Black Country Housing Group provides a maintenance and improvement service for all tenants. The work is divided into the following sections:
- Reactive Repairs
(day to day maintenance) - Cyclical Programme
(external and internal painting) - Planned Maintenance
(programme work and routine servicing) - Energy Efficiency Advice
When it comes to home maintenance, Black Country Housing Group is responsible for:
- The structure and exterior of your home
- Internal fixtures and fittings, water, drainage, gas and electrical systems
- External paving and fences where these are owned by us
You are responsible for some general repairs and maintenance to your home.
Tenants of shared ownership properties have different responsibilities. These are explained in your Tenancy Agreement and your Tenants Charter (pdf). The Charter is also available in large print (pdf).
Reactive Repairs (link to Repairs)
We will carry out day to day maintenance to your home as needed. To report a repair, click here.
Cyclical Programme
Where maintenance can be planned we try to arrange for it to be done on a group of homes at the same time. This will include external painting, repairs to doors and windows, inspection and testing of appliances that we supply, re-wiring, re-roofing and other major works. If your home contains gas appliances (central heating, boilers, gas fires etc.) we will service these annually and provide you with a copy of the gas safety certificate. This servicing is required by law and we must carry it out.
Planned maintenance and improvement programmes
We plan for the replacement of major items in your home such as kitchen units and central heating systems. These are carried out to a programme where a number of properties are completed at the same time. We will always tell you well in advance when work is planned and give you an opportunity to comment on the proposals. You will be able to see plans and samples of materials and fittings and, in some cases, have a choice of colours, layouts etc.
Energy Efficiency Advice
Using your central heating is the best way of keeping your home warm and comfortable and reducing the risk of condensation. If used properly it can be very cost-effective. All new tenants will receive a visit from our Energy Advice Officer who will contact you in the first few weeks after moving in. You will be shown how to set the heating system to suit you and be offered advice on how to get the most warmth from your budget. For more information on how to be energy efficient, visit Energyextra.