In general, Plumlife is responsible for maintaining the shared spaces and fittings on your development and you are responsible for maintaining your home.
If you have recently moved into a new-build home, please see below for more information about how this works and some of the help you can receive.
Below we have included some answers to frequently asked questions about maintenance to your home and development.
If you own your property, then Plumlife will be responsible for any shared parts of your development. This usually means shared or communal pathways, green areas or parking areas. It may also include street lighting and unadopted highways “” roads that are not looked after by the local authority.
Any repairs that are needed to your home, both inside and outside, including to garden areas and boundary fencing are your responsibility. Please refer to your lease agreement to see what your obligations are. It does not matter whether you own 25% or 100% of the equity in your home, you are solely responsible for looking after the property.
Note: Under the new model 2021-26 shared ownership lease some repairs that are needed to your home, both inside and outside may be our responsibility for the first 10 years from being built. Please refer to your lease to confirm the repairing obligations.
Every development is different so it is worth checking your lease to see exactly what is expected of you and of Plumlife but in general, Plumlife is responsible for:
Anything that is within your home is your responsibility to maintain this will usually include the glazing in your windows. Always check your lease if you are unsure.
If you are moving into a newly-built home there are a few things you need to know about repairs and maintenance.
Defects Period
In the first year after your home is built, the builder is responsible for fixing any repairs (not problems caused by wear and tear or damage caused by you, your family or visitors). This is called the Defects Period.
During this first year, you can report defects to our repairs team and they will get in touch with the builder for you. At the end of that year, the builder will come around to inspect your home to see if everything is ok. They will agree what repairs they will carry out which have been identified during the inspection. Once these have been done all future repairs may become your responsibility please refer to your lease or building warranty.
Five Things You Need to Know
You need to report repairs as soon as you can. We will then tell you whether it is Plumlife’s responsibility to arrange for the repair or if it is your responsibility.
If it is our responsibility we will need your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. We will advise you as to whether the repair is an emergency or a non-urgent one.
An emergency repair is one that presents a risk or danger to your home or people including:
All emergency repairs are responded to within 24 hours of them being reported.
A non-urgent repair is a minor problem that can be left for a short period of time including:
For non-urgent repairs, we will arrange a time that is suitable for you for us to come and fix it. If it is a repair to communal areas, we will normally not need to bother you.
If work is going to cost more than £250 per leaseholder we have to carry out consultation before this can go ahead, known as Section 20. This is a legal requirement to make sure that the work needs to be done, represents good value for money and that customers have been involved in the decision-making process. It is normally for major works such as a lift replacement, communal decoration or roof works.
During the process:
On some developments, Plumlife is responsible for maintaining and cleaning communal areas and grounds.
Grounds maintenance
We use contractors to do these jobs, including cutting the grass, weeding, tree works, clearing paths and car parks. Contractors attend developments on a regular frequency to do this and you’ll usually see our grounds maintenance contractors more frequently in summer, when grass and plants are growing more.
When a developer has built a large estate and sold some of the homes privately, a managing agent is often employed to look after the whole estate. The managing agent may not be Plumlife so if you are unsure about who this is, please check with your Property Manager.
Details of any work that is going to be carried out at your development, along with the name of the contractor and annual cost can be found in your service charge budget or by asking your Property Manager.
Communal cleaning
Plumlife will usually be responsible for looking after any internal communal areas, including shared hallways and corridors, bin stores and lifts. We arrange for regular cleaning in these areas arrange for re-decoration of internal and external communal.
On some larger developments where Plumlife does not own the entire building and flats have been sold privately, the developer may have appointed a managing agent other than Plumlife. If you are unsure as to what services are provided then please contact your Property Manager.
If you want to make changes to your home, please check your lease first. You do not need permission to carry out simple changes such as re decoration but you may need permission to carry out anything more complicated which may alter the structure of your property. Permission for replacing your kitchen and bathroom is included in this.
If you’d like to make an alteration, please write to us with your plans. There will be a consent fee. Please see here for our list of administration fees.
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