Leaking taps, broken boilers or jammed windows are among the repairs that can be dealt with quickly through a revolutionary computerised held desk which has been launched for council tenants in Billericay, Wickford and Basildon.

The new service, provided by Basildon District Council, is the first of its kind in Essex and lets residents get their housing repair problems diagnosed online.

Easy to understand pictures and diagrams can be called up on computer screens to help tenants identify most commonplace maintenance problems and enable council repair staff and engineers to pinpoint the trouble from call centre screens.

The system, called the Housing Repair Online Request, has been developed over the last six months by the council's housing and repair service and its IT specialists.

Housing cabinet member, Cllr Tony Ball, said: "The system is quite ingenious in that it gives tenants a visual guide which they can send to our repairs staff. It can be difficult to explain the precise location of a problem when you don't know the names of specific parts of, say, a roof or toilet system.

"Overall it will save time, reduce confusion and dramatically speed up the time it takes to respond to repairs and maintenance.

"At the same time, it is a further demonstration of our commitment to provide quality, value-for-money services and to make those services available electronically where possible."

Tenants can report and request repairs by visiting the council's website and clicking on the relevant link on the homepage.

A series of pictures directs residents to different parts of the home such as kitchen, garden, plumbing and roofs. By clicking on the pictures, a number of common problems are revealed together with the names and locations of parts of the appliance or fixture in question.

The service can be accessed through www.basildondistrict.com

Published Thursday August 19, 2004

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