Repairs responsibilities

Understand what to expect from our repairs service – response times, responsibilities, and how we’ll help.

We’re here to make sure your home is safe, comfortable and well looked after. When you report a repair, we’ll do our best to get it sorted quickly, professionally and with care.  Here’s what we promise:  

  • We’ll deliver great customer service every step of the way.
  • We’ll aim to fix things within the agreed time and get it right first time wherever we can.
  • If you or someone in your household has extra support needs, we’ll make reasonable adjustments to help. (Please make sure you tell us about these needs when booking your repair).
  • We’ll keep your home in good condition so you can live safely.
  • We’ll listen to your feedback and use it to improve.
  • We’ll meet the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.
  • We’ll make sure our repairs service offers good value for money. 

What we'll do for you

  • Arrive on time for your appointment
  • Let you know what work we’ll be doing before we start
  • Show you ID when we arrive
  • Only enter when a responsible adult is present (unless urgent safety concern)
  • Work in a clean and tidy way, treating your home with care.
  • Complete repairs to a good standard with quality materials.
  • Put things back where we found them, when possible.
  • Keep you informed, making sure we confirm when the work is done, explain if more is needed and arrange any follow‑up appointments needed.
  • Manage specialist contractors to ensure they meet our service standards
  • Always follow our Code of Conduct

What we ask of you

  • Report repairs through the correct channels
  • Be home at the agreed time and allow us access
  • Make sure a responsible adult is present during the appointment
  • Provide a clean, safe, smoke‑free space (move pets if needed)  
  • Clear the repair area (move personal items/furniture, reinstate after work)   
  • Keep your home clean and decorated to a reasonable standard
  • Keep gardens, outdoor spaces, sheds and boundaries tidy and safe   
  • Take care of repairs that are your responsibility (See list below)
  • Ask us before removing/changing fixtures or fittings in your home
  • Arrange your own home contents insurance

Repairs customers are responsible for

·       Replacement of lost/damaged keys and fobs

·       Replacement of locks caused by lost keys (unless crime/domestic abuse with reference number)

·       Provision of additional keys

·       Bolts, catches, security chains, spy holes, draft excluders, letter boxes

·       Metal gates to front doors

·       Doorbells, batteries and bulbs (not communal/entry phones)

·       Burglar alarms (unless provided by One Manchester)

·       House numbers, finger plates, door chains, name plates, knockers, stoppers

·       Garage keys, bolts, padlocks, locks (including forced entry)

·       Garden shed/greenhouse locks, keys, bolts, padlocks

·       Wardrobe and airing cupboard doors

·       Internal door adjustments after carpet/flooring fitting

·       Internal door handles

·       External glazing in doors/windows including board ups (unless crime with reference number)

·       Curtain rails, tracks, battens, coat hooks

·       Floor coverings not fitted by One Manchester

·       Removal/reinstatement of floor coverings before/after work (carpets, laminate)

·       Clearing rooms, lofts, cupboards before repair works

·       Plastering small cracks/holes/shrinkage (new builds)

·       All internal decorations

·       Shelving and picture rails

·       Decorative paving, patios, hard landscaping fitted at previous tenancy

·       Boxing of internal pipework

·       Toilet seats, chains, pulls, handles

·       Bathroom cabinets, towel rails, toilet roll holders, ancillary fittings

·       Plugs and chains for sink, bath, basin

·       Blockages to waste pipes (if reasonable steps taken first)

·       Existing shower curtains and rails

·       Shower head

·       Kitchen unit handles, knobs, edging, catches, child locks

·       Tightening screws in cupboards/doors

·       Alteration of kitchen units to fit appliances

·       Provision/installation of cookers and cooker connection (must be qualified tradesperson)

·       Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes (excluding communal lighting)

·       Resetting trip switches and circuit breakers

·       Fitting additional sockets/power sources

·       Electrical safety checks after alterations/faulty appliances

·       Telephone points, TV sockets, aerials, dishes (including removal for repairs)

·       Batteries in thermostats

·       Resetting heating controls

·       Your own white goods

·       Washing machine connection/plumbing

·       Tumble dryer installation/vents

·       Bleeding radiators

·       Refixing radiators after decoration

·       Renewing fire fronts if painted/damaged

·       Maintenance of gardens/landscaped areas for exclusive use

·       Garden timber sheds/greenhouses (unless noted in tenancy)

·       Washing lines and posts (except communal)

·       Tidy dries, washing line posts, rotary driers

·       Water butts

·       Car ports (unless dangerous)

  • Rubbish clearance

  • Any items accepted under a signed disclaimer at the start of your tenancy

  • Maintenance of any fixtures, fittings, appliances (including gas appliances) not fitted by One Manchester

We generally expect our customers to:

  • Be responsible for any repair that was caused due to damage, inaction or neglect

  • Keep the inside of their home clean and in good condition, including internal decoration

  • Obtain our written permission before carrying out any alteration or improvement to their home

  • Keep gardens and communal areas clean and tidy. This includes maintaining grass, plants and tree branches within the property boundaries.

  • Avoid doing anything which may result in blockages to pipes and drains (e.g. disposing of fat, oil, sanitary products, nappies etc. down toilets or in sinks)

  • Use fixtures and fittings for the purpose for which they were intended (e.g. not use worktops as chopping boards)

  • Make changes necessary to resolve instances of condensation, such as opening windows regularly, not drying washing on radiators or leaving extractor fans switched off. Where condensation is the likely cause of reported dampness, we will advise customers of the action they need to take to deal with the problem and prevent further incidences in the first instance.

Customer holidng a rubbish bag at a clean up

Feedback, complaints and quality checks

We want to know how we’re doing. Your feedback helps us improve.

Our feedback process

  • We’ll ask for your views on the service you receive.
  • If you’re unhappy, you can make a complaint through our Complaints Policy.
  • We’ll use complaints to learn and fix recurring issues.
  • We’ll also carry out spot checks on a sample of repairs to make sure they meet our standards.
Colleagues walking from OM van

Making changes to your home

We understand that you may want to make your home feel more like your own. You’re welcome to make improvements or alterations to your home, we just ask that you get our written permission first and check whether you need any planning or building control approvals.

We’ll always try to be fair when you ask for permission. If we can’t agree to the work, we’ll explain why in writing. If we do give the go-ahead, we may ask that:

  • The work is done by a qualified tradesperson
  • It meets a certain standard
  • Other reasonable conditions are followed

Once the work is finished, we may visit to check everything’s been completed as agreed.

If you decide to move out later on, we might ask you to return the property to how it was before the changes were made. Any approved work must be completed to a good standard by someone who’s qualified and competent. For gas or electrical work, we’ll need to see the right safety certificates.

Please note, we’re not responsible for any damage caused by improvements or alterations - whether or not we gave permission. You’ll also need to look after, maintain, or replace any changes you’ve made.

If we find any unauthorised alterations at the end of your tenancy, we may need to charge you for putting things right.

Fixed wall and floor coverings, aerials and satellite dishes

We recommend avoiding fixed floor coverings like tiles, hardwood or laminate. That’s because they can be difficult to remove if we need to carry out essential repairs and they may get damaged in the process.

If you do choose to install fixed wall or floor coverings, you’ll be responsible for:

  • Making sure they meet noise insulation requirements
  • Having the right contents insurance
  • Removing them if we need access for essential work

If you move out and we need to remove these coverings, we may charge you for the cost of doing so.

We’re also not responsible for any satellite dishes or aerials - whether they were already there or you’ve installed them yourself. This includes any repairs, replacements, or temporary removal to allow for repair work.

Rechargeable repairs

We ask all customers to help keep their homes in good condition. That includes taking care of small repairs and avoiding anything that might cause damage, like blocked drains or broken fittings.

If damage happens because of something you’ve done (or not done), we may ask you to:

  • Carry out the repair yourself
  • Arrange for a qualified contractor to do it
  • Or repay the cost of the work in advance

This will be done in line with our Recharge Policy. If you arrange the repair yourself, we may need to inspect the work once it’s done, depending on the type of repair.

If someone misuses the emergency repairs service by exaggerating the urgency, we may charge for the cost of the emergency call-out.

We take criminal damage seriously. If there’s evidence of deliberate damage to one of our properties, we may report it to the police and take legal action where appropriate. We’ll also seek compensation to cover the cost of repairs.

Any charges will usually be based on the National Housing Federation Schedule of Rates, plus an admin fee. We may also charge for call-outs or legal costs if needed.

Reasonable adjustments

If you or someone in your household has additional needs, we’re here to help. We’ll look at each situation individually and offer reasonable adjustments where needed, for example, prioritising your repair or offering flexible appointment times.

If you’d like to talk to us about any support, you or your family may need, please get in touch. We’ll work with you to make sure our repairs service works for you. Read our Reasonable Adjustments Policy.