What is Communal Repairs?
A communal repair is a repair to a shared part of your building or estate. This could be inside a block, such as a stairwell or entrance hall. It could also be outside, such as a shared path, gate or garden.
Communal repairs can include repairs to roofs, gutters, walls, flooring, lighting, doors, fences, pipework, drainage and shared equipment. What is communal at your home will depend on the building or estate you live in.
Frequently Asked Questions
The quickest way is through My Unity, which is available 24 hours a day.
You can also call us on 0113 200 7700 or report online.
If the problem is an emergency or there is an immediate safety risk, please call us rather than reporting it online.
If you call outside our normal opening hours, your call will be directed to our emergency service.
If you rent your home from us, we are responsible for many repairs to the structure of your home, as well as the communal parts of your building or estate.
For example, we are generally responsible for things such as roofs, external walls, communal doors, communal lighting, lifts and shared heating or drainage systems.
You are responsible for some things inside your home, such as your own domestic appliances, curtains, light bulbs and some decorating and flooring.
There can be exceptions, so check your tenancy agreement or our repair responsibilities information if you are unsure.
As a leaseholder, you are responsible for all repairs and maintenance inside your own home.
You will contribute towards the maintenance/upkeep of the structure of a block and the communal areas and systems we manage. This can include communal doors, lifts, lighting, shared drainage and other communal equipment.
If you are unsure, please check your lease as this usually sets out these responsibilities.
Shared owners are also leaseholders. This means you are responsible for all repairs inside your home, even though you may only own a share of it.
If there is a communal space on your scheme, you will contribute towards the maintenance/upkeep of these.
There are additional responsibilities if you live in a flat as you will also pay a contribution towards the structure of the building.
Please check your lease carefully.
If you own your home as a freeholder, your responsibilities are set out in your transfer agreement, so please check this if you are unsure.
You will generally be responsible for repairs to your own property. You may still contribute towards shared estate services or communal areas that we manage if your transfer agreement says you must.
Your service charge should only include services that apply to your building or estate and that can be charged under your agreement.
Some buildings and estates are managed partly or fully by another managing agent. This means responsibility for services and repairs can be shared between Unity and the managing agent.
Please check your service charge information or contact us if you are not sure who you should report something to.
Yes. A home does not necessarily need to be inside a block of flats to benefit from shared services. For example, your home might be part of an estate with shared paths, gardens, gates, drainage, lighting or other facilities.
If we maintain those shared areas, repairs to them can be treated as communal or estate repairs. Whether you contribute towards the cost will depend on your tenancy agreement, lease or transfer agreement, so please check this if you are unsure.
Please report it and explain the problem. You don’t need to work out all the repair responsibilities before asking for help.
Tell us where the problem is, what has happened and whether there is a safety concern. We can check who is responsible and explain what happens next.