All Bristol City Council employees carry identification (ID). Please ask to see ID before you let anyone into your home who says they're from the council.
Why we might need to come into your home and what happens if we can't get in.
Why we might need to come into your home
As your landlord, sometimes we might need to come into your home. This could be:
- for gas, electrical or fire safety
- for asbestos checks
- to do repairs
- because you've made changes to your home without our permission
- for planned work
- for a tenancy audit
- for a home condition survey
- because we've received a disrepair claim
We have a responsibility to:
- make sure our council homes are safe to live in
- regularly check in with you to make sure you're safe and supported in your home
Our right to come into your home and your responsibility to let us in is in section 2.13 of our tenancy agreement with you. Our tenancy agreement is a legal contract that describes:
- our rights and responsibilities as a local authority landlord
- your rights and responsibilities as a local authority tenant
Section 2.13 covers all services on this page.
Gas safety
We must do a gas service in every council home once a year by law for safety reasons. We aim to do your gas service 2 months before your Gas Safety Certificate expires.
Electrical safety
We must do electrical servicing in every council home at least once every 5 years.
If you report an electrical issue in your home, we must be able to access the wiring to make sure it's safe. This might involve coming into your home even if the electrical issue is in a neighbour's home.
Fire safety
We must do fire safety checks at least once a year to check that:
- fire safety equipment, such as alarms and fire extinguishers, works and can be used in an emergency
- fire doors can hold back fire and smoke and aren't damaged
Asbestos
If we find asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in your home, we must visit to:
- check the risk level
- make sure the ACMs are contained and cannot harm you
If there are ACMs in your building and you make changes to your home, we'll need to visit to make sure:
- you haven't disturbed the ACMs
- your home is still safe to live in
Responsive repairs
We must do reported, emergency and planned repairs to make sure council homes are safe to live in and in good condition.
We must do emergency repairs quickly because the issue could endanger residents, the public or the security of the property.
For example:
- we must respond to reports of damp and mould within a specific time period to make sure the home is safe to live in
- if there's a leak in a nearby property, we may need to come into your home if we think the leak starts there
Unauthorised changes to your home
If you make certain changes to your home without our permission or don't provide the information we need, we'll need to visit to do safety checks.
If we think the changes are dangerous, we'll fix or remove them and you'll need to cover the costs.
Planned work
We might need to come into your home to do planned work, such as:
- replacing the roof
- installing new windows
- replacing kitchens and bathrooms
Tenancy audit
We must do a tenancy audit every 5 years to check:
- you're safe and supported in your home
- we have the correct contact details for you
- the quality of the services we provide
We prioritise tenants we:
- haven't had recent contact with
- are concerned about
Home condition survey
We do a home condition survey for council tenants every 5 years to:
- make sure your home is safe
- plan for future works
The survey is done by a professional surveyor who'll check that your home meets building safety standards.
Property condition and disrepair claims
Some law firms contact council tenants offering to help them take legal action against the council for bad housing conditions.
To respond to these claims, Bristol City Council operatives need to be able to gain access to:
- make sure your home is safe to live in
- carry out needed repair works
If you don't let us in to carry out repair works that need doing, your home could be left unsafe for a long period while the law firm negotiates with us.
How we'll arrange our visit to your home
We'll contact you to tell you when we're coming to your home. Depending on the type of work, this could be by letter, phone or email.
Sometimes we'll send specialist contractors to do the work on our behalf, such as for:
- some servicing work
- home condition surveys
What happens if you don't let us into your home
You refuse our visit if you:
- tell us that you don't want us to come into your home
- don't let us do the work we've come to do
- don't respond to your Housing Officer after our first 3 attempts to visit you
If you don't let us into your home on the day of our visit, we'll try to visit 2 more times.
After each attempted visit, we'll post a missed appointment card through your letterbox. This will give the reason for our visit and either:
- the time and date of our next visit, or
- a phone number you must call to rebook
If we can't get into your home after 3 visits, your Housing Officer will contact you to find out if you need any additional support to let us in. For example, you might need:
- us to avoid certain times because you have caring responsibilities
- a bit longer to get to the front door
- translation of written communication or a phone interpreter
If you don't respond to your Housing Officer within 10 working days, we may take legal action to gain access to carry out works. This could be:
- an access injunction, which is a court order saying you must meet the term of your tenancy agreement to let us into your home
- a warrant for access in urgent cases, which means getting permission from the court to force entry
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