Decent homes

Improving your home

As your landlord, we must carry out major works to your home. This could include, for example, replacing your kitchen or bathroom or your central-heating boiler.

We also carry out major repairs to our buildings. This includes cyclical redecorations to the outside of your building and the shared areas. This is normally carried out every seven years.

External cyclical redecorations

We aim to:

  • redecorate external areas every seven years;
  • consult you where possible and before the work begins confirm any choices, for example, which tiles or flooring you prefer;
  • let you know the scope of works and the contractor’s details by letter before work begins;
  • ensure our contractors notify you of the start date and
  • ask you to fill in a satisfaction survey when the works are completed.

We ask that you:

  • clear the area where the work is taking place;
  • allow the contractor access to do the work;
  • are tolerant of any disruption that the works cause and
  • fill in the satisfaction survey within one week.

What are the standards a home must reach?

All homes must be:

Fit to live in - homes that fail this standard have a serious problem, for example, structurally unstable, health-threatening damp, no suitable toilet, bath or shower.

In reasonable state of repair - homes that fail this standard might have old roofs, electrics or windows and are not able to be repaired.

Reasonably modern - a home will fail this standard if three or more conditions from a specific list apply. For instance, if the kitchen or bathroom both lack modern facilities, kitchen 20 years old, bathroom 30 years old, and the kitchen also has an inadequate layout.

Warm and weatherproof - a home will fail this standard if it has insufficient heating or ineffective installations.

More information

Cyclical Work