Your council tenancy agreement explained

The ‘your tenancy’ section explains the different types of tenancies including: introductory, secure and joint. It also explains how and when we can serve you a ‘notice to quit’ the property, and how you can serve us notice when you want to leave your council home.

This section tells you when you must pay your rent, and what happens if you don’t pay your rent. It also tells you when we can change the amount of your rent and how much notice we will need to give you if we are changing your rent.

• Our responsibilities - including which structural and internal repairs we’re responsible for
• your responsibilities - including which improvements and repairs you are responsible for, how to report repairs and when you might need to pay for repairs
• your rights - this section outlines your right to have repairs done on time and which improvements you have a right to make if you have a secure tenancy and our written permission, like changing windows and doors

• Our responsibilities - including what will happen if you report a nuisance, anti-social behaviour or harassment. It also tells you about our responsibility to develop a three-year community safety strategy under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• your responsibility - which includes what happens if you vandalise your home or interfere with security or safety equipment. It also tells you about you responsibility to cooperate with your neighbours, abide by our bye laws and cooperate with the police in any enquiries
• nuisance - this explains that you must not cause a nuisance, anti-social behaviour, annoy, or disturb any other person and gives you examples of nuisances
• harassment - this section explains that you must not harass other people and gives you a list of behaviours which are classed as harassment including; acts or threats of discrimination, nuisance or annoyance; writing or displaying any form of graffiti; and damaging or threatening to damage another person’s home or possessions
• parking - this section outlines where you’re allowed to park and what vehicles you’re allowed to park on your property including parking any motor vehicle, caravan, boat or trailer
• vehicle repair - this explains that you cannot carry out vehicle repairs on the premises, except minor repairs on your own vehicle
• dealing with council employees or their agents - this outlines that you must cooperate with our employees and agents, and that you must not harass them
• your rights - this section includes your right to enjoy life in your own way as long as you do not unreasonably upset people living near you

• Our responsibilities - this section covers our responsibility to continue providing services such as lifts and caretaking and explains the exceptional circumstances when we are able to ask you to move home. It also explains what we’ll do to support victims of domestic violence
• your responsibilities - this section explains that you must use your council house as your main home and explains what you’ll need to do if you’re away from home for an extended time. It also outlines the rules on; overcrowding, running a business from your home, storing items which can catch fire, domestic appliances. It covers your responsibilities for preventing domestic violence, taking care of your home, putting up sheds and garages, your responsibility for the property’s garden, shared areas, rules on keeping pets and animals and putting up satellite dishes or aerials
• your rights - this explains your right to ‘assign’ your tenancy to someone else in certain circumstances, for secure tenancies it outlines mutual exchange, subletting, lodgers and your right to buy your council home

• Our responsibilities - this explains that we have a responsibility to involve you in any major service changes, improvements and any local tenants and residents associations. We are also responsible for sending you our annual housing report to tell you about our work and our performance. This section also tells you how we’ll let you know about changes to your rent
• your rights - this section outlines that you have the right to see any information we have about you and your family. You also have the right to join a tenants and residents association if there is one in your area

• Your rights - this section outlines your rights to move to another council home and when you might not be allowed to move, for example if you owe rent or have not completed any agreed repairs. It also outlines what will happen if you need to move urgently as a result of racial harassment or domestic violence
• mutual exchanges - secure tenants have a right to exchange their home and this section outlines the rules for mutual exchange. It also lists examples of when we might refuse an exchange, for example because of overcrowding or if the new home is too large or too small for the new tenants

• Your responsibilities - this section tells you about how you can end your council tenancy and what will happen when you choose to end the tenancy
• your rights - this section details succession and what happens to your tenancy if you die. It also details who can be a successor and take over the tenancy as well as outlining the circumstances when we might ask the person who has taken over the tenancy to move

We do allow tenants to keep pets, however this is within reason and subject to the below tenancy clauses:

• you must not keep illegal animals
• you must keep your pets under control and ensure they do not cause noise or other nuisance to others by their behaviour
• you must not use the premises for the purposes of breeding animals of any kind
• you must ensure that your pets do not foul shared areas, any part of the estate or any other public area. If they do you must clean up after them
• if any animal on your premises causes harm or nuisance to other people or causes damage to property, we will require you to remove it permanently from your home