A guide to your tenancy

We understand there is a lot of information to read about your tenancy with Places Homes. This guide is to help you with some of the important things you need to know whilst living in your new home.

Pay your rent the easy way

The easiest way to pay your rent is by Direct Debit. Once setup, you won’t need to worry about the payments as this will be taken care of automatically. If you prefer to make a manual payment every week or month, you have the option to pay through your online account or over the phone.

Please note you must always pay your rent in advance and you can pay weekly or monthly.

This means that if you are waiting for Housing Benefit or Universal Credit you should pay the rent yourself. You must ask your Council to pay your Housing Benefit to us. If you get Universal Credit you must ask for this too.

Don’t forget to check the legals

Your tenancy agreement details the legal rights in full but whilst you live in your home you have the right to:

Security

Your privacy is important to us. We promise not to enter your home without your permission or without a court order. We don’t keep any spare keys!

Exchange

If you would like to swap your home with another council or housing association tenant after 12 months — you can. Simply visit homeswapper.co.uk

Lodgers

You may have a lodger in your home if your home is large enough. You do need to ask us first and we need to agree to you having a lodger. Just let us know by requesting this through the enquiry form on your online account.

Improvements

Would you like to make improvements to your home? You can once you’ve lived in your home for more than 12 months. This might include upgrading your kitchen units or installing a new shower. You must get written permission from us before doing any work. To request this simply login to your online account.

Succession

If you have a joint tenant, spouse or partner, or other people living with you they may be able to with our agreement, continue the tenancy if you die. We will help them to do this if needed.

Your promise to us

As a customer of Places Homes, there are a few things which all our customers promise during their tenancies. Altogether this helps us to create welcoming and respectful communities and make sure our homes and surrounding environments are safe and enjoyable for you and your neighbours.

You promise to:

• Pay your weekly / monthly rent and other charges in advance
• Pay for your other bills separately — such as gas, electricity and water
• Keep your home and garden clean and tidy
• Regularly check your smoke detector. We recommend testing it once a week
• Be aware of the fire safety rules for your building
• Let us know if your home needs a repair (report a repair in minutes through your online account)
• Live in the property as your only home
• Allow us to come into your home with a pre-agreed appointment
• Allow us to service your gas boiler once a year
• Tell us if you will be away from your home for more than a month
• Keep your vehicles taxed, repaired and insured
• Give us at least four weeks’ written notice when you wish to end your tenancy and leave your home
• When moving out you must clear and clean your home of all belongings and return your keys to us.

You will need to get permission in writing from us if you want to:

• Keep pets
• Run a business in your home
• Swap your home by mutual exchange
• Make improvements to your house
• Park caravans, trailers or other large vehicles at your home or on your street. 

To ask for written permission, simply login to your online account.

There a few things we ask you to promise not to do:

• Cause a nuisance or use violent or threatening behaviour to your neighbours or others
• Allow visitors or friends to cause a nuisance
• Overcrowd or damage your home
• Smoke in any communal area belonging to us
• Keep your personal things in our communal areas e.g. corridors (as these could also be fire escapes)
• Carry out vehicle repairs in the car park or on your drive
• Store items in your home which have hazardous warnings.

Our promise to you

To ensure our homes are safe and are a great place to live in, we will ensure we do the following:

Repairs

We will make some repairs to your home if you report them to us. Some common repairs include internal walls, floors, ceilings, external gutters and drain pipes. You can report a repair in minutes through your online account.

Information

We will provide you with information on our Policies and Procedures if requested. You can request these through the enquiry form on your online account.

Services

We will keep the shared areas of your building and estate clean and tidy. We will maintain any lifts and shared doors.

Insurance

We will insure the building your home is in. Please arrange your own contents insurance for your belongings.

Rent

Your rent and the service charge should only be changed once a year (we will let you know if this changes).

If you need more information, please refer to your tenancy agreement or call our Customer Service Centre.

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