Derwent Living has awarded a one year contract for the maintenance and repair service it provides for its customers to Lovell Respond, the responsive maintenance division of Lovell Partnerships Ltd, which is part of the Morgan Sindall Group plc.

The Derby-based housing provider has appointed Lovell to carry out its responsive maintenance, void repairs and annual gas safety checks and servicing and repairs of appliances to all of Derwent Living's affordable housing properties until March 2012.

Andy Nickels, head of asset management at Derwent Living said: "The maintenance and repair work which we need for our properties is one of the most important contracts we have.

"We have to provide the best quality homes for residents, and if they have any repair or maintenance work that needs to be carried out, then we need to be assured that we have a contractor who delivers an excellent value for money service, balancing costs, quality, timeliness and customer service."

Shaun Osborn, operations manager at Lovell, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract by Derwent Living. We felt that we were able to offer a value for money approach, which met the company's needs. We see this new contract as a way of maintaining strong working relationships with the company, and it also benefits Lovell because of the link with such a highly regarded housing provider."