Council Housing Tenant Handbook

Your tenancy

Your tenancy agreement is your contract with Wiltshire Council. It sets out the responsibilities and rights that both you and the council have.

The tenancy agreement lets you live in a property as long as you pay rent and abide by the obligations it sets out - these are known as the terms of your tenancy agreement. Any breach of these terms may result in the council taking action to end the tenancy and asking you to leave your home.

What you must do:

Pay your rent in advance as per the conditions of your tenancy agreement
Live in your home as your only or main/principle home
Provide access for annual planned maintenance inspections and statutory boiler servicing (where applicable).
Report any repairs promptly and allow access for them to be completed
Keep your home and garden clean and tidy
Put all your rubbish in the bins and put your bin out for collection
Ask us if you want anyone else to live with you
Respect your neighbours
Park your car only in the parking area and only in your space if you have one
Obtain written permission from the council if you wish to keep non-domestic animals or livestock at the property
If appropriate, submit a claim for assistance with your rent (housing benefit or universal credit) and provide all the necessary proofs and documentation for your claim to be assessed

What you must not do:

Put up a shed or outside building without asking us first
Alter the fabric of your home in any way without asking us first
Run a business from your home without asking us first
Cause damage to your home or allow anyone else to
Use the property for anything illegal
Smoke in any shared/communal areas. We would also ask you not to smoke in your home prior to or during any visits, inspections or works being carried out by council staff or our contractors.
Anything which is likely to cause nuisance, annoyance or disturbance to neighbours
Assign, sublet, or to give away the tenancy or part with it without the written consent of the council (Introductory tenants cannot exchange)
Carry out any repairs or servicing of motor vehicles except routine maintenance on your own or any member of your household's domestic vehicle.
Park, or allow any other person to park commercial vehicles or trailers on the property, nor any untaxed or unroadworthy domestic vehicles

What Wiltshire Council's responsibilities

To give you possession of the property at the start of the tenancy and not to disturb you or interfere with your occupation. If the council needs to inspect the premises or carry out repairs, you will normally be given five days notice in writing unless there is an emergency when it may be necessary to gain immediate access.
To keep the structure, exterior of the property and any communal parts in a good state of repair, including the water supply and sanitation facilities and installations for heating, hot water, gas and electricity.
To consult you about any housing management matter which may affect you, excluding rent and charges.
To properly serve upon you any notice required under this agreement or any statutory requirement addressed to the tenant at the premises and either delivered to the premises by hand or sent to the tenant by recorded delivery, other than notice of a rent increase which will be sent by standard post. Notice to quit may be served at a tenant's last known address.
Address and deal with anti-social behaviour and nuisance efficiently and promptly.
Deal with complaints.
Offer all tenants a good level of customer service.

Keep your copy of your tenancy agreement safe

Terminating your tenancy

When you accept your tenancy from the council you agree to give four weeks notice if you wish to leave. Notice should be given in writing and sent to Housing Management, Wiltshire Council, Council House, Bourne Hill, Salisbury SP1 3UZ.

Your neighbourhood officer will make arrangements with you to conduct a pre-end of tenancy inspection at the property. This is to identify any works that need to be done before you hand the keys back. This may include removing carpets, curtains, lampshades, and generally clearing the property and garden of any personal items or rubbish.

On the date agreed for handing the keys back, your neighbourhood officer and repairs surveyor will meet you at the property to collect them from you. At this meeting we will expect the work identified to have been completed and any work that you have failed to address will be photographed and we will charge you for putting it right.

If you are not there to hand the keys back, and have not made alternative arrangements with your neighbourhood officer, you may be held responsible for rent at the property after you have left.

Do we have your correct contact details?

We are constantly trying to improve the ways we communicate with you and in order to do this we need to make sure we have your most up-to-date contact details.

Please let us know if you change your telephone numbers or email address or let us have your email address if we don't already have it.

It's simple to let us know using any of the following methods:

In person at any of our customer facing offices

Phone us on 0300 456 0117 - option 4

Email us at HSGMail@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) (we may contact you to validate the information)

Email and text

If you don't have an email address there are plenty of quick and simple email services you can use to create your own email address. Two of the most popular are Outlook.com (a Microsoft product) and Gmail (a Google product). Both are free to set up and use.

If you don't use a laptop or desktop computer regularly, you can access your emails through a mobile app and the advantage being it allows you to receive and read our emails wherever you are. Alternatively, the council offer free computer and internet access in all Wiltshire libraries.

Make sure we have your up-to-date mobile number so you can benefit from our free text service. Text messages are used for various processes such as reminders, confirmations and quick contacts but are not suitable for sending out longer information.

Finally, we will never pass your contact information onto anyone outside of Wiltshire Council for marketing purposes. We will only ever pass on your contact details to registered contractors if it is appropriate in the course of doing approved works on behalf of the council.