Your Responsibilities

We are committed to providing an excellent maintenance and repairs service to make sure that homes are safe to live in and in good condition

We are responsible for some of the repairs to your home, but there are also repairs that are your responsibility.

We reserve the right to bill you for the cost of the repair if they are the result of neglect by you, or someone in your home.

You are not responsible for repairs to shared areas, but we ask that you report any necessary repairs you spot in these areas to us.

Click here to visit our Simple DIY tips to see if you can resolve a range of common repairs before you contact us.

Tenant responsibilities

In the Kitchen we will repair:

• Kitchen cupboards
• Sinks except waste pipe blockages. 
• Worktops.

You are responsible for:

• Kitchen sink’s waste pipe blockages. We reserve the right to bill you for the repair if you, a family member or another person in your home has caused the blockage.

Bathroom Repairs

• Bath repair and replacement.
• Wash hand basin repair and replacement. Accidental damage is your responsibility. We will only repair waste pipe blockages if you have made all reasonable attempts to unblock it. We reserve the right to bill you for the cost of the repair if the blockage is caused by neglect by you or another person in your home.
• Sanitary fixtures and fittings. We will replace toilet seats within our sheltered schemes only.
• Toilet repairs including blocked toilets.

You are responsible for:

• Waste pipe blockages – you must show that you have made all reasonable efforts to unblock waste pipes. This includes using a plunger or drain cleaning product.
• Bath plugs and chains.

Interiors and Decoration

• External decoration.
• Domestic appliances if they have been provided by us and if you pay a service charge for it.
• Carpentry.
• Internal doors including door frame and hinges
• Floorboards.
• Floor covering in the kitchen, WC and bathroom only.
• Light fittings except lamps, fluorescent tubes, bathroom sealed ceiling light lamps, starter motors and dimmer switches.
• Plastering and plasterboard except minor cracks. Minor cracks and making good are part of the internal decoration you are responsible for. We will only repair where the plaster repairs are extensive, and the plaster is at the end of its useful life.
• Skirting boards.
• Stairs.
• Windows.

You are responsible for:

• Internal decoration, but we will decorate after carrying out repairs where necessary.
• Domestic appliances if they belong to you or were gifted to you by Gateway or our suppliers.
• Fixtures and fitting such as coat hooks, curtains and curtain rails.
• Laminate flooring, except when the damage is caused by other repairs we have carried out. You must get our written permission before fitting laminate flooring in your home.
• If floor coverings you have purchased need to be removed then put back to allow for repairs, you must arrange and pay for them to be removed and refitted.

Electrical Repair

• Electrical wiring, sockets and switches. Before you request a repair, please check that the fuse of your appliance is working.
• Switches and sockets except dimmer switches.
• If you are experiencing issues with the heating system, hot water or electricity that you have credit in your meter.

Heating Repairs

We will repair:

• Central heating including storage heaters and fitted electric fires installed by us.
• We will remove gas fires and back boilers, where we will block the opening and ventilate as needed, but we are not responsible for repairs to fire grates and surrounds.
• Gas boilers and central heating systems.
• Immersion heaters.
• Relighting pilot light on gas boiler includes re-setting any heating controls or programmers.

Dealing with Pests

We will treat communal areas for pests, for example pigeons, rats or insects. We will also treat the surrounding flats if we need to.

Plumbing Repairs

We will repair:

• Plumbing repairs and leaks but we will not repair your own fittings or appliances.

Before reporting for leaks, double-check that your appliances are not causing the leak before reporting. If it becomes apparent that the appliance has caused the leak, we may bill you for the repair cost.

You are responsible for:

• Drains not including waste pipes. You must show that reasonable efforts have been made to unblock waste pipes.
• Hot water cylinder jackets.

Damp and Mould

If you are a tenant, we are responsible for resolving any damp or mould problems in your home. Click here to find out how to report damp and mould and what steps you can take to reduce it.

Repair outside the home

• External doors including the doorstep.
• Brickwork including garden walls
• Fences if they are on a boundary or to make safe. They will not be replaced as ‘like for like’ and may be chain link fencing.
• Garages but you must repair garage door locks, where you may need to arrange a private locksmith.
• Porches except broken glazing. Re-glazing will not be carried out unless there is a health and safety risk present. We will replace the glass but you must provide a crime reference number to avoid a recharge.
• External door furniture including bells, knockers, letter boxes, door number and door handles.
• Paths if they are unsafe or a trip hazard.

You are responsible for:

• Front door locks except communal locks. You must repair locking systems and may need to arrange a private locksmith.
• Keys – we will not replace locks or provide keys. We will not provide replacement keys for non-suited locks. You should arrange replacements.
• Locks – you should repair non-communal locks and may need to arrange for a locksmith.
• Garden maintenance – if you have sole use or it is shared but with no service charge for maintenance.
• Washing lines.
• TV aerials and sockets unless communal.

Roof Repairs

• Chimneys.
• Roofs and gutters.

Communal areas

We will repair:

• Communal and external entry doors.
• Communal gardens and grassed areas where you pay a service charge for landscaped areas.
• Communal glazing.
• Pests for example pigeons, rats, or insects.
• Lighting – communal or estate.
• Lifts.
• Damp and mould.