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REPAIRS RESPONSIBILITIES

Whose job is it?

It is important to you, and to Waterloo, that repairs are done quickly and to a high standard.

We aim to fix things the first time we visit; to the quality you expect and at the time we say we're going to call.

Some repairs are our responsibility, and some are yours.

Our Responsibility

We are responsible for keeping the structure of your home in good repair. For your safety and wellbeing, we are also responsible for maintaining power and water services to your home.

We are responsible for repairs to:

• Central heating systems, including radiators and flues
• Gas fittings, such as fires and boilers
• Electrical fittings, such as fires, showers, light sockets and switches
• Hard-wired smoke alarms
• Extractor fans
• Plumbing fittings, such as baths, cisterns and taps
• Plastering, where cracks are more than 5mm long
• Locks and keys because of theft or a break-in, and you have a crime number to give us
• Waste pipes, drains and overflows
• Roofs, chimneys and guttering
• Outside doors and walls
• Windows and frames
• Paths provided by us
• Garages
• All communal facilities, such as:
• shared entrances, halls and passageways
• shared gardens
• shared washing lines and posts

As well as day-to-day repairs, we carry out a programme of planned maintenance and improvements to groups of homes at a time. It includes fitting new kitchens, bathrooms and boilers, and re-painting outside doors. We will let you know in advance when we are going to carry out these works on your home.

Your Responsibility

You are responsible for the decoration inside your home, and for maintaining any fixtures and fittings you put in yourself.

You are responsible for repairing any damage caused deliberately or through neglect or misuse by you, your family or guests. You are also responsible for repairs caused by DIY work.

You are responsible for:

• Locks broken to get in when you've locked yourself out
• Coat hooks, curtain rails and battens
• Shower curtains and tracks
• Door handles
• Draught proofing on windows and doors
• Battery-operated doorbells
• Dividing fencing between homes
• Sheds and greenhouses
• Latches, bolts, catches and padlocks to gates and sheds
• Water butts
• Any item you've fitted yourself, including extra door bolts and locks.

You are also responsible for:

• Replacing lost keys and cutting extra keys
• Replacing plugs and chains to baths, basins and sinks
• Replacing toilet seats, towel rails and toilet roll holders
• Replacing tap washers
• Replacing the sealing around baths and basins
• Replacing kitchen shelves and catches
• Switching electrical fuse board trip switches back on
• Testing battery-operated smoke alarms
• Bleeding central heating radiators
• Replacing light bulbs, batteries, fluorescent tubes and starters
• Filling small cracks and holes in plasterwork inside
• Adjusting doors, for example, to fit better over new flooring
• Unblocking toilets, sinks and basins
• Connecting and plumbing in appliances such as cookers, washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers
• Cleaning drainage gullies
• Pest control of insects, birds and rodents (unless it affects a communal area which is our responsibility).

We are always happy to help residents who have genuine difficulties in getting jobs done. If you have a question about a repair, please ask us.