Repairs

Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is obligated to maintain your apartment in good repair. If something breaks in your apartment, you should call in a “Work Order Request” as soon as possible. BHA will schedule the work promptly. Some repairs will be prioritized based on urgency. Conditions that are considered emergencies will be addressed within 24 hours.

Residents who need repairs to their apartments should call the Work Order Center at (617) 988-4357/HELP. 

The Work Order Center is open for calls between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and for maintenance emergencies from 4 p.m. to midnight. From midnight to 8 a.m., calls are answered by Public Safety dispatch operators and referred to the Operations Duty Officer who will direct staff to respond to emergency calls. 

All work orders are assigned a number and tracked in a computer system. You should be given the work order number for repairs that you request so that you can track the satisfactory completion of the work. 

BHA understands that all apartments will experience normal wear and tear. BHA will make normal wear and tear repairs when they are seen at an inspection or if you call in a Work Order Request.

If you damage any item in the apartment due to deliberate actions or negligence, BHA will charge you for the repair. 

The State Sanitary Code contains helpful information regarding resident maintenance responsibilities.  Work Items Classified As Emergencies 

Work Items Classified as Emergencies

• Refrigerator not working at all
• Stove – failure of all burners
• Flooding condition of any origin
• Fire
• Gas odor
• Toilet stoppage; flooding or inability to use the toilet if the unit has only one toilet
• No heat in the entire apartment: September 15 to June 15 only
• No hot water
• Waste line backup/blockages indicating a main drain blockage
• No electricity in entire unit
• Broken/malfunctioning elevator (in buildings where there is only one or if both are down)
• Entry door or door locks are not secure
• Lockouts
• No water
• No gas
• No hallway lights throughout building
• Live steam leak in apartment or accessible common area
• Any condition deemed to be a health or safety hazard
• Any call that indicates there is no response from resident from neighbors or relatives or other visitors concerned for the resident's health or safety