Welcome to your new home
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.
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.
Your tenancy agreement details the legal rights in full but whilst you live in your home you have the right to:
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
To ask for written permission, simply login to your online account.
To ensure our homes are safe and are a great place to live in, we will ensure we do the following:
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.
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.
We will keep the shared areas of your building and estate clean and tidy. We will maintain any lifts and shared doors.
We will insure the building your home is in. Please arrange your own contents insurance for your belongings.
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.
Looking after your home has never been quicker or easier thanks to our online services.