Moving into your home

Moving into your new home can be a very exciting time, but we understand it can also be stressful. To make things easier, we've put together useful information and advice in our Welcome Pack.

On this webpage, we've included information about the moving process, your responsibilities and what support is available, from the start of your tenancy and throughout.

Your new home

We understand the difference a safe, secure and affordable homes make to people's lives. That's why, before you move into your home, the property will have been through our Empty Homes process to ensure it's clean, safe and in good repair for you to move in to.

You can view our Empty Homes Standard here.

What to expect when you move in

Once your tenancy has started and you've moved in, we will visit you within a few weeks to see how you and your family are settling in. During this visit, we'll go over your tenancy agreement and answer any questions you have. If you need to report any repairs, please do so as soon as possible through Connect, our online customer portal, or via the Contact Us webpage. Alternatively, you can also call us on 03000 120 120.

Your tenancy

Most new customers begin with a starter tenancy. After a probation period, usually six months, your tenancy will change to either an assured or fixed-term tenancy. Your tenancy officer will explain this to you, but you can also find out more about our types of tenancy agreements here.

We want all our customers to be able to maintain their tenancy. That's why we can make reasonable adjustments to help you access our services without difficulty.

Find out more about support services here.

Your responsibilities

Your Tenancy Agreement is a legal contract and amongst other things means that you are responsible for:

Paying your rent and service charges

Your rent and service charges are applied to your account weekly. However, we can discuss your preferred payment schedule, whether that’s weekly, fortnightly or monthly, to find out what works best for you. It’s your responsibility to make regular payments and on-time, and that you don’t fall behind with your rent.

If you are struggling with your payments, it's important that you talk to us. Our team of income officers and money advisors are here to help. Find out more about how we can support you with your finances here.

Home contents insurance

As a landlord, we do not cover customers' home contents, so it's up to you to protect your belongings. Home contents insurance is a good way to cover the cost of your possessions in case of an emergency or unexpected damage.

The National Housing Federation works in partnership with Thistle Tenant Risks, and Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited, who provide the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, a contents insurance policy designed for tenants living in social housing. You can find out more here.

Taking care of your home, garden and any shared areas

This means keeping gardens tidy and keeping corridors and staircases free of items that may be unsightly or cause an obstruction or safety hazard to others.

Allowing us access

Your safety at home is our priority. That’s why we occasionally will need to visit your home to carry out gas servicing, electrical installation checks and other survey work. It’s important that you allow us access so we can complete these checks. Learn more about our commitment to keeping your home safe here.

Looking after your pets properly

This means picking up and disposing of waste, keeping animals under control and understanding for example that a barking dog could be a nuisance to your neighbours. Read more about pets and animals here.

Parking cars with care and courtesy

This means using designated parking areas safely without blocking other vehicles or pedestrians.

Being considerate to your neighbours and others around you

This means behaving responsibly and lawfully, showing the same respect to others as you would expect them to show to you – but including a degree of tolerance when necessary. It’s important to understand your responsibilities as a customer.

If the tenancy agreement is not followed, such as missing rent payments, causing disturbances, or not engaging with us, especially about safety matters, it could lead to legal action.