Living in a flat
Things you need to know if you live in a flat or high-rise block.
Who looks after my flat?
Your tenancy agreement gives you all the information you need about what your responsibility is when it comes to looking after your flat.
If you need to report a repair, have a look at our booking repairs page.
One of the advantages of living in a flat is having a caretaker who looks after the communal areas for you, keeping them clean, tidy and safe.
Caretaking and facility management
Our Caretaking and Facility Management team deliver a cleaning and management service for our customers living in our high-rise flat blocks. Their aim is to provide a clean, well maintained, safe and harmonious environment for you to live in.
The team's work includes conducting building safety checks, keeping internal and external communal areas clean and tidy, and providing out-of-hours emergency support when required.
Our Caretakers will deliver the following service in your communal areas:
- Remove graffiti
- Remove abandoned items
- Unblock bin chutes
Internal cleaning - weekly
- Remove loose litter/rubbish as and when appears
- Clean skirting boards, stairs, door glass, handrails, wall lighting, windowsills and wipe walls
- Sweep hard floors clear of rubbish, mop and dry in summer, sweep and spot mop in winter
- Vacuum carpeted floor areas
- Clean, dry and polish all interior window surfaces, including glass, framework and panelling
- Sweep and mop lift floors and wipe all lift surfaces, internal and external, including call panels
External cleaning
We will when required:
- Collect and dispose of all litter and rubbish including drying areas and car parks
- Sweep all bin stores clear of rubbish and debris and leave tidy Clean all
- One Manchester-owned external lights, signage and door entry systems leaving them dust and smudge free
Our Caretakers are on-site Mondays to Fridays. Each block also has cover for an hour on Saturdays and Sundays. Our Caretakers can look after minor repairs, but anything major needs to be reported.
If you would like to give us feedback or need to contact us about our Caretaking service, you can speak to your Neighbourhood Officer, give us a call on 0330 355 1000 or fill in our contact us form.
Security
Our flats and high-rise blocks also have some security measures, giving you extra peace of mind:
- a secure key fob entry system CCTV cameras covering lifts, internal communal areas and car parks.
- These are recorded 24-hours a day, 365 days a year
Keeping you safe
Living in a flat or high-rise block doesn’t mean you are at more risk from fire, but it does mean you need to understand what to do if a fire happens and the impact this might have on you and your neighbours.
If you have a balcony, we have some tips on the best ways to use and enjoy your outdoor space, and what to avoid.
You can find out more about fire safety and balcony advice on our Health and Safety page.
All our safety procedures will be displayed in the communal areas. You can also speak to your Community Caretaker or Neighbourhood Officer if you have any questions or concerns.
If you have any mobility issues, medical conditions or disabilities that may prevent you evacuating your home without assistance, it’s important that you tell us, so we can put the right support in place for you.
Building Safety Case Information
The health, safety and wellbeing of our customers and their homes is important to us, and we work hard to ensure that all our properties are safe and great places to live.
It’s a legal requirement that we as a housing associations, share key safety and building information about your block with you. We also share this information with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which is a government body that oversees and ensures that buildings are safe for people to live in.