Tenancy Agreement Clause Paying for your Home
Feedback
Final version
This is what you had to say about this proposed change whether it through the feedback form or views shared at our focus groups and roadshows.
This is what the Council have done with your feedback and what the final version of this tenancy agreement clause will now look like.
Tenants asked for clarity on this around arrangements for moving their rent payments to a 52 week cycle. The main enquiries were;
how much their rent would be under a 52 week rent cycle, whether their rent would increase as the result of this change if there was still an option to make overpayments.
We will be moving to a 52 week payment system in April 2018. We will make sure that tenants are fully updated prior to the new tenancy agreement coming into effect.
will pay the same amount of rent as you do now over the yearly period although by spreading your payments over additional weeks your weekly rent will reduce slightly. However in the meantime just to clarify you
Tenants will retain the ability to adapt their payments provided that the account does not fall into arrears. Closer to the time we will provide additional information that will support you with this change or you can contact your Income Officer at any time to discuss your rent payments.
Data Protection
Some concerns were raised in relation to the Council proposing to share information with Credit Reference Agencies and utility companies.
‘A Privacy Notice’ will be provided alongside the new tenancy agreement containing more detailed information on what information we will share, with who and why. Tenants will be able to get a copy of the Privacy Notice from our website. We do not currently share information with Credit Reference Agencies but please be assured if we change this in the future we will contact you. We will only share information with utility companies if we have a legitimate business interest to do so, for example if someone leaves a property without settling their final bill (the detail will be outlined in the Privacy Notice).
Nuisance and Annoyance
Tenants thought that all residents should be protected from nuisance and annoyance, not just Council tenants. Lots of estates and neighbourhood are cross tenure with people living there who are Council tenants, private renters, home owners etc. therefore you suggested that we remove reference to people living in a ‘Council house’.
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The Council has therefore removed the reference to ‘Council house’ and it will now refer to any person who lives in the local area when referring to victims of nuisance and annoyance.
Communal areas
Tenants commented that there are issues in blocks where bulky waste and other items are left in internal and external shared areas causing problems for shared access in communal areas.
The Council have taken this feedback on board and extended the clause to reflect the concerns raised. The clause states specifically that tenants must not obstruct or place objects in any corridor, path staircase, refuse chute or bin room which may cause a hazard to the health and safety of other tenants/and or their visitors. We have also added to the clause that tenants
must ensure that any items of bulky waste are disposed of appropriately and not left in internal or external communal areas to further strengthen the clause.
Gardens and fences Lodgers
Tenants asked for clarity on to what extent they would be expected to look after their fences and maintain them. In particular feedback expressed concern that they would face additional costs on top of their rent to keep up the maintenance of their fences. It was also suggested that reporting tree maintenance is incorporated into the tenancy agreement. Tenants told us that they were a bit confused and needed clarity to the situations when they would need to tell the Council that there was a change to their household and who lived in their household. Some tenants raised concerns about the proposed definition of lodger and whether a lodger would include family members. The Council also received feedback from the homeless charity Shelter who highlighted tenants’ right to take in a lodger without needing permission.
only responsible for fences and structures that they erect. The Council have re-ordered the clause to make it clear that tenants are
They have also added an additional clause about tree maintenance telling tenants that if you consider that a tree in your garden requires lopping or some work you must report this immediately.
The Council have re-worded and renamed the clause to
‘People Living
with You’ to make the purpose of this clause clearer.
You must inform us if someone is moving into your home and of any changes to your household makeup, including family members and regardless of whether they are paying rent. Additional information about overcrowding has also been added to the clause to clarify that whilst tenants do not need our permission to take in a lodger they do need to inform us and ensure that they are not over-occupying. The additional clause will allow the Council to support tenants to ensure that if they are taking in a lodger they do so safety.
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