Understanding your responsibilities as a homeowner
Taking care of your home is an important part of ownership. Whether you live in a house or a flat, your lease outlines the responsibilities you hold and the areas where emh provides support.
The information below helps you understand what you are responsible for and what we look after on your behalf.
Homeowner responsibilities
As the owner of a house, you are responsible for the repair and maintenance of your property, except where a warranty applies.
This includes:
- All internal and external repairs
- Servicing your boiler every year
- General maintenance and upkeep.
For shared owners, even though emh retains a share of the property, the repairing obligations rest fully with you.
Please note that not servicing your boiler annually may invalidate your warranty.
You are responsible for maintaining the inside of your home.
This includes:
- Windows (unless your lease states otherwise)
- Plumbing and any water tanks that serve only your flat
- Your electrical supply and fixtures
- Boiler or heating system services
- Internal features such as floorboards, tiles, skirting boards, internal doors and any staircases inside the flat.
As your landlord, emh is responsible for maintaining the wider building structure and shared areas, including:
- Load‑bearing walls and the roof
- Communal hallways and shared spaces
- Shared water tanks and communal electrical supplies
- Any communal boilers
- In some cases, window frames, communal doors, and the main front door to your flat (refer to your lease for details).
Costs for these services are covered through your service charge.
Support for the first ten years
If you purchased your home under the New Model Shared Ownership scheme (NMSO), you receive additional support during the first 10 years.
This includes:
- Help with the cost of structural repairs (most issues will be covered by your build warranty, but emh may undertake some work directly)
- Up to £500 per year towards general repairs, with unused amounts carried over to the next year (maximum carry‑over £500).
For further details, please refer to the New Model Shared Ownership handbook, here.
Developer Defects and Warranty Cover
When you move into your new home, you will be offered a New Homes Quality Inspection to identify any valid defects for the developer to correct.
Your new home benefits from:
First 12 months
- A developer defect period covering structural issues, breakdowns, product failures, and non‑cosmetic defects
- All issues reported through the emh customer service team
- A follow‑up end‑of‑year inspection to validate and record any outstanding defects.
Additional 12 months
- An extra defect liability period with the developer
- During this year, you must report claims directly to the builder
- If the builder refuses a claim, your warranty provider will manage it on your behalf.
Your home is covered by a structural warranty through one of the following providers:
- NHBC
- Premier
- LABC
All provide similar levels of cover, and full documentation will be supplied when you move in.