Your responsibilities

You are responsible for keeping your home and garden in good condition

Your responsibilities

When you signed your tenancy agreement with us, you agreed to take responsibility for keeping your home and garden in a clean and tidy condition, including:

  • Keeping it clean and tidy both inside and outside
  • Repairing, at your own cost, any damage caused by you, your family or visitors
  • Keeping the inside well decorated and only making alterations with our permission
  • Reporting all repairs promptly
  • Keeping the garden and dividing fences, walls and hedges (except those next to public footpaths or roads) in good condition
  • Keeping your garden tidy and free from rubbish
  • Putting your rubbish out regularly and securely on the day of the bin collection and complying with local recycling arrangements
  • Finding out what the rules are about bonfires in your area before having one. The Environmental Health Department at your local council will be able to advise you.
  • Regular checks

    You need to check your property regularly to keep it in good order. You should:

    • Test your smoke detector every week and change the battery every 12 months
    • Check your main stop tap on the heating system every six months
    • Check the water system (pipes, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, water tanks, radiators) for minor leaks every three months
    • Check plugs and flexes every month for wear and tear
    • Allow us access for the gas check each year.
  • Staying safe

    Here are just a few tips to keep you and your home safe:

    • Never run cables under carpets or overload sockets
    • Make sure you know who is at your door before you open it. If in doubt, ask for identity and check with their office
    • You must not store bottled gas, paraffin, petrol or any other toxic or dangerous goods or substances in your home, garage, store or any shared areas or balconies.

    Please read our guidance below:

    Fire safety    Gas safety    Asbestos awareness

  • When you are away

    Before you go out or go to bed make sure that:

    • You shut and lock doors and windows
    • Turn off all appliances and close the doors
    • You lock garden sheds
    • You keep ladders securely locked away.

    Before you go away you should:

    • Make sure that all your windows and doors are closed and locked
    • Reduce the heating so that you don’t have to pay unnecessary costs, but leave it warm enough to stop your pipes from freezing
    • Make sure that all taps are off
    • Cancel all deliveries of milk, newspapers etc.

    It is important that you tell us if you are going to be away for more than one month.

  • Smoking

    The law states that you are not allowed to smoke in a public area. This includes any shared areas, for example, stairways or entrance halls.

    You can smoke in your own property, but please do not smoke for at least an hour before you are expecting a visit from us or a contractor, or during a visit. Only smoke in rooms where staff or contractors are not visiting.

  • Minor repairs

    You are responsible for repairing any fixture and fittings that belong to you, such as broken windows, light bulbs and door handles.

    There are also some minor repairs and issues that you are responsible for, including unblocking drains and toilets if you caused the blockage, replacing lost keys, and getting rid of pests, such as fleas, wasps, bees and vermin such as mice and rats.

    Your repairs responsibilities

  • Loft storage

    Residents should not store goods and belongings in the loft. From time to time, Hastoe staff and contractors will need to access the loft to carry out routine maintenance and inspections. Storing items in the loft can make it difficult for them to do so safely. Also, many modern roofs are lightweight and are not designed to be used for storage.

  • Condensation, mould & damp

    Most reports of dampness are actually due to condensation. This is caused when moisture carried by warm air reaches a cold surface and makes the surface damp.

    Condensation can cause damage to decorations, floor coverings, clothes and bedding. Residents of buildings with damp or mould are at increased risk of experiencing health problems such as breathing problems, allergies and asthma. It is important to prevent and treat damp and mould as soon as possible. 

    Please follow the guidance below:

    Preventing condensation

  • Pests

    It is your responsibility to deal with pest problems such as fleas, wasps, bees and vermin such as mice and rats. Once the pest problem has been solved, we can help with blocking up access holes. Please contact us for more information. For more information about how to deal with pests please contact your local Environmental Health Department.

  • Parking

    If you own a car or motorbike and park it in a car park or bay we have provided, you must make sure it is roadworthy, properly taxed, licensed and insured. You must not park commercial vehicles, caravans, boats and trailers on any of our properties.

    You must also not:

    • Repair vehicles in a way that damages the premises or damages parking areas
    • Park in places that are not authorised spaces
    • Block roadways, access areas, footpaths or cause any other obstruction
    • Leave untaxed, unlicensed or unroadworthy vehicles, including those holding a SORN (statutory off-road notification) on the premises, within parking areas set aside for tenants or on the public highway.

    We will consult tenants on any parking schemes so that we can avoid careless parking on estates. This can also avoid arguments between neighbours about parking, vehicles being dumped illegally and problems for emergency vehicles if routes are blocked.

  • Satellites

    Residents wishing to install a satellite dish to their property need to complete a permission request form to carry out this alteration. Residents must ensure that the dish is situated to the rear or side of their property only. All internal or external cables should be encased in plastic trunking and any damage caused should be made good by the resident. No cables should be fixed to the roof. On vacation, the property must be reinstated to its original condition.

Our responsibilities

We always aim to make sure that the shared areas of your home and any gardens that we are responsible for are maintained to a high standard.

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