Your Rights as a Tenant

As a tenant of social housing, you have rights that are given to you by Parliament. They are your Statutory Rights, and they cannot be reduced or withheld.  You also have Contractual Rights because of your Tenancy Agreement.  This document summarises your Rights. If you would like more information, please contact BITMO or seek independent advice from an Advice Centre or Legal practitioner.

The Right to your tenancy for life

Once given a Secure Tenancy , you have a right to keep that tenancy for your whole life if you comply with the tenancy agreement. The landlord can seek to end your tenancy if you  do not. The tenancy agreement requires you to live in the property, pay your rent on time, maintain the property in a “tenant like manner”, – this means look after it, don’t cause any damage, attend to minor repairs yourself; not cause any anti-social behaviour, not use the property for any illegal or immoral purpose, not sub-let it.  

The Right to a Safe and Quality Home

You are entitled to live in a home that complies with the Decent Homes Standard and that is free from serious defects that affect your health and safety . You are entitled to an effective, efficient and timely repairs, maintenance and planned improvements service.  We have stock condition data for all our properties, and you can request this information in relation to your home. We have a five-year investment plan, and you can request information about when your home will receive investment work.

Right to information

You are entitled to know the type and standards of service  that we provide so that you can hold us to account if we do not deliver the right level of service. Service information and service standards are provided on the website.

Right to Repairs

There is a Right to Repair scheme for Council tenants.  It covers repairs that cost £250 or less. After you report a repair that is covered under this scheme it will be completed within 1, 3 or 7 working days. If this time frame is not achieved on two occasions (and you have been in to allow access) you can request compensation of £10 plus £2 per every extra day the repair is not carried out.

Right to Improve your Home

You have the right to request and potentially receive compensation at the end of your tenancy for certain improvements you make to your home provided certain conditions are met, and permission is granted in writing.

The Right to Transfer or Exchange your Home

You can apply to transfer to another property.  Transfers are offered based on assessed housing need and are limited by competing demands from other applicants and the supply of housing.

You can exchange your home with another social housing tenant.  You must find an exchange partner and apply for this.  We can only refuse the exchange in certain circumstances.

Right to Buy

You may be entitled to buy your home at a discount. If you qualify you can buy it alone, with your spouse or civil partner, or other joint tenant, with up to three family members who have lived in your home for the last twelve months.

Right to be Consulted

You have a right to be formally consulted on certain matters such as who manages your home, and the service charges you pay. You are also entitled to be consulted on how services are delivered and changes that will be made that will affect you.

Right to Take in Lodgers

With our permission you can take in lodgers as long as it does not result in the property being overcrowded.

Right of Succession

If the tenancy has not been succeeded previously you have the right to pass your tenancy onto certain family  members who are living with you in the 12 months immediately prior to your death and can prove that this is the case.

Right to Know how your Landlord is Performing

We publish performance information on the website and in our annual report .

The Right to Complain

You have the right complain if we fall short in delivering the right level of service. Where there is a service failure, and you have suffered a loss as a result you have the right to compensation.

The Right to Attend Board Meetings

You are entitled to attend any Board meetings and present questions ahead of time for the Board to answer.

The Right to Manage

Housing law in England gives local authority tenants a collective right to take on the management of the council housing where they live. This may happen where a local tenants group believe  that they would get a better or more cost-effective service if they if they had direct control of it. Belle Isle is managed by Belle Isle tenants.