Repairs to leasehold properties

Find out who's responsible for repairs to leasehold properties, and how to report a repair.

Responsibility for repairs

What you are responsible for

As the owner of the leasehold you are responsible for maintaining the inside of your flat. This includes:

• All fixtures and fittings (except for those that are part of a shared system, such as a door-entry phone)
• Ceilings
• Floors
• Doors (including the entrance door to your property and your shed door). If your front door opens on to a communal area, it must meet the FD30 standard to be fire resistant for 30 minutes. You can find out more in our  Fire Safety Advice for Leaseholders Information Sheet (PDF 348KB).
• Windows
• Plaster or other surface material on the walls and ceilings inside your flat
• The water tank (if it supplies water to your property only)
• Plumbing, electrical wiring, and gas connections (up to the meters) inside your flat
• Gas boilers (which should be serviced every year if you live in your own home and must be serviced every year if you rent your flat out). For more information, please see our  Gas Safety and Servicing Information Sheet (PDF 581KB).
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Heating systems that supply heat to your property only

What we are responsible for

We are responsible for repairs and maintaining the structure, outside and communal (shared) parts of the building. This includes:

• Outside walls
• Roof
• Loft space
  
• Rainwater and soil pipes
• Sewers and drains
• Lifts (this includes servicing)
• Shared fixtures and fittings - for example, door-entry systems and shared television aerials
• Cold-water storage tanks (which serve more than one flat)
• Gas, water and electricity pipes up to the point where your flat starts
• Decorating the outside of the property
• Decorating the shared areas
• Walls and fences forming the boundary of the building
• Balcony railings, surface and drainage
• Lighting the shared areas
• We will also maintain the areas outside the building such as paths, shared shed blocks, drying areas and bin stores

Please note: you will need to pay towards the costs of any repair and maintenance we carry out.

Reporting a repair

Online: Visit our Housing repair request page.
Phone: 0800 018 6050 between 8am and 5.15pm.

To report an emergency repair out of hours (between 5.15pm and 8am weekdays and all day weekends and bank holidays) please call 0800 018 6050.  Please do not report emergency repairs online.

Commercial property

If you're leasing a commercial property, or a flat above a shop, then the building is owned by our commercial property section (Estates).

To report your repair:
Phone: 01442 228000 and ask for “Building Services”. Please leave a message with the details if your call is not answered.
Email: es-buildserv@dacorum.gov.uk