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.
Your rights as a tenant
• You have the right to live in your home, without interference from us, from the date your tenancy starts.
• Your tenancy will only end if you decide to give it up and we can only end your tenancy if we have legal permission to evict you.
• You have the right to have repairs completed on time. If the repairs are not carried out satisfactorily, or we have failed to act, you may be entitled to compensation.
• Subject to your local council’s rules on planning and building control and our written consent, you may make alterations or improvements to your home. Examples include erecting a shed, garage, fence, greenhouse, laying decking laminate or other semi-permanent flooring, paving to front and rear areas, erecting an aerial for broadcasting or receiving/transmitting device. Remember: You must contact Harvest Response before you start any work to get written permission.
• You may see, comment on or correct information we hold about you, your partner, or a family member living in your home if you tell us you wish to do so. In some cases we may charge £10 for this. If the information relates to any legal action or if releasing it could cause distress or disadvantage to any other person, then for legal reasons we will have to refuse the request.
• You have the right to become a member of a tenants’ group, or to start one in the area you live. You can find more information about your rights as a tenant in the Housing Corporation’s leaflet ‘A charter for housing association applicants and residents’.
• You have the right to exchange with another social landlord subject to certain restrictions.
Our responsibilities - As your landlord we will:
• repair your home to our agreed maintenance standards
• paint the outside of your home
• meet our published targets to carry out repairs in a reasonable time
• ensure our contractors use good practice and provide an efficient, good-quality service
• give you help and advice when you need it, especially if you have a complaint, or when you wish to report an incident of neighbour nuisance or harassment.
We will consult you about:
• making changes in matters of housing management
• any plans for modernisation or improvement
• any increase in service charges.
Your responsibilities - As a tenant you must:
• pay your rent when it is due
• keep your home in good repair by telling us when there is a problem
• allow us, our contractors, or their agents access to your home for repairs or annual servicing of equipment eg gas fires, boilers
• repair any damage that you or visitors to your home are responsible for
• allow us access to your home for annual servicing of equipment, in particular annual gas servicing
• consult us before installing any gas appliances or making any alterations to your home
• keep your home and gardens tidy
• notify us of any changes to your household such as births, deaths, marriages, separations etc
• arrange your own contents insurance – we work with an independent insurance company that can give you a quote if you wish. Please call Harvest Response for more information or download the National Housing Federation leaflets on the right of this page.
You must not:
• use the property for illegal or immoral purposes
• be a nuisance to your neighbours or others
• sub-let or overcrowd the property
• park illegally or in a way that may cause an obstruction or nuisance.