Industry type - Lettings and BTR/PRS


Available with - All


For an introduction to Novex- please click here.


Below is a list of common FAQs on the Novex network. Should your query not be answered by the below, please contact our support team for further assistance.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Does a member of staff need to be contactable/logged in to Fixflo to check jobs being handled by Novex?


A member of staff does not need to be contactable, but we do recommend that someone keep an eye on your emails for any notifications of correspondence from Novex.

Novex will communicate with you via the Comments tab until a job is complete. As such, emails will be sent to the assigned agent of the job, so do keep an eye on these in case the team need your assistance on any particular job.


In addition, you may also want to set up your Co-pilot rule to notify certain agents when a job is awarded to Novex. To do this, click into your rule and add a new action:



Then select Notify > Agent. Within 'Add', you can also specify any other email addresses you'd like to notify. Write any required message, and click 'Ok' to add the rule:


Is there a way of notifying my landlords of emergency issues?

Absolutely! But only if you are a Fixflo Essentials or Professional user...


As part of your Co-pilot rule (see above), you can elect to notify 'Landlord'. This will then send a notification to the landlord associated with the property where the job is located, informing them that the job has been awarded to Novex - do use the 'Message' field to enter any other information.


If you only want to inform certain landlords, then you may want to consider having separate Novex rules for different landlords... Please note however that Co-pilot only provides two 'Action' fields:
1) Instruct to Novex
2) Can be used to notify either the agent, occupier or landlord


Can I exclude certain landlords from the service?

Essentials or Professional clients can indeed exclude certain landlords from the Novex service.


It is recommended that you use tags against the property profiles you wish to exclude - eg no-novex. 

You can then create a rule with the filter of 'Property tag', and an action of 'Do nothing'. Alternatively, use the 'Landlord' filter on Co-pilot and select the specific landlord(s) you wish to ex


Ensure that this rule is marked as active and sits above your instruction rule to Novex. These properties/landlords will then hit the 'Do nothing' rule first, and the maintenance report will be raised as usual, not auto-awarding to Novex.


Can I exclude certain properties that already have cover in place? Eg British Gas Homecare

Essentials or Professional clients can indeed exclude certain landlords from the Novex service.


It is recommended that you use tags against the property profiles you wish to exclude - eg no-Novex.

You can then create a rule with the filter of 'Property tag', and an action of 'Do nothing'. 


Ensure that this rule is marked as active and sits above your instruction rule to Novex. These properties/landlords will then hit the 'Do nothing' rule first, and the maintenance report will be raised as usual, not auto-awarding to Novex. 


Does the authorisation limit set on the Co-pilot rule have to match the highest callout charge on the Rate Card?

You are required to set a £350.00 works authorisation limit on your 'instruct action', this will ensure that the engineer can carry out any required work. 


Can this service be switched off at any time?

You can disable the rule on the main Co-Pilot page under the ‘enabled’ column on the far right-hand side:



Additionally, you can revoke terms from Novex at any time via Setup > Contractor networks.

However please note that you're paying a subscription fee to access the Contractor Marketplace and amending the above won't have any impact on this. Please contact our support team if you'd like to stop using this service.


A price range has been provided on the rate card, how is the price of the call-out determined?

Novex believe in charging fair rates for any works carried out. Dependent on the availability and location of contractors, the costs incurred for attendance via their experienced network of qualified suppliers will can vary.


Being transparent, Novex have provided "worst-case" rates at the top end of the range, but will always aim to give customers the lowest possible costs. 

How do I pay for jobs completed by Novex?

All invoices are raised the following working day after a job has been completed. 

Invoices will be sent via email and can also be found under the ’Network invoices’ tab within the Contractor Marketplace feature on your Fixflo site.  The invoice will include a due date; a Direct Debit payment will then be taken 3-5 working days after the due date. You will receive an email from MangoPay who process the Direct Debit, confirming payment.



Can I cancel the job at any time?

You will be able to communicate with Novex via the 'Comments' tab within the specific Fixflo job. Here, you can request that Novex cancel the job. However, Novex will charge a call-out fee if the job is cancelled after the engineer has been deployed.


When do abortive fees apply?

The abortive fee on the rate card applies only when the applicable issue has not been resolved due to:
- An inability to access either the applicable rental property or the specific area within the rental property where the issue is located
- Cancellation by the agency once an engineer has been deployed


In the event that a job is cancelled before an engineer is assigned, there will be no cancellation fee.


Novex reserves the right to charge up to £75 + VAT for cancellations where an engineer has been assigned, to cover any associated costs.


Fees for aborted visits are between £75 - £100 + VAT subject to engineer and trade.


How does Novex gain access, does the occupier need to be present?

The occupier will be asked to provide their contact details when they report the issue via Fixflo, the Novex contractor will then contact the occupier using these details. The occupier is required to be present to provide access to the property. If access cannot be gained to the property or to the specific area within the rental property where the issue is located an abortive fee will be applicable.


I have a problem, need further information on an open issue or have a complaint - who do I contact?

Please note that all service-related issues are dealt with by Novex, not Fixflo. Fixflo simply provides the means to report issues to Novex and then communicate with the Fixflo agent throughout the issue journey.


Please contact Novex via the comments section of the specific issue if you have a query. If you have a complaint that you would like to escalate or need help with your Co-pilot rules please contact us, and we will be happy to help.


What issue fault types are covered by Novex ?

Please see the below documents that outline the issue types covered by Novex.


Built-to-rent:

- Fault types covered by Novex


Lettings:

- Fault types covered by Novex

What is the cost of the service?

The Novex rate card depends on the type of works that are being completed. Please find the rate card PDF at the bottom of this article.


Does Novex make the occupier aware that they will be liable for the repair cost if the repair is due to their negligence?

No, Novex will complete the job and invoice you as usual. It will then be down to the landlord and/or agency to decide if the occupier is liable for the cost as per your own agreement with the occupier.


Does Novex produce a report once the job is complete, or provide feedback?

Indeed, the Novex team will upload and feedback and relevant completion images. All of this information can be located within the job under 'Job completion details' on the 'Next steps' tab once the works have been marked as complete:


Can I add a Works Management Fee (commission)?

You can add a works management fee of up to 20% if you wish. Alternatively, you can set a fixed rate commission of your choice.
To action either of these, go to Contractor marketplace on the left-hand navigation panel of your Fixflo system and access the Contactor Networks tab


Scroll to Novex and click 'Edit setup'. Here, please decide whether the fee will be a percentage or fixed, and save when required:

 

Do you cover roofing and Electric Boiler jobs?

As of February 2023, Novex are pleased to say they can now accept jobs reported against roofing issues, and jobs for electric boiler emergencies. For more information on this, please click here.


Do note, due to the nature of incidents requiring emergency roof repairs, emergency roofing repairs are limited availability and cover internal diversion of water ingress to minimise the impact of managed assets. This does not mean roofing repairs will be carried out, but a diversion of the leak will take place.