Looking After Your Home

Who is responsible for maintaining my home?

As your landlord we are responsible for some of the repairs and maintenance to your home; however some of these responsibilities are yours as the tenant.

You can look at our repairs responsibilities page for more details of who is responsible for what.

What we will do if you report damp or mould

If you report a damp, mould or condensation problem we will ask you to follow advice given by our helpdesk operatives. 

We will have a discussion with you to ensure you have followed steps to minimise damp and mould. After this we will arrange for an inspection to be carried out to investigate further, with the objective to resolve the issue. We will explain any repairs required. Please note however, if you have not followed our advice you could be liable for rechargeable repairs on any work required.

What is mould?

The number one cause of damp and subsequent mould in homes in the UK today is a lack of ventilation and heating.

Mould grows and multiplies in moist areas, slowly at first then quicker and quicker. It is normal to have some mould growth in winter, but you need to stay on top of it to prevent it getting more serious. In most cases black mould is caused by condensation. 

The chances of your home being affected by mould is reduced if you keep your home warm, well ventilated and minimise the amount of moisture that’s released into the air within your home.

If rising energy costs mean you are struggling to pay for heating, ask your energy supplier about ways to spread the cost.

What is condensation?

Condensation comes from the moisture in the air in your home from cooking, cleaning, bathing, even breathing turning into water. Condensation will form on the coldest surfaces in the room first, these cold areas are usually around windows, the corners of the room, and external walls. Condensation mainly occurs during cold weather, regardless of whether it is raining or dry.

Condensation is not necessarily a problem, as long as the surface has time to dry out every day. It is the resident’s responsibility to control condensation in the home by heating, ventilation and dealing with mould if it forms. As a tenant, you will be responsible for this unless it’s caused by another underlying cause – for example, leaking or blocked gutters.  

What is damp?

Damp occurs where moisture collects but does not have a chance to fully dry out. Damp is very common in the UK and is often caused by condensation. Damp usually builds up in areas where there is not much air movement. 

Steps you can take

1. Minimise the amount of moisture in your home.

• Dry clothes outside, or in a room (preferably the bathroom) with a window open, or extractor fan running, and doors closed. Only use a tumble dryer if it is venting outside, or has a condenser
• Never put wet clothes on a radiator – they fill the room with moisture in seconds
• Keep lids on saucepans when cooking and ventilate the room
• You are not allowed to use stand-alone paraffin or bottled gas heaters – as they are a safety risk and will also release large amounts of water vapour into your home
• Always run the extractor fan or open a window when showering or cooking, and wipe away any excess water on floors, tiling and worktops
• Trickle vents must remain open
• Run cold water in the bath before adding hot

2. Improve air movement around areas prone to mould.

• Pull all furniture away from walls, including beds  
• Leave a gap between the curtains and the wall during the day
• Keep air bricks open and clear
• Don’t add a seal to kitchen and bathroom windows or to windows in rooms that are prone to damp
• Don’t over-fill cupboards and shelves
• If possible, open windows to increase ventilation and air your home regularly
• Do not overfill your rooms with possessions, furniture and belongings

3. Minimise the number of cold surfaces by heating your home to a reasonable level of warmth.

• It’s recommended to keep living rooms heated to 21 degrees and keep bedrooms at 18 degrees. This temperature can be lower at night and when you’re out

4. Wipe down small patches of mould.

• Use an anti-fungal spray purchased from a hardware store or supermarket) in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. This helps to limit any spread.

5. Wipe down condensation from windows and other areas each morning, and open the window for a while.

6. Treat bad outbreaks of mould and redecorate using fungicidal paint.

Security 

We’ve put together some simple tips to help keep your home and possessions secure.

Lock doors

In 70% of burglaries, the offender gained entry through a door. This may sound like a basic measure, but making sure you lock doors when you leave the house out or go to bed makes a burglar’s chance of entering your home much more difficult. Don’t forget to lock your shed, garage and any side and/or back gate.

Lock windows

Where window locks are fitted, do keep the keys safe as it’s residents’ responsibility to replace these, and lock windows when not in use, even if you are in for the evening and especially when you are leaving the house or going to bed.

Lights on

60% of burglaries take place between 6pm and 6am. Leaving the lights on when you go out in the evening will create the illusion that there’s someone at home and reduce the chance of a potential break in. Consider leaving lights on a timer, leaving the radio playing and ensuring valuables are out of sight.

Install alarms

A home without a security system is 300% more likely to be burgled. Installing an alarm in a place where it can be easily seen is an effective visual deterrent. An alarm will alert neighbours of a potential intrusion, giving you peace of mind while you are away from home.

Hide keys

Leaving a spare key outside your home under the doormat or flowerpot is extremely risky. If you need to leave a spare key for a forgetful family member, consider a secure key lock box mounted to a wall.

Insurance

Only 9% of property taken during burglaries is recovered – make sure your home and its contents are insured.

Fire safety and prevention in your Myshon home

As your landlord we are responsible for carrying out regular fire safety checks in the communal areas of buildings.

You should familiarise yourself with the exit routes for your property, and whether the policy is to ‘Stay Put’ or ‘Evacuate’.

If you’re a new resident, your Sales/ Lettings Advisor will tell you this during your sign up process.

If you are unsure, contact us to check with your Housing Manager, or with any concerns about fire safety.

Simple steps to help reduce the risk of a fire in your home

Fit a smoke alarm on each floor of your home. Test alarms once a week and change batteries every year.

Keep exits from your home clear and keys to windows and doors in easy reach.

Keep communal areas, corridors and staircases clear of large items such as prams, bikes or large plant pots as these could get in the way of people evacuating the building, and could also fuel a fire.

Accidents while cooking account for over half of fires at home. Don’t leave children alone in the kitchen.

Don’t leave candles unattended when lit.

Don’t smoke in bed.

Close all doors at night to help prevent the spread of fire.

Don’t overload electrical sockets.

Switch off and unplug your TV and other electrical goods – leaving them on standby could cause a fire.

For more in-depth advice see the Fire Brigade’s fire safety at home pages.

Fire safety for flats and maisonettes

The Fire Brigade’s advice for people living in purpose-built flats and maisonettes

About 70 deaths and 350,000 injuries in UK homes are caused by faulty electrics and electrical equipment every year. Over half of all accidental house fires are caused by electricity.

As your landlords’ service provider, we are required to ensure your home’s electrical installation and wiring are safe when you move in and that they are maintained in a safe condition throughout your tenancy.

We test and inspect all the homes we manage (and any communal areas) at least once every five years and test and inspect properties before re-letting them to new tenants. We also ensure any appliances we supply are safe to use.

Reporting a problem

You must inform us of any electrical problems as soon as they occur and we will arrange for an electrician to come to your home.

Never carry out electrical repairs yourself.

How to keep you and your home safe

• Make sure you know where your fuse box is, so you can turn the mains switch off in an emergency
• Never overload sockets or plug adaptors into other adaptors
• Maintain any electrical items you bring into your home
• Ensure plugs and sockets are not visibly damaged and replace if necessary
• Check visible leads and cables are in good condition and replace if necessary
• Check light fittings are not visibly damaged and in good condition; contact us if you think they need repairing or replacing
• Always use an RCD (residual current device) on outdoor electrical equipment (this instantly turns off the power if there is a fault and can be found in any DIY store)
• Never store combustible materials near the fuse box or the electricity meter
• Never store anything on top of a microwave
• Never run cables under carpets or rugs
• Never take mains-powered electrical items into the bathroom
• Always switch off electrical items when you are not using them.

I can smell gas what do I do?

contact us in a gas emergency.

How to keep you and your home safe

Unless gas appliances are serviced regularly they can become dangerous and can kill. If your gas appliance has not been checked for 12 months it may be unsafe and you may also be in breach of your lease.

Make sure you have an annual gas safety check.

Check for warning signs your appliances aren’t working correctly eg yellow or orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.

Don’t use a gas appliance if you have any doubt that it isn’t working properly. If in doubt, call the contractor.

Know the six signs of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.

Have an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home. Our gas engineers are able to supply these when they arrive to complete your gas safety check.

Never carry out any gas works yourself. Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Make sure you know where to find your gas meter and how to turn off the gas in an emergency. If you are not sure the engineer attending the service can assist you with this.

Never block up air ventilation points and ensure that the gas flue is kept clear at all times.

For more gas safety advice, visit the GCS website or the Gas Safe Register website. Alternatively, you can call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which can be found in rocks all over the world. Asbestos fibres are strong, flexible and have excellent fire proofing and insulating qualities.

Background  

Asbestos was commonly added to building materials because of these qualities. Most homes built between 1930s and 1990s feature some building products with Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs). Its use in the construction industry was finally banned in the UK in 1999.

If your home was built after this date, it is very unlikely to contain asbestos.

The three types of asbestos used in the UK were:

Amosite (Brown asbestos)

Chrysotile (White asbestos)

Crocidolite (Blue asbestos)

You can’t tell a material contains asbestos with the naked eye which is why samples are examined under a microscope at a laboratory. If you’re not sure if a material contains asbestos, contact us and we can advise.

Where asbestos could be located within residential properties (This diagram/list is not exhaustive).

If you need to dispose of old items in your home such as cookers that you suspect contain asbestos, please contact your local authority for details on how to remove and dispose of such items.

Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are generally safe if the material is not damaged, and the fibres aren’t disturbed.

I think I’ve found damaged asbestos, what do I do?

Do not attempt to clean it up or repair it yourself

Do not brush or vacuum as this will spread the fibres into the air

Contact us for advice.

Carrying out DIY works in your home

DIY work can result in exposed risk, whilst it may only be brief it could increase over time. This includes drilling, sanding, or sawing which may disturb the materials.  When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases. You should inform us before starting any work, so that we can provide asbestos information.

More information about the health effects of asbestos exposure can be found on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Carrying out works which do not fall under DIY

You should not carry out activities such as jet washing on roofing panels, soffits, downpipes etc that you suspect may contain asbestos. If in doubt, please check with us first so we can advise whether it’s safe to proceed.

Major Works

You should ask us for approval if you are planning major work in your home. If you think asbestos is present, we can offer advice. However, if alterations are of your own undertaking, then any costs of removing asbestos if it is found will be yours. Major Works may include removal of fireplaces, removal of floor tiles, removing textured coating to plasterboard etc.

Decorating

Some textured ceiling coatings, Artex for example, are known to contain a small quantity of asbestos. Do not attempt to remove them especially with power tools. We can provide advice, so contact us.

How Myshon manages asbestos in your home

We have a duty to manage asbestos in the communal areas of our buildings. We also carry out surveys in individual dwellings when a property becomes empty or before our contractors do some types of works in your property.

We have several options if we find asbestos and will pick the best one for your safety and to ensure any works in your property can be completed:

Leave in place – often the best and safest option.

Removal – we’ll remove asbestos for essential works to be carried out

Encapsulation – this is where a special coating is applied to the material.

Leaseholders’ responsibilities for asbestos removal

Please refer to your lease which will inform you of your responsibilities.

Further information on asbestos is available on the HSE website.

Legionella bacteria are found in streams, rivers and lakes. They are also found in soil, compost and mains water and can sometimes enter a home’s water system.

Is Legionella harmful?

Low amounts of Legionella are not harmful. Legionella is only dangerous if conditions are right for the bacteria to grow and if you inhale water droplets from a contaminated water system. The bacteria can cause a number of infections, most of which are not serious. However, Legionnaires’ Disease is fatal in 10% to 12% of cases.

Our responsibilities

We are legally obliged to check for Legionella in some of our buildings, as part of regular checks to ensure water systems are clean and safe to use.

What you can do

Legionella rarely occurs in homes, as most households do not store large volumes of water, however there are a few tips to make sure your water is safe:

Set the correct water temperature

Legionella grows between 20°C and 50°C, so where possible set hot water cylinders at 60°C or above. Regular use of cold water should ensure temperatures stay below 20°C.

De-scale taps and showers

Legionella can grow and multiply on scale or rust. So de-scale taps and showers every three months or when there is an obvious build-up of scale (in hard water areas, you may need to do this more often). Brush scale off with a nylon brush or wipe with diluted bleach (follow the instructions on the bottle) or a de-scaling solution.

Check the water tank, if you have one

Use water taps once a week

This will ensure water doesn’t stand in pipes; if you’ve been away for more than a week run all your taps for a few minutes before using the water. Also run the water in the shower – remove the shower head beforehand so water droplets are not created. If you cannot remove it, cover it with a towel while you run the water.

Additional guidance can be found in the Approved Code of Practice and guidance for Legionnaires’ disease on the Health and Safety Executive website.