Tenant responsibilities are explained in the tenancy agreement and in our repairs handbook. Tenant responsibilities include:
- keeping their home and garden clean and in good decorative order by carrying out minor repairs
- reporting repairs which we are responsible for in good time and helping us monitor the standard of work
- providing a safe and clean working environment for our repair contractors and allowing them enough time to conduct the repair
- giving us access to their property to conduct repairs, gas servicing, annual safety checks and any inspections that are necessary
- preventing drains and waste pipes becoming blocked
- taking reasonable action to prevent and control condensation when possible
- letting us know about any damage in the home
- preventing anyone who lives in or visits the home causing any damage; and where damage has occurred, letting us know
- repairing any items that have been damaged by the tenant or their guests, except where these pose a risk to health and safety (including glazing). We may charge tenants the cost of repairing damage
- repairing any appliances and fittings that they have installed, such as white goods, gas cooker, washing machine, carpets, furniture, toilet seats, light bulbs, sink taps, garden furniture and patios, glazing in the home, internal doors, flooring, locks and keys, and utility meters (gas, water and electric) within the home
- keeping the inside of their home reasonably well decorated. If decorations are damaged due to work that we have carried out, we will repair the affected area, but not the whole room
- asking our permission if they want to carry out external decoration, as this is ordinarily our responsibility as the landlord. Tenants must get our permission before carrying out the work and supply a written plan of how they are going to do the work.
Where a problem or failure has caused damage to flooring (other than bathroom or kitchen flooring), paintwork or other decorations within the home, it is the tenant's responsibility to make the repair to those items. We will patch the affected area, but we will not redecorate or replace the flooring. Tenants can claim for the cost of these repairs using their home content insurance.
Where an existing resident requires the home to be re-wired, or re-piped, we will surface mount the newly installed services. This means the services will be on the surface of the walls, floors or ceilings, not behind or within them.
Further information for tenants and leaseholders is available on our website:
For tenant repair responsibilities please refer to Tenants' responsibilities for repairs
For Leaseholder repair responsibilities please refer to Leaseholders and repairs responsibilities
Further information can be found in our repairs handbook.