Repair obligations for flat owners

What is ‘responsibility’?
What is ‘responsibility’?

Your responsibility in a flatted building doesn't just extend to paying for common repairs. If you are responsible for maintaining a part of a building you are required to: keep…

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Common repairs
Common repairs

Common repairs refers to the parts of the building for which all owners as a group are responsible for maintaining. Repairs for which all owners are responsible are conveniently called…

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Mutual repairs
Mutual repairs

Some parts of the building are shared between some, but not all, owners. Typically, these are parts of the building that only some owners use. The owners that don't have…

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Individual repairs
Individual repairs

Repairs for which a single owner is responsible are called 'individual repairs'. These are generally the inside of the flat, doors to individual flats, and windows. Repairs for which a…

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Access to your flat
Access to your flat

There are a number of defined occasions when you must allow access to your flat to allow for communal repairs and associated works. You must give access to your flat…

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Duty to Maintain
Duty to Maintain

Every owner has a duty to maintain the parts of the tenement that provide support and shelter. This would apply to leaking roofs, rot in structural timbers, leaks around individual’s…

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Maintenance or improvement
Maintenance or improvement

You need to check your title deeds to see if they define what 'repairs' and 'improvements' are for your building. Title deeds are often very vague on these issues, especially those…

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The loft – who owns it?
The loft – who owns it?

In some cases, the loft may be individually owned. However, repairs to the loft are a common responsibility. Often, the loft space belongs to the flat immediately below it - but as always,…

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Dormer windows – who pays?
Dormer windows – who pays?

Whether repairs to dormer windows are individual or common depends on when they were built. If dormer windows were built at the same time as the rest of the building,…

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Keeping common areas clean and tidy
Keeping common areas clean and tidy

Keeping the common areas clean is part of your maintenance obligations. These obligations are set out in law and in your title deeds. Like common repairs, you are almost always…

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Garden maintenance
Garden maintenance

Gardens can be a very useful asset for your building and some good plans for improving buildings often come out of owners' discussions over a back garden BBQ. But who…

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Estate landscaping
Estate landscaping

Even if you live in a house rather than a flat, you may still have common responsibilities that apply to the housing estate around you. Problems may often occur on:…

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Tenement gardening
Tenement gardening

We all know gardening is good for our own physical and mental health - but did you know it’s also good for your tenement’s health? These four stories will tell…

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Managing and maintaining a tenement building can be difficult. Under One Roof offers a free enquiry service that allows you to ask specific questions relating to your building.

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Mid ceiling

Below ground level

Your tenement may have a basement, sometimes used for living accommodation or sometimes used for storage, cellars or wash-houses. These buildings will often also have a 'dunny' between the basement…

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Energy efficiency improvements

Adding insulation and draught-proofing can save money and the planet but in…

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Insulating traditional solid walls

Recent research suggests that traditional solid stone or brick walls provide better…

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Flat roofs

Flat roofs can be found on buildings of all ages. They can…

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Asphalt flat roofs

On stone tenements, asphalt roofs are found on: 'high backs' - raised backcourt…

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