Luton Council tenants’ handbook and FAQs

When you move in

After the previous tenant has moved out and before you move into your home, we'll carry out general repairs and maintenance to make sure that it meets our lettable standard.

The amount of work that we have to do depends on the condition of the property when it's handed back to us, we don't include any white goods (fridges, cookers, washing machines etc) or soft furnishings with our properties, so it will be down to you to supply and maintain them.

There are specific loan schemes and charities that offer help to those who are on a low income or may struggle financially to purchase these items.

It's important to move in to your new home within 14 days of the start of your tenancy if not, we may think that you don't need it, or have abandoned the property.

Also if you're eligible for housing costs you will not be entitled to it when you aren't living in the property.

We want you to be happy and comfortable in your new home, you can decorate and personalise it to make it your own, but you can't make any changes to the structure, fixtures or fittings without getting our written permission first.

Shared areas

If you live in a property where you share doors, stairs, gardens or any areas with other people, then this is part of your home, it's your responsibility, along with the other tenants living there, to keep these communal areas secure, clean and tidy. Please do not let anyone into the flat block that you do not know, or is not there on official business such a postal worker, as this keeps you and your neighbours safe.

Please note: all our internal communal spaces are no smoking areas as this is required by law.

Visiting you after your tenancy begins

Within the first six weeks of your tenancy starting your housing officer will visit you at home, they will check that:

• you have settled in and aren't having any difficulties
• all repairs we agreed when you accepted the tenancy have been carried out
• no further repairs are needed
• you understand the conditions of your tenancy
• you don’t have any problems paying your rent

Costs of running a home

There are quite a lot of expenses associated with running a home, which you are responsible for, including:

• council tax
• gas
• electricity
• water
• telephone
• TV licence

Insurance

There are two types of household insurance policies.

• 'Buildings Insurance' to protect against damage to the structure of your home together with its fixtures and fittings
• 'Home Contents Insurance' that protects you against damage or loss of your possessions

We recommend that you arrange your own home contents insurance, you need to make sure you have enough cover for your possessions.

When you signed your tenancy agreement, you made a legally binding contract with us to keep to the terms and accepted the responsibilities of the agreement.

To meet your responsibilities we will expect you to:

• pay the rent
• look after your home
• behave appropriately
• be a responsible householder

The rest of this section explains your tenancy agreement in more detail.

The main parts of your tenancy agreement

Different agreements give you different rights, this part of the handbook highlights the main parts of your tenancy agreement and how they affect you.

You need to ensure you're aware of what agreement you have and see what applies to you, if you're unsure, then you should contact your housing officer who will confirm what your agreement says.

Antisocial behaviour, domestic violence and harassment

There are clauses in your tenancy agreement which commit you to not taking part in antisocial behaviour, including domestic violence and harassment, this is explained in more detail further in the handbook.

Bedroom eligibility

A separate bedroom will be allocated to a household for:

• single or joint applicants
• a couple
• an adult where that adult has no same sex sibling with whom they can share
• two children of the same sex (regardless of age)
• two children of the opposite sex where both are under 10 years
• child aged 10 years or over where the child has no same sex sibling with whom they can share

Eligibility will also be dependant on whether the property can accommodate a household size, for instance properties with very small bedrooms may not accommodate larger households.

Keeping pets and animals

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 not breed animals of any kind
• always keep pets under control and ensure they do not cause noise
• not allow it to cause a nuisance or harm to any person
• not allow it to damage your property as they will be permanently from your home
• not allow it to foul any communal or public area, you must clear up after them

Transferring your tenancy (assignment), lodgers and subletting

You're not allowed to assign your tenancy (transfer your tenancy rights to another person), without our written permission or the permission of a court.

Some tenancies forbid lodgers so you will need to check what your agreement says, before taking in a lodger you must let us know.

You mustn't sublet (rent out) your home, this is a criminal offence and is likely to result in you losing your home, you may also end up with a criminal conviction.

Using the premises

You must live in the property as your only or main (principle) home and you mustn't allow any illegal activities to take place in it or from it.

You must get our written permission if you wish to run a business from your property.

As a good tenant you will:

• pay your rent on time
• use the property as your main home
• keep the council up to date on who is living in your home
• keep your home clean, not overcrowd and well decorated
• make sure your home is well ventilated
• keep your garden neat and tidy
• dispose of your rubbish correctly
• report repairs quickly to the council
• give the council access for gas safety checks, repairs and inspections
• look after any pets you have permission to keep, in a responsible way
• will not cause damage to your home or communal areas
• will not carry out structural alterations without permission first
• protects your home from damage caused by smoking
• will ensure that you, your visitors or anyone living with you doesn't cause a nuisance or harass neighbours
• will give at least four weeks’ notice in writing if you decide to end your tenancy
• doesn't sublet your home

A good council landlord:

• allows you to stay in your home unless you have broken the conditions of your tenancy
• makes sure certain types of repairs are carried out within a reasonable time
• provides you with information about your tenancy
• consults you about any possible substantial change to the housing services or tenancy agreement
• assists with help towards your tenancy

You can expect council staff to:

• be polite and attentive
• carry official identity cards displaying their names and photographs
• be sensitive to your needs and honest about how they can help
• be well informed and trained in their duties
• carry out their work fairly and without discrimination

You must pay your rent weekly in full and in advance, it's very important to do this, and we will take failure to pay your rent very seriously.

This is explained in more detail, further on in the handbook.

Your rent explained

The rent covers:

• the cost of providing the building
• the cost of maintaining the property
• our management costs
• service charges (where applicable)

It's very important that you pay your rent, if you don’t you could lose your home, and would struggle to be rehoused by another local authority or housing association.

There is more information about managing your rent further on in this section.

Some properties have a service charge for services provided to your home and not charged for in your rent, these may be things like:

• communal heating
• lighting and cleaning communal areas
• landscape maintenance

All service charges are detailed on your tenancy agreement.

How to pay your rent

If for any reason you think you will have difficulty in paying your rent, please contact us as soon as possible so we can offer you advice and assistance.

If you miss a payment, your account will be in arrears and we will act in accordance with our 'Rent Arrears Policy'.

Below is a list of ways in which you can make rent payments:

Direct Debit: please contact our rents department and ask for a direct debit form if you don't already have one, please phone 01582 546110.

Post Office or Pay Point outlets: we will issue a rent payment card on request to let you pay at any post office or outlet showing the 'Pay Zone' or 'Pay Point' signs, payments will normally take three days to reach our account.

Internet banking: if you bank online, you can set up either a standing order or a one off payment, please quote your tenant reference along with your address, as the reference.

Debit/Credit card: you can pay your rent by debit or credit card via www.luton.gov.uk/payit.

Please note that if you don't pay your rent this can lead to you being evicted from your home.

Universal Credit and Housing Benefit

Universal Credit (UC) has replaced a range of benefits:

• Income based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
  
• Income related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• Income support
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Housing benefit 

Universal Credit is a self-managed account payment to help with your living costs, administered by the Department for Works and Pensions. You can claim Universal Credit on www.gov.uk/universal-credit.

You will need to claim Housing Benefit from us for help with your rent if you:

• live in temporary or supported accommodation
• are old enough to get State Pension Credit

Remember it is your responsibility to ensure your rent is paid, if you receive either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.   

You have a responsibility to keep your home in good condition by:

• keeping it clean and tidy and well decorated both inside and outside
• keeping the garden and dividing fences, walls and hedges in good condition
• putting your rubbish out regularly and securely, on the day of the bin collection
• parking considerately
• repairing, at your own cost, any damage caused by you, your family or visitors
• reporting all repairs promptly
• only making alterations with our permission

Your responsibilities

You're responsible for repairing any fixtures and fittings that you install, there are also some minor repairs and problems that are your responsibility.

These include (but may not be limited to):

• blocked drains and toilets
• replacing lost keys
• damage caused by your appliances (such as a washing machine)
• replacing tap washers, toilet seats, fuses, bath and sink plugs, and light bulbs
• fixing loose or broken door handles on inside doors
• replacing damaged internal doors

For further information regarding repairs and your responsibilities, please refer to your 'Repairs Handbook'.

Areas outside of your home

We always aim to make sure that the shared areas of your home and any gardens that we're responsible for are maintained to a high standard, we want your home to be a nice place to live.

How do I know if I should be receiving this service?

Many of our tenants who live in flats or communal block receive a cleaning or gardening service (or both) from us.

If you are entitled to receive this service you will already be paying a service charge for this on top of your weekly rent.

Abandoned vehicles

Suspected abandoned vehicles if they're left on council land, can be reported via the Love Clean Street App or contact the team on [email protected] or 01582 510333. 

Bulky refuse

If you have any large items of furniture or domestic appliances (for example beds, fridges or wardrobes) that you want to get rid of, you should contact our customer service centre on 01582 510333, or complete the online form which will arrange collection of the items at a small cost.

Don't use shared areas of your property for storing personal items, we may remove personal belongings stored in shared areas.

Estate and flat block inspections

The Concierge and Inspections team will carry out routine estate inspections, including communal blocks, gardens and garage sites, these help to:

• identify repairs that need to be done in shared areas
• make sure there are no health and safety issues
• generally make sure that the area is being looked after and cleaned to a satisfactory standard

If however, you have any issues that you feel require urgent attention, please report these directly to your area’s concierge and inspections officer by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling 01582 547304. 

Garages

We have a number of garages that are available for letting to both our tenants and non residents, be aware that we do have waiting lists for all our garage sites.

Graffiti

We will remove offensive or obscene graffiti within 24 hours of being told about it and seven days for all other graffiti, you can report graffiti by contacting the customer service centre on 01582 510333.

Parking

If your property doesn't have its own driveway and you own a vehicle which you park in a bay we have provided, you must make sure it's roadworthy, properly taxed, licensed and insured.

You mustn't park commercial vehicles, caravans, boats and trailers on any of our properties.

You must also not:

• park in places that aren't authorised spaces
• block roadways, access areas, footpaths or cause any other obstruction
• attempt to 'reserve' or block parking spaces
• park in spaces that are reserved for people who are disabled unless you have a disability

Please note that some of our car parks are covered by a parking scheme. Where this is the case, please ensure that you comply with the terms of the scheme or you could be subject to parking enforcement.

When you signed your tenancy, you agreed that you, members of your household and/or visitors and guests would behave in a responsible way and respect other tenants and residents in your local area.

We will consider action if you or members of your household, visitors or guests don't behave appropriately, ie cause nuisance, act in an antisocial manner or are involved in criminal activity.

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

• harassment and/or nuisance towards other residents
• drug dealing
• dumping rubbish
• shouting, swearing, offensive gestures etc
• creating excessive noise
• using parking areas for non authorised use
• allowing pets to be a nuisance
• criminal activity in the vicinity
• domestic violence
• abuse towards staff or contractors
• any other behaviour that causes or is likely to cause nuisance or annoyance

We want to prevent unacceptable behaviour, nuisance, antisocial behaviour and/or criminal behaviour.

If you feel that you're suffering as a result of this type of behaviour you should report it to your housing officer or antisocial behaviour officer and we will work with you, and if appropriate, other agencies to resolve the problem.

If appropriate you should always report to the police on either 101 or in the case of an emergency 999.

It's important to note that noise nuisance is dealt with initially by the environmental protection team and this can be reported by dialling 01582 510330.

There aren't always instant solutions but we do have a procedure for dealing with situations as they happen, it's also important to note that any legal action we take against your tenancy is civil.

Once we have been informed of an issue there are a number of different approaches we may take and these could involve you and other agencies.

Any safeguarding concerns for either an adult or children will be reported through to social services and the police if appropriate.

Some of the tools we have to assist are listed below, this list isn't exhaustive but the relevant allocated officer should keep you updated on any action they're proposing to take:

• mediation
• acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs)
• antisocial behaviour injunctions
• notices of seeking possession
• possession action to evict the tenant
• closure orders
• community protection notices (CPNs)

It's important to note that each case is different and in some cases we may consider supportive solutions rather than enforcement.

If you require any further information on any of the above please don't hesitate to contact your housing officer.

From time to time, issues may arise and you may wish to speak to someone from the council about it, without having to wait on hold, or make numerous calls to numerous departments.

Below is a list of useful numbers:

• Tenancy Service: 01582 547304
• Mutual Exchanges: 01582 546528/ 546228
• Street Cleansing: 01582 510333
• Housing repairs (BTS): 0800 0147 333
• Customer Services: 01582 546000
• Pay My Rent: 01582 546620
• Allocations: 01582 546646
• Right to Buy: 01582 547346
  

You can report issues relating to repairs and street cleansing online at www.luton.gov.uk/report-it.

Reporting housing related issues

Is this issue regarding ASB against you or a member of your household?

• Contact housing support on 01582 547304 or send email to [email protected]

If for any reason, you wish to move property, or find that your property is no longer suited to your needs, then you may wish to consider the following.

Mutual exchange (house swap): when two or more tenants, housing association or local authority, swap homes by legally assigning their tenancies to each other.

Transfer: when you move to another council property.

Each transfer request is dealt with on an individual basis, please contact your housing officer if you're considering either of these options.

Ending your tenancy

To end your tenancy you need to:

• give four weeks notice, by signed letter
• allow access for a property inspection before your tenancy ends, we'll tell you if you need to do any repairs or reinstate alterations, before you move out
• repair any damage you're responsible for, please note that you will be recharged for any repairs that are considered to be your responsibility
• remove all your belongings and rubbish from the property and garden, removing sheds, greenhouses and filling ponds ensuring that any fish are rehomed
• ensure your rent account is up to date
• inform the Council Tax office and Universal Credit/ Housing benefit office that you're moving
• arrange to return all the keys and sign a disclaimer, to confirm you have left the property

When Luton Council may end your tenancy

The Housing Act 1985 and the Housing Act 1996 details the situations when a secure or introductory assured tenancy may be terminated.

The main reasons are:

• not paying your rent
• breaking the conditions of your tenancy
• causing damage to the property
• being involved in antisocial behaviour
• death of the tenant
• not living in your home

If we want to end your tenancy we will serve a notice to quit (NTQ) or notice of seeking possession (NOSP).

If you don't leave we'll apply to the County Court for a possession order, It's important that you contact your housing officer as soon as you receive either of these notices.

Some Luton residents have found it quicker and more affordable to get their own housing by moving to another council or housing association in another area.

You can do this via Homefinder

We welcome and encourage tenants to get involved in the way we work, in managing their homes and the neighbourhood where they live.

There are many ways and opportunities for you to have your say and influence decisions that are taken.

Some of the ways you can get involved include:

• joining a 'Tenants and Residents Association' (TARA) - or helping to set one up
• joining our group of Key Customers, to partake in discussions
• attending walkabouts around your community
  
• emailing us with your ideas at [email protected]
• visiting our website from time to time, to learn about the different activities that will be happening at www.luton.gov.uk/tp
• completing phone and postal surveys and/or questionnaires
• contacting us for any exciting functions you wish for us to partake in. 

For more information on making payments please visit the Pay my rent page.

Our policy is to help you to be able to stay in your home. If making payments is a problem, you need to work with us to resolve things.

If you're in arrears with your rent or service charges, get in touch with us straight away on 01582 546620. We'll:

• discuss whether you're entitled to benefits
• help you with claims
• refer you to a money advisor if you think that might help
• discuss the best way for you to pay your rent or service charge
• make an agreement for you to pay the arrears in instalments

Prevention of rent arrears is an important part of the tenancy management function. There will be an emphasis on the prevention of arrears accruing at every stage of the arrears collection procedure.

Housing Services provide information and advice to customers prior to a tenancy beginning and identify tenants that need support to manage their finances.

Housing officers aim to carry out 'new tenancy visits' within six weeks of a tenancy starting to determine any issues tenants may have paying their rent.

Rent statements are sent to tenants every six months to assist them in managing their rent accounts.

Housing Services will provide tenants with tailored advice and support on:

• debt
• financial skills
• maximising income

Housing Services will undertake profiling of tenants in rent arrears in order to predict when tenants may fall into arears and tailor services to meet the needs of the tenant. This includes using tools such as 'propensity to pay'.

Housing Services will, where possible, make requests to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for direct payments towards arrears. They will not make requests if a court order is already in place.

The housing manager reviews cases where a notice is going to be served as a result of arrears due to the under-occupation size criteria charge and the tenant has engaged with Housing Services to reduce the debt.

We will pursue former tenant arrears and any amount, no matter how small, will be considered for recovery against these criteria.

Collection of former tenant arrears may be carried out by a third party outside the Housing Service.

We will pursue former tenant arrears and any amount, no matter how small, will be considered for recovery against these criteria.

Collection of former tenant arrears may be carried out by a third party outside the Housing Service.

Where debt is found to be uncollectable for any reason eg age or type of debt, it will be considered for write off.All write offs must be agreed by the finance service director.

A claim is made against the estate. If there is no estate, we may consider writing off the debt.

Legal action is our last resort in tackling rent arrears. The steps we take prior to this is:

• Weekly review of the rent accounts
• we will write to you to advise of your debt
• we will offer help and support from our internal money and benefit officers
• if we are unable to assist you, we will direct you to external support

If you get behind with your rent, please contact us on 01582 546620 or email [email protected] or speak with an income officer.

Where rent accounts are in arrears and the tenant has failed to clear them despite having been notified, Housing Services will serve a ‘notice to quit’ on the garage.

If the account is not cleared at the expiry of the notice to quit the locks may be changed on the garage. The tenant will be given notice to remove any belongings remaining in the garage, after which they will be disposed of and the garage will be re-let.

Housing Services will endeavour to recover from the former tenant the cost of changing the garage lock and removing items from the garage.

You can report repairs by calling 0800 0147 333, by emailing [email protected] or logging to your online account self - service system

You can contact your tenancy officer by calling 01582 547304 or by emailing [email protected]

You must give us at least four weeks’ written notice if you want to end your tenancy.

If you are joint tenants, any one of you can end the tenancy by giving us four weeks’ written notice to end on a Monday.

We will decide if any of the other joint tenants can stay in the home.

All council tenants wishing to apply for a transfer will need to complete a housing register application form.

If you have a medical condition or disability that means your current home is unsuitable for your needs and/or will affect the type of property you need to move to, you’ll also need to complete a housing medical form.

For more information please visit Council tenancies and transfers.

Contact your tenancy officer requesting a permission to carry out alterations form. Please do not make any alterations without written consent from the council.

If you are not happy with the service you have received from us, we want to know. This helps us to improve the service we provide.

You can contact the relevant team to discuss the problem, or you can report the issue online using the comments, compliments and complaints form.

As a council tenant, you can report antisocial behaviour in the following way. All ASB complaints should be reported directly to your tenancy officer, temporary accommodation officer or sheltered housing officer on their individual mobile numbers.

If you are unable to get through, then you can call the council’s switchboard on 01582 547304 where a message can be left and passed onto the relevant person or send email [email protected]

Should I report antisocial behaviour to the police?

If the incident is also a crime this should be reported to the police on 101 or in the case of an emergency 999.

Noise is dealt with initially by the investigation hub and should be reported online via the noise app which you can download by visiting the noise reporting page.

What if I cannot use the noise app?

If you don't have a ‘smart' device, or your device is too old to use the app, you can still report noise issues using the Report excessive noise online form or you can phone customer services on 01582 510330.

Contact our Housing Commercial team via e-mail at [email protected] and ask for our booklet on home contents insurance.

The booklet contains full details of the cover and a ‘proposal form’ which you can use to apply for insurance.

How can I cancel my home contents insurance?

If you wish to cancel your policy, you can do this at any time provided that you let us know in writing.

Cover is for a range of losses including:

• fire, theft and flooding
• theft of keys
• spoilage of food following freezer breakdown
• accidental damage option is available at an additional cost

There is no cover for wear and tear or mechanical breakdown.

Anyone can apply to rent a council garage. You can select up to four sites on your application. To apply please go to Garage application.

For more information and guidance on buying your council home, including costs, discounts and timescales, follow this link to the government’s website on Right to Buy: buying your council home.

This will advise you to seek independent legal and financial advice to make sure you can afford to buy your home.

You will also be able to download the RTB 1 application form which needs to be printed and completed in ink.If you require help and advice please contact 01582 547346.

To register for a mutual exchange go to the HomeSwapper website. You will be asked some questions about your home and the type of home you are looking for.

This will create ‘your home advert’ and allows you to see homes that you would like. If you have any questions, please contact our business support officers on 01582 546528 or 01582 546228.

A mutual exchange must be completed within 42 days following receipt of all completed applications including supporting documents.

Your exchange can be refused if:

• either you or the incoming tenant are due to be evicted
• either you or the incoming tenant is subject to a current Notice of Seeking Possession - this will have been served where there are outstanding rent arrears, and / or breached terms of your tenancy agreement (antisocial behaviour, neglect of premises and / or land, obtaining a tenancy by false statement)
• the tenant is on an introductory tenancy
• the incoming tenant is under occupying, by more than one bedroom
• either you or the incoming tenant requires extensive adaptations to our property, we may refuse due to suitability for disability. If you know that you or a member of your household can't climb stairs, a house or first floor flat may not be suitable accommodation and likewise for the incoming tenants
• your property is adapted for a physically disabled person and the new tenants don't require the adaptations

Either tenant can withdraw from the exchange up to the point of signing for each other’s properties.

Sheltered housing is an independent living accommodation for older adults where tenants are responsible for their own property and tenancy with the added reassurance of access to a sheltered housing officer.

Every property is equipped with an emergency alarm system which tenants can utilise in an emergency to highlight a need for emergency assistance. Sheltered housing is not a care home environment.

If you would like to come and view a sheltered housing scheme, please contact us on:

• Sheltered Housing Main – 01582 737166
• Sheltered Housing Main Email – [email protected]
• Sheltered Housing Area North – 01582 571298
• Sheltered Housing Area South – 01582 734653

The qualifying age for sheltered housing is 55 and over. To apply for sheltered housing you will need to complete a housing application form and submit this along with the required information.

To request an application form please contact the Allocations team on 01582 546646 or via email via [email protected]

All tenants are responsible for their rent, sheltered housing service charge, water and heating charges (except Acworth Court and outlying properties – these heating charges, gas, are paid directly by tenants to their energy provider).

All sheltered housing schemes, except Acworth Court and outlying properties, use a communal boiler to heat communal areas and individual properties.

All properties are served by a communal TV dish however all tenants are responsible for any personal arrangements with their own service provider.

All tenants are responsible for the purchase of a TV licence unless they are an existing, long-standing tenant, who still has preserved rights.

All of our sheltered housing schemes have shared spaces which are available for all tenants to use.

These include communal rooms, laundries, kitchens, health and beauty rooms, mobility scooter storage rooms (not all schemes are equipped at present) and gardens.

All schemes have free communal Wi-Fi and all our sheltered housing schemes are served by a designated sheltered housing officer.

There are various activities which take place in our sheltered housing schemes and this varies from scheme to scheme. Some events which are currently taking place across our sheltered housing schemes include:

• coffee time events organised by the designated sheltered housing officer
• cinema club which consists of an 8ft screen and surround sound
• craft clubs
• exercise clubs
• games afternoons
• trips out to the Theatre or other venues or locations

Our sheltered housing officers are available to support and advise on tenancy related matters as well as promoting independence and encouraging a sense of community amongst tenants.

Sheltered housing officers can support you in sourcing various forms of support, including care, as well as signposting tenants to supporting services and organisations.

Sheltered housing officer day to day duties include contacting and ensuring the well-being of tenants who have requested this as part of their support planning, reviewing tenants needs and support, conducting tenancy audits and scheme inspections.

Some officer duties can take officers away from their responsible schemes for periods of time.

The sheltered housing officers will not provide hands on care or assist with taking medication.

They will however support with organising support for such requests if there is a need.

Similarly, sheltered housing officers will not become involved with tenants’ mail or deliveries, finances or become involved in tenants private and personal affairs.

Tenants can have friends and family visit and stay short term at any time. For short term stays a requirement is that tenants notify our service of this prior to the event.

Tenants can also have a person reside with them, short term, in a care capacity if there is a need.

In this instance the tenant needs to make a request to our service for this so that the request can be assessed.

Yes, all conversations between tenants and our sheltered housing officers are confidential however where our officers are made aware of information which highlights a safeguarding concern, they are duty bound to report that information to ensure your, or other persons, health and wellbeing.

Our sheltered housing service is operational 24 hours a day every day of the year. To contact our service there are several options.

• Appello Contact Centre 24 Hour – 0333 321 6451
• Sheltered Housing Main – 01582 737166
• Sheltered Housing Main Email – [email protected]
• Sheltered Housing Area North – 01582 571298
• Sheltered Housing Area South – 01582 734653
• Our office hours are 8.00 – 16.00 Monday to Thursday and 8.00am – 15.30 Fridays. Outside of these hours please contact our Appello Contact Centre on the phone number listed above.

BTS are responsible for all repairs undertaken in our sheltered housing schemes and properties. BTS can be contacted via phone on 08000 147 333.

You can also email BTS to report a repair by emailing [email protected]

If you are not able to report a repair and have no one to assist you our sheltered housing officer will be able to assist you to ensure your repair is reported.

Every sheltered housing property is equipped with an emergency alarm system. The emergency alarm system is also present in strategic areas around our schemes. Tenants are advised to use this system whenever tenants feel there is an emergency need.

Every property has a pendant assigned to it and its intended use is limited to within the property it is assigned to. We advise that tenants do leave their pendant at home if they are going out.

We will only use a master key to gain entry to a property if there are concerns over your immediate health or there is a risk to others persons which can be negated by accessing your property.

We will always exhaust all other options prior to using a master key to access your property and where possible we will advise you of this occurrence prior.

Most of our sheltered housing schemes are now equipped with a purpose built mobility scooter rooms to accommodate the storage and charging of tenants mobility scooters.

At present there is no additional charge for this service.

Mobility scooters must not be stored and charged in communal areas outside of the provided mobility scooter storage rooms and we advise any tenant who is considering purchasing a mobility scooter to speak with their sheltered housing officer prior to making any purchase so we can advise on good practice.

Yes, and we encourage this. Pets are great form of companionship however we do have some requirements of tenants when it comes to pet ownership.

Ultimately tenants are responsible for their pets at all times and tenants must have arrangements in place whereby there is a person who will take responsibility for any pet in a worst-case scenario and where the responsible tenant is unable to look after their pet.

In relation to dogs in particular, tenants are responsible for ensuring that dogs are cleaned up after in the event of unfortunate occurrences and dogs must be always kept under control and on a lead when onsite within our sheltered housing schemes, this includes within the garden areas.

This is due to ensuring that all tenants wishes and boundaries are respected when it comes to being in close proximity to dogs, not everyone is comfortable with them however big or small they may be.

Repairs can be reported to our repairs service team, Building and Technical services. Office hours are between 8am and 4pm.

BTS repairs team can be contacted via telephone on 0800 0147 333 or by visiting the Repairs and servicing. page.

For emergency communal repairs the telephone number 0800 0147 333 can be used out of hours. However, please be advised that out of hours repairs do have a higher charge.

Please note it is important to provide all details of the damage such as; location, size, condition etc.

As a leaseholder you need to notify BTS on 0800 0147 333.This is to ensure that the repair has been reported and that the repairs team are aware.

If the damage has been caused by a leak from an adjoining flat then the water may also need to be isolated so it is important that you notify BTS.

Once the leak has been stopped, as a leaseholder you will need to contact your home contents insurance provider to make a claim for the damages.

You can update your details via our Tenancy Self Service page. You will need your full name and address of leasehold property as well as your 7-digit service charge account reference number.

Leaseholders pay a service charge to cover their share of the cost of the repairs and maintenance as well as improvements to the building. Your service charge is due monthly in advance.

We offer a variety of payment options for paying your service charge. Our preferred option is for you to pay via direct debit as this is the simplest, safest and most secure way to pay your service charge.

Please visit the Ways to pay your leasehold service charge page to see how to set up a direct debit and other options on how to pay your service charge.

BTS have a five year works plan for all our blocks.

Please read the Communal Works Programme for Council Owned Blocks 2024-2029 pdf for more information.

You can report any information involving communal areas in your block, for example, fly tipping, repairs, abandoned vehicles. Additionally, we also have a love clean streets app which you can download on your mobile devices and report any issues.

Housing estate officers carry out weekly/daily/fortnightly visits of your blocks to ensure all communal areas are free from any items and hazards and ensure a safe environment for all to live in.

All your blocks should have posters on ground floor with this information, additionally you can email us on [email protected]

You can contact the police on 999 in an event of an emergency, for non-emergency please call 101. You can also report anonymously via crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Emergency clean is anything that is a health and safety issue within your block such as biohazards, urine in lift, blood stains.

To report these issues please contact BTS on 0800 0147 333 during out of hours. During the day, please contact your Housing estate officer.

Roadshow is an event where we welcome all residents to drop in and we are available to listen to your concerns, offer advice, and work with you to find solutions.

We want to make sure that we are accessible to you and that your voices are being heard. If you have any concerns or issues, we would like to invite you to come and speak to us.

Please contact your housing estate officer.

To get permission please fill out the, Request to use communal greenland in your flat block form.

Please get in touch with the Tenant Participation via our email on [email protected]

Please complete the Tenant enquiry form and we will do our best to help you with any questions not answered above.