Our repairs team carries out a wide range of work to keep your home in good condition, but some repairs will be your responsibility as the tenant. Whether it's up to you or us to carry out a repair will depend on the type of tenancy you have.
If you are a tenant who pays social rent or affordable rent, you can find out whether we will carry out your repair by choosing from the list below.
Please be aware that you may be charged for repairs that are needed as the result of damage or neglect.
Other types of tenancy
If you are in temporary accommodation or one of our independent living homes for people over 50, you can find out about your repair responsibilities here.
If you live in one of our market rent properties, click here to find out what's covered by our service.
Leaseholder or shared owner?
If you're a leaseholder or shared owner then the details of what you are responsible for will be individual to your property or tenancy.
Please consult your tenancy agreement for full details and take a look at our leaseholder handbook for more information.
Find out if your repair is covered – choose from this list:
Our responsibility 
- Burst or leaking pipes
- Kitchen units, worktops, tiles and drawers
- Gas cooker installation points
- Plumbing blockages (if you cannot unblock it yourself – charges may apply if a blockage is caused by misuse)
- Showers (excluding shower hoses, shower heads and shower curtains – we'll take care of the shower unit itself and associated plumbing)
- Taps
Your responsibility 
- Outside taps
- Appliances – cooker, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher
- Dishwasher connections
- Plugs and chains in sinks, basins and baths
- Toilet seats
Our responsibility
- Communal doors (including handsets and entry systems)
- External doors – opening onto communal areas or outdoors (except loose fittings)
- Internal doors – to kitchens, bathrooms or toilet rooms (unless the damage is through misuse)
- Windows (broken glazing is up to you to repair, unless there has been a crime and you can confirm a crime reference number)
Your responsibility
- Internal doors that don't lead to kitchens, bathrooms or toilet rooms
- Doorbells (if not part of a fitted door entry system)
- Locks, fobs and keys (contact us if you require a replacement – charges may apply)
Our responsibility
- Boilers, heating and hot water systems
- Electrical fittings and fuse boards (except checking and resetting fuses)
- Sockets and switches (charges may apply if misuse has caused damage, or if you have replaced the original sockets or switches)
Your responsibility
- Bleeding/venting radiators
- Electricity and gas meters
- External security lights (unless communal)
Our responsibility
- Built-in cupboards and wardrobes (unless you had them fitted)
- Ceilings
- Disabled aids and adaptations installed by Watford Community Housing
- Kitchen and bathroom flooring that we installed
- Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms (you should regularly test detectors and replace batteries as required)
Your responsibility
- Carpets and floor coverings outside the kitchen and bathroom
- Kitchen and bathroom flooring that you had installed
- Infestations of insects and rodents (we will take appropriate measures to prevent entry from outside)
- Internal decoration
- Light bulbs
- Plaster (except large cracks, which we will investigate)
- Skirting boards
- Soft furnishings - curtains, blinds, shades and curtain poles
- Stairs, including banisters, balustrades and floor coverings
- Telephone/internet points
Our responsibility
- Chimney repair
- Chimney sweeping as a result of a blockage
- Drains, gutters and outside pipes
- External gas meter boxes
- Footpaths/driveways/steps
- Garage (integral)
- Rendering/pointing brickwork
- Roofing
- Sheds/outhouses
Your responsibility
- CCTV, unless you live in a communal block
- External decoration (unless you live in a communal block)
- Decking
- Fences, walls and gates within your garden
- Garden maintenance
- Outside toilets that are in addition to internal bathroom/WC (if there is a leak, we'll make it safe)
- TV aerials/satellite/cable TV (excluding communal systems, which we'll manage)
- Doorbells and video doorbells, unless they are part of an integrated door entry system
Our responsibility
- CCTV in communal areas
- Communal areas including floors, paths, drying areas and bin stores
- Communal lighting (including estate lighting)
- External decoration
- Fences, walls and gates (communal)
- Lifts and stairlifts
- Stairs (communal staircases and floor coverings)
Report a repair
If we cover your repair, you can report it to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The easiest and quickest way to request a repair is through an online account – click here to go to your online account or get started. You can use your account to request, view and manage your repairs appointments online, at a time that suits you.
You can email us to report a repair on enquiries@wcht.org.uk.
You can also call us any time on 0800 218 2247 – if it’s not during working hours, you’ll be put through to our out-of-hours service.
Our repairs policy
You can read our full responsive repairs policy here.