Rights and responsibilities during your tenancy

We need to know the details of everyone who lives in your home.  If anyone moves out or if you want someone to move into your property,  you need to complete a household details form and return it to your Housing Officer.   A household details form is available here.

If you claim housing benefit or universal credit, don’t forget to inform your local authority of any changes to your household as it may affect your entitlement.

A joint tenancy is when you and another person are equally responsible for paying the rent and keeping to the terms of your tenancy agreement.  Joint tenants have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as each other.

A joint tenant must be someone who is not already a tenant or owner of another property and who will live in the property as their only or principal home.    They must also have lived at your address for at least 12 months, so it is important that you inform Castlehill if someone moves in.

There are certain conditions that you must observe once permission is granted.  These are listed in section 2.5 of your tenancy agreement.

There are several schemes where no cats or dogs are allowed. If you do not have permission and go ahead with keeping a pet anyway, you will be in breach of your tenancy agreement and we will ask you to re-home your pet.  A pet permission form is available here.

It is very important that you discuss any plans you have for alterations with your Housing Officer and your Property Services Officer. You must receive our written permission before going ahead with any alterations to your home.  If you carry out alterations without our approval, you may be billed for the cost of restoring the property to its previous condition, during or at the end of your tenancy.

This is also known as “assignation”.  If you would like to transfer (assign) your tenancy to another person, the property must have been the only or principal home of the person to whom you want to assign the tenancy for at least 6 months before the date of your written request.

If you would like to take in a lodger or sub-let your home, you will have to complete and return an application form.  This is covered in section 4.1 of your tenancy agreement.  An application form is available here.

Please speak with your Housing Officer if you plan to be away from your property for more than 4 weeks.  If you are away from home in the winter, please be aware that pipes may freeze and burst, your Property Services Officer can give you advice.  Please remember that if you do not take precautions and water damage occurs, you may be recharged for the repair costs.

In the event the tenant dies, the Scottish Secure Tenancy Agreement makes provision for the tenancy to be passed on to either a joint tenant(s) or in certain circumstances other household members.  If you are in this situation and unsure what to do contact your Housing Officer as soon as possible please call 01224 625822 to speak with our Customer Services team.