Understanding repairs responsibilities in your housing co-operative

If MB Housing provides your co-operative with maintenance services, you can report them to us either online 24/7  or by email/telephone. Find out if MB Housing is responsible for your repairs service here.

Knowing who is responsible for repairs and maintenance in your co-operative helps you to report issues quickly, prevent problems from becoming more serious, and ensure that you get a great service from your co-operative landlord.

Living in a housing co-operative is different to renting from a traditional social or private landlord. Your co-operative is collectively responsible for managing its homes, and as a tenant-member you are able to have an active role in how your housing is run – particularly with regards to maintenance and repairs – by joining the committee.
What is your co-operative responsible for?

Your housing co-operative, as the landlord, is responsible for keeping the structure and essential parts of your property in good repair and ensuring that important health and safety requirements are met.

This includes areas such as:

  • the roof, walls, windows and external structure
  • plumbing, drainage and sanitation
  • heating and hot water systems
  • electrical installations
  • communal areas
  • fire safety equipment and measures

The exact responsibilities will depend on your co-operative’s tenancy agreement, repairs policy and management arrangements, so as a tenant-member you should always check if you are unsure.

Gas and Electrical Safety. Your co-operative must, by law, carry out an annual gas safety check in every property with a gas supply, and electrical testing every five years. You must, by law, allow entry to do this. If your home has a gas supply, you must not block off air vents.

What are tenant-members responsible for?

As a tenant-member, you have a responsibility to look after your home this includes:

  • keeping the property reasonably clean and well cared for
  • taking reasonable steps to prevent damage
  • reporting defects and repairs promptly
  • replacing items that are your responsibility
  • not carrying out unauthorised alterations
  • allowing reasonable access for inspections and repairs
  • taking care of fixtures and fittings that are your responsibility

  • replacing lost keys or changing locks if you are locked out
  • fitting doorbells
  • replacing bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starters
  • adjusting internal doors, eg for new carpets
  • resetting trip switches
  • replacing broken or cracked glass unless you report it to the Police and can give us a Crime Number (not an Incident Number)
  • clearing blockages in wastepipes or toilets
  • filling cracks or holes in plaster (unless very large)
  • replacing plugs and chains to baths and basins, replacement of toilet seats, toilet roll holders, shower hoses, and heads
  • replacing clothes lines or restringing rotary driers (unless communal)
  • putting up TV aerials (unless communal)
  • minor pest control
  • garden maintenance (unless communal)

As a tenant-member, you are also responsible for repairing damage caused by yourself, members of your household or visitors, as set out in your tenancy agreement.

Timescales

When you report a repair, the nature of the problem will be assessed and also the circumstances, it will then be allocated to one of the following categories:

  • prevalent damp and/or mould that is having a material impact on a tenant’s health
  • a serious leak or burst pipe that cannot be contained
  • an insecure external door, lock or ground-floor window
  • a total loss of electricity, water or gas supply
  • no heating between 1st November and 30th April
  • a blocked toilet where there is no other working toilet in the home
  • serious fire, flood or storm damage
  • a lift failure or loss of lighting in a communal area.

  • a toilet that will not flush where there is no other working toilet
  • a blocked sink, bath or basin that you have been unable to clear
  • taps that cannot be turned on
  • a running overflow or stopcock problem
  • a door-entry phone that is not working
  • a broken extractor fan in an internal kitchen or bathroom
  • an insecure window above ground-floor level.

Emergency – within 24 hours. This is when there is real danger to life or limb, major damage to the property, flooding or the home is insecure. Work may only be done to make the situation safe, any follow-on works will be attended to within repairs timescales.

Urgent – within 5 working days. These are repairs which are not classified as an emergency but which result in the loss of a basic facility or where further damage will occur if the problem is not dealt with.

Routine – within 25 working days. When the repair does not cause immediate inconvenience or pose any danger to occupants or members of the public.

Your co-operative will always treat damp and mould as a serious hazard in line with Awaab’s Law. If it poses an imminent and significant risk of harm to the health or safety of you or a member of your household, you must report it immediately.  Find out more about damp and mould hazards here.

Why reporting repairs quickly matters

A small problem can quickly become a major repair.

For example, a minor leak that is not reported could eventually cause damage to flooring, walls, ceilings or other parts of your property. Reporting problems early helps your co-operative, and its contractors, respond appropriately and can reduce unnecessary costs which could potentially have an impact on your rent in the future.

If you notice something that needs attention, report it as soon as possible rather than waiting for it to get worse.

Emergency repairs

Some repairs require an urgent response because they may present an immediate risk to people or the property.

Make sure you use your co-operative’s emergency reporting procedure if you believe there is an immediate danger or serious risk of damage. If MB Housing provides your co-operative with maintenance services, make sure you call us on 020 3924 2810 as soon as possible, do not report it online.

It is also important not to report routine repairs as emergencies simply to obtain a faster response. Emergency repairs services are there for situations where an immediate response is genuinely required.

Access for repairs

As a co-operative tenant-member, you have an important role to play by allowing reasonable access when repairs, inspections, servicing or safety checks are required.

Gas safety checks, electrical inspections, fire safety work and other statutory inspections are particularly important, and usually a health and safety requirement for your co-operative.

Missed appointments can delay essential work and potentially affect the safety of other tenant-members particularly if you live in a communal block.

If you cannot attend an appointment, contact your co-operative or MB Housing, where we provide this service, as soon as possible to rearrange it.

Always ask to see identification for any contractor that comes to your home.

Working together

Good repairs management depends on everyone playing their part.

Tenant-members should report problems promptly, look after their homes and provide access.

MB Housing as your managing agent (where we provide this service) will respond appropriately, arrange works, communicate clearly and monitor contractors on behalf of your co-operative.

Your co-operative will provide appropriate oversight, make decisions (where required), and ensure that your co-operative landlord’s responsibilities are being properly managed so that you can enjoy a safe, well-maintained home.

Your shared responsibility

Repairs are not simply a co-operative landlord issue or a tenant-member issue — they are part of the shared responsibility of maintaining a successful housing co-operative.

If you are unsure whether a repair is your responsibility or your co-operative’s responsibility, please check your tenancy agreement, contact your co-operative, or MB Housing.

If in doubt, report the problem. It is always better to raise a concern early so that it can be assessed and the appropriate action taken.