Repairs & Maintenance

Brighton & Hove City Council act as a management agent for Seaside Homes and are responsible for arranging repairs to your home. Most repairs in your home will be done for you within 20 days by the maintenance contractors, but in order for us to carry these out you need to call the council’s repairs contractors as soon as possible to arrange an appointment.

How to Report a Repair

Before you report a repair please gather as much information about the problem as you can. This helps us to order the correct repair. Your tenant handbook contains diagrams which may help you. Once you have done this you can report the repair by telephone or using the internet:

Report a Repair by Telephone

  • 0800 052 6140 or 01273 294409.
    From 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday – Friday.
  • 0800 052 6140.
    Out of hours Emergency Repairs Helpline. Note: Emergency repairs are not booked as
    appointments; a contractor will come to your home as soon as is possible depending on
    the severity of the problem.

Report a Repair by Email

  • BHCC.repairs@mearsgroup.co.uk

Report a Repair Online

When Will My Repair Be Done?

We aim to complete your repairs as soon as possible. The time it takes to get your repairs done depends on the severity of the repair. The list below explains when the repairs will be completed:

Emergency repairs (within 24 hours)

An emergency repair is one which needs to be carried out quickly to avoid danger to you or serious damage to the building. An emergency repair will be completed within 24 hours and wherever possible you will be given an estimated time of the contractor’s arrival. Examples of emergency repairs include:

  • Serious water leak.
  • No power in property.
  • No heating or hot water from boiler (November to April only).
  • Overflowing drains.
  • Collapsed ceiling or roof.
  • Ground floor window not closing.
  • Attending a lift breakdown.
  • A blocked toilet (if it’s the only accessible one in your home).

Routine repairs (within 20 working days)

A routine repair will be complete within 20 working days and you will be offered an appointment. Examples of routine repairs include:

  • Anti-fungal wash down for mould on walls.
  • Adjusting a communal door closer.
  • Broken kitchen units.
  • Broken paths and paving.
  • Flashing light in communal areas.
  • A dripping tap.

Out of hours (emergencies only)

Between 8pm and 8am, we provide a service for emergency repairs only. In these cases, we only carry out a temporary repair to stop the emergency situation or make it safe. We’ll then order a further job and make an appointment with you, so that the repair can be completed.

Our Responsibilities

We care about the quality and standard of your home. As your landlord, it is our responsibility to look after the structure of your home. This includes ensuring that the fixtures and fittings for water, sanitation, gas and electricity are safe and in working order.

What we will look after and repair for you…

  • Drains, gutters, roof and pipes.
  • Outside walls, doors and windows.
  • Inside Walls, floors and Ceilings.
  • Chimneys (however we do not sweep them).
  • Paths, ramps and steps that are part of the home.
  • Walls and fences that are not shared
    with your neighbours.
  • Sinks, basins, baths, taps, toilets, showers and pipes in
    your bathroom (but not plugs, chains and toilet seats).
  • Electric wiring, sockets, switches and light fittings.
  • Heating, radiators and fireplaces we have fitted.
  • The boiler and hot water tank and pipes.
  • Door entry systems.
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Your Responsibilities

As a tenant you are responsible for looking after your home and keeping it in a reasonable condition. You are expected to make sure that your home, garden and any other external area such as a balcony, are kept safe, clean and free from rubbish.If a repair is needed due to deliberate damage, vandalism, neglect or failed DIY by any members of your household or visitors to your home, you may be charged for it.

What you need to look after and repair yourself…

  • Please look after your home.
  • Locks and keys, we will not replace them for you.
  • Keep sinks, baths and toilets unblocked and in working order.
  • Replace chains and plugs.
  • Change electric plugs, fuses and light bulbs.
  • If you have a garden, keep it clear and tidy.
  • Cut your lawn(s), hedges and shrubs.
  • Doorbells and door knockers.
  • Look after internal doors and cupboards.
  • Your own electrical appliances like TVs and fridges.
  • Repair your own TV aerial (unless you have a shared one).
  • Clean your own windows.
  • If you want to redecorate your home, please seek the permission of the Housing Management Team first.
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Gas Safety Inspections

One of the most important things that Seaside Homes is expected to service and maintain on a regular basis is your Gas Boiler. Some properties do not have a boiler in the home and share one. Some others do not have a gas supply, but wherever a boiler is situated, Seaside Homes has an obligation to have it checked every year. In order to do this we need your cooperation.

If you are still in your Seaside Home a year after the first check was carried out, our gas engineers will contact you to arrange a re-test of the system. You will receive a letter at least 7 days before the gas engineers come to your home. A Landlord’s Gas Safety Certificate or a CP12 will then be issued, a copy will be sent to you within 28 days of the visit.

Please let us know if the appointment is not convenient or if you are unable to keep it for whatever reason. If the appointment is not convenient, you can call us to re-arrange the visit. To do this call the numbers listed below as soon as you can before the date on the letter:

  • 0800 052 6140
  • 01273 294409

Access to your home

It is very important that we are able to gain access to your home in order to complete the boiler check as this is purely for your own safety. We need to check the boiler is working properly so that it does not leak or produce Carbon Monoxide that could cause illness and in some cases death.

If you have a pre-payment meter, we kindly request that you ensure you have some credit on the meter to allow the contractors to carry out the inspection.

The gas safety inspection should not take long and you must let the engineer into the property to carry out the inspection. If you fail to do so Seaside Homes will have to consider you in breach of your tenancy agreement and this will put your tenancy at risk.