Repairs

A. Responsibilities

You are responsible for keeping your home clean and properly decorated, and for some repairs such as the following which is not a complete list.

replacing lost keys
changing locks if you are locked out
fitting doorbells
replacing bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starters
adjusting internal doors, eg for new carpets
resetting trip switches
replacing broken or cracked glass unless you report it to the Police and can give us a Crime Number (not an Incident Number)
clear blockages in wastepipes or toilets
filling cracks or holes in plaster (unless very large)
replacing plugs and chains to baths and basins
replacing clothes lines or restringing rotary driers (unless communal)
putting up TV aerials (unless communal)
dealing with vermin such as ants, bees, wasps, cockroaches, fleas, mice and rats. (Contact Leicester City Council for advice, they can provide a free service for rat infestations. Contact us for help dealing with mice)

In some circumstances these repairs will need to be done by a skilled worker and paid for by you.

We are responsible for repairing and maintaining the structure of the property you live in. This includes all the external parts and any internal fixtures and fittings originally provided by us, unless they are identified as your responsibility. Our responsibilities also cover all pipes, wiring, fixtures and fittings for heating, drainage, power and lighting, and smoke detectors, and for servicing any appliances provided by us. Outside your home we are responsible for any brick outhouses and sheds originally provided by us, the steps and paths leading from the property boundary to your main entrance doors, and any boundary walls and fences in our ownership bordering public areas. If you have specific health conditions you may be able to have adaptations made to your home. Contact Leicestershire County Council Social Services for information.

Gas Safety. We must, by law, carry out an annual gas safety check in every property with a gas supply. You must, by law, allow us in to do this. You must not block off air vents. If you, or someone in your home, causes damage, we expect you to repair it or, to arrange and pay for it to be done. We will always do emergency work to make your home and family safe, but we will charge for this if you have caused the problem. Our charges include administration costs.

B. Reporting a repair

For all repairs we will give details of the work we have ordered, the date by which it should be completed, and the name of the contractor. If it is an emergency, we will also give you this information over the phone. For emergency repairs, the contractor will phone you to say when someone will come. For routine repairs, they will agree a specific day – and can usually give you an AM or PM appointment.

To carry out the repair we will need your co-operation. You may need to make certain arrangements and prepare for our contractor’s visits. Repair operatives should not be left alone in your home or with only children present (under 16). If you leave the home the repair operative may have to leave the property too. You should not leave your key hidden somewhere, or with someone else, for a repair operative to pick up and let themselves into your home. You are expected to allow repair operatives to get on with their work by keeping children and pets out of their way, and by clearing furniture from where they are working. If furniture or carpets need to be moved, you should get this done before repair operatives arrive. They may be willing to help but cannot be held responsible for any damage caused in the process.

Do let us know if a repair is not completed within the time allowed or if you are not satisfied with the work done or the service provided. We will investigate all complaints (see Section 5a) to ensure that work is carried out to a good standard without delay.

C. Timescales

When you report a repair to us we assess the nature of the problem and the circumstances, and then allocate it to one of the following categories:

Emergency – within 24 hours. This is for when there is real danger to life or limb, major damage to the property, flooding or the home is insecure. Work may only be done to make the situation safe, with other work to follow.
Routine – repair completed within 14 days. When the repair does not cause immediate inconvenience or pose any danger to occupants or members of the public.

Some non-urgent repairs are held back to be included in our on going planned maintenance programme.
Some repairs will need to be inspected before repair work can be ordered. An officer will call at your home, or you can ask for an appointment for a specific date.

D. Standards

All repairs will be carried out by contractors approved by the Co-op. Each repair operative must carry identification and a works order. Always check their identification and ask to see the works order, it will give the name of the contractor. If you are in any doubt about someone who has come to your home to do a repair, contact the office. Our contractor’s operatives will deal with you in a professional way. You can expect them to:

introduce themselves and show you identification before entering your home
explain what they are going to do and discuss how this will affect you
take reasonable care of your home
make sure materials and tools do not cause danger to you or your visitors
clear up rubbish and leave the area tidy at the end of each working day
re-connect essential services at the end of each day and when the repair is completed

Repair operatives are not allowed to:

smoke in your home
use your power supply without your consent.

If a repair is not completed within the time allowed or, if you are not satisfied with the work that has been done or the service provided, please let us know.
From time to time, we carry out regular quality control visits to make sure that our contractors are working to high standards.

E. Improvements

We are committed to an on-going programme of improvements to our homes and we have plans in place to carry out major repairs and improvements. We will discuss with you, well ahead of time, any work we plan to do in your home.

You may carry out improvements to your home provided you have our permission in writing. If we don’t give permission we will tell you our reasons. You should discuss your plans with us first and you must not start work before getting permission. We have the right to insist that the work is done to a certain standard, and to inspect it at certain stages.
If you have removed any fixtures or fittings without permission these must be put back the way they were and in the same condition. If you have made alterations which were not carried out properly or were done without permission, we may make you change them back or bring them up to the correct standard. You will have to pay for the cost of doing this.

You can put up your own fittings as long as you do not damage or alter the property. This includes putting up shelves or hooks. If you want to make other alterations, you must first ask our permission. We will expect you to put back any fittings you have removed, or restore the property to its
original condition when you leave. You are responsible for internal decoration.

F. Gardens

If you have a garden, you are responsible for:

keeping it tidy and free of rubbish
trimming or lopping any shrubs, hedges or trees to make
sure they do not become a nuisance to neighbours
maintaining any paths other than the main paths to your front and back doors

You may carry out any reasonable landscaping and planting as you wish. However, you must contact us before cutting down a tree. You also need our permission before carrying out certain major tasks, including building a garage or shed.
You must not do major car repairs in parking areas, on your driveway, or on the roadside. You must not park a large commercial vehicle, caravan, boat, trailer or mobile home in any communal parking areas.