Repair liability

We are responsible for most of the repairs which need to be carried out in your home - a detailed list of the Association’s repair liability can be found in the Tenant Handbook (see the Tenant Information section of this website). Some repairs are known as TR (Tenant Responsibility) and you will need to carry out these repairs yourself:

EXTERNAL

We will decorate the outside of your home and any common areas regularly. If you wish to decorate the outside of your home yourself, please ask for permission first. You are responsible for the care/upkeep of gardens and hedges; cleaning out gulley traps and repairing clothes lines. Rotating clothes lines, where supplied, will only be replaced where necessary on change of tenancy.

INTERNAL

It is your responsibility to decorate the inside of your home. Please do not paper inside walls of new dwellings for twelve months after the builder has finished. Before you do any alterations or improvement work you must get written consent. This covers building extensions, roof space conversions, knocking down walls, changing central heating systems etc. Your rent will not increase as a result of any improvements you make but it may result in you paying more rates.

Minor repairs/maintenance of doors (and kitchen units), locks, and windows (replacement of glass) is your own responsibility, as is the replacement of letterboxes, keys and locks where keys have been lost/broken.

You are liable for decoration, floor coverings, small plaster repairs to walls and ceilings, floor tiles, bars and baskets to open fires and room heaters, fireplace tiles, door glasses to room heaters; bleeding of radiators and relighting of pilot lights, replacement of coat hooks and door stoppers.

Tenant responsibility includes the replacement of wash-hand basins, W.C. bowls and seats, clearing all blockages which occur in waste pipes leading from baths, sinks, showers and wash-hand basins; shower curtains and fittings; replacement of plugs, washers, chains and stoppers to sinks, wash-hand basins and baths; and repair of work surfaces.

ELECTRICITY

Tenants are responsible for replacing electric fuses, elements to electric and gas fires, fluorescent light bulbs etc (all plugs should be fitted with a fuse appropriate to the appliance rating).

Replacing blown fuses in the main fuse box is also your responsibility (switch off the mains supply; unplug the suspect appliance; check the fuse box; replace any burnt fuse wire of the same amperage; switch on the mains supply; if the replacement fuses blows, contact the Association. Your home may have circuit breakers instead of fuses. Reset the switch at ‘on’ after disconnecting the appliance which caused the problem. If the circuit breaker continues to switch off, contact the Association.

MISCELLANEOUS

Additional draught exclusion is your own responsibility, as is the cleaning of chimneys, clearing of pest infestations, fitting of TV aerials / dishes / boxes (with Association’s permission); replacement of dustbins and, in wheelchair dwellings: maintenance of hobs, ovens and refrigerators which are supplied by the Association.