What you are expected to do

As a tenant, you are responsible for minor repairs, maintenance and replacements.  These include:

• damage caused by you, your family or visitors to your home
• lock changes
• decorating the inside of your home and keeping it in a good state of decoration
• woodwork and plaster
• providing and maintaining TV aerials (except shared services)
• your own electrical appliances
• garden fences and gates (except those connected to public land)
• garden sheds and greenhouses
• repairing and replacing small items such as keys, washing lines, WC seats and shower curtains (except those in shared areas such as sheltered housing schemes)
• electric showers (except those installed by the council or those not designated as tenant’s responsibility when they took on the tenancy)

We may use our discretion in circumstances where a tenant has a vulnerability.

If your décor is damaged through no fault of your own (because of fire, flood, storm or through work carried out by us), we will give you a decoration voucher to help with the cost of redecorating.

Recharge
You are responsible for damage that you, your family, visitors or pets have caused.  This includes repairs caused by accidental damage, misuse or neglect, poor DIY and alterations made without permission.  We will charge you for any damages and subsequent repair work caused in these circumstances.

If we have to gain entry and/or secure your property, we will charge you for the full cost of the work.  Where any works, that are your responsibility, are not undertaken within a reasonable time, the council reserves the right to organise the work and recharge you.

If a repair is needed as a result of criminal activity that has not been caused by you, a member of your family or a visitor to your home, you will not be charged for the cost of any works providing written confirmation with a crime reference number is obtained from the Police (an Incident Number is not sufficient).

A list of our rechargeable repairs and their estimated costs can be found in our ‘How to guides, videos and useful downloads’ section.