CARPETS & FLOORING
- Ensure nails, tacks, and staples used for carpet fixing are no more than 13mm long to prevent damage to underfloor pipes.
- Manufacturers of vinyl or sheet flooring usually recommend that hardboard or plywood be laid before their products are laid/fixed.
- Carpets should not be so thick that they prevent the door from opening or closing.
- You are responsible for carrying out any adjustments to your doors to allow for flooring.
WINDOWS
- Do not use caustic fluids when cleaning the glass, or sharp objects which may scratch the glass.
- Hinges, mechanisms, gaskets etc. should not be painted, but rather use grease or silicone spray for lubrication on ironmongery if necessary.
- If the window becomes stiff to operate do not force it, report it.
- When opening the window for cleaning purposes, care should be taken to avoid damaging the surrounding plasterboard, window surround or window opening handles. Also, take care as the window sashes are heavy.
Wall Fixings
- Heavy loads, such as shelving, should only be fixed to internal partitions and should be supported only by fixing into the timber upright studs with wood screws.
- Avoid placing fixings immediately above or below light switches or power outlet points, as there are electrical cables in the wall.
ALTERATIONS & IMPROVEMENTS
The button below includes information on alterations and improvement permissions during and after the first year of new build properties.
INTERNAL ALARMS
All homes are provided with smoke, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide alarms. Newer alarms are wired directly to the mains electricity supply with back up batteries – alarms will still work even if you have a power cut. 10 year lithium batteries and are not connected to the mains.
FIRE & DOOR ESCAPE
To prevent the spread of smoke or fire through your home, close internal doors. Depending on the age of your property you may have self-closing fire doors. If you do, please do not disconnect, or remove the self-closing springs or overhead closers. In the event of a fire call 999.
DOOR LOCKS
If you find yourself locked out, you are responsible for the cost of gaining access. We recommend you leave a spare key with a trusted friend or neighbour, as forcing access can be extremely expensive. If you lose your keys, we will re-charge the costs to replace the locks.
HEATING & HOT WATER
Gas central heating boilers are usually located within the kitchen. The gas central heating and hot water system consists of a sealed combination gas boiler with an integrated programmer. There are radiators in each room which are fitted with a thermostatic control valve.
The heating can be set to automatically switch on and off at specific times to suit you. You can also choose to have the heating on constantly, and in warmer months you can turn the heating off completely.
Most radiators are fitted with control valves which lets you adjust the temperature of the room individually. To have the heating on full, turn the valve until the symbol with the highest number is at the top of the radiator, in line with the arrow indicator.
To lower the heat, turn the valve in the opposite direction until the lowest number is visible in line with the arrow indicator. These valves have a ‘frost’ setting (star symbol). To use this facility, turn the valves to the frost setting and set the boiler to come on if the temperature falls near to freezing point.
HEATER TYPES
High heat retention storage heaters. These have improved insulation and advanced controls which incorporate a timer and electronic room thermostat to control the heat output. They are able to estimate next day’s heating demand based on external temperatures, room temperature settings and heat demand periods.
Panel, convector or radiant heaters – These are not manufactured in the same way as conventional storage heaters, and are designed to operate on single rate electricity.
Panel, convector or radiant heaters will usually be less bulky than storage heaters. They are fixed to the wall slightly higher than a storage heater and do not usually have feet.
Will generally be heavier due to the weight of the internal storage bricks and will be both fixed to the wall (for safety reasons) and be supported by feet. Modern slimline storage heaters tend to be less bulky. If you would like a technical demonstration please contact us on 0800 068 1466.
GUTTERS / RAINWATER PIPES
Please contact us if you suspect that the rainwater gutters are blocked, leaking or damaged. The most common sign of a blocked gutter is damp patches on the external wall immediately below the blockage at the eaves during wet weather, and vegetation growing in the gutter in the spring and summer.
BLOCKED DRAINS
Flushing things like wipes and sanitary towels (which may contain plastic) down the toilet can cause blockages and flooding to your home.
Follow the Three Ps rule and only flush pee, poo, and toilet paper.
Everything else should go in the bin, not down your toilet – check out the bathroom checklist of ‘DO NOT FLUSH’ items below:
- any wipes (baby, facial, personal cleansing, surface cleaning) – even if the pack says ‘flushable’
- sanitary items (sanitary towels, tampons, tampon applicators, panty liners, backing strips and wrappings)
- cotton wool, cotton buds, disposable nappies, and nappy liners
- condoms, incontinence pads, colostomy bags, used bandages and contact lenses
- Keep a bin in the bathroom for you to quickly, safely, and hygienically dispose of these and other personal items.
KITCHEN CHECKS
It may seem like fats, oil, and grease (FOG) can go down the kitchen drain with ease. But as they cool, they begin to thicken.
And when fats combine with other materials in the sewer system, they create blockages and nasty fatbergs. FOG can make blockages, leading to flooding of your home.
Put any waste food and peelings into your food waste recycling.
Fats, oil, and grease – if you can’t reuse it, leave to cool/harden and then into your food waste.
Soup, stocks and milk products contain fat, which can affect your drains. Leave these to harden, then scrape into your food waste.
Give plates, pans, utensils, and containers a scrape into the bin or rinse before washing.
Put a strainer in the plughole to stop leftover food going down the sink.
EXTRACTOR FANS
The majority of our properties have been fitted with mechanical extractor fans which allow warm moist air to escape from your home. Individual extractor fans are located within the kitchen, bathroom and (if present) the ground floor WC. These fans are set to run at a constant ‘trickle’ rate but can be raised to a ‘boost’ level when the room is in use, either by a manual switch or by turning on the light in bathrooms & WCs.
Technical Demonstrations can be requested to make you fully aware of how to efficiently operate all fixtures and fittings in the property.