Repairs

1: We will maintain and repair the structure and outside of your home, including drains, gutters and downpipes.

2: We will maintain the following and keep them in proper working order.

• a: The fittings in your home for supplying water, gas and electricity
• b: toilets and fixtures for washing (including basins, sinks, baths)
• c: room and water heaters.

3: You must decorate the inside of your home and maintain it to a reasonable standard.

4: You must report any repairs to your housing office as soon as you notice them.

5: You are responsible for any damage caused to your home by you or anyone who lives with or visits you. As we are not responsible for repairing any such damage, you must pay us for any necessary repairs. However, we will give you a chance to carry out the repair.

6: You must use your home properly and responsibly. You must take reasonable care to keep all grates, grids, drains and gullies (not including gutters that catch water from the roof) clean and clear, and you must take care not to block toilets and sinks.

7: Under Section 97 of the Housing Act 1985, you have a right to make alterations or improvements to your home, but you must first get permission, in writing, from us. We will not refuse unless we have good reason. You may also need planning permission for some alterations or improvements. Your housing office will tell you if this is necessary.

8: When you end your tenancy, you may get compensation for any improvements you have made.

9: If your home is in a block of flats you must not attach a satellite dish to the building without first getting our written permission (We will not refuse unless we have good reason).

10: You must not remove any fixtures or fittings we have provided without our written permission.

11: If you exchange your home with another tenant, you will be responsible for the decoration the previous tenant left in your new home. You will also be responsible for maintaining and repairing any improvements or alterations the previous tenant made, unless we agree, in writing, to be responsible for them.

12: Any officers or contractors who call at your home to carry out repairs or for other housing matters will show you their identity cards.

13: We will decorate the outside of your home and shared areas at least every seven years.

14: We will make sure we remove our rubbish, building materials and equipment from your home within a reasonable time after carrying out repair work and will try to keep disruptions to a minimum.

15: We will repair all entrances, halls, stairways, lifts, rubbish chutes, lighting and other shared parts of all blocks of flats and maisonettes.

16: Under Section 96 of the Housing Act 1985, we will pay you compensation, if we do not carry out certain repairs within a set time, depending on certain conditions.

17: If you owe us any rent or any other amount related to your home (but not housing benefit or council tax), we will use any compensation we owe you for repairs to reduce the debt.

Notes

a: You are responsible for decorating the inside of your home. This includes repairing minor cracks in plasterwork and preparing surfaces properly before you paint or paper them.

b: If you cannot take care of your home yourself, ask your housing officer about help that may be available for (example, the Assisted Decorating Programme for those over 65).

c: You are also responsible for the following.

• Keeping your home clean and tidy
• ventilating and heating your home to prevent condensation
• replacing toilet seats
• changing locks or replacing broken keys
• keeping grates, grids, drains, gullies, toilets, baths, sinks and waste outlets clean
• taking care not to cause blockages
• buying curtain rails and light bulbs
• taking reasonable care to make sure that your pipes do not freeze
• providing your own TV aerial, unless there is a shared aerial
• replacing missing plugs in sinks and wash basins
• replacing door knobs.

d: You can get more details about repairs in the booklet 'Reporting Your Repairs' which you can get from your housing office.

e: We will give you a receipt for all non-urgent repairs we agree to do and all the inspections you ask for. If you do not receive a receipt within seven days of reporting a repair, tell your housing office.

f: You must tell the police about any vandalism or criminal damage to your home and get a crime reference number from them. If you don't do this, we may charge you for any repair work.

g: We are not responsible for any damage to your home's contents and decorations (unless the damage is caused by our negligence). You should take out your own insurance to cover your personal belongings and decorations.

h: We will insure the structure of the building as well as the fixtures and fittings we provide. Our insurance will not cover any deliberate or accidental damage caused by you or anyone living with or visiting you. If we damage your belongings while we are carrying out repairs, please get advice from your housing office or an independent legal advisor.

i: Under the Housing Act 1985, you have the right to be consulted on a number of matters including how your home is managed, maintained and improved. The way we consult our tenants is set out in our current 'Customer Charter'. You can get a copy of this from your local housing office.

j: If you have the 1981 set of tenancy conditions, our repair responsibilities will be different to those set out above. You should check your old tenancy agreement to see what they are. Your housing office will be able to help you with this.