Accessing your home to identify what repairs are needed is crucial and can save lives.
We will always try and arrange a time when it is suitable for you to let us in. However sometimes we might need access in an emergency to undertake an urgent repair and to prevent damage to your home or your neighbours’ homes. As a caring social landlord, we aim to work with you if you need extra support.
This page explains our access policy and how and when we may need to gain entry to your home in an emergency. If you refuse to give us, or contractors employed by the council, access to your property to carry out legally required improvements, safety checks, and repairs, an escalation process will be followed to enter your home.
Our obligations
By law we must check all our gas appliances and pipe work for leaks that could cause an explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning. We also have a legal responsibility to ensure the home you live in is in a good state of repair and we will need access to meet this obligation.
As a landlord we would always attempt to contact you before carrying out repair works but we have a right to enter your home in an emergency.
Whether it's Haringey operatives or contractors working on our behalf, everyone follows the same code of conduct to ensure safety checks and repairs are completed professionally.
All council operatives and contractors will be wearing branded clothing and/or carrying their corporate identity cards for added security.
Your responsibility to grant us access to your home
You must make sure that either you or another responsible adult is present at the appointed time to allow us to enter your home to complete the repair or deal with a health and safety issue.
Responding to emergencies
Our priority is your safety and that of neighbouring residents. In an emergency we’ll need access to your home and if you fail to let us in after we have given you notice, we may need to force entry. We will not force entry without ensuring we have made all reasonable attempts to contact you or a next of kin.
If you refuse us entry, the council may also ask the court for an injunction. If there are damages caused or repairs needed due to not being able to enter your home, you may be charged.
When we will we need access to your home
We’ll need access to your home to:
- undertake safety checks such as fire, gas or electrical safety
- inspect structural damage
- carry out servicing or an emergency repair which if not completed could cause damage or injury to property or other residents
- investigate a breach of tenancy or a strong smell of gas
- respond to suspicions of violent or criminal activities
If you refuse to give us access, we may apply for a possession order of the property as this is against the tenancy terms and conditions.
Going to be away from home for a period of time?
If you are going to be away from home for example on holiday or for planned hospital treatment do let your Housing Officer know so if there is an emergency, they are aware.