Can I Do Refurbishment in Housing Association Flats?

Daniel Hagan - June 18, 2019

Living in a housing association flat in the UK offers you a lot of benefits and comfort to a large extent. However, when it comes to maintenance and refurbishment and tenancy agreements, a lot of questions might arise and clarifications will need to be made. Actually, you have the comfort of an assured tenancy in a housing association, as well as an affordable and private accommodation. If you can’t afford to buy a house in the city, housing association flats are a truly preferable option. DS Brothers Ltd, a company of builders in London, explains that the flats you get from housing association platforms are usually made convenient and fitted with the necessary amenities.

The need to refurbish your flat in a housing association may arise from the need for several kinds of repairs or to improve the aesthetic appeal of your home. The general conditions of your house and the facilities needed are all to be provided by your landlord; that is, the council or housing association. Basic facilities, including electricity, water supply, and gas supply, are all things to be made available, and are the responsibilities of the landlord. So if these things are lacking, you have a right to issue a complaint and have them provided.

Conditions for Repairs and Maintenance in a Housing Association

As a result of the agreement of tenancy, the repairs in your home ought to be done by the landlord. In fact, you have the right to contact the housing association landlord and make a complaint, if your repair has to do with something you met in poor condition. However, the complaint has to be genuine and caused by valid reasons for it to be attended to. Of course, damages such as broken appliances by your friends or during a house party won't count here. So you should be sure that you're requesting for something reasonable before making a request.

Requirement for Personal Refurbishment in a Housing Association

If you want to take it a step further and do some personal refurbishment to improve the appearance of your house, it is very possible to do so. Some housing association tenants actually prefer to do some improvements that go beyond the responsibility of the council landlord. If this is the case for you, you simply need to get a written consent from the housing association to be authorized to carry out such activities.

The housing association must give you a permit before you refurbish the apartment. Without this, the refurbishment might be regarded as illegal, putting you at loggerheads with the association or the government. In fact, every type of refurbishment you're permitted to do would be clearly stated in your tenancy agreements.

The fact is that some of the things you would consider essential might be lacking in your housing association apartment. Such things like building a shed or garage, installing central heating, repainting and redecorating, plumbing, installing a new fireplace, furnishing, altering the already fixed windows, and so on, all need to be approved before you can do them.

Conditions for Refurbishment in Housing Associations

In many instances, when you are approved to do your personal refurbishment, the cost for doing so is on you. As long as you can request a permit for refurbishment, then you should be able to handle the expenses from your own pocket. But due to the fact that you do not own the apartment in a housing association, it is required that you get approved to do the reworking you want.

In any case, if your refurbishment deserves a compensation, you shouldn't hold back from requesting for such. For instance, if you;

Require decoration because the appearance is totally displeasing and unlivable
Have some health conditions such as disability that require specific adaptations to the house
Are required to vacate your residence due to an ongoing repair being carried out by the association, etc.

These are all aspects, among others that you can get compensation when you refurbish your house in a housing association. You just have to know that these need to be properly stated in your complaint and pushed to the appropriate authorities. Although, most times the actual refurbishment people really require is as a result of personal taste. So it might get a bit difficult to request for repayment if these aspects are grey. You might face a lot bureaucratic delays in such cases.

Finally, if you want to get your refurbishment done, the important thing to note is that you must have proper documentation of whether or not you will be compensated. You definitely have the right to refurbish, if and when you get the permission from the housing association landlord.

If you have further requests or questions on how to refurbish your housing association flat, you can check out these links: