Housing repairs

There are some repairs you are expected to pay for. These are called Tenant Repairs or Rechargeable Repairs.

Repairs you are expected to pay for

These include:

• decoration
• floor coverings (except for kitchens and bathrooms that are provided by us)
• light bulbs
• washing line posts and rotary driers (excluding communal areas)

Accidental damage

You are responsible for accidental damage. It is that you take out home contents insurance.

If damage is being caused to your personal property while you are waiting for a repair to be made, you must take action to limit the damage. This might include moving furniture or items being affected by water damage.

Neglect

We will not repair or renew any fixtures or fittings that have been damaged or neglected. This includes damage caused by tenants, a member of your household, visitors to the property or pets. 

If we do carry out work to fix this, we will have to charge you unless there are exceptional circumstances. We do this to make sure that tenants who cause damage are held accountable.

How these repairs are paid for

The cost of the repair is added to your rent account. A sub-account will be set up and we will invoice you for the amount.

If your rent account is in credit, we'll ask your permission to take the payment from the credit.

You may not be allowed to carry out a transfer or mutual exchange until you have paid this.

Action taken if you cause serious or repeated damage

If the damage is serious or happens repeatedly we may take action to prevent it from happening again.

This action may include:

• an injunction to prohibit actions that may cause further damage to a property, or to prevent the tenant/licensee from making any unauthorised alterations or from completing DIY
• in serious cases we may consider repossession of the property due to a breach of the terms of the tenancy
• we may seek a money judgement order alongside any legal proceedings to recover court costs and the value of the repairs that are rechargeable
• where damage is wilful and can be classified as criminal damage, we may report such incidents to the Police and pursue criminal charges.

Where tenants will not be charged

Sometimes we may choose not to charge tenants for repairs that they are responsible for. 

Below are some of things we consider when deciding whether to charge for repairs:

• if the damage is a result of vandalism by a third party and a crime reference number has been provided to the council within 7 calendar days
• the tenant leaves through no choice of their own, such as fleeing hate crime, harassment, violence or as a result of domestic abuse (this does not include eviction or abandonment).
• the tenant/licensee is vulnerable due to age and ability
• the tenant/licensee has a disability that prevents them from being able to complete a repair
• the tenant/licensee is struggling to maintain their property and has been identified as vulnerable and referred for support
• where forced entry has taken place due to concerns about the wellbeing of the tenant/licensee.

We will consider each circumstance on a case by case basis.

Appealing or disputing a charge

If you wish to appeal or dispute a charge write to the Commercial Manager, Property Services (Housing), explaining why you are not responsible for the repairs and associated work.

We will tell you about any action taken as a result of the appeal or dispute.