Under certain circumstances, we may complete repairs that are not the landlord's responsibility and recharge the costs to the tenant.
Charges will be equal to the cost of the work using the schedule of rates with our selected contractors; or if the work is carried out by our in-house direct labour team, the charge will be equal to the cost of labour and materials.
We will recharge tenants for repairs in the following circumstances:
- if a repair is needed due to damage to the property by the tenant, a member of their household, or a visitor that is not the result of normal wear and tear (in accordance with the tenancy agreement)
- where damage is caused by an unknown third party, the resident must report the damage to the police and obtain a crime reference number prior to works being completed - other than work we do to make safe
- where damage is caused to the property under a warrant or carried out by those who have the authority to do so, for example police gaining entry to the property, we will undertake any repairs that constitute a health and safety risk without a charge
- if we need to carry out works to restore any element of a property to its original state, due to alterations the tenant has made without our permission
- if the initial repair request was misrepresented by the tenant – for example, they incorrectly requested an emergency call-out for a repair that was not found to be an emergency following attendance by our tradesperson. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
We reserve the right to also charge an administration fee on rechargeable repairs/work, covering the cost of assessing the rechargeable work and invoicing the works.
Where appropriate, any rechargeable repair costs will be deducted from any monies due to tenants.
All costs will be recovered in full and payable in advance, except where work is required for health and safety reasons, or where failure to act could damage the structure of the property or an adjoining property.
We may identify rechargeable works when we visit the home at any point, including where we visit for an inspection after a tenant requests a move or informs us that they are ending their tenancy. These visits provide us with the opportunity to identify any rechargeable works prior to the tenancy transfer or tenancy termination. Any rechargeable works identified will be photographed, catalogued and the charges will be sent to the tenants' forwarding address if they have already moved.