Your Tenancy

Your tenancy agreement is an important legal document

It details your rights and responsibilities as our tenant and our rights and responsibilities as your landlord.

All tenancies are unique in terms of dates and who is listed on the tenancy, so please make sure you have read and understood your personal tenancy agreement as it will be this individual document which will have your specific information on it.

The headings on this page contain general information which applies to all customers.

If you have a specific query about your tenancy, or cannot find your tenancy agreement and would like to request a copy, please Contact Us.

If you are looking to end a tenancy, please expand the "Ending A Tenancy" heading.

Changes you need to tell us about

It is important that you let us know if your or your joint tenant's circumstances or contact details change.

For example, if:

you change your name through marriage or divorce
you want to add or remove someone from your tenancy
a joint tenant leaves the property

You need to let us know so that we can update your tenancy.

In addition, if your contact details change you also need to let us know as soon as possible. This is important in case we need to contact you in an emergency - for example, if you or a neighbour have a burst pipe we may need to get in touch with you without you being aware that a repair is needed.

If possible, please provide us with a telephone or mobile number for emergencies, and an email address so that we can contact you with less urgent news in an unobtrusive way.

Ending A Tenancy

If you are leaving your property:

You must give us written notice to end your tenancy. You can give us notice by completing our Customer Notice to Quit Form (using Adobe Sign)

Your tenancy agreement will say how much notice you need to give. It will be either four weeks ending on a Monday or one calendar month.

Ending A Tenancy On Another's Behalf:

In the unfortunately event that you need to end a tenancy because one of our customers has died, gone into care, or any other reason then there is a legal process we have to follow.

We understand this can be an incredibly difficult time, but please let us know as soon as possible by filling out our Notice To Quit On Behalf Of A Customer form (using Adobe Sign). If you need advice you can also call us on 0333 200 7304 and we will do whatever we can to support you.

We can only accept notice if you are the next of kin or are legally acting on behalf of the tenant - for example if you are the executor of their will, have been appointed an administrator by the Probate Office or have power of attorney. You can find out more about this and what you need to do on the gov.uk website.

We will ask you to provide confirmation that you have the legal right to end the tenancy. If there is no executor or administrator, we have to serve notice on the Public Trustee to end the tenancy.

Right to Buy

The Right to Buy scheme is a government operated scheme that helps eligible council and housing association tenants in England to buy their home with a discount of up to £84,200. On their website you can find out if you could be eligible, what discount you might get and whether you can afford to buy – and how to take the next steps if you decide to apply.

For more information, please visit: https://righttobuy.gov.uk/

You can provisionally check your eligibility at: https://righttobuy.gov.uk/am-i-eligible/ as well as start the application process: https://righttobuy.gov.uk/apply/

You can also find some government advice and guidance on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/right-to-buy-forms-and-guidance

Once you have completed the form, just send it to us using the information found in our Frequently Asked Questions below.

FAQ

All completed applications should be sent to Income Services, 1700 Solihull Parkway, Birmingham Business Park, Solihull, B37 7YD. If you would like to check the progress of your existing application or have any questions relating to either scheme please email us at Righttobuy-acquire@platformhg.com. A member of our Right to Buy Team will get in touch within 5 working days of receiving your enquiry.

Q: How do I find out what my property is worth?

A: Check Zoopla and Rightmove for recently sold properties in your area.

Q: How long will it take for my application to be processed?

A: Initially we have 4 weeks to process your application. Throughout the process we’ll let you know at each stage what the timescales are to complete to help with the purchasing of your property.

Q: How much discount will I receive?

A: Each scheme uses different calculations for purchasing your property - please use the Right to Buy calculator (https://righttobuy.gov.uk/can-i-afford-it/) or Right to Aquire discount sheet (https://www.gov.uk/right-to-acquire-buying-housing-association-home/discounts).

Q: If I buy my flat, do I still need to pay service charges for this and what does this cover?

A: You will still need to continue to pay service charges to your landlord if you buy your flat or maisonette. Service charges are what you have to pay towards repairs, maintenance, major building works such as re-roofing and services provided for the upkeep of communal areas shared by other residents and management costs. They can be quite substantial, particularly in large blocks of flats.

It is important you study the offer notice carefully as this will tell you the likely costs you will be asked to pay.

Q: Can my family members purchase with me?

A: Up to 3 family members can purchase alongside a tenant if they have resided in the property for the last 12 months and it is their main home. Proof of residency will be required.

Right to Acquire

Right to Acquire allows most housing association tenants to buy their home at a discount. You can apply to buy your housing association home if you’ve had a public sector landlord for 3 years.

For more information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/right-to-acquire-buying-housing-association-home

You can provisionally check your eligibility as well as start the application process at: https://www.gov.uk/right-to-acquire-buying-housing-association-home

There are several eligibility criteria so please check these carefully before beginning your application.