Who does what
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Kitchens, bathrooms and toilets
Our responsibility
- Loose or damaged kitchen worktop
- Loose kitchen sink unit, kitchen cupboards or drawers
- Loose, cracked or broken bathroom sink or shower basin
- Leaking tap
- Tap not turning off
- Water leaking between bath and wall
- Electric shower not working
- Shower heads and hoses for electrical showers
- Faulty toilet cistern, including flush handle
Your responsibility
- Blocked basin or sink/shower/bath waste
- Broken plug and/or chain, including missing ones
- Appliances
- Replacing toilet seats
-
Doors and windows
Our responsibility
- Stiff or sticking door
- Water leaking between door and frame
- Faulty door or window handle
- Faulty door lock mechanism
- Loose or dropped window
- Window broken by vandalism (you must have a crime reference number)
Your responsibility
- Replacing keys or locks, including if you cannot get in your home because you have lost your keys
- Adjusting doors to allow for new floor coverings
- Door bells
- Window glass broken by accident
-
Damp, mould and condensation
Your responsibility
Most issues are caused by the way people live – for example, cooking without using an extractor fan or not opening windows. For more information and advice see: Preventing condensation
You are responsible for damp and mould treatment. If you keep on having problems, we may visit your home to take a look.
-
Electrics and lighting
Our responsibility
- Mains-powered smoke detector or battery back-up detectors
- Loose electric socket
- Fuse box or consumer unit faults
- LED fittings in kitchens and bathrooms - if the LED bulb is an integral part of an enclosed light fitting Cottsway is responsible for its replacement. Please do not replace LED bulbs in sealed units yourself.
- Replacing lightbulbs, starters and motors in communal areas
Your responsibility
- Replacing lightbulbs, starters and motors (except in communal areas). If these fail, switch off the power, disconnect the bulb/fitting and replace with the same type of bulb/fitting.
- Appliances within the home
For street lighting see 'Outside your home.'
-
Heating, water and drainage
Heating and hot water
Our responsibility
- Storage heater not working
- Gas fire not working (if we cannot fix it and you have alternative heating we will remove the fire)
- Radiator not heating up
- Boiler faults
- No hot water
Water system
Our responsibility
- Leaking pipe
- Water tank leak or other fault
Drainage
Our responsibility
- Manhole cover loose or broken
Your responsibility
- Blocked gully or toilet waste, except where pipework is faulty
- Blocked wastes up to your utility provider's boundary
-
Floors, walls and ceilings
Our responsibility
- Loose skirting boards
- Loose floorboards
- Loose wall tiles
- Large repairs to plaster on walls and/or ceilings
- Loose handrail on stairs
- Loose stair or tread
Your responsibility
- Decorating, including after any repairs you or we carry out
- Small or hairline cracks in plaster on walls and/or ceilings
-
Outside your home
Please move any special plants, plant pots, garden furniture etc that may be in the way before we start work outside your home.
Roofs and guttering
Our responsibility
- Broken or loose chimney stack
- Loose or missing roof tiles
- Blocked gutter
- Loose plastic downpipe
Your responsibility
- TV aerials and satellite dishes, except communal services
Gardens and trees
Our responsibility
- Gate not opening or closing properly
- Fence repairs and replacements
- Loose or broken step
- Broken concrete path
- Communal gardens
Your responsibility
- Garden maintenance including trees
Communal areas
Our responsibility
- Faulty phone entry system
- Damaged paths
- Communal lighting faults
- Communal bin store maintenance
- Communal garden maintenance
Garages
Our responsibility
- Loose or faulty garage door
- Roof leaks
Your responsibility
- Replacing keys or locks
Bins and recycling
Our responsibility
- Communal bin areas
Council responsibility
- Providing and emptying your bins (the name of the council responsible is usually on your bin).
Roads, pavements and street lighting
Our responsibility
- Lighting and maintenance of Cottsway owned land eg our parking areas
Council responsibility
- Street lighting
- Public roads
- Public pavements and footpaths
You can report a highways issue such as potholes and broken street lights direct to your local council via:
-
Pests
Our responsibility
If there are pests in the communal areas of your building, contact us
Your responsibility
Pests inside your home are your responsibility. Your local council can give advice. They may also offer households on low incomes discounted treatment options.
West Oxfordshire District Council
01993 861000Cheltenham Borough Council
01242 262626Cotswold District Council
01285 623000Gloucester City Council
01452 396396Stroud District Council
01453 766 321Swindon Borough Council
0345 302 2316Tewksbury Borough Council
01684 295 010
If you are a shared owner or leaseholder, find out about your repair responsibilities:
