation visits and extractor fan repairs are also some of the strongest early signals of damp and mould. Our damp and mould risk guide shows how to use them.

05The legal clock

How do repairs data and Awaab's Law fit together?

They are two views of the same records. If your Awaab's Law cases and your repairs jobs do not share a reference, they will tell different stories, and someone will ask why.

Since March 2026, the TSM technical requirements say an emergency hazard under Awaab's Law counts as an emergency repair in RP02, and a significant hazard as non-emergency (Regulator of Social Housing). From 30th November 2026, seven more hazard groups come under Awaab's Law timescales, so more repairs will carry a legal clock.

Every hazard case needs a timed trail from first report to completed works, and most of that trail is repairs data: the job raised, the appointment, the visit, the works and who did them. Our evidence trail guide sets out each step.

06First steps

Where should a housing association start?

With one contract or one in-house team, the measures in this guide and the data you already hold. Prove the joined view works before you add everyone.

  1. Pick the scope. One contractor, one trade or one in-house team.
  2. Agree the definitions. Statuses, timestamps and targets, written down and signed off by repairs and data leads together.
  3. Join the data. Bring the repairs system, operative or contractor data and cost data together on the job and property reference.
  4. Build the core measures. Completed within target, first-time fix, repeat repairs, backlog and cost per job.
  5. Use it for a quarter. Review it with the team or contractor every month and fix the data gaps it exposes.
  6. Add the next team. Each one is quicker, because the definitions and pipelines already exist.

The same joined repairs data feeds your TSM return, your Awaab's Law evidence and your board reporting.

FAQs

Questions about repairs data.

Not covered here? Ask us directly.

What are the most important repairs performance measures for a housing association?

Repairs completed within target (RP02), first-time fix, repeat repairs, backlog and age, appointments kept, cost per job and resident satisfaction (TP02 and TP03). Together they cover speed, quality, cost and what residents think.

How do you compare contractor and in-house repairs performance fairly?

Measure both from the same joined data, with the same statuses, timestamps and targets. Then split results by priority, trade and patch, so a team doing harder work in older homes is compared with like-for-like jobs.

What data should a repairs contract require from contractors?

At a minimum: your job reference, the property reference, status updates, appointment and attendance times, completion time, what was done, any no-access reason and any variation to cost. Set the format and how quickly each update must arrive.

How do you find repeat repairs?

Group jobs by property and by element, such as roof, windows or heating, over a period you define, and flag where the same element keeps coming back. Classifying free-text job descriptions makes the patterns much easier to see.

Do contractor repairs count in the RP02 TSM?

Yes. RP02 measures every responsive repair end to end, including contractor and recharged repairs. Since March 2026, an emergency hazard under Awaab's Law counts as an emergency repair and a significant hazard as non-emergency. Check the current technical requirements for the full definition.

Sources

Every date and figure on this page comes from the sources below, checked on 10th November 2026.

  1. Regulator of Social Housing, 2025 global accounts published15th January 2026. Repairs and maintenance spend of £10bn, up 13%, and the five-year forecast.
  2. Housing Ombudsman, Annual Complaints Review 2024-25Property condition as the most common complaint category, repairs complaints and record keeping.
  3. Regulator of Social Housing, Tenant Satisfaction Measures 2024/25: headline reportMedian TP02, TP03 and RP02 results for larger providers, low-cost rental.
  4. Regulator of Social Housing, TSM technical requirements, 2026 revisionsRP02 definition and how Awaab's Law hazards are counted.
  5. MHCLG, Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlordsTimescales for investigating and repairing hazards.

This guide explains the data side of repairs performance. Always check TSM definitions against the Regulator's current technical requirements.

Join one contract first.

Pick one contractor, one trade or one in-house team. We'll start by understanding your use case and the data you hold today, then come back with where the gaps are and a solution that fits how you work.

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Also for housing data teamsTSM data assurance guide →Stock condition data guide →