T
her
ear
emanyway
st
oc
ont
ac
tus
.Aswel
l
ass
eei
ngusi
nper
s
on,orbyappoi
nt
mentatoneofourof
f
i
c
es
,
y
ouc
anc
ont
ac
tusv
i
a:
• Keep your property clean, tidy and decorated
• Keeping your garden ( if you have one) tidy and clear of rubbish
Rent and responsibilities
Your rent is due weekly, every Monday, unless you have made an agreement with us to pay fortnightly,
four weekly, or on a calendar month basis. If you are worried about paying your rent, please get in
touch with us and we will do what we can to help. You may be entitled to claim housing benefit/
universal credit if you are unemployed or on a low income. Claiming housing benefit / universal
credit and paying your rent is your responsibility.
Your property and community responsibilities
•
•
•
•
You must not do anything that interferes with the peace, comfort, enjoyment or convenience
of anyone living in the locality.
You must give us four weeks notice in writing if you want to leave the property, if you need
any assistance with this please contact our Customer Service Team on 0300 123 1222 who
will be happy to assist.
You are responsible for keeping the interior of your property clean and in a good decorative
state and for taking care of your home and all fixtures and fittings we have installed. If you
have a garden with your property you should ensure that it is kept in a neat and tidy
condition by cutting the grass, disposing of rubbish and bulky items properly, keeping
weeds under control and trimming hedges
You need to let us into your home to carry out annual gas safety checks. We will provide
reasonable notice when we require access to enable you to arrange for our visit.In emergency
situations you must give us immediate access.
Your rights
Right to information – You have the right to receive information from us about the conditions
of agreement, our responsibilities relating to repairs, certain policies and procedures and our
performance as a landlord. You also have the right to see information held about you by Muir
Group, but we require at least 24 hours notice and there is small charge to cover administrative
costs. Information on your file provided by a third party cannot be viewed.
Right to consultation - You have a right to be consulted on any changes affecting your tenancy. If
this situation arises we will write to you and ask your opinion
Right to mutual exchange – If you have a starter tenancy or an assured shorthold tenancy you
do not have the right to a mutual exchange. If you have an assured or secure tenancy you can
swap your home with someone who is also a secure or assured tenant. You can swap with other
Muir Group residents, or tenantsof a different housing association or local authority. You must get
written permission from us first as certain conditions need to be met before a mutual exchange
can go ahead.
Right to buy or Right to Acquire your home – If you have a secure or assured tenancy you may
have the right to buy or right to acquire your home. Please contact us for more information and to
check your eligibility.
Right to make improvements – If you have a secure or assured tenancy you can make improvements
and alterations to your property, but only after we have given our written permission and
are satisfied with the proposed improvement. If you have either a starter tenancy or an assured
short-hold tenancy you do not have the right to make improvements or alterations to your property.
Right to take in lodgers or sub-let – Under a secure or assured tenancy you can take in lodgers
without permission, but it must not cause overcrowding.You should not sub-let the whole or part of
your property without our permission in writing. If you have a starter tenancy or an assured shorthold
tenancy you must get our written permission before taking in lodgers and you do not have the right
to sublet any part of your home. In all cases you should let us know as it may affect your housing
benefit / universal credit and we will need to check that you are not overcrowding the property.
Right to compensation – If you make improvements or alterations to your property for which we
have given permission in writing and you have a secure or assured tenancy, you may have a right
to compensation for these at the end of your tenancy. Please see our Compensation fact sheet for
more information on this.
Right to repair – Please see our Repairs fact sheet for further information.
Right to take over a tenancy (succession) – In the unfortunate event that the current resident of
a property dies, certain people may have the right to take over the tenancy. These include joint
tenants, the resident’s husband, wife, partner, or a member of the family who has lived at the
property for at least 12 months before the resident’s death. In such circumstances please contact
the Community Housing Officer for your area for further information.
Other tenancy condition guidelines
Keeping pets – The basic guidelines for keeping pets are that only domestic pets can be kept in Muir
Group properties. You can only keep a cat or dog if you have your own garden.
There are restrictions on the number of pets we will allow, and you will need our permission in wring
to keep more than one cat or dog (or both). You cannot keep a pet that is likely to cause a nuisance
to your neighbours or the community in which you live. If there are complaints about your pet we
may ask you to find it a new home.
If you are unsure about whether you can keep a pet in your home please contact your Community
Housing Officer who will be able to advise you.
Pest control - If you see rats, cockroaches or any other pests, please contact the Environmental
Health Department of your local council.
Absence from the property - Where you expect to be away from your home for more than 4 weeks
you should advise us of this in writing beforehand. Where you are away from your home for an
extended period and we haven’t been advised and on investigation the property appears to be
abandoned we may take action to end the tenancy.
Demoted Tenancies
If you have a secure or an assured tenancy, if you breach any of the community responsibilities of
your tenancy, for example, behave in an anti-social manner or you are convicted of a crime at the
property or in the local area we can apply to the court for a demotion order. Where this order is
granted a demoted tenancy would then apply.
Your rights under a demoted tenancy would not include:
• The right to buy or right to acquire your property
• The right to do a mutual exchange
• The right to transfer to another property from within our stock
• The right to take in lodgers
• The right to make improvements to your property
• The right to vote prior to transfer to a new landlord
If you continue to break your tenancy conditions under a demoted tenancy we can apply to court for
possession. A demoted tenancy lasts for 12 months and will become a fully assured tenancy again
at the end of this period if there are no further problems with anti social behaviour.
Ending your tenancy
If you wish to end your tenancy you must do the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Give us at least four weeks notice in writing ending on a Monday. You can use the notice
to terminate tenancy form on this factsheet to give notice. Where the tenancy is held
jointly notice from one of the tenants will end the tenancy.During the notice period you
are still responsible for payment of rent for the property. We will make an appointment
to see you during the notice period to explain what you need to do and to check the
property’s condition.
Return all keys by noon of the Monday on which your tenancy ends. If you keep the keys
after this time you will be charged a further week’s rent. You will continue to be responsible
for payment of rent on the property until the keys are returned to us.
Leave the property clean and in a decent standard of decoration and repair.
Remove all your belongings and any rubbish from inside and outside the property, including
the loft. You will be charged any costs incurred by us if we have to remove any items or
carry out any repairs.
Ensure no one is left in occupation of the property when you leave.
Inform the council tax office, electricity, gas and water suppliers, the Housing Benefit office
if this applies, your bank or building society, TV licensing, your children’s school, ,your
dentist and your doctor.
You should also take meter readings when you leave.
If we wish to end your tenancy:
•
If you are a secure, assured or assured short hold tenant we can only end the tenancy by
getting an order for possession in the county court. We will give you at least two weeks
notice in writing that we are going to apply for a possession order, unless the grounds for
possession, or the court order, agree that a shorter, or no notice period, is applicable.
Buildings and contents insurance
Building insurance – Muir Group insures the building that you are living in and will carry out any
repairs to the building, structure or fixtures and fittings following such incidents as a flood, fire or
forced entry to your property. Please contact our Customer Services Team on 0300 123 1222 if such
an incident happens.
Contents insurance – The contents and possessions in your home are not insured by Muir
Group and you should therefore take out your own insurance cover. You can either make your
own arrangements or join the scheme we have negotiated for residents via our insurance
broker. A separate leaflet explaining the costs and cover details, with an application form,
is available should you wish to join this scheme. The application process and the policy
agreement are directly between you and the insurance provider. Muir Group is insured for the
actual building.
Notice to terminate tenancy
I am writing to give notice to terminate my tenancy:
Name: ............................................................................................................................
Address:..........................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
I have decided to end my tenancy for the following reason(s)
(please tick all that apply)
Medical reasons
Home too small
Home too large
Employment reasons
To provide or receive support
Right to buy/right to acquire completion
Too expensive
Unhappy with area
Unhappy with Muir Group
Property in poor condition
Victim of anti-social behavour
Fleeing domestic abuse
Staircasing completion
Poor amenities in the area
Rehoused
Other (please state)
................................................................................................
I understand that under the terms of my tenancy agreement:
My four week notice period will commence from the Monday following the date you receive
this notice. My tenancy should therefore end on Sunday __/__/__
I am responsible for paying the rent until the end of my notice or until the keys are returned
(if after the notice period). I intend to return my keys on the __/__/__
During the period of my notice you may make an appointment with me to visit my home
to show people around and to inspect the property. If I leave the property before the end
of my notice period, I will let you know and hand the keys into you immediately. When I
leave I must remove all possessions and ensure the property is clean and tidy.
I hereby agree that should any possessions be left in the property at the termination of
my tenancy for any reason, they might be disposed of and I understand that I will be
responsible for the costs of disposal. I further understand that Muir Group will have no
responsibility for any of my possessions.
My new address:............................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
New contact phone number:..........................................................................................
I am moving into a property that is (please tick):
A Council Tenancy
Friends or family
A Housing Association Tenancy
Your own property
A Private Landlord Tenancy
Residential Care
Prison
Abroad
Other (please state)...................................................................................................................................
Please confirm your current supplier for: Gas:....................Electricity.....................
Yours sincerely
Signed........................................................................................................................................................
Date ........ / ........ / ........
Please fold and seal pre-glued edges. No stamp required.
Business
Reply
Business
Reply Plus
Licence
Number
Licence Number
RSCL-YUTS-RUYJ
RTCU-XAAG-HBZA
Muir Group Housing Association Limited
PO BOX
136 Housing Association Ltd
Muir
Group
Frodsham
80 Lightfoot Street
WA6 1AW
Hoole
CHESTER
CH2 3AL
I
s
s
ue006,J
ul
y201
4
T
or
eques
tanappoi
nt
mentatt
hear
eaof
f
i
c
e
c
l
os
es
tt
oy
ou,pl
eas
ev
i
s
i
tourwebs
i
t
ef
ormor
e
det
ai
l
s
,orc
al
luson03001
231
222.