Repairs Responsibilities

We must keep the structure and outside of your home in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order. This includes:

• Drains, gutters, outside pipes and the roof

• Outside walls, outside doors, windowsills, window catches, sash cords and window frames, including any painting and decorating needed outside

• Inside walls, floors, ceilings, doorframes, but not painting and decorating inside apart from the communal spaces inside a block

• Chimneys, chimney stacks and flues, but not including chimney sweeping

• Front paths, steps or other access points we own

• Brick-built Garages and stores that are part of the property (but not sheds)

• Boundary walls and fences, but not those you share with neighbours.

We will also maintain any installations we have provided for supplying water, gas or electricity, and for heating, hot water and sanitation. This includes:

• Basins, sinks, baths, toilets, flushing systems and waste pipes, but not plugs, chains or toilet seats

• Electric wiring, including sockets and switches • Central-heating systems, gas and water pipes, water heaters, showers and storage heaters, fireplaces and fires we have fitted

We will take reasonable care to keep shared entrances, hallways, stairways, lifts, passageways, rubbish chutes and other shared areas which are our responsibility, in reasonable repair.

Buildings Insurance

We will insure the structure of your home (excluding any fixtures and fittings) and any shared areas.

As a tenant you are responsible for some of the repairs and maintenance of your home - always check your tenancy agreement for full details. Your responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive and may include):

• Repairing damage caused by you, members of your household or visitors, including broken glass

• Cleaning up condensation around windows and doors that may lead to damp & mould 

• Replacing locks and lost keys

• Replacing doorknobs, letter boxes etc except where these are fire doors.

• Replacing broken toilet seats

• Replacing bath panels

• Unblocking sinks, baths and toilets

• Cracked wash hand basins and sinks, caused by tenant damage.

• Replacing sink and bath plugs and chains

• Replacing electrical plugs and fuses

• Replacing light bulbs and fluorescent strips and starter plugs (except in shared areas like stairwells in blocks of flats)

• Filling minor cracks in plaster

• Repairing paths in back gardens

• Keeping your garden accessible and cut back

• Repairing existing fences which are shared with neighbours

• Maintaining sheds if applicable. SHBA do not repair or maintain sheds

• Replacing shared fences with an appropriate alternative when they cannot be repaired (only boundary fences are SBHAs obligation to maintain)

• Sweeping chimneys

• Testing smoke alarms in line with manufacturers’ instructions, and replacing their batteries where needed

• Replacing clothes lines (unless they are shared)

• Repairing items which you have installed yourself

• Repairing your own electrical appliances

• Repairing TV aerials (unless they are shared and installed by us)

• Internal doors, handles, hinges, cupboard catches

• Flooring laid by you that was not installed at time you moved into the property. When you take out contents insurance make sure that the cover includes improvements you make to your home such as new laminate flooring or a fitted kitchen

• Fixtures or fittings provided by yourself, including additional security measures, alterations 

• Maintaining your home in a good decorative order and not allowing it to fall into disrepair by deliberate damage or neglect

• Taking reasonable care of all specialist adaptation equipment

• Checking and topping up your boiler pressure

• Replacing the batteries in your thermostats

Contents Insurance

You’re responsible for insuring the contents of your home and garden.