Our responsibilities
Our responsibilities to you the tenant include:
- Keeping your property in reasonable repair
- Carrying out repairs to the structure of your property
- External Decoration
- Lift Maintenance
- Fixtures and fittings that we (Hounslow Homes and the council) have provided
- Maintenance of communal areas
- Repair and condition of facilities, which includes play equipment and lighting.
Your responsibilities
When you sign your tenancy agreement, you agree to take responsibility for the following:
Rent
Paying the rent and any other charges shown on your rent card regularly and promptly.
Using the premises
You must not allow other occupants and visitors to abuse the property. Tell us straight away if someone else comes to live in the property with you.
Repairs and Maintenance
You are responsible for repairs to fences gates and paths (see the Tenants Handbook for more information and exceptions)
You are responsible for any fixtures and fittings that you or a previous tenant has installed and all items listed in the Tenants Handbook.
Decoration
You are responsible for decorating the inside of the property. (See also Decoration)
Damage
You are responsible for repairing any damage to the property, fixtures or fittings and shared areas. This includes you, caused by you, people living with you or visitors to the property. If you do not repair we will carry out the work and charge the cost to you.
Access
You must let us know immediately if there is any damage to the property or if repairs are needed. You must allow us or our contractors access to inspect and carry out repairs. We will give you notice when we need to visit (except when we are carrying out tenancy checks). If there is a risk of injury or serious damage to the property or public health you must allow us access.
Nuisance and offence
We will hold you responsible if any person living at or visiting the property breaks any of the conditions of the tenancy agreement. Nuisance and offence includes:
- Causing nuisance, annoyance, abuse or harassment, unreasonable noise
- using the property for illegal purposes
- Threatening or using violence
- Keep or discharge a firearm (or allow a visitor to bring one to the property) abusing council or Hounslow Homes staff
Cleaning and taking care of your home
You are responsible for making sure your home is kept clean and in good repair. Rubbish should not be left in gardens or communal areas such as corridors, staircases, landings and doorways. You and your neighbours are also responsible for the cleaning of the communal or shared areas next to your home except where we have arranged for this to be done by a caretaker or cleaner.
Pets
Provided you are not living in block or sheltered assisted housing you can keep a dog in your home. You do not need to have a private garden as long as your keep your dog under strict control and it does not cause nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours. If you do not have a garden you can only keep 1 dog.
Any other pets may only be kept provided they are under strict control and do not cause a nuisance to neighbours and visitors to the property. The number of domestic pets you keep other than dogs must be appropriate to the size and type of property and private garden you have.
Liquid or Gas Products
You must not keep, store or use any volatile or inflammable liquid or gas products(e.g. paraffin or Calor gas) inside the property, garage, shed or communal areas.
Parking
You or your visitors must not block any shared paths, drive oremergency vehicle access. You must only park in an authorised parking space or on an estate road. You must not park caravans or trailers on an estate road, however, with our permission you can park them in a garden or driveway.
You must also get our permission to park a commercial vehicle on any council land. (restrictions apply please refer to your tenancy agreement)
We will remove any vehicles that are untaxed, unlicensed or unroadworthy/causing a hazard. Vehicles may be destroyed if not claimed and removed by the owner within 7 days of a notice being affixed to them.
Business or trade
You must not carry out any business or trade from the property/garages or shared areas. You must not erect any permanent sign or advert.
Further information can be found in your copy of the agreement. You should read your tenancy agreement thoroughly. If you have any questions about your agreement contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 085 65 75 or e-mail your query to customerservicecentre@hounslowhomes.org.uk