Please remember the details of your tenancy agreement are included in the document you signed when you became a tenant. Please keep it in a safe place as this details all your legal rights and responsibilities.
Garages
We own a number of garages and parking spaces, which are available for rent. There may be a convenient site near you, so please contact Harvest Response to see what is available. Anyone who would like to rent a garage must have a clear rent account. If you obtain a garage tenancy and your account falls into arrears, your garage tenancy will be cancelled and your garage repossessed.
Parking
There are many parking spaces near the homes that we own for residents and their visitors to use. Few of our neighbourhoods were designed to cope with today’s level of car ownership. Although we continue to improve parking facilities wherever possible, it is still important that you park thoughtfully and with care. It is also important that you do not park or drive on communal areas, pathways and forecourts.
These areas are not intended for parking and this can cause significant damage to things such as drains and sewers. Please also ensure that you take care when parking trailers, caravans and other sorts of vehicles. We will remove abandoned cars or cars that are untaxed and not roadworthy. Please contact Harvest Response if you see any untaxed or abandoned vehicles on Harvest parking or communal areas.
Improving your Home
You don’t need our permission to decorate your home, but if you want to improve it in any other way you must ask us first. We will not normally refuse, but the work must be done to a good standard by a competent person and it must comply with any building regulations.
Taking in a lodger
A lodger is a person who is not a relative but lives with you as part of your family and pays you something towards their keep.
Before you take in a lodger you must get our consent. We will not refuse your request unless we have a good reason, for example if it would cause overcrowding.
You must also notify your local council’s Housing Benefit Team and Council Tax Office if you receive benefits or help in paying your rent. Taking in a lodger may mean you get less money from these allowances.
Running a business from home
If you want to run a business from home you must speak to us first and get our written consent before your start up your business. We will normally grant permission so long as the business causes no problems for your neighbours or the area in which you live, you do not display any business or trade sign on yur home and you comply with any planning, building or environmental health requirements, and local council by-laws.
If you want to run a business from your home please contact Harvest Response on LoCall 0345 345 0272 for more advice.
Succession
Usually, on the death of a tenant the tenancy will automatically pass to the spouse, partner or joint tenant. This will happen as long as the home was their main home at the time of the death and they had lived in the property for at least the previous 12 months. If a tenant dies, household members, friends or family should contact Harvest Response for advice and assistance.
Assignment of the tenancy
In some circumstances, such as a relationship breakdown, you may decide to leave the home and wish to pass the tenancy on to another person in the household (called ‘assignment’). Usually you may do this if you get our written consent, which we give automatically if your spouse is to take over. We consider other requests on a case-by-case basis. In all cases please contact Harvest Response.