Repairs

A repair is work that is carried out to fix damage, defects of significant deterioration. We will normally only replace or refurbish parts if a repair cannot be completed due to its condition or it’s no longer useful. We’re not responsible for carrying out repairs because of damage or neglect caused by our residents, member of the household, visitors, or pets.

Communal repairs are provided for entrances, halls, lifts, stairways, passageways, rubbish chutes, lighting, door entry systems and other parts provided for communal use. They may also be provided for fencing and other external structures which are our responsibility.

A repair that threatens your health, safety, or security or could cause significant damage to your home

Other examples of emergency repairs are:

• Escape of gas or fumes
• Electrical fittings in contact with water
• Live or bare electric wiring
• Sewage overflowing into the home
• Outside doors that need to be secured
• Burst storage tanks, cylinders, or pipes
• Failure of all lights or all power
• Failure of heating systems in severe weather and where no alternative is available
• Failure of all communal lighting

 

Please always report emergencies by phone - in the event of an emergency please call 020 7780 3070, lines are open 24/7.

We fully respect your privacy but, in certain circumstances, we might have to enter your home without getting your permission first. We’ve outlined when this might apply below.

Access in an emergency

In an emergency, as a last resort, we might have to enter your home quickly. An emergency could be: 

• where there is a risk to people and/or property 
• a water leak 
• a gas leak
• electrical problems
• a genuine and immediate concern for someone’s well-being, or 
• a potential fire safety issue

Access with no emergency

Your tenancy agreement or lease sets out the times when you are expected to give us access to your home. If you don’t give us access when we need it, we may take action against you for breaking your agreement.

For example, you must give us access to your home for an annual gas safety inspection. As your landlord, the law requires us to carry out this check. You will receive communication with details on your appointment. If you don’t call straight away to arrange a more convenient time, we will expect that you're available for the contractor at the confirmed time. If you fail to give us access for three planned visits, we reserve the right to get a court order to enter the property.

Gaining entry

Once we have decided we need to enter a property, we can force entry – or get another company or agency to do this for us. We will make every effort to contact you first. The final decision to go ahead must be approved by one of our executive directors. We will leave the property safe and repair any damage at our own cost. We will keep a clear record all our decisions and actions

Emergency repairs

If your repair is an emergency, our contractor will be with you within four hours. There is no need to call more than once to report the emergency.

Once we have completed the ‘make safe’ repair, our contractor will contact you again within two working days to make a further appointment will be made to carry out a permanent repair, you do not need to call us for this to happen.

 

Non-urgent repairs

If your repair is not an emergency, an appointment will be made with you at a time and date that works for you. We aim to minimise the time between a request for a repair and its completion, though exact timescales will depend on the exact nature of the repair, availability of parts, and team schedules.

We can get things sorted for you and your neighbours quicker if you provide access to your home and to tell us if the appointment can’t be met for any reason.

A healthy home

When your home is damp, it can cause mould to grow on walls and furniture, or make timber windows rot. Damp can cause problems in your home and can be bad for your family’s health if left unchecked.

Damp can be caused by a leak or problem with the building or condensation. There are steps you can take to help reduce the build-up of moisture in your home, like:

• Cover boiling pans and turn kettles off quickly
• Avoid drying clothes on radiators, or in front of fires or heaters
• Dry washing outdoors, or in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open or the fan turned on
• When running a bath, put in some cold water first
• Open a window or use any fans in your kitchen and bathroom, and leave them running after you leave the room
• Keep a small window or trickle ventilator open in any room you are using
• Keep curtains open for at least four or five hours each day, to let moisture escape through any window vents
• Try to leave a gap between curtains and the wall during the day

If you need to report damp in your home, or are looking for more advice on how to manage it, visit our damp and mould page. 

Our damp and mould page

• Exterior property including foundations, walls, doors, windows, pipes, drains, means of access, and garages

• Internal property and structure including walls, skirting boards, floors, ceiling, doors, and heated towel rails

• Pests where the reported pests are rats, pigeons, pharaoh ants, cockroaches or woodworm infestations.

• Exterior property including foundations, roofs, gutters, pipes

• Windows (but not usually the glass in them if it is damaged by a resident or a member of the household)

• Pathways, steps, or other means of access

• Drains (but not waste pipes that are blocked through use by residents)

• Paths, fencing, and steps

• Internal walls, skirting, floors, ceilings, and plasterwork (excluding minor cracks, painting, and decorating)

• Gas, electrical, water, and waste disposal services, including basins, sinks, baths, toilets, flushing cisterns, and overflows

• Internal fire doors

• Kitchen and bathroom doors and frames, if there is a risk to health and safety

• Pests where the reported pests are rats, pigeons, pharaoh ants, cockroaches or woodworm infestations

• Door locks and keys (we will only replace front door locks if the damage is the result of a crime, crime reference number must be provided)

• Fitting extra locks, door handles, and/or catches

• House numbers, letter plates letterboxes, unless they are in an internal communal area

• Draught exclusion, provided doors/windows fit reasonably

• Adapting doors to accommodate carpets

• Any wall tiling above the first three rows, including fire surrounds, grouting and mastic

• Showerheads, bath and basin plugs, chains, and handles

• Renewal of sealant around the bath, wash hand basin, kitchen sink, and showers

• Cleaning blockages and descaling of toilets, sinks, baths, and showers

• Replace or repair any gifted items (such as white goods, gas, or electrical appliances) 

• Cleaning of communal parts, except where specified as part of a service charge

• Condensation and mould

• Gates, hinges, and latches to gates serving individual dwellings

• Rubbish clearance as well as cleaning basements and front areas

• Residents own fences and sheds

• Gardening at individual properties

If you live in a flat, you are usually responsible for all repairs and maintenance inside your home. If you live in a house, you are usually responsible for all repairs and maintenance inside your home and outside areas.

We're usually responsible for repairs and redecoration to your communal areas. As well as repairs and maintenance for:

• Lifts and door entry systems
• Fire safety equipment
• Roofs, outside walls, window frames, gutters and down pipes, drains
• Pumped water systems for your building 

When we provide repairs and maintenance work to communal areas, you will be recharged a proportion of the cost in accordance with your lease.