When Is a Repair Really Complete?

In one of our audits, a job appeared in the repairs report as complete. When we followed the work order through the underlying records, the status came from an administrative update. A further visit was recorded, and the file contained no confirmation that the fault had been fixed. The completion figure gave members no reason to ask what happened next.

That is the difference a responsive repairs journey audit can uncover. Across 15 reviews from 2023 to 2026, we saw good examples of clear prioritisation, appointment communication and contractor oversight. We also found recurring gaps in how landlords recorded completion, checked the quality of work and used tenant feedback. A Governing Body can learn more by tracing a few jobs through those stages than by looking at the completion percentage on its own.

Start with What the Tenant Reported

The original report should explain the problem in enough detail for staff to choose the right priority, assign the right trade and set a realistic expectation with the tenant. Check what information staff recorded, whether they considered any circumstances that affected urgency, and what they told the tenant would happen next.

Our audits found examples of landlords explaining the Right to Repair at first contact. Elsewhere, records did not consistently show whether staff had identified qualifying repairs or told tenants about their rights. For a sample of potentially qualifying jobs, check how staff made that decision, what deadline and contractor details the tenant received, and how any entitlement to compensation was assessed if the deadline was missed. Scottish Government Right to Repair guidance

Keep Sight of the Job When It Stalls

A missed appointment, a visit with no access or a return visit for parts can leave the tenant waiting while several teams each hold part of the record. The original work order should show what happened, who is responsible for the next step and when the tenant was updated. If the contractor raises a new order, link it to the original so the landlord can see the full time the tenant has been waiting.

Ask to see examples from the overdue jobs list. Check whether the contractor’s record agrees with the landlord’s and whether a member of staff can explain what happens next. A short review of the oldest open cases can show where jobs are losing their owner or where tenants are having to chase for updates.

Check What the Completion Date Means

We found that cancelled jobs could appear as complete when data passed from a contractor’s system to the landlord’s. We also saw completion dates populated from administrative updates while further work remained open. In both cases, the reported date could be reproduced from the system. The problem was what that date represented.

Ask management to explain which event populates the reported completion date. Then trace a few jobs recorded as complete, including unusually fast completions, cancellations and jobs with further visits. Use operative notes and linked work orders to distinguish attendance, making safe and finishing the repair. Where a tenant reports the same fault again, check whether the new job is linked to the first one and picked up in repeat-repair reporting.

The Scottish Housing Regulator reported that 97% of reactive repairs for registered social landlords were recorded as completed right first time in 2025/26, while 88% of tenants were satisfied with their repairs service. Those measures answer different questions. The revised right-first-time indicator focuses on completed reactive repairs that are reported again. Satisfaction gives a separate view of the service tenants experienced. Scottish Housing Regulator’s 2025/26 National Report

Use Inspections and Feedback to Check the Outcome

Some landlords could show how post-inspections led to action with contractors. In other reviews, inspections were infrequent, selected informally or incompletely recorded. A proportionate sample can cover repeat faults and work where poor quality would have a greater impact, alongside some routine jobs. Record what the inspection found, who will put any defect right and how the landlord will confirm it has been resolved.

Look at complaints and feedback from recently completed repairs alongside those inspections. A pattern of repeat calls, missed appointments or poor communication can point to a problem that the average completion time does not show. Ask management to give an example of a change made in response and how it checked whether tenants saw an improvement.

Three Questions for the Next Repairs Report

• Can we trace a completed job from the tenant’s first report to evidence that the fault was fixed?
• Can we see which tenants are still waiting after a missed appointment, a temporary fix or a transfer to another team?
• What have repeat repairs, post-inspections and complaints told us about the quality of the work, and what has changed as a result?