Leasehold repairs

We are responsible for maintaining the outside of your building, the structure and all communal areas. We are also responsible for maintaining the front and rear entrance doors of each flat, and the windows of each flat. If the outside condition of the property is faulty (such as a leaking roof) and this then affects the inside, the interior work is likely to be landlord’s responsibility in this instance.

You are responsible for maintaining the inside of your home. This means redecorating where necessary and carrying out any repairs to fixtures and fittings. You are also responsible for replacing anything such as kitchen units, boilers, bathroom fittings, plumbing and electrical wiring. You are advised to have a gas safety check every year. If a garden is included with the property, you must keep it in good order and condition.

Reporting a repair

You can report and manage your repairs with your Housing Online account or through the My Haringey Home app.

Day-to-day repairs

We are responsible for day-to-day repairs which include general repairs and maintenance to the structure, the outside and the communal areas of the building and your estate.

Every year we compile a list of the work that we have done to the building and the estate. We calculate your proportion of the total cost and include it in the actual charge which we send to you every September (this is different to the estimated charge for the following year, which we send you every March).

Should you wish, you can ask the Leasehold Services team for a list of the day-to-day repairs that we have charged you for in the last year. You do not have to pay for this. For a list of repair jobs for previous years, you will have to pay a fee of £25 for each year.

Major works and improvements

We carry out regular maintenance to all our estates but every building requires major works during its life. These types of works could include:

Exterior decorations

This work often involves joinery repairs, repointing around windows, replacing stone sills and painting outside woodwork, metalwork and so on.

Major repairs

These are large, one-off jobs such as the repairing or replacing of:

• roofs
• lifts
• doors
• controlled entry systems
• windows
• heating systems
• estate roads and paths
• refuse bin areas
• rainwater gutters and pipes

Improvement work

This is the provision of an amenity and/or structure where nothing similar existed before. Examples of this include the installation of a completely new controlled-entry system or the provision of a children’s play area.

Consultation

Haringey is committed to consulting with residents at all stages of a major works project. The Project Management team and the Leasehold Services team carry out consultation in various ways. Consultation will range from meetings on site, to meetings with contractors, to newsletters.

Haringey also has a legal duty to consult leaseholders. The Leasehold Services team carries this out. Under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002) we must consult you whenever we propose to carry out work that will cost you over £250.

For further information see the section on major works consultation.

Paying for major works

Your lease sets out your responsibility to pay towards the landlords’ costs of carrying out necessary repairs and also the formula we use to calculate these costs. We will provide you with an estimate in a notice before any work is commenced. The way we work out the estimate in the notice and the bill for the work is the same way as we work out all service charges. You will now receive your bill in advance to give you more time to pay.

We acknowledge that paying for major works bills can be a significant financial strain and we offer various payment options to help you to pay.

Major works search

To find out more about major housing works in your area, visit the major works page.

Alterations

You are responsible for maintaining and decorating the inside of your home, but not the outside or the structure. If you want to do anything which could affect the structure, such as removing any inside walls, or if you want to alter any aspect of the outside of your property, you must get our written permission. 

See our home alterations page for more information.