General housing repair advice

You shouldn't flush the following items down your toilet, or you could be recharged:

• Wet wipes
• Nappies
• Toilet duck disposable cleaning heads
• Kitchen roll
• Dental floss

Did you know that you can unblock a toilet with mop? Simply insert into the bottom of the toilet in a circular action and then plunge gently a few times.

To help stop blockages to kitchen sinks, you shouldn't put the following items down the sink, or you may be recharged:

• Fat, grease or oils which can solidify in the pipework
• Rice, which swells
• Excessive food waste

Some strong chemical clearing agents can melt your pipework or joints so you should make sure they are suitable. A natural way to clear a sink is 1/3 cup of vinegar with 1/3 cup of baking powder poured down the sink together, leave for 10 minutes then rinse with hot water.

Where possible, alternate the windows you open and close. This will help alleviate wear and tear to the locking mechanisms.

You should make sure that trickle vents at the top of the window are in the open position to allow for air replacement.

If you have a shower attachment off your bath, you should only use it if there is a screen or curtain in place, as well as a fully tiled wall area from bath to ceiling. If there is a sealant leak around the bath, you can tape a plastic bag or bin liner to the wall so that the potential leak point is stopped until a repair is started.

You should be careful when removing items from under the kitchen sink, to ensure no leaks have occurred.

Most taps, baths, sinks and toilets have isolation valves. These are either a stopcock, gate valve or a ballofix valve. To close a stopcock or gate valve, turn clockwise until resistance is felt and the water has stopped. In the case of a ballofix valve, you will need to use a small, flat head screwdriver in the valve and quarter turn to close so it is in the horizontal position.

If door handles are sticking, you can spray WD40 into the working parts.

If a door handle comes off, you can open the door by inserting a large screwdriver into the mechanism and quarter turn to open.

If you damage, crack or dent any door, or if you lose your keys, you may be recharged.

Loft spaces are not habitable areas unless converted by the council and are not to be used for storage as they present undue stress to the roof timbers that are designed to take the weight of the roof covering. In most cases they have no walkways, lighting and insulation and should only be assessed by a member of the repairs team.     

We will make safe and undertake a repair of a fence or gate and will replace any asset including fencing if it’s beyond economical repair. Axis may fit concrete spurs to secure a fence post rather than full post replacement. All fencing is replaced on a like for like basis. If we made any fence higher or change it from its original design, we would be setting a precedence. Due to current budgets, we’re listing all new fencing requests that may be released once funding is available. No fence is replaced due to its design, aesthetics, age, minor damage, mildew or being unpainted. If a fence provides a barrier, then it is left in situ. We, in theory, only have to provide a boundary line to dividing gardens. Fencing to communal boundaries or public footpaths will be prioritised.

A tenant can’t remove or replace any existing fencing unless they send a written request to their housing officer asking permission. Fencing in a rear garden cannot be higher than 2m or 6’6” or planning permission is needed, and the maximum height of a front fence is 1m or 3’2”. If you install trellis, you will be responsible for all future maintenance. If you allow foliage or ivy to cover your fence, which would add undue weight to the structure, you will be responsible for making it good and clearing all foliage.

We recommend that you apply a wood preservative to prolong the life of your fence or gates.

We have come across many tenants who want to move away from baths and install their own electric, mains fed or attachment showers or using the shower rinse aide attached to a bath mixer as a shower.

You must ask for permission from your housing officer to install an electric shower. You will need to upgrade the fuse board using a qualified, approved electrician. Excessive water vapour and spillage may cause tiling to come away, plastered surfaces to get saturated or leaks to the floor below.

Showers must have:

• full tiling to the area of showering
• suitable weighted curtain or screen and rail to deter spray or spillage
• firm solid mastic bead around the bath, and make sure the tiling is grouted 
• boiler with suitable pressure to facilitate the running of a shower

We don’t recommend push on showers attachments as they are prone to leaking or back surge.

Showers cause excessive moisture or steam to be generated which, if not ventilated, would cause an increase in water vapour turning to condensation or mould, especially in the winter months.

We recommend that any residual water on the tiling is wiped off or removed with a squeegee, an anti-slip mat is placed in the bath and a mat to stand on when you exit the bath.

E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular. Most are powered by lithium-ion batteries which can be charged at home. 

It’s important when charging e-bikes and e-scooters, you do so safely to avoid a fire starting and putting your families and homes at risk. We're seeing an increase in fires involving them and the fire safety concerns relate to their charging and storage.

When an e-scooter or e-bike is involved in a fire, it can release large volumes of smoke, get very hot, and sometimes have a violent reaction leading to a rapidly developing fire.

For more information, visit Essex Fire.

We do appreciate that in recent times many of us have been affected by increased energy costs and general cost of living.

For information and advice, view our cost of living help.