15 Paying your rent and other charges
The rent, water and sewerage and all other charges are due, in advance, on Monday every week.You must pay your rent, water and sewerage charges in full, without making any deduction or set off for any reason, in accordance with the payment arrangements which we have told you about. If we ask to see your rent or payment books, you must produce them as soon as possible.
You can get more advice about paying your rent and other charges from your housing office or the Town Hall.
Note: If you withhold your rent without good reason, you could be left with a large amount of arrears to pay and the risk that a court order for possession might be made
against you. In fairness to all tenants, we encourage you to pay your rent in full and on time and to seek professional advice before withholding your rent for any reason.
16 Changes in your rent
We can change your rent and other charges at any time.We have to give you 28 days written notice of any change in your rent and the change must start on a Monday, but we can change your water and sewerage charges at any time.
Note: Our usual practice is to increase the rent and other charges no more than once a year in April, although this does not preclude a change in rent or other charges at any other time in the year when necessary.
17 Ending your tenancy
You can end your tenancy at any time by giving us 28 days notice to quit in writing. The tenancy must finish on a Monday. In the case of joint tenants, one tenant can end the tenancy by giving us notice in the same way.
When you move out of the property, you must leave it vacant. In addition, the property must be in good repair, free from damage and clean. This also applies to communal areas, sheds and garages for which you are responsible.You must remove all your belongings and any rubbish. If you leave anything behind we will remove it and you will be charged for the costs of removal and/or storage. You will also have to
pay for any repairs or other works that we have to carry out at the end of your tenancy, which were your responsibility, or were caused by a breach of your tenancy conditions.
You must return all keys, fobs, entry-call keys and parking permits to your housing office when you move out of the property. If you do not do this, we will charge you additional rent and/or change the locks at your expense.
Secure tenants
If we have to terminate your tenancy for any of the reasons listed in condition 18, we must give you 28 days notice in writing of our intention to do so, except where the notice is based on nuisance or other anti-social behaviour. In which case we can start proceedings to terminate your tenancy immediately. The notice must end on a Monday.
Introductory and non-secure tenants
If you are an introductory or non-secure tenant, we must give you 28 days notice in writing of our intention to terminate your tenancy. The notice must expire on a Monday. Having served the notice we still have to get a court order for possession.
Note: We will charge additional rent only if we are unable to get access to the property because the keys have not been returned, or because you have not given us vacant possession of the property. Where you do not return the keys etc, and we have to replace them, we will only recharge the reasonable costs of replacement.
18 Reasons why we might terminate your tenancy
Secure tenants only
There are a number of reasons why we might have to apply for a court order to end your tenancy. These are listed below:
1. If you do not keep up to date with your rent or you breach any of the conditions in your tenancy.
2. If you or a member of your household or a visitor does anything which causes, or is likely to cause, a nuisance to anyone in the local area, or you allow your home to be used for immoral or illegal purposes.
3. If your partner, or a member of the family, has left home because of your violence or threats of violence against them and they are unlikely to return to live with you.
4. If you, or anyone living with you, damages any part of the property or the communal areas either deliberately or by neglect.
5. If you or any of your friends or relatives damages or vandalises our furniture.
6. If you deliberately gave us false information to get the tenancy or encouraged someone else to do so.
7. If you received any financial gain for agreeing to a mutual exchange.
8. If your home is connected to the place where you work, such as a school caretaker, and your behaviour has been improper or unsuitable.
9. If you are staying in temporary accommodation while works are carried out to your previous home and you have already agreed to return to your previous home when the works are completed, but do not do so.
Note: This is a brief summary of the statutory grounds for possession which are set out in full in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1985. You or your professional advisers should
look at the Act for the precise wording and effect.
Note: This does not apply when a payment is made by the council under the mutual exchange incentive payment scheme.
Situations where the council may have to move you out of your home
In the following cases, if we have to move you out of your home, we have to provide you with suitable alternative accommodation. This must meet the reasonable needs of you and your family. If you refuse an offer of suitable alternative accommodation we may have to apply to the court for an order for possession to end your tenancy.
10. If your home is overcrowded. (see condition 9).
11. If we have to move you out of your home so that we can
get in to carry out repairs or other necessary works.
12. If your home is within the area of an approved
redevelopment scheme.
13. If your home is linked to a job and we need to give it to
another employee.
14. If the property has been specially designed or adapted
for people with disabilities, or is reserved for people with special needs and :
(a) no-one in your household needs that type of accommodation
and
(b) we need it for a person with similar special needs.
15. If the tenancy passed to you when the previous tenant died and is too large for your needs.
Eviction may result from any of the above reasons.
However, each case will be considered on its merits.
Introductory and non-secure tenants
We do not have to rely on any of the reasons given above for terminating your tenancy.
