Understanding your tenancy
If you rent your home, you will have signed a tenancy agreement and been given a copy of this when we gave you your keys. Your tenancy agreement is a legal document setting out what you are responsible for and what Hexagon is responsible for.
The list below describes some of the typical rights and responsibilities set out within our tenancy agreements. However, it should be noted that different residents have different agreements, so it is worth checking your own to confirm the full conditions of the rights and responsibilities that apply to you and your home.
What are my responsibilities?
- Pay your rent and other charges on time.
- Keep your home in good condition and report any repairs.
- Allow access for mandatory repairs and health and safety inspections including gas servicing and electrical testing.
- Ensuring you, or your visitors, do not cause any nuisance or annoyance to others.
- Maintaining your garden and communal areas so they remain safe and to an acceptable level.
- Requesting changes to your home so that we can give you the necessary permissions.
- Let us know, in writing, at least four weeks in advance that you will be moving from your home.
- To seek permission if you want other people to live with you that you didn’t tell us about at the start of your tenancy. This includes permission to have a lodger or to sub-let part of your home.
- Ask permission before getting a pet.
- Ask permission before exchanging your tenancy.
- Ask permission before running a business from your home.
What are Hexagon’s responsibilities?
We will:
- Contact you if there’s a problem with how you’re managing your tenancy.
- Carry out repairs which are reported to us in a timely manner. You have the right to a Decent Home that is fit to live in and free from hazards.
- Comply with all relevant Health & Safety legislation. You can read more about this in our Asset Management Strategy.
- Inform you of any changes to your rent and service charges.
- Keep you informed about repairs and any planned maintenance and cyclical work required to your home.
- Give you notice of any proposed visit to carry out repairs or maintenance or to view the condition and state of repair of the premises.
- Process any application received from you to exchange your home with a tenant of another association or local authority. See our Mutual Exchange Policy for more information.
- Give you opportunities to become involved and influence services. You will also be formally consulted if we are considering any changes to your tenancy agreement and on the management of your home and the services we deliver.
- Take your views into account in our decision-making about how landlord services are delivered and communicate how tenants’ views have been considered.
- Provide you with information Hexagon holds about you on request.
- Make reasonable adjustments for disabled tenants in line with our Vulnerable Residents and Reasonable Adjustments Policy.
- Allow tenants and prospective tenants to be supported by a representative or advocate in interactions about landlord services.
- Support you to exercise your Right to Manage. Contact us for more information.
- Make sure that all required actions arising from legally required health and safety assessments are carried out within appropriate timescales.
- Make sure that the safety of tenants is considered in the design and delivery of landlord services and take reasonable steps to mitigate any identified risks to tenants.
- Support tenants seeking housing adaptations.
What happens if I don’t keep to my responsibilities?
If you breach any of the terms of your tenancy agreement, we may consider taking tenancy action against you. We will, however, engage with you to avoid this, providing assistance where we are able to and letting you know whenever possible what the consequences of your behaviour can lead to.
What happens if we don’t keep to our responsibilities?
If you believe we have breached our responsibilities, you can make a complaint about your home or the services Hexagon and our contractors provide to you.
