Tenancy Terms and Conditions - Part E
Using your home

1: You must use your home in a responsible way and it must be your only or main home.

2: You must not use your home for business purposes, unless we give you permission in writing. We will not refuse unless we have good reason.

3: You are responsible for paying all connection charges for essential supplies (for example, gas, electricity and water) and for paying all charges relating to those supplies.

4: You must not keep any moped, motorbike or similar vehicle, or any other machine driven by an engine, inside your home. Toys and garden tools are allowed as long as they do not cause a nuisance, any damage or a fire risk.

5: You must keep your home clean and decorated in a good condition (see also part c on repairs).

6: You must not allow anything to block access to or from your home, any other home or any shared area, including fire escapes.

7: You must take reasonable care to make sure that any outbuilding, yard or garden you have is kept clean and free from rubbish. You must look after the garden and keep any trees, bushes, hedges or grass at a reasonable height or size. You must get permission from your housing office before you plant any trees.

8: You must take reasonable care to keep your home, any shared areas, and any outbuildings secure from intruders.

9: Under Section 93 of the Housing Act 1985 you have the right to take in lodgers. You also have the right to sublet part of your home, but you must first get our permission in writing. You must not sublet all of your home.

10: You must not assign (sign over) your tenancy without our permission in writing.

11: You must not put any structure (shed, garage, pond, greenhouse, fence, wall or anything similar) on any land that is provided with your home unless you have our permission in writing. At the end of your tenancy, you must remove any structure unless we agree, in writing, that it can stay.

12: You must not keep or use bottled gas, petrol, paraffin or other flammable or explosive substances in your home or in any area nearby.

13: You must not let waste or other materials that may cause a fire or attract pests build-up in or around your home.

14: You must not use any bottled-gas or paraffin heater if you live in a block of flats, bedsit or maisonette.

15: You must take reasonable care to make sure that nothing (for example, nappies, food and paper) is thrown, dropped or allowed to fall from any window or balcony or any other part of your home.

16: You must make sure that no-one going into or leaving your home makes a noise which might disturb your neighbours.

17: You, and anyone in your home must take reasonable care to make sure you do not use any audio equipment, TV, washing machine, power tool or other appliance in a way that might disturb your neighbours.

18: You must not put any material that is difficult to remove (for example, Artex) or highly flammable (for example, polystyrene tiles), or likely to cause noise nuisance (for example, laminate flooring) on any surface inside or outside your home unless you get our written permission first. We will not refuse without good reason.

19: You must not allow any firefighting equipment, fire alarm, smoke detector, security system or similar safety or security device inside or near your home, to be interfered with or removed. You must not allow any fire door or security door to be kept open.

You must not allow your home to become overcrowded. You can get advice on overcrowding from your housing office.

Notes

a: For security and maintenance reasons, you should tell your housing office, preferably in writing, if you will be away from your home for more than a month.

b: If you receive housing benefit, you must tell our housing benefit department if any of your circumstances change.

c: A lodger is someone who lives with you, is not your partner or a member of your family, and pays you for his or her keep.

d: If you find it difficult to remove bulky items or rubbish from your home, or to maintain your garden or home, please contact your housing office for advice about how we could help you.

e: Some trees can cause subsidence (this is where the ground shrinks, which can damage property) by taking too much water from the soil, or nuisance by blocking light to your neighbours. It is important that you get permission from your housing office before you plant any trees so we can help you choose the right ones.

f: If you move out of your home or sublet all of it, the tenancy will no longer be secure and you would lose some rights.

g: The Housing Act 1985 states that secure tenancies may only be assigned (signed over) in limited circumstances.