The cost of repairs undertaken by internal contractors or DLOs is now cheaper than using external contractors

According to research by Housemark, in 2024-25, the average cost of a repair carried out by a DLO was £180, compared with £185 for a fully outsourced service.  This compared with £140 for a DLO and £129 for a fully outsourced service in 2021/22.  DLOs also consistently achieve better satisfaction rates than external contractors.  However, Housemark pointed out that not every DLO outperforms every contractor, with some DLOs affected by significant productivity issues, so “Good management is critical to the success of a DLO".