Upgrading your central heating

We’ll remove the old fittings in your home and update them with newer versions. We don’t always replace the entire heating system.

Some of the work carried out by our contractor might include replacing:

• your boiler
• radiators or electric storage heaters
• hot water cylinders
• electric fans or panel heaters

If your boiler is in your kitchen, the contractor might need to move a wall unit to make room for it. A plastic pipe will be fitted to the boiler and connected to a waste pipe for the small amount of water the boiler makes.

If we fit a combination (combi) boiler in your home it will provide hot water on demand, so you will not need a new hot water cylinder. If there is a water cylinder in your home it will be removed.

If you have a gas supply, we’ll also fit a carbon monoxide detector if you don’t have one already. We might also install mains-operated smoke and heat detectors if these haven’t been installed yet and upgrade your electric consumer unit.

We’ll contact you to let you know about your central heating upgrade, and which contractor will be carrying out the work.

The contractor will get in touch to introduce themselves and explain what sort of work they’ll be doing. They’ll let you know if you have any choices and clarify how long they expect the work to take. They’ll also put you in touch with a liaison officer who will chat to you about any access arrangements and contact you before the work starts.

From time to time there might be unexpected changes to the schedule. We’ll keep you posted if this happens.

Asbestos surveys

Before the work starts, we might also want to carry out an asbestos survey in your home. This is a routine safety check, and nothing to worry about.

We need to check there’s no hidden asbestos which could be disturbed when work is being carried out. If we do need to do a survey, our specialist contractor Environtec will contact you directly.

Not every home needs an asbestos survey.

You’ll be called by the liaison office beforehand to go over some of the things you should do to prepare for the upgrade. This might include:

• emptying cupboards under your sink
• clearing your kitchen counters
• moving furniture out of the way
• safely storing any electrical items like food processors or televisions, or valuable items and ornaments to protect them from any damage while work is being done
• clearing your loft
• lifting carpets and laminate flooring

If you have any special needs which make it difficult for you to lift or move large items, our contractor may agree to move furniture or flooring for you.

However, they can’t accept any liability for damage to your belongings so they might ask you to sign a form to say you agree to this.

The work can cause some inconvenience and disturbance as the contractor might be carrying out work in several rooms at once, like your loft or storage cupboards. However, most of the work to upgrade your heating system will be finished in a day.

You can stay in your home while the work’s being done, and you will have at least one room that you can spend time in.

Normally, you will be without heating and hot water for one day. If you end up without heating overnight, we’ll supply you with temporary heaters, though this doesn’t often happen.

Usually we just need one day to fit your new heating system, but this may be longer if we need to upgrade the entire system.

When the work is finished, our contractor and planned works project manager might visit your home to inspect the completed work.

Our contractor will follow safe working practices but there will be hazards in your home while the work is being done such as building materials, equipment and raised floorboards. You’ll be given safety advice which you and your family should follow. You should follow the safety advice given to you whilst the work is being done.

The safety of you, your family and our contractors is our top priority. Your heating upgrade will be fully supervised by a site manager through to completion.

Our contractors should always wear the correct PPE, (personal protective equipment) but if you’ve got any concerns this isn’t happening, let us know. We’ll never risk your safety, and neither should our contractors.

If you have any questions or would like more information on our arrangements for external painting, just drop us a line via our Contact us page.

Gas safety checks

Every 12 months, we’ll visit your home to carry out gas safety checks on the gas appliances we’ve provided in your home. We must carry out this check by law to make sure the appliances are safe and in good working order, and it’s really important we do this every year.

When you’re due for a gas safety check, our contractor will write to you and let you know and arrange a suitable appointment.

You must let a contractor come into your home to carry out a gas safety check otherwise you could be endangering your household and your neighbours. Afterwards, you’ll get a landlord gas safety certificate.

Our contractor will write and let you know when your safety check is due and arrange a suitable appointment. You must let our contractor into your home to carry out the safety check.

The information on this page mainly applies to our rental customers. If you’re a homeowner, we most likely won’t upgrade your heating system. If you want to upgrade it yourself, you might need our permission.

You can find out more information about upgrading your home in your agreement. If you are unsure about what your agreement says, please contact us and a member of the leasehold and homeownership team will get back to you.