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Home / Information For Residents / Repairs and Maintenance

Repairs and Maintenance

Ascham Homes maintains your home with our repairs partner Kier Building Maintenance, on behalf of your landlord the London Borough of Waltham Forest. We are responsible for maintaining many parts of your home and your estate or block. We have to maintain the structure and outside of all buildings, including the drains and gutters.
 
If you are a tenant we also have to maintain:
  • fittings for gas, electricity, and water (except where these have been installed by you to serve your own appliances, such as a washing machine)
  • basins, sinks, baths and toilets, and
  • heating and hot water facilities (this also applies to leaseholder properties if these are part of a shared system)
 
We are not responsible for repairs when the damage is:
  • caused by you or someone who lives in or visits your home
  • caused by something you have installed
  • to items you provided yourself, or
  • not reported to us
 
We will only carry out those repairs that landlords must carry out by law. Please help us to help you by allowing our staff into your home to complete repairs. If you do not allow us into your home, we may take legal action against you for breaking your tenancy agreement.
 
If we carry out a repair that you are responsible for, or you have caused, for example if you lose your front door key and we have to force entry, or cause damage to your home, we may charge you for the cost of the job before we start it, including an administration charge.  You may be able to reclaim the cost of a rechargeable repair through your contents insurance.  It's up to you to check your policy details to see if you are covered for accidental damage.
 
Once you have applied to buy your property under the Right to Buy scheme, we will only carry out repairs as defined by Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. These include repairs to the structure and outside of the premises. It also covers repairs needed to the heating, water supply and toilet systems.
 
In the chart below we explain in more detail which repairs we are responsible for and which you will need to do yourself.
 
 
Item needing repair
Repairs we will do
Repairs you will need to do yourself
Notes
Fences
 
*
Except on shared areas or if identified as part of our general improvement package
Fire grates and surrounds
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Floorboards
*
 
Not leasehold properties

Garages
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Glazing
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Handbasins
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Hot-water cylinder jackets
 
*
 
Locks (inside)
 
*
 
Locks (outside)
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Immersion heaters
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Light fittings (not light bulbs)
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Loss of keys
 
*
 
Shared outbuildings
*
 
 
Painting (outside)
*
 
 
Painting (inside)
 
*
 
Paths
*
 
If these provide access to the front entrance of the property.
Plastering
 
*
Unless it is damaged as a result of damage to the structure, or outside, or a leak from a fitting that we are responsible for repairing.
Plumbing repairs and leaks
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Porches
*
 
 
Relighting pilot lights
 
*
Except where you could not reasonably be expected to carry this out.
Roof tiles
*
 
 
Sanitary fixtures and fittings
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Sink units
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Skirting boards
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Stairs
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Switches and sockets
*
 
Not leasehold properties
Toilet seats
 
*
 
Ascham aerials and sockets (shared)
*
 
For leasehold properties only if it is a shared system.
Individual washing lines
 
*
 
Shared washing lines
*
 
 
Window frame
*
 
 
 
 

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