Tenant repair responsibilities

What are you responsible for?

You must take care of your home and replace/ repair any damage caused by you, your family, visitors or even your pets. In some cases, we are willing to carry out repairs and charge you the cost. Before you undertaken any alterations, to the fittings, build extensions, undertake DIY repairs (however minor), you must request prior permission.

Depending on what works you are requesting you may receive a visit from one of our Officers who may be able to provide you with advice and guidance on what you would like to do to your home. We will always confirm permission in writing and make clear what will be your responsibility. If you do not have our written permission before undertaking any alterations, you will be responsible for them and may need to put any alterations back to standard at your own expense.

General responsibilities

You should: 

• Promptly reporting repairs when they are needed and taking reasonable precautions to prevent further damage. For example, you should place a bucket under leaks or remove any personal belongings to prevent further damage
• Allow our employees to promptly complete their work, for example, keeping children and pets out of their way and by removing furniture or belongings from the area they are working in. Employees may assist, but we will not accept responsibility for any damage caused in this process
• Ensuring that you protect and cover furniture or carpets before work starts. Employees may assist in some circumstances, but we will not accept responsibility for any damage caused during this process
• Take responsibility for appliances or fittings that you have installed including maintaining any improvements or alterations you have made
• The repair of any damage, accidental or not, which you, or members of the household, pets or visitors, cause
• Heating and ventilating your home to reduce high levels of humidity than can lead to condensation and mould growth. See our Damp, Mould and condensation webpage for further information on the control of condensation.

What you are responsible for outside your home

You are responsible for the upkeep and repair of:  

• Glazing (unless a crime number is obtained)
• Non-standard gates
• Lost or broken keys
• Gully grids
• Keeping gullies free from debris and fats (you may be recharged for the visit if such items are found to be causing the blockage, this list is not exhaustive)
• All garden maintenance.

What you are responsible for inside your home

You are responsible for: 

• Internal timber such as skirting board, picture rail, Wooden airing cupboard panels, frames and shelving and internal doors (unless affected by rot or woodworm)
• UPVC or tile windowsills
• Ironmongery and threshold strips
• Minor repairs to plasterwork, such as cracks and small holes (under 6 inches or 150 mm square)
• All decorating inside your home
• Bath panels
• Plugs and chains to washbasins, sinks and baths
• Chains to toilets and toilet seats
• Internal pipework boxing
• Replacement shower curtains
• Sweeping chimneys and cleaning flues if you have solid fuel appliances. These should be done regularly once or twice a year. In addition, only use appropriate fuel as defined within the Clean Air Act 1993
• Cookers / appliances
• Electric plugs and light bulbs – including strip lights and bulbs to electric fires
• Independent battery-operated smoke alarms
• Plugs to appliances
• Electric meter and supply of electricity
• Supply of gas and gas meter
• Monthly testing of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms; You must report defective alarms promptly to our Repairs Call Handling Centre
• Utilise the installed heating appliances within your home

Repair scenarios

Depending how damage happened we will deal with repairs or replacements in different ways.

In some cases, you will be responsible for the cost to repair or replace the damaged item or areas. Any repair works undertaken by you must be completed to a standard that is acceptable to us. Failure to meet the required standard for such works may result in you being re-charged for the work. In some circumstances we may undertake the work on your behalf, but only after receiving payment.

Malicious damage

This is where damage has been willingly caused to your home but has not been reported to the police or has not been classed as a crime by the police. This includes wilful damage caused by you, your visitors, or your pets to any part of your home through an act of violence or mistreatment.

You are responsible for the cost of the repair or replacement.

Accidental damage

This is where damage to your home has been caused accidentally by you, your visitors, or your pets. For example, when something has been dropped into and has damaged the bath.

You are responsible for the cost of the repair or replacement. 

Criminal damage

This is where your home may have been damaged or vandalised which has been classified as a crime by the Police.

When we know this type of damage has happened, we will make sure your home is ‘made safe’.

We will only carry out a full repair when we have a crime reference number. This number will be provided to you by the police when you report the incident, and you should then pass it to us. The police can be contacted on 101 for non-emergencies or 999 for an emergency.

Fair, wear and tear repairs

This is where a fitting or part of your home fails having come to the end of its useful life. For example, a leak occurs from a toilet.

In this situation we will carry out the repairs.

More information can be found in your tenant’s handbook

We will not offer any compensation or to replace any of your personal items that have been damaged as a consequence of a fair wear and tear repair.

Household insurance

Household insurance cover is readably available from many organisations, including from us.  Considering how damage may happen you may want to take out insurance for your personal property in the event of damage through floods, leaks, fires, storms, or burglary.

Should the damage and repair be needed when we are not responsible for it, or damage to your home or fixtures and fittings is because of fair wear and tear, we cannot offer you any financial assistance and you will be entirely responsible for any costs which you have incurred. This is why you should carefully consider ensuring you have the relevant insurance cover to suit your individual circumstances.