Our responsibilities
We will look after your home by keeping the following areas in good and proper working order:
- Structure and outside of your home, including the floors, walls, stairs, roof, windows, drains and gutters
- Decoration of the outside of your home
- Installations for supplying electricity, gas, hot and cold water, room heating and sanitation
- Kitchen units for basic food storage and preparation
We are not responsible for repairing, maintaining or replacing something which you installed, unless we have already agreed in writing to do so. We will make the decision on what repair or work is to be done.
These responsibilities are in line with the law governing us as a council landlord and take account the “Right to Repair” legislation. However we have chosen to do more types of repairs than we are strictly liable for.
Sometimes when you report a repair you will be told it will be done in a “Planned Maintenance Programme”. Most improvements to, and maintenance of, homes are done this way as are some repairs.
Communal areas
Communal areas are the shared areas of a block of flats, or an estate, which tenants, residents and their visitors can use.
They include:
- Stairs and lifts
- Entrance areas and doors
- Shared gardens
- Landings and shared balconies
- Drying areas
- Shed areas
- Bin stores
- Amenity areas
- Car parks
We will take all reasonable care to ensure these are safe, maintained and in a reasonable condition. Some work to these communal areas, for example decorating, will be done on a planned maintenance programme.
We are doing what we can, with other agencies, to stop or prevent the graffiti and vandalism that brings down the look of these areas and costs so much to put right.
We ask you to help by letting us know of any defects, problems or faults in these areas, for example by reporting broken glass, damaged doors or spillages on stairs.
Allowing us to do our work
Your tenancy agreement
Your tenancy agreement states that you must allow our staff and contractors to come into your home to do inspections, repairs, servicing and replacement and improvement works.
We will give you notice of this according to the urgency of the situation. Of particular importance are emergency situations, gas servicing, electrical checks and other essential repairs.
Emergency situations
Sometimes emergencies happen and we have to act at once to stop things getting worse.
Examples are gas leaks, burst pipes, your home needs boarding up to make it secure, the property is structurally dangerous or overflowing water is damaging our, or neighbouring, property. In these situations we can enter your home without notice due to the risk of personal injury or damage to our, or neighbouring, property.
If no one is in we can force entry in these emergency situations.
