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Repairs, Defects and Maintenance

Defects and repairs explained

When referring to maintenance and repair of your property, we use maintenance to mean work to maintain a building, for example a decoration programme. We use repair to mean putting right something that is faulty, for example fixing a broken light. Usually:

• If you live in a house you are totally responsible for repairs and maintenance to your home
• If you live in a flat we share responsibility for maintenance and repairs with you for the communal areas and external structure of the building but you are individually responsible for the internal area of your flat.

What is a defect? - All ‘new build’ properties are covered by an NHBC (or equivalent warranty). Under this agreement the contractor is liable to put right any defect or damage which is notified to them within the period of cover which lasts for 1-2 years from the date of the Insurance Certificate, depending on the contract.

The contractor is not liable for:

• Anything caused by alterations or extensions you have made to your home
• Wear and tear
• Deterioration caused by neglect or failure to carry out normal or specific maintenance
• Dampness, condensation or shrinkage caused by lifestyle issues i.e. not caused by a defect

We usually ask you to keep a note of less urgent defects for attention at the end of defects inspection, which usually takes place at the end of Year 1 . During this inspection the builder and our employers agent will inspect your home and make a note of any issues that need to be rectified. This is when more minor defects would usually be picked up for repair.

Occasionally other organisations will be responsible for repairs and maintenance. For example:

• The builder is responsible for some defects on new property for a period of either one or two years (depending on the contract)
• The buildings insurance policy may cover the cost of some repairs
• We provide NHBC or Zurich guarantees for all new properties we sell. The guarantee covers the main structure and is time limited, usually ten or twelve years form the date of construction.

Repairs that are Sentinel’s responsibility

With regard to blocks of flats we are usually responsible for repairs and maintenance to the structure and common parts of the building. Our responsibilities may include things such as roofs, shared pathways, communal door entry system etc.

If you live in a flat you are responsible for repairs to everything inside the flat - this includes all pipes and electrical wiring that serve just your flat. The lease for your flat will set out who is responsible for repairs in greater detail.

If you live in a house your lease will state that you are responsible for all repairs to the house. If your house is on a larger development or estate we may have responsibility for the repair and maintenance of communal facilities such as parking courts and bin store areas.

How to report repairs and defects to communal areas

Reporting Repairs

Call us to report a repair. We’ll check whether the repair is our responsibility. If it is our responsibility we will arrange for one of our contractors to carry out the repair. We will need your name and address, details of the repair and your contact telephone numbers.

If your repair is urgent or an emergency, it's better to phone in on 0800 195 5515 from a landline or 0300 666 5515 from your mobile to speak to a Customer Service Centre Advisor in person.

You can also log (non-urgent) repairs online at www.sentinelha.org.uk

Repairs that are your responsibility (Houses)

If you live in a house you are responsible for all repairs and maintenance to your home both internal and external and regardless of whether you just own a share of the property. You will need to arrange your own trades person to carry out repairs and maintenance that are your responsibility. When you arrange work we suggest that:

• You give clear instructions to your contractor and get them to give you a written quote
• Get two or more quotes for expensive work
• Use contractors that are recommended by friends and/or are recognised by an appropriate trade body
• For extensive work consider employing a surveyor to specify the work and to select and supervise the contractor

Preventative maintenance can save money. For example repainting windows usually works out cheaper than replacing windows that are rotting due to lack of regular maintenance.

Maintenance and responsibility for Communal Areas (Flats)

If you live in a flat we are responsible for communal repairs to the blocks together with any external communal areas and, as a flat owner, you are responsible for all internal areas of your property. The look-up table below is intended to be a quick guide to who is responsible for what but where there is any doubt please refer to your lease. 

If your property becomes infested you must treat this problem immediately. If the problem spreads to other flats and Sentinel has to carry out a treatment to the whole building you will be recharged the costs.

Improvements and Alterations to your Property

Sentinel will review your application and make a decision whether to grant permission based on the information you provide. Permission will not be unreasonably refused, but may be subject to certain conditions. We will only refuse permission if the work would cause us expense or give rise to complaints from other residents.

Depending on what work you want to do you may need to get planning permission and/or buildings regulations approval. The planning department of your local authority will be able to provide you with information on this. Please do not start work until you have got all the permissions and approval you need, otherwise you could end up having to reinstate the property to its original condition.

Please complete the application form for all requests for works to your property Application to carry out improvements

FAQ’s