Which repairs are covered
by the Council's Repair Service?
We are responsible for the outside of your
property, the main structure, and any fixtures or fittings that we have
provided inside your home. See
Our Responsibilities
below. Decoration to the outside of all Doncaster MBC properties and any
internal communal areas are carried out on a regular basis. Before such
work starts any related repairs will be carried out.
What repairs am I responsible
for?
You are responsible for taking care of
the inside of your property, keeping it decorated internally, and repairing
any damage caused by you, members of your household or any visitors. You
are also responsible for certain minor repairs. See
Your
Responsibilities and
HANDY HINTS.
Do I have to pay for any
repairs?
You must pay for any repairs that you
are responsible for but cannot do yourself. See Your
Responsibilities. If an essential repair is needed because
of damage caused by you or someone in your home, we may carry out the
work for you but will charge you for the work unless it is the result
of a break-in or vandalism. See What about vandalism or break-ins? We give you an estimate of how much we will charge before we
carry out chargeable work. You may decide to get someone else to do it.
Can I claim for damage?
You are responsible for internal decoration
and for your personal belongings, carpets, furniture, etc. You should
take out home contents insurance to cover for theft or damage. See MOVING
IN in your Tenants' Handbook. If the damage
is caused by our negligence you may be able to claim for the cost. Write
to us giving full details.
What about vandalism or
break-ins?
You will be charged for damage caused by
vandalism or break-ins, unless you report the incident to the Police and
provide us with a Crime Number (not an Incident Number). We will check with
the Police.
Are there regular safety
inspections for gas appliances?
Yes. We have a legal duty to check the
safety of any gas pipework or appliances in your home every year. This covers
central heating, water heating and fires. We must be allowed in to ensure
that these safety service checks are carried out. See
Joint
Responsibility for Safety.
Our
Responsibilities
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 but not those that are listed as your responsibility
or were specifically made your responsibility at the beginning of your
tenancy.
Our responsibilities also cover most pipes, wiring, fixtures and fittings
for heating, drainage, guttering, power and lighting, and smoke detectors
originally provided by us.
We maintain any open area we own around your home but not the private
part of your garden. We are also responsible for any outhouses originally
provided by us, and for the main paths that lead to the front or back
doors.
We are responsible for any communal areas or facilities.
Joint Responsibility for Safety
- We are responsible for carrying out an annual gas safety check in
every property with a gas supply.
- You should let us know if, for any reason, you have not had such
a check in the last 12 months.
- You must allow us entry to your home to carry out annual safety checks.
If you do not allow us in, you are in breach of your Tenancy Agreement.
If necessary, we will take court action to gain access.
- You must ensure that air vents do not become blocked, particularly
in any room where there is a gas appliance.
- You must only use solid fuel bought from an approved coal merchant.
Do not use Petrocoke.
Your Responsibilities
You have certain general responsibilities:
- telling us promptly when a repair is needed, and taking reasonable precautions to prevent further damage
- making arrangements for operatives to get on with their work, eg keeping children or pets out of their way
- moving or protecting furniture or carpets before work starts. Operatives may help but they do not have to and they accept no responsibility for any damage caused.
- taking responsibility for appliances you have installed unless we have agreed to do so
- repairing any damage caused by members of your household or any visitors to your home.
You are also responsible for certain minor tasks:
- fixing any loose items such as floorboards, skirting boards and hinges, handles etc on doors and windows
- carrying out internal decoration: repairing minor damage to plaster eg nail holes, small cracks, and resecuring loose wall tiles
- replacing lost keys, and gaining access and replacing locks if you get locked out
- repairing and replacing items on doors such as letterplates, pull handles, safety chains, bolts, latches and doorbells unless it is a communal door
- adjusting internal doors and replacing handles, doorstops, etc
- replacing light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starters, and lampholder skirts, pull cords and toggles
- resetting trip switches. See HANDY HINTS: Resetting a Trip Switch
- replacing plugs and chains on baths, basins and sinks
- replacing toilet pull chains and toilet seats and lids
- trying to clear blocked sinks, baths, basins or toilets
- replacing bath panels
- replacing broken or missing gulley grids if the gulley only serves your home
- clearing of leaves, litter etc from gulley traps
- replacing glass unless the damage was not your fault
- re-stringing rotary driers
- getting chimneys swept at least once a year (if used for solid fuel fires)
- replacing ashpans, firegrates and fire operating tools
- replacing gate catches, bolts etc unless it is a communal gate.
If you want to Buy your home
As soon as you buy your home our repairs service to you will be limited. Your home will be immediately taken out of any planned maintenance programme we have for your area and when you have agreed to the sale price we will only carry out emergency repairs.
You should also remember that as soon as you have completed the purchase you are responsible for all repairs and maintenance (except repairs to common areas if you live in a flat but you pay your share of this through service charges).
Your Enquiry | Our Responsibilities
| Joint Responsibility for Safety | Your Responsibilities | If you want to Buy your home
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RESPONSIBILITIES
