I'm a homeowner and I live in a house, what are my repair responsibilities?

As a homeowner, you're responsible for most of the repairs and maintenance to your home. But this depends on whether you live in a house, a maisonette or a flat. Your lease will tell you what your responsibilities are.

Our responsibilities

If you live on an estate which has shared areas not looked after by the local council, we may be responsible for carrying out repairs to these parts, such as:

• Communal garden walls and fences
• Roadways, paths and steps
• Outside lighting which does not belong to you (please note: we're not responsible for estate or street lighting provided by the council).

Your responsibilities

If you live in a house, you'll be responsible for all the repairs to the property, both inside and out, including:

• central heating
• water tanks
• all walls, floors and ceilings
• doors, door frames, door hinges and skirting boards
• all windows including window catches, the sash cords, locks and glass in windows
• chimney stacks and flues
• plasterwork
• decoration
• staircases
• banisters
• kitchen units
• air vents and extractor fans
• sinks, baths, toilets and showers
• electrical and plumbing systems
• fuses
• taps and washers
• light bulbs
• elements in electric fires
• Security fittings
• Any damage caused by you or your visitors.

This is not a full list, but as a homeowner you'll generally be responsible for all maintenance and repairs needed to your home. In certain special circumstances we may, however, carry out repairs for you and recharge you the cost of doing them.

Some repairs may be covered by your own contents insurance or buildings policy. These will usually be detailed in the policy documents.