We have legal duties to repair and maintain your council home.

We do this through our day-to-day responsive repairs service and our long-term planned maintenance and improvement programme. 

You must take reasonable care of your home and report any repairs needed to us. This will help to stop any problems from getting worse and allow us to get repairs carried out as quickly as possible.  

Our repair responsibilities 

As your landlord, we have the responsibility for replacing or repairing items that were part of your home when your tenancy started. 

If they are damaged through normal wear and tear we will repair major items such as: 

• foundations and external walls 
• roof, gutters and rain water pipes 
• central heating and hot water systems 
• windows, doors and frames 
• baths, sinks and toilets 
• fittings for the supply of gas, electricity and water 

Your repair responsibilities 

We expect you to: 

• report repairs to us as soon as possible 
• take care of your home, including taking reasonable steps to make sure your home is not damaged 
• repair any damage caused by you, your family or visitors 

Take a look at our repairs guide for more information on the types of repairs you are responsible for as a tenant. 

Rechargeable repairs 

The rent we collect pays for the repairs and maintenance service so most tenants never get charged for any repairs. We do not charge for fair wear and tear.  

When might I be charged for a repair? 

You will be charged if we need to repair or replace anything due to neglect, misuse, theft or deliberate damage by you or anyone you, as a tenant, are responsible for (including your children, family, visitors and pets). You can be charged for this whether it happens in your home, in any communal areas or at a neighbouring property.  

You will also be charged if we need to remove or reinstate something you have changed or installed without our permission.  

Examples of the sort of repair work that you would be charged for are:  

• you lose your keys or fob and ask us to get you back in or to replace the lock  
• if someone breaks a window and it needs re-glazing  
• a door slams in the wind and a glass panel breaks  
• you drop something into the wash basin and it cracks  
• a nappy or wipes, toilet block or toy blocks your toilet  
• hot fat is poured down your sink, goes solid in the waste pipe and blocks it  

These are just a few examples, but they are not the only things that you can be charged for.  

When will I be told if a repair is rechargeable? 

If we decide to charge you, in most cases you will be asked to sign an agreement to pay the charge before the works are carried out. However, sometimes we will not be able to ask you to do this before we charge you, for example:  

• if you have moved out and we need to do the work to re-let the property  
• in emergency situations, such as if your washing machine is overflowing into the flat below  
• where we need to secure a property, or where safety is affected  

What if the repair is a result of vandalism or burglary? 

Damage from vandalism or a burglary must be reported to the police who will give you an incident reference number. Please pass this on to us so we can investigate. You may still be recharged for any repair work dependant on the outcome of the investigation.     

Take a look at our repairs guide for more information about who is responsible for different types of repairs, and whether you may be charge for them.