Maintenance and refurbishment account for just over half the UK construction spend of £25 billion (excluding infrastructure), and much of this is spent on responsive maintenance and minor works. For organisations without a direct maintenance labour force, managing contractors to carry out the numerous low-value maintenance jobs typically involved with property management carries high administrative costs. Only 32% of the total repair cost is spent on actually making the repair. A DTI funded research project carried out by BRE, in partnership with local authorities and housing associations, set out to demonstrate how to replicate the advantages of having a direct labour force through partnering. Partnering can help property owners simplify their administrative processes and achieve cost effective responsive maintenance by reducing response times. This Information Paper highlights some of the key findings of a study led by BRE, which brought together a group of project partners experienced in partnering relationships with their contractors. It examines some of the issues and processes involved in the partnering process. 4 pages. Contents The benefits of partnering Ordering repairs Dealing with voids Paying for repairs Managing the IT system Measuring performance Adopting the partnering approach The full results of this study are published in BRE Report BR484 - Repair it with effective partnering: Guide to contractual relationships for cost effective responsive maintenance.