Tenants and leaseholders in Birmingham are set to receive a more flexible and responsive repairs and maintenance service after Birmingham City Council awarded new long-term housing contracts.

From July 2026, three organisations will take responsibility for day-to-day repairs, improvement works and preparing empty homes for new tenants. The contracts will also cover planned maintenance programmes, including kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

Following a detailed procurement process, Equans, Wates and Mears have each been awarded a 10-year contract, with the option to extend for a further five years. Together, the firms will be responsible for repairing and maintaining around 60,000 council homes.

Under the new arrangements, Equans will manage properties in east Birmingham, Wates will cover the north and south of the city, and Mears will operate in central and west Birmingham.

The council said the decision followed extensive tenant feedback and is aimed at delivering a modern service that is more helpful, flexible and focused on residents.

Tenants can expect clearer communication about upcoming works, timescales and any changes, alongside greater flexibility to rearrange appointments. A digitised repairs system will also be introduced to improve communication and overall satisfaction.

New technology will be used to better track the condition of council homes and support efforts to make properties warmer and more energy-efficient.

The council said the new contract model offers improved value for money and will support its housing investment programme, which commits more than £200m a year to improving council homes. The contracts are intended to help Birmingham meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard across all council housing by 2032.

In the past year, 35,000 upgrades have been completed across 6,000 council homes.

Nicky Brennan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said:

“The new contracts give us an opportunity to overhaul how we monitor repairs and maintenance of council homes and to ensure tenants are getting the quality of service our tenants rightly expect and deserve. Tenants should expect a more flexible and responsive service, with better communication.

“We are investing more than £200m a year to bring more council properties up to a better standard. We are installing new kitchens and bathrooms, and cutting energy bills by making homes cheaper and easier to heat. These new contracts will ensure we keep the pace of that investment so all our tenants and leaseholders are living in warm, safe and sustainable homes.”