FAQs

To apply to buy your council home, you must have spent a total of at least three years as a tenant of one or more of the following:

• a Leeds City Council or other council-owned property. This includes all BITMO homes.
• a housing association property
• armed forces accommodation

(If you have had any breaks as a tenant, you can still include previous tenancies in this three year total).

You may not be able to buy your council home if:

• your property has been specially adapted for elderly or disabled tenants – check to find out if you live in one of these properties by emailing house.sales@leeds.gov.uk
• you are in breach of any part of your tenancy agreement
• you have an un-discharged bankruptcy
• you are subject to a court order

Before you apply, we recommend that you seek legal advice, and contact the Government’s Right to Buy service if you need more information.

We have garages at several positions around Belle Isle. Whether or not you are a Leeds City Council tenant you can still apply to us for a garage.  For more information call us on 0113 378 2188 or email bitmo.enquiries@belleisletmo.co.uk

Please note garages cannot be used to repair vehicles or run a business.

Please contact BITMO on 0113 378 2188 to discuss.

It is your responsibility to maintain your garden. If you are unable to do so please ask for support from your family or friends. BITMO staff monitor how gardens are maintained and will contact you if yours does not meet the required standard.

BITMO maintains the communal gardens in low-rise flats.

This is an extract from your tenancy agreement:

3.1 If you are an introductory tenant, the section on the tenancy agreement sheet you sign will be completed showing when the introductory tenancy will end if there are no breaches of this tenancy agreement.

3.2 Your introductory tenancy is a tenancy for a trial period for the first 12 months (unless it is extended). If you keep to the terms and conditions of this tenancy agreement, and the council has not started possession proceedings during the introductory period, then you will automatically become a secure tenant at the end of the introductory period.

3.3 If you do not comply with the terms of your introductory tenancy, the council has the right to extend your introductory tenancy by an additional six months. Before taking this action, the council will give you notice of its intention to do this and you will have the right to request a review of the decision to extend your introductory tenancy.

3.4 If you do not comply with the terms of your tenancy agreement the council can also apply to the Court for an eviction order. Before applying to Court the council has to give you notice and tell you the reasons why it is evicting you and you will have the right to request a review of the decision.

You need to apply for permission before running a business from your council home. We will not refuse permission without good reason.

Things that you need to take into account when running a business from your home include:

• noise, such as loud tools
• smells, such as a business involving food preparation
• large numbers of people, for example if customers come to your property to buy products
• mess, example if you are doing vehicle repairs and keeping a lot of equipment in the garden
• keeping dangerous substances, e.g. paint thinners etc.
• how you plan to dispose of any extra waste or rubbish which is produced as a result

Please complete the form at the bottom of this page and return it to BITMO.

We would advise you to contact Leeds City Council Pest Control. Further details are here

If the tree is in your garden it may be your responsibility to maintain it. If you are not sure please contact us on 0113 378 2188.

If the tree is in a communal area, please send a phot of the tree along with a description of its location to bitmo.enquiries@belleisletmo.co.uk or phone 0113 378 2188.

Please contact BITMO on 0113 378 2188, giving reasons why you believe the home is sub-let. We will keep the details of your call private and carry out our own investigation.

Call Adult Social Care on 0113 222 4401 or Children & Families (if it concerns a child) on 0113 222 4403.  For more general concerns call BITMO on 0113 378 2188.

Please see all the information on changes to tenancies on our website here