tenants handbook

Section Nine

REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE

NEW CHARTER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

Your Tenancy Agreement tells you we will keep the outside of the property and its structure in good repair, including the following:

Drains, gutters and pipework
External fabric of buildings, including roofs, windows and doors
Internal structure including plasterwork, walls, ceilings and floors
Chimneys, chimney stacks and flues but not the sweeping of these
Garages and external stores
Principal pathways, steps and means of access
Boundary walls and fences
External painting

We will keep the installations in the property that provide water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and water heating in good repair and proper working order.

We will keep the common facilities, including hallways, staircases, passages, landings, lifts, doors, lights, handrails, balustrades and door entry systems in good repair.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Your Tenancy Agreement tells you all about your repair and maintenance obligations.

Reporting repairs

It is your responsibility to report any faults/damage to the property or common parts immediately. You can do this by phoning us free on 0800 027 0828, by visiting one of our shops or on line here.

Chargeable repairs

You will be required to pay for repair/replacement if damage is caused to the property and/or the fixtures or fittings deliberately or by your own neglect or the actions or neglect of people who live with or visit you (including children).

You may be required to pay for the costs of:

Reinstating any unauthorised or unsatisfactory alterations or improvements
carried out by you
Any electrical or other faults or fires caused by you
Any damage caused to the home as a result of the lawful execution of a warrant
by the Police and/or other authorised body
Any unnecessary call-out made by you to our Emergency Repair Service
Us gaining access to the home on your behalf as a result of lost or forgotten keys

Minor repairs

You are responsible for all minor non-structural repairs including, but not limited to:

Replacing plugs and chains to baths, sinks and wash basins
Minor plaster cracks to internal walls and ceilings
Refitting doors after laying of carpets
Releasing windows stuck after internal painting
Electrical plug tops and fuses

If you fail to do these repairs and we carry them out, you must pay our costs for doing these repairs.

We may do some minor repairs for you if you are elderly, frail or disabled. Please contact us if you want to know more about this.

Access

You must allow our workers or people sent by us into your home to inspect and carry out repairs and improvements. In emergencies, we will need access immediately and in such circumstances our officers, agents and workmen may enter the property with or without force and without notice.

We will only do this if we believe that entry is necessary because of an emergency which could cause personal injury or damage to the property or any property in the locality. If you do not let us in you could be putting yourselves and your neighbours at risk. We can take legal action to enter a property and you may have to pay the costs.

Other responsibilities

You are responsible for decorating inside your home and keeping it in good decorative order.

You are responsible for repairing and maintaining your own equipment such as cookers, TV aerials and washing machines and any improvements you have put in yourself.

Improvements/alterations

Some tenants have the right to make improvements/alterations to the property, such as the removal of internal walls, the installation of laminate flooring, replacing the kitchen units or bathroom suite, installing a shower etc.

Your copy of your Tenancy Agreement will tell you if you have this right. If you are not sure please contact us.

If you have this right, you must still get our agreement in writing before doing any work like this. We will not refuse permission unless there is a good reason. If we give you permission we will expect all work to be carried out to our satisfaction. If you want to know more or you want to apply for permission, please ask for a copy of our leaflet "Carrying out Improvements to your Home".

REPAIR RESPONSE TIMES

Our repairs and maintenance service has the following response times and priorities:

Priority 0 Emergency Repairs made safe within four hours
Priority 1 Urgent Repairs completed within five working days
Priority 2 Routine Repairs completed within twenty working
days

EMERGENCY REPAIRS

The Emergency Repairs Service operates outside office hours as follows:

Monday- Thursday: after 6.00pm at night through to 8.00am the next morning
Friday: after 6.00pm through to midnight
Saturday: 24 hours
Sunday: 24 hours

This service only covers genuine emergency repairs (some examples are given below). Misuse of this service will result in tenants being charged for the call out and any administration charges.

Attendance out of hours is to make safe only. However, if we attend and can complete the repair quickly we will do so. Repairs that are made safe will be completed the following day.

Possible emergencies include:

Burst pipe
No water supply
Blocked foul drain (possible charge)
Blocked WC (only one in house) (possible charge)
Insecure door, windows or locks
Water Leak/Burst
External Door/Window Insecure
Broken Window/External Door (possible charge)
Roof Leaking(water penetration)
Tiles Slipped/Loose or Hanging
Dangerous Brickwork
No Heating at All
No Electrics
Emergency Lighting
No Lights in Kitchen, Bathroom or Stairwell could be considered to be an emergency:

We take your own individual circumstances into account in deciding what an emergency is.

PLANNED MAINTENANCE

In addition to responding to your requests for repairs, we have a programme of Planned Maintenance, which reduces the demand for responsive maintenance. Tenants are involved in the development and approval of these programmes. See section 7 of this handbook if you want to know more about getting involved.

In addition to responsive and planned maintenance, we will continue to improve the facilities and amenities available in your homes through investment schemes.

GAS EMERGENCIES

If you smell gas in your home, follow these six steps:

Put out any naked flames i.e. cigarettes
Do not light matches and do not switch lights and sockets on or off - sparks
from these can ignite gas
Turn off the gas supply at the main handle located on the pipe connected to the meter
Switch off any working gas appliances
Open your windows and doors to let gas disperse
Ring New Charter on 0800 027 0828
Ring Transco 0800 111 999

CARBON MONOXIDE

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be caused by faulty gas appliances. There are no obvious signs of carbon monoxide poisoning although symptoms may include tiredness, drowsiness, headaches and chest pains.

To reduce this risk we regularly check and maintain gas appliances we have installed to ensure high safety standards. To prevent any further risk from carbon monoxide poisoning, follow these instructions:

Never use a gas appliance if you think it is not working properly. Signs to look
out for include yellow or orange flames, soot or stains around the appliance
and pilot lights, which frequently blow out
Never cover an appliance or block the vents
Never block or cover outside flues

If you have any doubts about the safety of your gas appliances, please contact us without delay.

GAS SERVICING

We have a legal responsibility under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to ensure that gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants use are safe. It is therefore important that we service all our gas appliances each year and to do this we need your co-operation.

If we cannot gain access to your home to service these appliances we will leave calling cards asking you to contact us to make a mutually convenient appointment. Should you fail to respond we will enforce the terms of your Tenancy Agreement that require you to give us access. If you still fail to allow us access we will commence legal proceedings the costs of which we will recover from the tenant.

If you believe the appliances in your home have NOT been serviced in the last year, please contact us without delay.

ELECTRICITY

To prevent accidents:

Use good quality plugs and ensure they are correctly wired. The colour code
for plug wiring is: Live – Red or brown Neutral – Black or blue Earth – Green
or yellow/green
Use the correct fuse for each appliance
Unplug appliances when not in use
Do not trail wires under carpets
Keep appliances and flex away from water

All modern houses are fitted with Consumer Control Units (what used to be called a fuse box), usually fitted close to the electricity meter. Instead of fuses, your control unit is fitted with MCB's (Miniature Circuit Breakers) and ELCB's (Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers).

MCB's are similar to fuses but easier to operate. ELCB's are new devices designed to protect you against faulty equipment and electrical shocks.

What to do when the power has gone off

Situation 1

You have just plugged in an appliance and all the power has gone off:

Unplug appliance
Reset MCB and ELCB (turn all switches on)
Power should come on again
Have your appliance checked by an electrician

If the power does not come on again, go straight to situation 2.

Situation 2

Your power has gone off but you don't know why:

Switch everything off (plugs, lights, cooker, water heater)
Reset ELCB (and MCB) if required
Switch lights on one at a time
Switch plugs on one at a time

If the power does not come on again ring our repairs service on 0800 027 0828.

CONDENSATION

Signs

Damp patches with mould growth on cold surfaces such as inside or outside walls or around windows. Mould appears on clothes and furniture and there is a musty smell. The signs will be worse in cold weather.

Causes

Too much moisture inside your home. When moisture in the air meets a cold surface like a window or a wall, it condenses (turns into water). If this happens regularly, mould will start to grow.

Cut down on the amount of water produced

Dry clothes out of doors when possible
Do not allow kettles and pans to boil away unnecessarily
Keep kitchen and bathroom doors closed when cooking, washing, etc, to
stop steam spreading through your home
Do not used bottled gas and paraffin heaters - every pint of fuel they burn
produces one pint of water

Increase ventilation in your home

Keep your home well ventilated to allow moist air to escape and fresh air to be
sucked in. You should be able to ventilate your home without making draughts
Open your windows a little, especially if they are misted up
Use extractor fans if you have them. Make sure wall and window vents are always open
Allow space for the air to circulate in and around your furniture. Open doors to
ventilate cupboards and wardrobes

Keep your home warm

Do not let your home get too cold. You must find the right balance between
allowing fresh air in and keeping the home warm enough
Think about fitting some insulation such as draught excluders around the
windows and doors. These don't cost much but are effective.

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Further information, and/or help and advice in case of difficulty in using the
system, including problems, can be obtained by sending an email to the following
address. Please give as much information as possible.


Email: contact@newcharter.co.uk