Your lease or freehold transfer will detail exactly what you are responsible for and what we are responsible for.
If you live in a house:
Usually, if you live in a house you are responsible for repairs and maintenance for the whole property both inside and outside.
If you live in a flat:
If you live in a flat you are usually responsible for all repairs and maintenance inside your home. We are usually responsible for looking after the outside structure of the building and communal areas like shared stairways, corridors, lifts, and communal doors. The cost of repairs and maintenance to the main structure and communal areas are charged back to you in accordance with your lease and through your service charge.
You may also be responsible for external areas such as gardens, fences, boundary structures, garages, and car parks.
Please check your lease or legal agreement to see exactly what you are responsible for.
Repairs to communal areas
If we are the freeholder or manager of your building or estate, we will keep the structure of the building and the common areas, such as halls, stairways, roads, paths, and gardens maintained and in good repair. We check these areas regularly but if you notice anything that needs repairing please let us know by reporting online.
In some areas, roads and paths are adopted by the local authority. Where this is the case, the local authority will be responsible for any repairs or maintenance to those areas.
Sometimes another managing agent company will also be involved in providing services on an estate. Please contact us if you need information on who is responsible.
New Homes
Each property has a number of checks carried out before it is handed over to our customers. While every effort has been made to make sure your home is free from problems, issues can occur. If these issues are the responsibility of the house builder, we will help you make sure a contractor corrects them during the rectification period.
The rectification period if an agreed period of time following a properties construction end date This may be different to the date you purchased your home. If the rectification period is less than three months at the point you purchase your property, LiveWest will ensure you benefit from at least three months of warranty coverage. We will make sure that you know the end date of this rectification period when you purchase your home.
When reporting any issues to LiveWest please provide us with as much information as possible. These details will help the contractor send out the correct tradesperson, and will help prevent any unnecessary delays.
Once the repair has been logged, the contractor will be asked to fix this within a set amount of time. You will be told the anticipated time period for this repair. The contractor should get in touch with you and make arrangements to carry out the work. You will need to give them access at a reasonable time.
Occasionally it can take longer than our predicted time period for the contractor to resolve the repair. This can be for a number of reasons, such as having to order a specialist part. If this is the case we will help you to get these items resolved by the contractor.
There may also be some repair items which will not be resolved straight away, for example, minor decorative items. Our Customer Service Centre should advise you about this when you contact us.
On completion of the rectification period, you will be responsible for your home and any future issues, although some items may be covered under your warranty provision. Your warranty provision cover is usually 10 years, however, you would need to discuss the terms of it through the warranty provider.
Gas safety
As a homeowner, you are responsible for the maintenance and safety of gas appliances and pipes in your home. It is recommended that your boiler or gas fires are checked every year to make sure they are safe and that any warranties remain valid.
For more information about gas safety in your home, visit the Gas Safe Register website.
Fire safety
As a homeowner, you are responsible for making sure your home is safe. We are responsible for communal areas and this is especially important in blocks of flats.
We will:
- Test and maintain fire alarms, smoke detectors and emergency lighting in communal areas.
- Carry out fire safety checks to make sure the building is safe.
- Carry out fire safety improvement works as necessary.
- Remove any items or possessions left in communal areas.
We expect all homeowners in our buildings to:
- Keep communal corridors and stairways clear and free from any belongings or rubbish.
- Put rubbish in the bins or bin store provided.
- Not prop fire doors open.
- Make sure their home is maintained and safe.
- Work with us to ensure flat front doors which do not meet current regulations are upgraded.
Read our fire safety in your home guide here.
Balcony fire safety
Fire safety is a key priority for us – and there are a few simple steps you can take to reduce risks too. A significant number of balcony fires start from the unsafe disposal of smoking materials and the misuse of barbecues.
If you live in a home with a balcony, you should keep it clear. If a fire breaks out on your balcony, it could spread much faster than a fire inside your building.
Inside buildings, there are walls and doors that can contain a fire, and a limited supply of oxygen to keep the fire burning, but outside there’s an unlimited supply of oxygen and a fire can quickly be blown by the wind, spreading it upwards and outwards.
This puts balconies or flats above you at risk.
However, there are simple steps you can take to keep you, your family and your neighbours safe.
Balcony fire safety: do’s and don’ts
- Do not use barbecues on your balcony – they pose a fire risk, and falling embers could set light to balconies below you.
- Do not store gas cylinders on your balcony – there is a risk they may explode.
- Do not drop cigarettes over the side of your balcony – they could cause a fire on a balcony below you. Use an ashtray instead.
- Do not store any items on your balcony that might catch fire. If a fire does break out on your balcony, it has a bigger risk of spreading if you have flammable items nearby.
- Ideally, we’d recommend you keep your balcony completely clear, but we understand that might not be practical for everybody. Although they do present a small fire risk, you can keep plants and garden furniture there. Just make sure you keep other risks around them to a minimum.
The fire and rescue services also advise residents to avoid storing combustible materials, smoking and barbecuing on balconies because these can all help fires spread rapidly.
Balcony fire safety: take action
Take a look at your balcony now. Is there anything you need to do to make it safer?