Repairs you must pay for

 Repairs you must pay for

 If you cause damage on purpose or by neglect, you will have to pay to put things right.

You don't have to pay for fair wear and tear, or if the damage was caused by a crime that you have reported to the police.

We may come to check the damage before deciding if you will have to pay for the repair or not, for example :

• broken door or door frame
• lost keys replacement lock
• new window glass, broken window frame
• broken kitchen unit, toilet, bath or basin
• broken electrical fittings

How would you pay?

If you have to pay for a repair, we will tell you how much it will cost before we do the work. We can make an agreement for you to pay in instalments. If you don't pay we can take legal action, and put you on our list of people barred from rehousing.

Can you refuse to have the repair done?

Only if there is no health and safety risk, and no further damage will be caused. You can also do the work yourself but we must be allowed to come and check that it's up to scratch.

Can people avoid paying by leaving home?

'No'. We track down tenants who leave their homes unfit for others to live in and, if necessary, will take legal action to ensure repairs are paid for. You would be unable to get another home until the bill was paid and you have shown that you won't act in the same way again.

We will not ask you to pay for a repair if:

• the damage has been caused by fair wear and tear or because of the age of the property or installation; or
• the damage has been caused by a crime like burglary - but the crime must have been reported to the police, and you must give us a police report number; or
• the damage happened because you were a victim of anti-social behaviour; or
• we had given you priority for a move to a new home because you were living in fear of violence or harassment; or
• the damage was caused by someone inflicting domestic violence.

There may be other circumstances where we decide that you don't have to pay.