Repair Responsibilities

What is Solon responsible for?

• Solon will make sure that your home is in a good state of repair when you move in.  We will give you a leaflet about this.
• We carry out day-to-day repairs to the structure of the property.  This includes walls, roofs, windows and repairs to plumbing, heating and electrical services.
• If your home has a shared or communal area, Solon is responsible for looking after this (e.g. decoration, lighting, fire alarms, communal doors etc.)
• We paint external timber regularly as part of the maintenance cycle for all our properties.
• We have a programme of major projects such as replacement of kitchens and bathroom to meet standards set by the government.

What are you responsible for?

• Appliances owned by you (e.g. cooker, fridge, washing machine, shed etc.)
• Fixtures that have been fitted by you (e.g. shelves, curtain rails, hooks, toilet roll holders etc)
• Fixtures left by a previous resident that are non-standard or were given to you.  We will discuss these with you before you sign the tenancy agreement.
• Internal decorations.  These must be kept in reasonable condition.  When decorating, you must carry out normal preparation such as filling minor cracks in walls, ceilings or doors.
• Broken windows unless the cause is an attempted break-in or vandalism and the incident has been report to the police. (You will need to give us the police incident number and full details)
• Blocked sinks and hand basins where the blockage is caused by inappropriate use or lack of normal cleaning.
• Replacement of sink plugs and chains and toilet seats.
• Replacement of consumable items (e.g. light bulbs, batteries for doorbell, smoke detector etc)
• Lost keys
• The repair of any damage caused by you, another member of your household or your visitors
• Upkeep of your garden, unless this is done as part of a service charge
• The bleeding of air from central heating radiators.  We can send you instructions to tell you how to do this.

Why might I get charged?

Solon will only charge you for any repair or replacement costs that result from:

• misuse, carelessness or neglect by you, a member of your household or your visitors
• a faulty appliance (e.g. damage from a leaking washing machine)
• contractor visits if you are not at home at the time you agreed.

What if I can't carry out the repairs I'm expected to do?

If you cannot carry out a repair for which you are responsible, then you need to employ a suitably qualified contractor to do the work.

Alternatively, you can contact Solon's maintenance department, and we can arrange for the repair to be carried out by our own approved contractor.  You will be responsible for paying for the full cost of the repair plus an administration fee.  Please contact us on 0117 916 7777 for more details.