Repairs that are your own responsibility
The rent you pay to the Council pays for the repairs and maintenance service for your home.
We have a legal duty to maintain and repair your home and will:
- Carry out any repairs within your home with the exception of items that are your responsibility.
- Maintain any shared areas that are near your property.
We will do this through our day-to-day repair service and through our capital and planned maintenance programmes.
Your responsibilities for repairs and maintenance
You need to handle minor repairs and maintenance yourself. If you ask us to do these jobs, we will charge you.
We will also charge you for any repairs needed because of damage caused by you or your lifestyle.
We will give you an estimated cost for any work, so you can decide if you want us to do it.
Plumbing
- Fix or replace toilet seats
- Replace bath/sink plugs and chains
- Clear minor blockages in baths, sinks, and showers
- Arrange professional installation for washing machines, dishwashers, and gas cookers
Electrical
- Replace light fittings
- Replace fluorescent tubes and starters
- Replace light bulbs, including outside lights
- Replace smoke alarm batteries
- Replace fuses in fans and batteries
- Replace rewireable fuses
- Maintain TV aerials, dishes, or sockets (except communal ones)
- Maintain your own non-standard light fittings, equipment, or appliances
- Maintain your own DIY fittings
- Maintain all extension leads
- Connect cooker appliances
- Maintain telephone cable equipment (except door access control)
- Regularly test circuit breakers
- Adjust timer settings on heating and hot water systems
- Maintain your own electrical appliances
Joinery
- Fix internal door handles and latches
- Fix cupboard door handles
- Install curtain battens and tracks/poles
- Install coat hooks
- Install clothes line hooks
- Fix gate catches
- Install door chains
- Install extra shelving
- Fix outbuilding locks
- Maintain gates and fences
- Replace lost keys or change locks
Outside
- Repair footpaths (except existing ones providing access to the property)
- Maintain clothes posts
- Maintain driveways, patios, water features, and decking (except estate improvements)
- Clear blocked gully grates
- Maintain private gardens or seating areas
Glazing and Decorating
- Replace broken glass
- Decorate the inside of your home
- Make decorative repairs
- Fill minor plaster cracks before decorating
Damage caused by vandalism
If your home is damaged by crime or vandalism, you should report this to the police and get a crime reference number. You will need to provide this number to the council when you call to request the repair.
You can find an extensive list of repairs that are your responsibility on the 'Guide to Your Home' handbook.