Tell me about... What to do when I move home

Transcription

1 Tell me about... What to do when I move home Leaflet no. 7

2 What I do now The start date of my tenancy Moving home can be a stressful time. When you move into or out of a First Wessex property you will need to remember to do several things. This leaflet explains what you need to do. I have accepted an offer of a First Wessex assured or starter tenancy. What do I do now? When you are moving into your new home we will arrange for you to collect the keys. You will meet your Neighbourhood Manager and your Income Co-ordinator or Benefit Advisor. They will explain things about your tenancy, how to pay your rent and will answer any questions you may have. If you intend to claim housing benefit we will explain how to do this. It is up to you to apply for housing benefit and to make sure that the council is dealing with your application. What date does my tenancy start? The date given on your Tenancy Agreement is when you become the legal tenant. From that date on you are responsible for your home and for paying rent, even if you do not move in immediately.

3 Gas and electricity in my new home The condition of my new home Will any work be needed in my new home? Before we let a property we inspect it and carry out gas and electrical safety checks and repairs to ensure your property is in a good state of repair when you move in. Your Neighbourhood Manager, or a member of the Care and Support team if you are moving to older persons accommodation, will provide you with details of the repair standard that we aim to achieve. If there are any repairs that still need to be done we will tell you about this when you sign for the property. If you experience any problems and want to report a repair you can do this at any time by contacting us using the information on the back of this leaflet. Not everyone who moves into one of our properties will be given decoration vouchers. How do I arrange for gas and electricity in my new home? You will need to contact the gas and electricity suppliers to arrange your supply with them. Several companies are now involved in supplying gas and electricity and you may not know who the supplier is. To find out who is supplying gas to your home phone National Grid on To find out who is supplying electricity phone Scottish and Southern Energy General Electric Enquires on We also estimate the cost of any redecoration that may be needed. Where appropriate we will give you decoration vouchers to help with the cost of decorating some of the rooms in your new home.

4 Home contents insurance Leaving my First Wessex home Rent charges Do I need home contents insurance? You are strongly encouraged to obtain home contents insurance because if you do not, you risk not being covered for losses to your own belongings. Many people find they need to claim on their contents insurance when moving home because items may get damaged. You may wish to consider My Home insurance which is offered by JLT insurers and provides competitively priced Home Contents Insurance to First Wessex customers. This insurance is designed to be affordable with no excess to pay and premiums can be paid in a variety of different ways. For further details or an application form please contact JLT direct on I am leaving my current First Wessex home. Who should I tell? When you want to leave your First Wessex home you must write to us and give a minimum of four weeks notice that you are leaving. The notice must end on a Sunday. You should send your letter to your local office or telephone us for advice and information. Once we have received your notice a Neighbourhood Manager, or a member of the Care and Support team, will make an appointment to visit you to inspect the condition of the property. You may be asked to do certain works before you leave. If we need to carry out repairs after you leave caused by your own neglect or misuse of the property you will be charged for these. When is the last date I will be charged rent? Rent will be charged on the tenancy up until the official end of the tenancy. The official end date of the tenancy will be at midnight on the Sunday, 4 weeks from the date you gave written notice even if you leave before this date.

5 How I should leave the property You must ensure you return the keys to your local office by no later than 12 noon on the next day, Monday. If you do not return your keys on time you will be charged additional weeks rent. If you move without telling us you will be charged rent of at least 4 weeks from the date we are aware you have left. Unless you provide a letter surrendering your tenancy we will have to serve a notice to end the tenancy formally. How should I leave the property? Contents You must make sure that no persons are left in the property when you return the keys. This is known as giving Vacant Possession. You must also make sure any pets are taken with you or re-homed before you leave. team, you must remove all furniture and carpets from your home and clear everything from any shed, garage and attic. If you have furniture that you no longer require which may be of use to someone else it is worth looking in the telephone book for charities and other organisations that will remove it for you. Alternatively you may want to advertise on local recycle websites for someone who could make use of these items and take them away for you. You can also ring the council refuse department and ask them to take away any rubbish or unwanted items. There may be a charge for this service. If you leave rubbish or unwanted furniture in the property or garden we will have to remove it and we will charge you for this. You must leave the property clean, tidy and ready for the next person to move in. Unless you have agreed otherwise with your Neighbourhood Manager, or the Care and Support

6 The work I have done in my home What I should do if I owe rent Ending my gas/electric supply Repairs We ask you to leave your home in good repair when you move out, and we will have to charge you if you do not. You must leave all internal fittings such as doors, fires, light sockets and cooker points. Remember that you are responsible for any damage caused by yourself, your family or visitors. NB only registered gas contractors can remove gas appliances because supply pipes must be properly sealed. Unsealed pipes are very dangerous and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which can result in death or serious heath problems. Do not disconnect or reconnect gas appliances yourself. What about any work I have done in my home? If you have carried out changes to your home without permission, we could ask you to reinstate it to its original standard. Any of our fixtures and fittings that you have removed must be put back, unless we agreed that this was not necessary when you were given permission to do the work. If you do not put things back we will charge you the cost of replacing them. When you leave your home you can claim compensation for certain types of improvements you have made to the property provided we agreed to these improvements before they were carried out. I owe rent what should I do? You need to make sure that your rent is up to date when you leave. If you can t bring your account up to date before you move it is very important that you speak to the Income Team and arrange to pay the rent you owe. If you don t do this you could be taken to court, so please telephone the local office or discuss this before you hand in your keys. How do I end my gas/electrical supply? Different providers have different arrangements for final meter readings. It is worth contacting them to find out what you need to do.

7 Returning my keys Clearing the property after a death of a tenant You will probably need to give at least 48 hours notice. If you have meter keys/cards please leave them in the property. You will not be able to use these at any other address. How do I return the keys? When you give notice our Customer Services Team will make arrangements with you about how you can return the keys. It is important that you return the keys by the specified time. If for any reason you cannot return the keys on time please let us know. It is possible that you will be charged further weeks rent if you do not return your keys on time. Before you leave the property turn off all taps and turn the water off at the stop tap. I am clearing a property following the death of the tenant what should I do? If you are responsible for clearing a property when a relative or friend has died, please tell your local office as soon as possible and let them know when you will be returning the keys. Rent continues to be payable until the keys are handed in and we will claim any outstanding rent from the estate of the deceased. If you wish to pay any outstanding rent your local office will be able to help and advise you. If your friend or relative was getting housing benefit, this will end the week of their death. It is important that you let the benefit office know that the claimant has died.

8 Who I tell when I am moving Who do I need to tell that I am moving? Whether you are moving in or out of a First Wessex property you will need to tell the utility companies and other suppliers of services you subscribe to. These could include: o Gas o Water o Electricity o Telephone and mobile telephone companies o Housing Benefit o Hire purchase agreements o DVLA (driving license/car tax) o Banks and Building Societies o Opticians/Doctors/Dentists o Royal mail to arrange redirection of post o Council Tax o Home Contents Insurance o Car Insurance o Credit card companies o Pension companies o Schools o Employers o TV Licensing o And of course don t forget your family and friends Notes This list is for information only and may not cover everyone that you need to inform.

9 Claiming housing benefit on my current address and my new address How I can complain about or compliment this service Can I claim housing benefit on my current address and my new address at the same time? Normally you can only claim housing benefit for one home at a time. However, there are special circumstances where it may be possible to have housing benefit paid for more than one home. See our leaflet Tell me about Housing Benefit for more information. Customer feedback is important to First Wessex Should you wish to comment on or offer a view on our service either by way of a complaint, a compliment or a suggestion for improvement, please let us know by either: Contacting your local office details below Telephoning any other First Wessex telephone number Putting your feedback in writing to us Completing an Online feedback form which you can access through our website at More information on how to get in touch with us and make a comment about our services can be found in our Customer Service Standard leaflet.

10 If you require this document in a language other than English, in large print or on CD, please contact us using the contact details on the back of this leaflet. Arabic Bengali Chinese (traditional) Chinese (simplified) Farsi French Prière de nous contacter si vous avez besoin de ce document dans une langue autre que l'anglais, en gros caractères ou sur CD Kurdish

11 Nepali Polish Skontaktuj się z nami, jeśli chcesz otrzymać ten dokument w języku innym, niż angielski, dużym drukiem lub na płycie CD Punjabi Urdu Vietnamese Nếu bạn yêu cầu tài liệu này bằng ngôn ngữ không phải tiếng Anh, dạng bản in lớn hoặc trong CD, vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi Portuguese Se precisar deste documento escrito em uma língua que não seja o inglês, em letras grandes ou em CD, por favor entre em contato conosco

12 If you require this document in a language other than English, in large print, in Braille or on CD, please contact us using the contact details below. Contacts Aldershot office Gordon House, Gordon Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1LD (Freephone)* aldershot@firstwessex.org Eastleigh office Charlotte Yonge House, Tollgate, Chandler s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 3YP (Freephone)* eastleigh@firstwessex.org Portsmouth office Peninsular House, Wharf Road, Portsmouth PO2 8HB (Freephone)* portsmouth@firstwessex.org Gosport office Nimrod Centre, Nimrod Drive, Gosport PO13 8BE * You may be charged by your provider when calling from a mobile phone. appro ed by First Wessex residents Document number: housing/0007/v1/