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Update for tenants: what our new Access Policy means for you (November 2025)
We’ve introduced a new Access Policy to help us keep your home safe and well maintained. This policy will result in better coordination, less wasted time, and fewer missed appointments – helping us to keep homes safe. Here’s what this means for you:
We’ll need access to your home to carry out essential legal and statutory safety checks, or for repairs or improvement works. Examples of checks we’ll need to carry out include inspections and servicing for gas and electrical installations, fire safety checks – such as smoke alarms, and water safety inspections.
We’ve written our Access Policy to spell out a clear and fair process for gaining access to properties when we need to complete these essential works – whether that’s repairs, safety checks, or inspections. It also helps us to meet our legal obligations, make sure your home is well maintained, and keeps you safe by reducing risks.
We understand that there may be reasons why you may need to refuse access to your home, which is why we’ve written this policy to be flexible and offer you support wherever possible. But we also need to be firm when access isn’t given so that we can keep you and others safe, reduce risks, and help us meet our legal obligations.
Our Access Policy has been shaped by feedback from our colleagues, Customer Scrutiny Panel (www.boltonathome.org.uk/scrutiny-group), and Operations Committee (www.boltonathome.org.uk/operations-committee-meetings), and we’ve made sure it aligns with all the latest regulations such as the Building Safety Act 2022.
Why we need to access your home:
We may need to access your home to carry out essential servicing, inspections, or repairs. These visits help us to keep you safe, meet important legal and safety obligations, and ensure your home remains in good condition.
This applies to all residential homes that we own or manage.
Our procedure for accessing your home:
If we can’t gain access to your home, we’ll:
- Attempt to contact you to arrange a suitable appointment.
- Send a first letter requesting access.
- Send a second reminder letter if we don’t hear back from you.
- Send a third and final warning letter explaining why access is important for your safety.
- If access is still not granted, your case may be referred to our legal team as a last resort.
- Our legal team may apply for a court order (an injunction) to gain access to your home to carry out essential safety checks or repairs.
Evidence collection:
To support legal proceedings, we may collect evidence such as photographs of the property, copies of letters sent, and records of attempted contact. All information will be handled in accordance with data protection regulations.
Working together:
We understand that circumstances can change. If you’re unable to keep an appointment or have any concerns, please let us know as soon as possible. We’ll do everything we can to work around your circumstances and find a solution that works for you. Your safety is our priority.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us to keep your home safe and well maintained.
If you’d like to read our full Access Policy, just tap: www.boltonathome.org.uk/our-policies-and-strategies.
Don’t forget: you can also visit our Home and Building Safety Hub if you’d like to see our full suite of guides for staying safe: www.boltonathome.org.uk/building-safety.