Both you and Onchan District Commissioners are responsible for looking after your home. We are responsible for most of the repairs but you are responsible for the general upkeep and for decorating the inside of your home. You must take care of your home and report any repairs or faults immediately.
Repairs tenants are responsible for
- Anything that belongs to you
- Decorating the inside of your home
- Glass & glazing, i.e. replacing broken window catches and stays due to tenant neglect
- Reglazing of windows and doors
- Washing machine, tumble dryers, dishwashers - plumbing & fittings
- The door bell, letter box & door number/nameplate
- Replacing light bulbs/fluorescent tubes in your home including bulbs on gas/electric fires
- Repairing or renewing gas and electric cookers
- Fixtures and fittings such as curtain rails and coat hooks
- Clearance of blockages in drains, waste pipes and toilets caused by lack of care (e.g. fat, cotton wool etc.)
- Sweeping chimneys and removing chimney obstructions due to tenant neglect
- Replacing grate bottoms within 12 months of renewal
- Repairing or Replacing bath and sink plugs, chains and flushing handles
- Repairing tap washers
- Renewing ball tap washers
- Internal door fittings (including adjusting doors for carpet fitting)
- Outdoor sheds and fitting clothes posts and lines
- Replacing locks and lost keys
- Cost of gaining access if you lose keys
- Replacing toilet seats and flushing handles
- Repairing / renewing gate catches and exterior door locks
- Care and maintenance of smoke detectors
- Minor repairs to kitchen cupboards and drawers
- Repairing or renewing draining boards due to tenants neglect
- Minor repairs to floor tiles and tiled fire surrounds
- Repairing or renewing fire grates
- Repairing or renewing all night burners and electric fire elements
- Renewing blown main fuses unless caused by a circuit fault
- Supply or renewal of wheelie bins
- Removal of all household rubbish on vacating the property
- Repair and renewal of any other part of the premises or fittings thereon damaged by the tenant or caused by his neglect
- The cost of removing unsightly/unroadworthy/unlicensed vehicles
- Keeping the property in good condition internally
If, for special reasons, you are unable to carry out any of these tasks, for example, if you are elderly or have a disability, please discuss this with us by calling Telephone: (01624) 675564. We may be able to suggest special arrangements.
What Repairs are the Commissioners responsible for?
The Commissioners are responsible for maintaining the structure and exterior of your home, its main services, and the communal areas in blocks of flats.
For example we will repair:
- Window frames and external doors
- Plumbing
- Heating systems including annual service and safety check
- Kitchen units
- Internal walls (plastering)
- Floors
- Roofs
- Installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity, sanitation
and - Communal equipment, including lifts, heating plant and lighting of communal areas.
Can you be charged for any repairs you are responsible for?
Yes, if you (or your family or visitors) damage or neglect your home, we will charge you for the cost of repairs. If there is evidence that the damage has been caused deliberately, you must pay for the cost of the repair before we can place an order for the work and we may take legal action.
How soon will my repair be done?
This depends on the type of repair reported. There are various types of repair and different timescales for the work to be carried out. We have five different categories raning from 'ermergencies', where there is a danger to life, to 'non-urgent' work. This information is detailed below.
Emergencies: where a vital service has broken down and is likely to cause risk to you, your family or neighbours, your home or your belongings. This will be made safe within 24 hours.
Examples may include:
- Total loss of water supply
- Major water leak (which is causing a flood)
- Toilet blockage or toilet not flushing (where there is no alternative toilet)
- Blocked flue to a boiler or open fire
and - Total loss of electric power
Urgent repairs: are those that can wait without causing major inconvenience. These will be done no later than 7 calendar days after they are reported.
Examples may include:
- Blocked sink, bath or basin
- Toilet blockage where there is another in the dwelling
- Broken sanitary fittings when they can no longer be used
- Overflows and taps continually running and
- Extractor fan in kitchen or bathroom not working
Routine repairs: are those that can wait without causing inconvenience to the tenant. These will be done within 1 calendar month.
Examples may include:
- heating replacements
- leaking gutters
- roof leaks to garages or outbuildings
- window and roof repairs (where they are not leaking)
- fences and gates
- boundary walls
Deferred works: occasionally some repairs may be delayed for a period of time, this may be because we:
- are aiming to get better value for money by putting together a number of the same type of jobs (for example, fencing repairs)
- are limited by our repairs budgets for that year and need to delay the non urgent repair for a given time period
- are unable to undertake certain jobs in some seasons (such as tree lopping and repairs to concrete paths)
Annual maintenance: all gas and electric appliances, mechanical and electrical equipment provided by us are serviced each year.
Planned maintenance: certain works are done on a rota basis so that a group of properties can all have the same work done at the same time. In planning work this way, we are able to save money and be more efficient. This means that works falling into this category will take longer than the timescales mentioned above.
Examples of planned works are: external decoration and repairs and internal decoration to communal areas.
Please see the page on maintenance for more information on how to care for your home.
Who carries out your repairs?
In most cases, we use outside contractors.
Alterations and maintenance
Alterations (including improvements) require permission from Onchan District Commissioners before being carried out. Telephone: (01624) 675564 to seek advice.
Reporting a repair
You can report your repair:
- In person;
- Over the phone; or
- In writing.
When you report your repair always give the following information:-
- your name and address;
- the room and position of the repair;
- a description of the repair;
- when we can get in to do the work, dates and times;
- your telephone number.
Please give us as much detail as possible.
We also operate an out-of-hours service to allow you to report emergency repairs when the offices are closed. To report an emergency repair out of office hours, Telephone: (07624) 493314.