NEED TO KNOW: YOUR TENANCY

2.4 ENDING YOUR TENANCY

If you have a fixed-term weekly tenancy you can end your tenancy by giving four-weeks’ notice. If you have a monthly tenancy you will have to give one month’s notice.

If you do not give us this notice, you will have to pay the rent and other charges until we take back the property. This can take a while as we may have to go through legal proceedings to end the tenancy.

When you give notice to end your tenancy, we will give you written confirmation of the date that your tenancy is due to end.

When you give notice, we will inspect your home and identify any work you have to do before you leave. You must leave the property and garden in a clean and tidy condition. We will charge you for any repairs, cleaning or clearing that you did not do before you moved out.

At the end of the notice period, you must return your keys to us no later than midday on the day your tenancy ends. If you do not, you may have to pay further rent.

2.5 RENT AND SERVICE CHARGES

We don’t make any profit from the rent or service charges that you pay. This money is used to pay for the services you receive, such as repairs and maintenance and the management of your tenancy. It is also reinvested into your local community.

Your tenancy agreement will state how much rent you pay. It is important to make sure your rent is paid on time.

The amount of rent you are charged will change each year. If your rent is charged weekly, it will usually be in October and we will give you four weeks’ written notice of any change in the amount of rent and/or service charges you must pay. If your rent is charged monthly, it will change on 1 November and annually after this, and we will give you one month’s notice of this change.

You will be charged either a ‘social’ or an ‘affordable’ rent. If you are charged a social rent this is based on a formula set by the government. It is based on the average wage for where your home is, how many bedrooms it has and how much it is worth. If it is an affordable rent, it is based on a percentage of the local private rented market value for a similar property.

You may have to pay a service charge on top of your rent. A service charge is a payment you make to cover the areas and services you share with your neighbours. For example, if you live in a block of flats and share a hall and stairway with other people, the cost of maintaining and lighting this area is covered by your service charge. We can only charge you what the service has cost us to provide.

You may also be charged a heating and/or hot water charge if you are living in a property with communal heating or a Combined Heat and Power system (CHP). The charge will be based on how much gas or electricity you use and you will be required to sign a heat agreement at the start of your tenancy.