Repairs and maintenance
The council provides a flexible, convenient and customer-oriented repairs service that gives priority to the safety, comfort and convenience of residents.
Emergency repairs
If you need an emergency repair at any time of the day or night, please call us straight away on 01895 556600.
Do not report an emergency repair online or by email.
What do emergency repairs include?
- Severe roof leaks
- Insecure windows, front doors and back doors
- Leaks that cannot be contained
- A blocked toilet and you only have 1 toilet
- Blocked or leaking drains or soil stack
- Complete loss of electrical power or lights
No heating in cold weather and there is no other form of heating available
Repair responsibilities
Your Tenancy Agreement states you have a duty to take reasonable care of your home. If you, a member of your household, or your visitors, cause damage to the property which is then repaired by the council, you may be liable to pay the costs of these works, plus an administration fee and VAT.
Repair responsibilities statement (PDF) [414KB] - this sets out the council's approach with regard to exceptions to repair responsibilities.
Where possible we will tell you if the repair is 'rechargeable' when you first report it to us and give you an estimated cost, which you will have to pay.
If the repair is required due to action by you, a member of your household or your visitors, and you do not tell us, but we find this out when the workman attends, you will still be charged for these works.
We have provided a comprehensive list of items below and identified who is responsible for doing repairs.
Please note: Hillingdon Council leaseholders have separate repairs and maintenance responsibilities in their properties and should refer to the Leaseholders factfile (PDF) [239KB] for details.
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Routine cleaning, e.g. windows, sanitary fittings, kitchen worktops, extractor fans and airbricks | Yes | No |
Internal decoration | Yes | No |
Wiping down condensation and mould | Yes | No |
Temporarily moving furniture and lifting floor coverings to allow other repairs to take place | Yes | No |
Garden maintenance if the garden is for your own use | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Complete or partial loss of power and/or lights | No | Yes |
Fuse box - re-set a tripped switch | Yes | No |
Fuse box - repairs | No | Yes |
Check/disconnect/reconnect electrics after a leak | No | Yes |
Plug sockets and electrical circuits | No | Yes |
Light sockets, switches and pull cords | No | Yes |
Changing light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and starter motors | Yes | No |
Smoke alarm - cleaning and weekly testing | Yes | No |
Smoke alarm - battery-powered alarm* | Yes | No |
Smoke alarm - mains-powered alarm | No | Yes |
Carbon monoxide alarm* | Yes | No |
Extractor fans | No | Yes |
Door entry phone | No | Yes |
Door bell battery | Yes | No |
Internal TV socket | Yes | No |
Electric cooker* | Yes | No |
Other domestic appliances, including cables and plugs | Yes | No |
Electricity meter | Yes | No |
For electricity meter faults, contact your electricity supplier.
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Gas leaks | Yes | No |
Gas installation repairs | No | Yes |
Total or partial loss of gas supply | No | Yes |
Annual service of gas installations and appliances | No | Yes |
Gas cookers | Yes | No |
Gas meter | Yes | No |
For gas leaks, call the national Gas Emergency number, 0800 111 999. For gas meter faults, contact your gas supplier.
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Total or partial loss of heating and/or hot water | No | Yes |
Radiators-bleeding air | Yes | No |
Radiators-repairs | No | Yes |
Storage heaters | No | Yes |
Heating controls - setting and using | Yes | No |
Heating controls - repairs | No | Yes |
Relighting pilot lights | Yes | No |
Immersion heaters | No | Yes |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Blocked toilet or waste pipe inside your home | Yes | No |
Blocked gully that only serves your home | Yes | No |
Blocked waste pipe stack or gully that is shared with another property | No | Yes |
Blocked drain | No | Yes |
Gully cover if it only serves your home | Yes | No |
Drain covers and communal gully covers | No | Yes |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Total or partial loss of water | No | Yes |
Leaking and burst pipes, any type of pipe | No | Yes |
Temporarily containing leaks and clearing up spilled water | Yes | YNo |
Stopcocks-turning off the mains stopcock if you are away for a long time | Yes | No |
Stopcocks-repairs | No | Yes |
Overflow constantly running | No | Yes |
Cold water storage tanks | No | Yes |
Cold water storage tanks | No | Yes |
Toilets | No | Yes |
Toilet seats | Yes | No |
Baths | No | Yes |
Bath panels | Yes | No |
Sinks and wash hand basins | Yes | No |
Showers - standalone (shower unit or cubicle) | Yes | No |
Showers - over a bath | Yes | No |
Showers - hose, handset, curtain and curtain rail | Yes | No |
Disabled shower doors | Yes | No |
Taps- sinks, baths and basins | Yes | No |
Taps - outside | Yes | No |
Plugs and chains in sinks, baths ad basins | Yes | No |
Washing machine and dishwater connections | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Adjust, make safe, repair and renew doors and frames | No | Yes |
Locks and latches | No | Yes |
Person locked in/out | No | Yes |
Communal entrance door fob | Yes | No |
Lost and additional keys and fobs | Yes | No |
Door handles and letterbox covers | No | Yes |
Other minor door fittings e.g. knockers and numbers | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Internal doors and ironmongery (handles, hinges etc.) | Yes | No |
Internal fire doors and ironmongery (handles, hinges etc.) | No | Yes |
Internal door - frames | No | Yes |
Internal door - architraves | Yes | No |
Adjusting doors after laying new lino, carpet etc. | Yes | No |
Sliding doors on built-in wardrobes provided by us | No | Yes |
Doors on outbuildings that are part of the dwelling | No | Yes |
Doors on other outbuildings and sheds in your garden | Yes | No |
Doors on storage and bin sheds in communal areas | No | Yes |
Garage doors | No | Yes |
Lost and additional keys (any type of door) | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Floorboards | No | Yes |
Stairs, banisters and rails | No | Yes |
Kitchen units and worktops* | No | Yes |
Skirting boards | Yes | No |
Window boards and internal window cills | Yes | No |
Bath panels | Yes | No |
Shelves, curtain rails, coat hooks and other personal items | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Fence bordering something that is not another garden, e.g. a road, alley, park or school | No | Yes |
Fences that divides two back gardens - first panel ('privacy panel') | No | Yes |
Fence that divides two back gardens - all except the first panel | Yes | No |
Fence that divides two front gardens | Yes | No |
Metal gates | No | Yes |
Wooden gates shared with other residents | No | Yes |
Wooden gates for your exclusive use - the wood in the gate | No | Yes |
Wooden gates for your exclusive use - hinges, latches, locks and other ironmongery | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Boarding up broken glass | No | Yes |
Reglazing due to an act of crime | No | Yes |
Reglazing for all other reasons | Yes | No |
Window cannot be opened/closed | No | Yes |
Window repair/adjustment | No | Yes |
Window ironmongery (hinges, handles, locks, restrictors etc.) | No | Yes |
Lost and additional keys | Yes | No |
Cleaning and lubricating catches, hinges etc. | Yes | No |
Window board and internal cill | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Ceiling bulging or collapsed | No | Yes |
Plaster repairs that are caused by normal thermal movement (e.g. filling hairline cracks) | Yes | No |
Floor tiles - minor repairs (up to 10 tiles or one square metre of sheet flooring) | Yes | No |
Floor tiles - larger repairs (more than 10 tiles or one square metre) | No | Yes |
Lino - bathroom, kitchen and hallway* | No | Yes |
Lino - other rooms | Yes | No |
Other floor coverings (carpets, laminate, block wood etc.) | Yes | No |
Lifting and replacing floor coverings to allow us to do another repair | Yes | No |
Wall tiles - minor repairs (up to 10 tiles) | Yes | No |
Wall tiles - larger repairs (more than 10 tiles) | No | Yes |
Wall vents and airbricks - keeping them unblocked | Yes | No |
Wall vents and airbricks - repairs | No | Yes |
Fireplace grates, tiles and flues | No | Yes |
Painting and wallpapering | Yes | No |
Coving | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Roof leaks | No | Yes |
Slipped, broken or missing tiles | No | Yes |
Fascia and soffit boards | No | Yes |
Gutters and downpipes - repairs and clearance | No | Yes |
Chimney repairs | No | Yes |
Chimney sweeping | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Paths that lead directly form the street to your front, side or back entrance door | No | Yes |
Any other path | Yes | No |
Patios, driveways and hardstandings | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
External brickwork to dwellings and boundary walls | No | Yes |
External rendering | No | Yes |
Outbuildings that are part of the dwelling | No | Yes |
All other garden outbuildings | Yes | No |
Storage and bin sheds in communal areas | No | Yes |
Keeping the damp proof course and airbricks free of obstruction | Yes | No |
Washing lines - communal | No | Yes |
Washing lines - not communal | Yes | No |
Item(s) | You | Us |
---|---|---|
Rats | No | Yes |
Mice | No | Yes |
Squirrels | No | Yes |
Cockroaches | No | Yes |
Wasps* | Yes | No |
Bees-mortar bees | No | Yes |
Bees - all other species | Yes | No |
Fleas | Yes | No |
Bedbugs | Yes | No |
Ants - pharaoh ants | No | Yes |
Ants - all other species | Yes | No |
Woodworm | No | Yes |
Other pests | Yes | No |