Responsibilities

Your home is yours to care for. You're responsible for looking after everything inside it – from taps and tiles to light fittings and locks. That means arranging and paying for repairs within your own space. It’s the biggest responsibility you have as a customer, and it’s part of what makes your home truly yours.

If you live in a flat with some shared spaces – like hallways, stairwells, or the building’s roof – we’ll take care of repairs to those areas. These are covered by your service charge, which helps keep communal spaces safe, clean, and well-maintained.

Feel free to make your home your own. Whether it’s painting walls, hanging shelves, or adding personal touches – just make sure any changes are safe and don’t affect the structure. If you're planning something bigger, like knocking through a wall, see “Apply to make alterations” below.

Your rent and service charges help keep things running smoothly – from building insurance to communal cleaning. We’ll always be clear about what you’re paying for, and you can access your rent statements so there are no surprises.

Welcomed a new member of the family? Changed your number? Keeping your contact details and household info up to date helps us support you better – especially if there’s an emergency or we need to get in touch.

Where we share ownership, or you live in a flat, we cover the building, but what’s inside is up to you. Contents insurance protects your belongings – from your sofa to your laptop – in case of theft, fire, or damage. It’s not mandatory, but it’s strongly recommended.

Thinking of making changes to your home? For anything structural or significant (like installing a new kitchen or changing flooring), you’ll need to get written permission first. We’ll guide you through the process and let you know what’s okay and what’s not.

If you’re a shared owner of a house or live in a flat – even if you own it outright – Sparrow provides building insurance and includes the cost in your service charge.

If someone else provides services to your building or estate, we stay closely involved to make sure everything meets Sparrow’s standards.

For flats, we’ll take care of repairs in shared spaces – like hallways, stairwells, and communal gardens – so your block stays safe, tidy, and welcoming.

If there’s flooding, an electrical fault, or a lift breakdown in communal areas for flats, please call us as soon as possible - 020 4524 5200

For flats, we'll look after shared services like water, gas, electricity, heating, hot water and sanitation – where they’re part of your building setup. What’s included depends on your block and will be reflect in your service charge.

For flats, we’re usually responsible for things like roofs and external walls – and sometimes windows, communal doors or balconies too. It depends on your building and lease, so check the details to see what’s covered.

For flats, we carry out regular safety checks in communal areas – like making sure emergency lighting and smoke detectors are working, and that hallways and stairwells are clear and safe.