Your repair responsibilities

Our repair contractors deal with a wide range of household repairs, but some may be your responsibility to fix.

To help, we want to outline some of the main repairs that are your responsibility, depending on the type of home you live in.

Full details can also be found in your Tenancy Agreement.

You are responsible for:

all decorations inside your home including repairing surface cracks and holes in walls and ceilings
making sure your double glazed windows and doors are regularly maintained, cleaned and oiled to keep them working properly
minor repairs to internal doors and frames including adjusting doors to close over carpets
repairing or replacing locks, latches, keys, handles, bolts and letter boxes, numbers, peep holes, security chains, door knockers and doorbells
repairing and adjusting kitchen units, cupboards, drawers, doors, shelves and worktops
replacing broken tiles
repairing and maintaining meter boxes
pest control to keep your home free of rats, mice and fleas.

You are responsible for:

If you require any other electrical work, this must be completed by a qualified electrical contractor who will issue a minor works certificate.

We require a copy of the certificate and this should be sent by email to housing.repairs@dover.gov.uk

You are responsible for:

repairing or replacing any fence which you have put up - sometimes the fence may be between you and a neighbour so it’s important to find out who is responsible for it before any work takes place
repairing or replacing a fence unless it borders a public highway, path or playing field in which case Mears will do this work.

If there is a health and safety risk we might replace your fence, but this will be with a boundary marker, such as a chain link fence.

If you want to replace your fence or are unsure about a fence in your garden, get in touch with us for advice.

If you spot a broken fence in a communal area please report it to Mears so it can be repaired.

You are responsible for repairing or replacing damage you have caused to your home caused by neglect or misuse – even if the damage was accidental.

Improvements to your home

If you want to carry out improvements to your home, please contact us to get permission.

This may include laying a patio in the garden, putting in a new kitchen or knocking down a wall.

If you wish to build a parking space, hardstanding, garage or drive at your home, you will also need our written permission.

For smaller DIY jobs like painting, decorating or putting up shelves, permission isn’t required.