Introduction
1: Your tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract between you and us. It sets out your and our rights and responsibilities.
2: Some of your rights and responsibilities are set by law. For example, as a secure tenant, you may have the right to:
- pass on your tenancy when you die;
- exchange your home with another tenant;
- buy your home;
- repair your home if we fail to do so;
- improve your home;
- be consulted;
- take in lodgers; and
- sublet part of your home.
3: If you are a joint tenant, you have the same rights and obligations as the other joint tenant or (tenants). Your rights and responsibilities cannot be split or shared between you. If one of you breaks the tenancy agreement it affects all joint tenants. If one joint tenant gives notice to end the tenancy, it ends for all of you.
4: Since 1 October 2002 our tenancies have been managed for us by Brent Housing Partnership Limited (BHP). Your housing officers work for BHP, but your tenancy is with us.
5: Your tenancy starts on the date set out in your tenancy agreement. It continues from week to week until you or we end it.
6: Most council tenancies are known as 'secure tenancies'. This means that we can end the tenancy only if we get a court order (known as a possession order). The reasons we can get this type of order are set by law.
7: As long as you pay your rent and keep to your tenancy agreement and these conditions, we will not normally ask the court for a possession order, unless, for example, we need to move you to redevelop your home.
8: Your home must be your only or main home. If you have another home, you will stop being a secure tenant and we can ask the court for a possession order so we can evict you.
a: Most parts in these conditions include notes to help you understand your tenancy agreement. The notes do not form part of the agreement and are not legally binding - they are for information only.
Notes
a: If you have any questions about your tenancy, or if you would like more information about your and our rights and responsibilities please ask your housing officer. You can also get information from a solicitor or an advice centre such as Citizens Advice.
b: If you have any complaints about our housing service, speak to your housing officer. If you are not satisfied with their response, ask them for details of the complaints procedure.
c: Some tenants have set up a Tenant Management Organisation or TMO. If your tenancy is managed by a TMO, wherever these conditions say you should go to your housing office it means your TMO housing office instead of the BHP housing office.