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Sheltered housing - council tenants

The Tenancy Agreement is a legal contract between Durham City Council and its tenants. It sets out the responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord (the City Council) to each other and to the community.

The Tenants Responsibilities to the Landlord

1. You must pay rent and any other charges when due.
2. You must occupy your Council property as your only or main residence.
3. You must not sub-let or part with possession of any part of the premises without written consent of the Council, which should not be unreasonably withheld.
4. You must not assign or sub-let or part with possession of the whole of the premises.
5. You must keep the property in good condition. This includes using the fixtures properly and reporting to the Council promptly any disrepair or defect for which the Council is responsible.
6. You must pay for repair or replacement if damage is caused deliberately or by your own neglect (e.g. holes in doors or not reporting a leaking pipe). You will also be liable to pay an administration charge of 15% of the total cost of repair and the full charge will then be subject to Value Added Tax.
7. You must not carry out any alterations to your home without first obtaining the written consent of the Council (which will not be unreasonably withheld). In particular, you must not:
   • Alter any part of the premises
   • Erect satellite dishes/CB aerials
   • Erect garages, sheds, conservatories, greenhouses
   • Park private motor vehicles, trailers or caravans, within the curtilage of the dwelling, or on adjoining land, unless hard-standing and appropriate access have been provided to the satisfaction of the Council
   • Store liquid petroleum gas
   • Apply artex or any similar permanent application to walls
8. You must take all reasonable precautions for prevention of damage to the property by fire, frost, the bursting of water pipes, or the blocking of drains, pipes, chimneys and flues.
9. You must not allow the premises to be used for any purpose other than that of a private dwelling, (e.g. carry out a business) without consent.
10. You must not allow the premises to be used for illegal or immoral purposes.
11. You must not keep or permit to be kept fowls, pigeons, birds of prey, pond fish, animals or more than two domestic pets on the premises, without prior permission of the Council. Permission will only be granted on the understanding that no nuisance or annoyance is caused to neighbours. The tenant of a flat or maisonette shall not keep more than one domestic pet without the prior permission of the Council. (Brandon House and Oversteads House - no pets allowed.)
12. You must keep the interior of the premises in a clean, sanitary and reasonably decorative condition. Tenants of flats and maisonettes will be jointly responsible for cleaning access balconies, communal drying areas and staircases to the satisfaction of the Council.
13. You must keep the garden, where provided, in a state of cultivation and in a clean and orderly condition.
14. You must permit authorised Council employees or agents to enter the premises for inspection purposes and to execute any necessary works required to this or adjacent properties. The Council reserves the right to effect an entry to your home without notice in an emergency, in order to prevent injury to any person or to prevent damage to your, or to neighbouring property, or to comply with the Council's duty to maintain any gas appliance or installation pipe work or flue under the provisions of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 as amended or any subsequent Regulations made under the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974.

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A Tenants Responsibilities to the Community

1. You are responsible for the behaviour of every person (including children) and animals living in or visiting your home whilst in your home, on surrounding land, in communal areas and in the neighbourhood around your home.
2. You, and they, must not cause a nuisance, annoyance, or disturbance to any other person. This includes:
   • noise
   • loud music
   • dog barking/fouling
   • offensive drunken behaviour
   • rubbish dumping
   • playing ball games close to someone else's home.
3. You, and they, must not harass any other person. This includes:
   • racist behaviour or language
   • using or threatening to use violence
   • damaging or threatening to damage another person's home or belongings
   • writing threatening or abusive graffiti
   • doing anything that interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of other people.
4. You must not inflict domestic violence or threaten violence against any other person. You must not harass or use abuse to make anyone who lives with you leave the home.
5. You must not use your home or any communal area for any illegal activities. These include:
   • prostitution
   • cultivating, selling, using or possessing drugs
   • handling or storing stolen goods.
6. You must not breach any of the Council's bye-laws.
7. You must not carry out major car repairs or park an illegal or unroadworthy vehicle on your premises or on land around your home or on the road.
8. You must not store on the premises or communal areas any substance of an offensive, noxious, inflammable or explosive nature.
9. You must not dump rubbish on communal areas or on other parts of your estate.
10. You must not use, or threaten violence against any Council employees or any agents.

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The Landlord's (D.C.C's) Responsibilities to its Tenants

1. The Council must maintain the structure, exterior and common parts of the building in good repair.
2. The Council must keep in repair and proper working order the following amenities, where provided:
   • installation for supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation
   • installation of space heating and water
   • lift service and other communal activities
3. The Council must effect those repairs, which are the landlord's responsibility, within a reasonable period of time.

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Other pages you may find useful

• Home safety advice (PID 423)
• Housing repairs - communal areas (PID 140)