Repairs
Home improvements
Home improvements
We want you to feel comfortable and at home in your property.
Depending on your tenancy agreement, you may be able to make improvements or alterations to your home. There will be times where you’ll need to get written permission from us, such as changing the layout of your home, removing doors or walls, replacing a kitchen or bathroom, changing electrical fittings or putting up a satellite dish.
Some works we won't give permission for, such as installing a solid fuel appliance, an open fire, removal of supply meters or changing your flat entrance fire door.
If you’re unsure, get in touch to check with us before you make a start on any home improvements or find out more about alterations and home improvements here.
Aids and adaptations
We aim to help you live as independently as possible. One of the ways we can do this is by funding certain aids and adaptations to your home. We can offer a range of services and simple adaptations, such as grab rails, stair lifts and ramps, and we’ll work closely with you to find the options that best suit you.
Find out more in our handy guide below.
Planned improvements
Planned improvements are different from repairs you report to us when something isn’t right in your home. Every year, we plan which of our homes will receive replacement or improvement works to make sure they are well maintained and in good condition. If you report something to us that we think is beyond repair, we'll consider it for our planned maintenance programme.
If you have any immediate repairs, the quickest and easiest way to report your repair is through MyHome. You can access MyHome 24/7, here, or via the MyHome app.
How do we schedule planned improvements?
We prioritise our improvement work by using information we have on our properties. We aim to carry out surveys ahead of any planned works in your area so we can check the results, order any materials required and work with our contractors to plan our programme.
We'll carry out a Stock Condition Survey on your home every five years to check the condition of things like your kitchen, bathroom, windows and more, and we use this information to identify what work may need doing in the future. Once we have this information, we’ll be in touch to tell you what work is needed and when it will be carried out.
This information helps us to continually improve our programme of planned works in line with the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. The Decent Home Standard plays a key role in setting the minimum standard that your home is required to meet.
What actually happens during a stock condition survey?
Stock condition surveys are really important for us to do, as they allow us to plan improvement works to your home, but nothing for you to worry about. You can find out more about what happens when we need to visit your home to do a stock condition survey, here.
Types of planned improvements
Improvements may include:
- Installing new kitchens and bathrooms
- Replacing windows and doors
- Replacing roofs and gutters
- Making structural improvements
- Decorating communal areas and exteriors
- Upgrading central heating systems - for example, boilers
- Improvements to communal areas such as lifts, lighting, fire alarms and door entry systems
When we carry out improvements in your home, you’ll have the opportunity to choose colours and upgrades, wherever possible. However, please be aware that you cannot swap out components, like a sink and taps, for ones from other suppliers – they’ll be the ones specified by Stonewater.
While floor coverings in a communal area are our responsibility, floor coverings inside your home are your responsibility.
As part of our aim to make sure that all our properties have an Energy Performance Rating of C or above by 2030, we’re also working on larger projects to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.
When do you replace kitchens, bathrooms or windows?
The expected life cycles of the typical parts of your home are:
- Kitchen - 23 years
- Bathroom - 33 years
- Boiler or air source heat pump - 15 years
- Central heating systems - 33 years
- Electric heating systems - 23 years
- Electrical wiring - 40 years
- Windows and doors - 38 years
- Roof - 20 for a flat roof and up to 70 years for a pitched, tiled roof
All of these life cycles are estimates, and it may be that we replace things earlier or later depending on its condition.
If you think there is something in your home that needs to be replaced, please report a repair and we'll be in touch.
