Broadsword Park MOD handbook

You can email us at gloucesteroffice@sovereign.org.uk

You can also call us on 01452 397640

In an emergency, out of hours, please call 0300 5000 926 and let the contact centre know your property is a Ministry of Defence (MOD) home. MOD properties follow a different repair process, and identifying them correctly ensures the right team is dispatched.

Please give your name, address, phone number and a description of the fault.

It’s really helpful if you can identify that you are reporting a repair from an MOD property.  If you can also send us a photo or video this will make sure we send you the right help, the first time.

Yes, if a contractor is called out to complete an emergency repair which is not justified then you are liable to be charged for the costs involved. You may also be charged if you are not at home when the emergency out of hours contractor arrives.

These are repairs which have an immediate consequence for your health, safety, or security, or to prevent serious damage to the property. If the repair is complicated, it will be made safe until a permanent repair can be organised. We will attend within 24 hours to make safe, usually within a few hours.

Emergency repairs include:

• Total loss of electric power or light
• Gas escapes
• Loss of central heating in cold weather with no alternative form of heating                
• Blockage of your only toilet
• Blocked drains
• Uncontrolled water leaks
• Severe roof leaks

These are repairs that cause serious discomfort to you or will lead to serious damage. These repairs will be completed within 5 working days.

Urgent repairs include:

• Partial loss of electrical power or light
• Unsafe power, lighting or electrical socket
• Failure of cooker
• Partial loss of water or gas supply
• Loss or partial loss of central heating or water heating
• Leaking drains or soil stack
• Toilet blocked or not flushing
• Tap which cannot be turned off
• Controlled leak from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern

Routine repairs are less urgent and can wait for a short time before being completed. They will be completed within 20 working days from the date of order.

Routine repairs include:

• Minor problems with sanitary ware
• Doors or windows sticking
• Plaster repairs
• Brickwork and other non-urgent internal or external repairs

No, SNG will contact them on your behalf.

• The contractors will contact you to make a convenient appointment and will inform you if they are unable to keep it, likewise, you are expected to advise the contractor if you might miss the appointment.
• They should show identification if requested 
• They should be polite and be careful not to damage your property
• They will ask before using electricity, the toilet, or telephone
• They will clear up before leaving

It's your responsibility to arrange a locksmith. There are no spare keys kept by SNG or DIO for your home.

In the first instance, it is your responsibility, and you should try to plunge the blocked sink/toilet or use a chemical to try and unblock it.

Sink and drain unblocker products are available from most supermarkets and will resolve most domestic blockages. If this does not work, please contact us and we will arrange for a specialist contractor to attend. This work may be rechargeable to you.

SNG are responsible for keeping your home in good repair, which includes:

• Maintenance of the interior and exterior
• Electrics, gas and water pipes
• Boilers, water, passivent, fitted fires and radiators
• Boundary walls, fences, steps, paths, and garages
• Appointments for annual safety checks such as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and a Landlord Gas Safety check 

Your responsibilities include:

• To contact SNG with details of any repairs needed
• Supplying and fitting domestic fuses and light bulbs
• To help prevent damage to the property from fire, frost or burst pipes 
• To look after the fixtures and fittings and report any damage 
• Lost or broken keys and locking yourself out of the property
• Routine testing and cleaning of smoke alarms
• Provide our contractors access to complete the repairs for you
• To keep the garden in a good condition including any front garden

Within 14 days of moving in you are required to complete a 14 day observation form.

Anything identified on this form and mutually agreed will not be recharged to you when you leave.

If you want to make changes you will need to complete an encroachment form and have it approved by DIO before any changes can be made. Any changes not approved will result in a recharge when you leave to rectify the changes.

You will need to complete an Encroachment form .

You can contact Pinnacle for more information .

We do not want cold calling due to security, so our contractors will phone you and book a convenient time for any repairs that you need.

Aqua care cannot book appointments, but we have said when they are in the area (once a year) to let us know, so that we can send you advance warning.

We will inform you if there are any services that cannot pre book so you will have advance notice.

It is your responsibility to arrange and pay for the electricity supplied. The meter box is located on the wall to the side of your garage wall.

It is your responsibility to arrange and pay for gas to be supplied. The gas meter is fitted in an external meter box, located on the side of the garage wall.

A Landlords Gas Safety Certificate is either in your home manual, or has been sent to you by email on the day you moved in.

Your home is centrally heated using a wall mounted gas-fired balanced flue boiler located in the kitchen.

All radiators have thermostatically controlled radiator valves which can control the heat output of each radiator individually. This means you can control the temperature of each room individually.

The hot water is provided from a cylinder in the airing cupboard which can be either heated by the gas boiler or by an electric immersion heater.

Wessex water are responsible for the water supply and drains.

For your safety, there are mains operated smoke alarms that have been fitted, each one has a battery back up in case of mains power failure.

Please ensure that they are kept clean by using a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust and debris.

Every six months test they work by pressing the test button which will set the alarm off briefly.

The gas boiler in your home will have been serviced just before you move in. Approximately 10 months after you move in, SNG will be in contact with you via a letter, with an appointment date and time.

If you cannot make this appointment you can rearrange it using the phone number given in the letter. If you miss this appointment, DIO will assist us in making contact with you and a new appointment will be re arranged.

3 failed appointments will result in your gas being capped until the safety inspection can take place and you will incur a charge.

Yes, each year we carry out Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and we will be in contact to make appointments with you to test the following:

• Cooker
• Cooker hood
• Electric fire – if applicable

As your home was built after asbestos was stopped in construction, there is no asbestos in your home.

No because the licence with the MOD does not cover you for this space. A loft light is only provided for contractors who may need to access your loft.

The first-floor windows have been fitted with restrictors which means they only open at 50mm for safety, especially important for keeping young children safe.

If you need to open them wider for cleaning or ventilation the restrictor can be released by unclipping the clip at the bottom of the window but must be re-engaged when you have completed any cleaning.

Ants, silverfish and mice can be dealt with yourselves in the first instance but if the problem is too big let us know.

Rats, Bees and wasp nests - please contact us so we can get a professional contractor out to you as soon as possible.

Please contact Pinnacle for more information on your return, exchange or order.

This is SNG’s responsibility and includes weekly checks for the play area, tennis court and open spaces. There is a grounds maintenance contract in place for communal areas maintaining the grassed areas, shrubs, trees, hedges and including litter picking.

Somerset County Council (SCC) look after the public roads, footpaths, cycle paths and street lighting. If any repairs are needed you can contact SNG and we will contact SCC.

You are strongly advised to take out home contents insurance to cover your own personal belongings.

SNG has insured the structure of the building, fixtures and fittings provided.

The DIO have provided these links to help with insurance:

• Pinnacle service families
• Military Families Providers/info

Your home is fitted with a Passivent extraction system.  The main part of the unit is in your loft space.

Vents in your kitchen, utility room, bathroom and cloakroom are linked to this unit via pipes.  The passivent system is always on, feeding fresh air into spaces that might need ventilation.  The systems are low energy which means low carbon footprint and low costs relating to running them. They work by replacing moisture laden air or smelly air with fresh air, dispersing the stale air through natural ventilation points in your home, for example doors and windows.

You should be able to just about hear them so if you cannot hear or feel anything, you might need a check carried out to ensure its working efficiently.  

You have one fitted as these houses are built on a flight path from Yeovilton and the passivent is designed to cut down on sound pollution whilst having clean air, and without taking the heat from your home.

They can be cleaned by vacuuming out dust and dirt.

No this should not be tampered with as it is necessary to keep your home well vented and aerated.

The water in this area is hard so it is a water scale inhibitor. It is replaced annually and our contractors will be in touch with you to make an appointment when it is due for replacement.

You would need prior approval from DIO. Please contact DIO using the encroachment request form . They will let us know if you have an agreed encroachment.

You would need prior approval from DIO. Please contact DIO using the request form . They will let us know if you have an agreed request.

As the collection day can change, it’s best to look it up on Somerset County Council website . 

Yeovil Hospital - it also has an emergency department.   

Please turn off the water at the stop cock located under the sink and another in the utility room. This means that should the pipes freeze and burst then your home will not be flooded.

We recommend you leave your heating on at 10 degrees to keep a low constant heat to prevent condensation forming in the fabric of the walls.

We have a wide range of debt and support advice to help you through the cost of living crisis.

The privacy and security of your personal information is extremely important to us.

You can read our privacy policy at www.sovereign.org.uk/privacy

It includes details about:

• what type of information we hold on you and how we use it
• your rights relating to the information we have
• how we keep your personal details safe

If you’d like a copy of our privacy policy sent to you by post, please ring our Customer Contact team on 0300 5000 926. You can also ask for the policy to be in another language or format (for example, large print) if needed.