Welcome

Payment for premises

This part of the agreement is about how much rent you will pay each week. It also tells you about other charges.

Tenants’ rights

This part of the agreement explains what your rights are. There is more information on your rights on pages ?? of this handbook.

Tenants’ duties

This part of the agreement explains what your responsibilities are. There is more information on your responsibilities as a tenant on pages ?? of this handbook.

Landlord’s duties

This part of the agreement tells you what we must do when you are renting one of our homes.

You must pay your rent. If you do not then you may lose your home. If you are having difficulty paying your rent please let us know. The sooner you talk to us, the easier it will be for us to help you.

You have to pay your rent on 1^st of every month, in advance. At the beginning of your tenancy we will ask you to pay some of your rent in advance. Please check your tenancy agreement or ask us for more details.

Our responsibilities:

• we review your rent once a year, usually every April
• we will give you advance notice of any changes.

Your rent pays for:

• the building
• outside decoration and upkeep of your home
• our management costs

Some homes have a charge for other services which are on top of the rent you pay. All residents at The Mill pay a service charge for the upkeep of the public realm and Riverside Park area but other charges may apply and may differ depending on whether you are living in a house or a flat. Typical service charge items include door entry systems, communal lighting (not street lighting), grounds maintenance, communal cleaning.

Your tenancy agreement with us requires that you pay your rent by direct debit on 1^st of each month.

Exceptional circumstances

In certain circumstances it may be possible to arrange other payment methods and you should contact us to discuss this if you are having difficulty paying by direct debit.

You are responsible for insuring your possessions, including carpets, curtains and flooring. There are many policies available.

We value what you tell us about our services, whether these are compliments about what we are doing well, or comments that can help us do things better. Please contact us if you would like to complain, compliment us, or comment in any way. Your feedback helps us to improve services to our customers and your compliments are shared with staff and contractors. A full copy of our complaints policy is available on request

How do I report a repair?

As the homes at The Mill are brand new, if anything should go wrong, it is likely that they will be under warranty. Despite this, you should contact us via the details on Page 2 so that we can raise the issue with our contractors and get them to attend. We will then pass your contact details to them so that they can arrange a time to come and rectify the problem.

Out of Hours Repairs

If something goes wrong outside office hours, we have an out of hours emergency repairs service open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year which you can contact on the telephone number on page 2. We will only deal with emergencies where there is a risk of damage or harm and we expect you to take action to prevent damage. (for example turning off the water at the stop cock in the event of a leak)

Repairs we can charge you for

We will charge you for any damage you, your family or visitors cause to your home. There are some minor repairs you are responsible for. Please contact us for a copy of our Repairs & Maintenance Key Information Sheet for a full list of repairs that you are responsible for.

Gas

For yours and your family’s safety and by law, you must allow us into your home once a year to inspect and service gas equipment. If you smell gas call 0800 111 999 immediately. As well as the danger of explosion and fire, the gas supply is extremely poisonous. If you develop unexplained symptoms such as drowsiness or headaches see a doctor straight away.

Fire

We will fit a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector in your home and carry out fire risk assessments for all communal areas. It is your responsibility to make sure that you test and change the battery in your smoke alarm in your home and keep exits clear.

Electrical

We will test your electricity supply and wiring before you move into your home and every five years to make sure it is safe. You should make sure that your own electrical equipment is safe and in good working order.

Please ask our permission before you carry out any type of improvement to your home such as putting up a satellite dish, replacing a kitchen or changing the electric fittings.

You will need to tell us:

• details of the work that you want to do
• who will be doing the work.

We need to make sure they are suitably qualified.  If the work causes any damage, you will have to pay for the repairs.

If you decide to end your tenancy:

• give us not less than one month’s written notice.
• pay the rent for the month prior to termination,
• return all the keys to us by 12 noon on the day the tenancy ends.
• Ensure that the property and all fixtures and fittings in it are left in the same condition as they were at the beginning of the tenancy,
• repair or pay for any damages you have in any way caused
• Clean to a good professional standard or arrange and pay for a professional cleaning of the property and all the contents
• Attend the check-out of the property for no later the 12:00pm on the last day of the tenancy.
• give us a forwarding address
• allow us access to inspect your home before your tenancy ends for any repairs and viewing
• remove all your belongings and rubbish from the home
• tell your gas, electricity and water supplier, your bank and any benefit providers when you will be moving out and what your new address is Register for Royal Mail’s redirection service.

Failure to return keys at the end of the tenancy will result in you being recharged for any costs incurred for lock and communal fob replacements.

Ending a joint tenancy

If you have a joint tenancy and both you and your co-tenant wish to end the tenancy then please follow the steps outlined on this page. If only one of you wishes to end the tenancy please contact us. We may advise you to get independent legal advice.