Shared Owner initial repair period
You will need to pay for repairs and maintenance no matter what share you own.
Some costs might be covered by the building warranty, or by Clarion if your home has an ‘initial repair period’. Check the ‘key information document’ or your lease to see if it has an initial repair period. We gave you a copy of this document before you reserved your home.
What properties does the fund cover?
If your shared ownership property was purchased after 1st April 2021 it may be eligible for a 10-year initial repair period which covers two different areas of repair (subject to criteria) while you own less than a 100% share of your home.
You are responsible for keeping your home in good condition and are responsible for arranging and paying for repairs and maintenance in your home. However, we will contribute to the cost of qualifying essential repairs within the first ten years from the date of your lease (or until the date that you staircase to a 100% share if that is during the 10-year period).
This is to help you with unplanned costs that aren’t covered by any warranties associated with your new home.
How does the fund work?
Full details of the allowance are explained in your lease, but here’s a summary of how it works:
You will be able to claim up to £500 in repair costs per year, with the flexibility to roll over a maximum of one year’s worth of unused repairs expenditure into the following year, meaning the maximum amount in your fund account at any time could be £1000. Any repair and maintenance costs exceeding the amount in your fund being the responsibility of yourself.
If the home is re-sold through the Shared Ownership scheme within this 10-year period, the remaining years will be transferred over to the new Shared Owner, unless the lease is staircased to 100%.
What repairs are covered?
The essential repairs or replacement (if faulty) of:
- installations in the home for the supply of water, gas and electricity (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary devices but not other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity such as ovens or washing machines), pipes and drainage
- installations in the home for space heating and water heating
Before raising a claims submission to Clarion, please ensure that you check if the repair is covered by the fund, a list can be found here.
It does not cover external or structural repairs or qualifying repairs that are covered by an existing warranty, guarantee or insurance policy (e.g. your boiler’s initial warranty), although the allowance can be used to help with any excess payable.
New homes will have a New Home Building Warranty (or equivalent) which will cover the cost of structural repairs for the first 10 years from the date of build.
How can I check if the repair is eligible for reimbursement under the initial repair period?
Unless your enquiry is deemed an emergency repair (this is defined as an issue that causes danger to life and/or major damage to the property) you will need to notify us of intentions to make a claim. You can do this by completing the claims enquiry form which can be accessed via the online account.
If you don’t have an account, you can register via this link, or by:
- emailing customercare@clarionhg.com including the following
- Name
- Address
- Room which requires repair
- Specific item which requires repair
- Details of the fault
- Photographs evidencing the repair required
Please provide as much information as possible to ensure we can carry out the appropriate checks and confirm whether the submission would be eligible as soon as possible.
Once the checks have been carried out, you will be notified via email within 10 working days whether the reimbursement request is eligible.
If the notification of a repair is approved, you will then need to source a trades person who must be TrustMark approved and be able to provide an itemised VAT invoice.
Once I have established if I am eligible. How to make a repair fund claim?
Once your notification of repair has been approved, you should make the necessary arrangements with a tradesperson to rectify the issue then submit a claims submission.
To submit a claim, please contact 0300 100 0301 or email soclaims@clarionhg.com and we will be happy to assist you.
You will need to provide the following details about the completed work:- Name and contact details of tradesperson/company.
- A copy of an itemised VAT invoice.
- Photographs of the completed work.
- Certification / warrantee of works (e.g. an electrical sign off) – if applicable.
Once you have submitted the form our team will assess the request and confirm if your request has been approved or declined within seven days from receiving the claim submission.
If the request is approved, you will be notified, and payment will be made within a further 5 working days.
Checking your fund balance and repairs status
If you are unsure of what repairs have been made to date and what remains on your balance, please email us and we can send you the latest information at soclaims@clarionhg.com.