On this page:
SNG’s repairs responsibilities
If you have an assured, secure or fixed term tenancy, in general we’re responsible for repairing and maintaining the structure of your home, any communal areas and the fittings we’ve provided.
External
The structure and exterior of your home. This includes:
- Roofs, chimneys, chimney stacks, flues (but not the sweeping of non-functioning/ decommissioned chimney stacks flues or previously used decorative openings)
- Walls at the boundary of the property (but not dividing walls)
- window frames and windows (unless you’re a leaseholder, where you will need to refer to your lease agreement)
- Entry and exit doors and doorframes
- Drains, gutters.
- Steps and other means of accessing and leaving the property.
Internal
- Internal walls (except minor internal plasterwork repairs), floors, skirting boards and ceilings
- Kitchen and bathroom fixtures – basins, sinks, toilets, baths and showers.
- The installations for the water, gas and electricity supply to your home]
- The maintenance of heating equipment and water heating equipment.
Communal
Maintaining and decorating any communal areas around your home, including:
- Common halls and stairways
- Lifts
- Parking areas
- Rubbish chutes
- Painting the outside of your home at regular intervals
If you’re a leaseholder or shared owner, our leaseholder responsibilities page tells you more about your responsibilities and ours. You should also check your lease agreement for more information.
Residents’ repairs responsibilities
As a resident in an SNG-managed home, in general you're responsible for taking care of it.
This means making sure your home is properly ventilated, to prevent condensation and mould and keeping any communal areas clear and free of rubbish – this is really important, as it’s your escape route if there’s a fire.
You are also responsible for doing some repairs, putting right accidental or deliberate damage to your home and other things like the following (but check your tenancy or lease agreement for more specific information).
General
- Keeping the inside of your home tidy and in reasonable condition, including internal redecorating when necessary
- Bleeding radiators (check out our video guides page or ask for advice if you're not sure what to do)
- Taking steps to prevent your water pipes from freezing in the winter, especially if you'll be away for more than a couple of days
- Minor repairs such as small plaster cracks, door handles, locks, hinges and letterboxes
- Replacing light bulbs, including fluorescent tubes and starters, electrical plugs, fuses and batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
- Repairing any damage that you, a member of your household or a visitor caused
- Repairing and maintaining your own fixtures, fittings, equipment and appliances - or those we have gifted to you
- Providing and maintaining floor coverings, except in bathrooms and kitchens
- Adding extra security - for example, fitting mortice locks
- Providing or replacing doorbells
Kitchens and bathrooms
- Minor repairs such as to wall and floor tiles, toilet seats, bath panels, basin and bath plugs and chains, shower screens / curtains, grout and sealant, shower heads and hoses
- Clearing blocked sinks, toilets, baths and drains where the blockage is in the property or was caused by your own misuse or lack of care
- Fitting waste and supply pipes or repairing any plumbing for washing machines, dishwashers and vents for tumble driers (except where we've fitted the items)
- Looking after any fittings or appliances, such as cookers or washing machines, that you’ve put in yourself.
- Kitchen cupboard doors and cabinets, drawer fronts and runners, including minor repairs – we may recharge you the cost of fully replacing these, depending on the cause of any damage.
Doors and windows
- Replacing broken window glazing, except where we were responsible for the breakage or you have a police crime number.
- Internal doors and cupboards including handles and glazing, including minor repairs - we may recharge you the cost of fully replacing these, depending on the cause of any damage.
- Replacing door and window keys and outside door locks if you’ve lost your keys, snapped them off in the lock, locked yourself out, had your keys stolen or fitted extra locks yourself.
Garden and outside
- Maintaining gardens, including keeping your boundary fencing in good repair
- Maintaining and repairing external taps
- Maintaining and repairing any garden shed, greenhouses or timber outhouses
Our maintenance guides and videos also have useful information and advice for some of these DIY jobs.
Reporting repairs and issues
As well as carrying out any small DIY repairs above, it’s really important you let us know quickly if there are any jobs that are our responsibility that need doing.
You need to:
- Report any defects, faults or damage (to anything listed above) to us immediately, particularly anything that might injure someone or damage property.
- Report burglary or vandalism of your home to the police, make a crime report and get a crime reference number. Then report a repair
if anything we need to repair has been damaged.
Important: You’ll need to arrange your own home contents insurance for any of your belongings which you keep in your home. Our insurance only covers the structure of the building, such as the roof, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors, along with permanent fixtures (fitted by us) - such as bathrooms, kitchens, guttering, service pipes and cables.