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Repair responsibilities and rechargeable repairs

Updated: 5 January 2024

Which repairs are my responsibility?

We will carry out the majority of any repairs caused by fair wear and tear to your home. However, the day-to-day upkeep of your home is your responsibility.

Your tenancy agreement outlines some of the tasks we expect you to take responsibility for. Generally, these are small maintenance and repairs jobs you should be able to carry out to keep your home in good working order.

  • Keeping the property clean, in good condition and well decorated.
  • Carrying out small repairs.
  • Maintaining and keeping gardens tidy and free from overgrown trees and rubbish.
  • Treating their property with respect and care avoiding wilful damage and neglect (allowing a property to go into disrepair). 
  • Keeping the inside of their home clean and decorated to a reasonable standard.
  • Maintaining their garden to a reasonable standard, including pruning shrubs, plants, maintaining trees and cutting grass.
  • Reporting repairs quickly to prevent on-going damage to their home. 
  • Repairing any damage caused deliberately or carelessly by them or anyone who lives with or who is visiting them.
  • Arranging and paying for a locksmith to gain access to the property if they lose their keys, including cutting additional keys.
  • Ensuring their home is left in a good condition when they move out.
  • Maintaining their own appliances and white goods, and ensuring they are safely installed and maintained. 
  • Arranging for the treatment of any pest infestations (such as rats, mice, wasps, lice, silverfish, cockroaches etc.) within individual dwellings – *in certain circumstances Torus may arrange and pay for this service – enquire accordingly.
  • Allowing us access to their home so that repairs can be undertaken within the appropriate timescales, including access at short notice for emergency repairs. Meeting the cost of repairs that are listed as their responsibility.

Specific tenant related maintenance responsibilities include:

  • Replacing plugs and chains to sinks and baths (not including integrated plugs).
  • Unblocking sinks, drains and toilets that have been blocked through misuse.
  • Replacing Shower Head’s and Hoses.
  • Replacing shower curtains. 
  • Installing or replacing curtain rails, pelmets, and blinds. 
  • Replacing broken toilet seats.
  • Filling minor cracks and holes before redecoration.
  • Adapting or adjusting doors to accommodate carpets or floor covering (aside from Fire Doors).
  • Repairs to their own improvements/alterations.
  • Items the tenant, their family or visitors have damaged.
  • Replacing lamps and fluorescent tubes (unless fixed behind a screw).
  • Installing TV aerials (unless you live in a block of flats).
  • Connecting and disconnecting washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers.
  • Connecting electrical cookers.
  • Lock changes and replacing keys/fobs due to loss of keys etc.
  • General Pest control treatment – fleas, mice, rats, cockroaches, wasps, bees, birds, squirrels etc. (*in certain circumstances Torus may arrange and pay for this service – enquire accordingly).

Tenants are also responsible for maintaining and repairing parts of the outside of the property including:

  • Their own equipment, such as TV aerials (unless communal system), satellite dishes and telephones and their cabling and supply
  • Repairs to sheds or storage containers – not attached to the property
  • Replacing washing lines in individual dwellings (Torus may replace in communal areas)
  • Repairs, improvements, or disposal of structures they have installed 
  • Maintenance and cleaning of gardens (including trees, plants, grass, and items within the gardens) – unless in a common area where an estates management service cost is applied.

Torus will not accept any liability for damages or responsibility for maintaining or replacing items installed by tenants (including, for instance, laminate/ceramic flooring or lighting that may become damaged in the course of reasonably undertaking a repair.


Rechargeable repairs

Any damage caused by forced entry made at the customer’s request (in an emergency, work may be done by Torus and recharged).

If you’d like us to carry out repairs that are your responsibility, this can be arranged. However, we will charge you for this, in line with our Rechargeable Repairs Policy

We ensure that all our homes have building insurance to protect them from major issues but it’s up to you to pay for your own home contents insurance and to insure your own personal belongings.

We will not cover the cost of replacing any personal items caused by water leaks or fire, or other general events, unless this is caused by Torus negligence.

Find out more about Customer Homes Contents Insurance

Allowing access for appointments!

If you report a repair to us and an appointment is booked for someone to attend you must be home and allow access for your appointment. We have thousands of appointments each year where our customer has not told us they will not be home at the time agreed for our visit. If you do not tell us you will not be home (without good reason) and we have a wasted visit, you may experience a further delay in having your general repair done as you will return to the back of the queue. Unless there is a genuine safety or vulnerability related to your repair you will not be re prioritised..

Not going to be in for your appointment? Let us know

It is very important that you let us know if your appointment isn’t convenient, and we will work with you to rebook for a time that suits you better. This can be done by contacting the Torus Customer Hub:

Your cooperation in allowing access is important and is a condition of your tenancy agreement. If you continue to fail to provide access, we may need to consider legal action to gain access. We don’t want to do this but sometimes are left with no choice, especially if there is a risk to you, our property, or other people.

We will do our best to work with you if there are special circumstances which may affect access to your home and provide support where appropriate.

Quick Links

Reporting repairs

The different ways you can report a repair.

Types of repairs

Find out about the different category of repairs.

Disrepair

Disrepair claims and protecting yourself from bogus callers.