Essential repairs to your home
Keeping your home and garden well maintained can sometimes be difficult, especially as you get older or if you have a health or physical condition.
A well-maintained home can help you to stay in better health and avoid accidents, whilst the garden is often a sanctuary for many people and can help with mental wellbeing.
If you are struggling to keep up with jobs that need doing around the home and garden, you may be able to get help from some voluntary organisations for smaller jobs. There may be a small charge or you might be asked for a donation.
For larger jobs you may need to hire a tradesman. Always check previous work from testimonials, ratings on the internet or personal recommendations from family and friends. If you are worried about hiring someone you don't know, see the Doorstep selling and rogue traders section of this website for helpful tips; or visit Herefordshire Council's consumer advice page for further advice.
If you live in a Housing Association home or rent from a private landlord, then they are responsible for keeping the home maintained and you should contact them directly for anything that needs doing.
You At Home, is Herefordshire Council's experienced Home Improvement Agency (HIA) and can help you with support and guidance for some types of home improvements and adaptations.
You at Home operates a Handyperson service that offers a quick and effective solution to housing problems, at low cost, and is carried out by experienced technicians. The service can carry out subsidised home repairs, improvements and maintenance such as:
- Keysafe installation
- Door chains
- Grab rails
- Very small plumbing jobs
- Changing tap washers
- Changing batteries (smoke detectors)
- Changing heating timers
- Providing portable equipment (heaters)
- Security measures (door and window locks)
- Curtain rails
- Half steps
- Stair rails (using mop-stick)
- Small key-clamp
This service is available to owner occupiers, private tenants, or tenants of Registered Providers.
Further information is available by downloading the Herefordshire Council's Handyperson Scheme leaflet
If you own your own property, You at Home may be able to help you with an emergency repayable grant.
This is a discretionary grant for emergency and essential works of repair that remedy a serious hazard that could adversely affect health or safety, determined using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
It is intended to provide a safety net for urgent repairs for those most vulnerable in the community. The grant is repaid when the ownership of the property changes, or on transfer of the property to family members.
Conditions apply to this grant and it is only available for works that are considered a Category 1 Hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Eligible works may include items such as:
- securing the fabric of the property against dangerous wind and rain penetration;
- works to defective electrical installation where there is immediate risk of electric shock or fire;
- remedial works where there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Such works will be limited to removal of
- the defective appliance not its replacement; and
- the repair of a domestic water heating appliance.
Works must not have commenced before an application for this grant is approved, and must be completed within 6 months of the approval date.
For further details about these services you should contact the You at Home team:
- E-mail: yahreferrals@herefordshire.gov.uk
- Phone: 01432 260757
- Address: You At Home, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, Hereford, HR4 0LE