Repair Obligations in Housing Association and Higham Hill Local Authority Homes: Occupants or Landlords?
If you reside in social Housing, your rights and duties as an occupant most likely differ from if you lived in private rented Housing.
One grey area which occupants tend to lack knowledge in is who spends for home repair work and upkeep in social Housing, especially if the damage is not the renter’s fault.
Do the repair responsibilities in housing association and regional authority houses are up to the tenant or the proprietor? The response is – it depends.
Sometimes it is clear cut that the occupant is responsible for a repair, and in some cases it’s apparent that the property owner should pay up, however what takes place when it isn’t so black and white? Or, what takes place if a housing association overlooks their repair obligations and leaves their occupant living in disrepair?
This guide means to assist you establish if your social Housing property owner is trying to shirk their duty and what to do about it if they are.
If you live in social or council Housing and your proprietor is refusing to make necessary repairs, we can help.
Repair work and Maintenance in Social Housing
What is a Housing Association Repairs and Maintenance Policy on Health and Safety Standards?
There are certain health and safety standards which apply to leased houses. By law, your house must be safe and healthy to reside in when your tenancy begins and this should continue throughout the occupancy.
From the starting to the end of your occupancy, your housing association has commitments to fix and maintain security of:.
The gas supply and gas home appliances they supply.
Electrical wiring and electrical devices they provide.
Condensation, wet and mould are likewise typical problems that you may discover. You must report problems with this to your property manager instantly.
Every proprietor, whether they are a local authority or a housing association, has responsibilities to repair damp and mould, as well as to identify the cause of the issue.
After you’ve reported the issue, an inspection and repairs they are responsible for need to be carried out. For example, if the condensation has happened due to a failing to supply adequate ventilation on their part, it’s their task to fix the ventilation concern.
Moist and mould can present a serious danger to health, triggering respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis, particularly in children. This is why it is necessary that you report it to your property owner, which they arrange it out as rapidly as possible.
Everyone should have a safe house. Are functions of your home unsafe, and has your social Housing property manager stopped working to make the needed repairs? To discover more about your housing association responsibilities to tenants, get in touch.
What Are my Housing Association Repair Obligations and Requirements?
As a tenant you do have a particular quantity of obligation to keep where you live tidy, safe and tidy, your local authority or housing association likewise has a lot of repair work and maintenance commitments.
Social Housing proprietors are responsible for a lot of repair work in your home, including any damage or disrepair affecting:.
the structure/exterior of the building i.e. the roof, walls, windows and external doors.
main heating, gas fires, fireplaces, flues, ventilation and chimneys.
water supply, pipes, sinks, toilets and baths.
external drains pipes and guttering.
gas pipelines, electrical circuitry and any home appliances supplied i.e. if a washing machine is offered the proprietor is most likely responsible if it breaks.
common areas like lifts and entrances.
If you live in a house of several profession or an HMO, your proprietor has much more obligations for fire and general security, water system and drainage, gas and electrical energy and garbage disposal.
These must be detailed in your tenancy contract, which our Housing disrepair lawyers can assist you understand if you feel like you have the right to claim versus your property owner or social housing association.
We can send out somebody over to examine the damage to your home if you live in social Housing to help us examine if you can make a claim.
Contact us.
Higham Hill Housing Association Tenant Responsibilities and Repair Obligations.
As a housing association renter, you have a series of repair and maintenance responsibilities, mainly for features inside your residential or commercial property.
If you or somebody visiting your home inadvertently or intentionally triggers damage, you’ll be the one accountable for fixing it.
If something takes place and repair work is needed then you ought to inform your property owner as soon as possible.
They might consent to carry out property repair work and maintenance themselves and then recharge the cost to you, or they might agree to you repairing it.
By law, in every tenancy contract it will state that you need to admit for repair: your property manager or their agent can access your home as long as they give you a minimum of twenty-four hours notice.
In an emergency situation, for example if a pipeline has burst, and they can’t contact you then they hold the right to get in the home without your consent.
You are accountable for utilizing your home in a “tenant-like” method, which normally implies:.
Carrying out small repair work yourself i.e. changing merges and light bulbs.
Keeping your house fairly tidy.
Not triggering damage to the property – consisting of visitors.
Utilizing any fixtures and fittings appropriately, for example, not blocking a toilet by flushing something unsuitable down it.
It is very essential to note that at no point during the occupancy do you deserve to stop paying or refuse to pay lease.
Even if your proprietor has stopped working to carry out repair work, you need to continue to pay lease up until completion of the tenancy.
If you think you ought to not have to pay the total, you can form a grievance with the property manager in which you can specify your reasons.