My tenancy rights

We want everyone to live in safe and happy homes and communities. For this to happen it is important that you understand your rights and responsibilities. We’ve highlighted the main ones below.

For a copy of your tenancy agreement, please request this through your MyRaven online account using the button below.

Request about my tenancy

My tenancy responsibilities

For a full description of these, please refer to your tenancy agreement. The following is a summary of your main responsibilities:

Live there as your permanent address. Not as obvious as it may seem – if you don’t live in your home then the tenancy will cease by law and you could be committing a criminal offence.
Pay your rent. If you are experiencing difficulties then please contact us to speak with your income officer who can provide you with advice and support.
Look after your home. Tell us quickly when something goes wrong. Book a repair.
Ask us if you want to make changes. No changes to the home are allowed within the first year, if you have an introductory tenancy. After that you will need to ask us, but you can do things like paint, hang pictures and put up curtains etc. Please note, in maisonettes, flats and houses on top of houses, wooden or laminate flooring is not permitted except on the ground floor of the below property due to noise levels. Home improvement request.
Respect your neighbours. And let us know if you don’t feel like they are respecting you. See neighbourhood issues for advice on these matters and our approach to anti-social behaviour.
Park in allocated spaces. Do not park on the grass or another space not intended for vehicles. See parking.
Put rubbish in bins. Leave bins out only on the correct day and never leave rubbish bags in communal areas. See fly tipping, rubbish and graffiti.
Heat and ventilate your home. It’s about getting the right balance. This is important to help control condensation and prevent damp. See damp and condensation.
Talk to us first if you want a pet. We understand the benefits that pets can bring and take a reasonable approach, but in some circumstances permission cannot be given. Any permission granted is only for the pet in question. If you are planning to look after someone else’s pet for a period of time, you will still need our permission first. Please refer to your tenancy agreement in the first instance, before requesting permission through the MyRaven customer portal: Request permission to keep a pet.

My tenancy agreement

A tenancy agreement is the contract between you (the tenant) and us (the landlord), which gives certain rights to both parties. For example, your right to occupy the home and our right to receive rent.

We offer a number of different tenancies – this is due to changes in the law over time and also the fact that we have taken over properties from other landlords. For a more detailed description of your tenancy conditions, please refer to your tenancy agreement.

You will have been given a copy of your tenancy agreement when you moved in. If you can’t find this you can request a copy through the MyRaven customer portal using the button below.

Request about my tenancy

The different tenancy types

There are two main categories of tenancy – Assured Shorthold (three sub-categories) and Assured.

Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

These are offered in:

Temporary accommodation
Key worker properties (these are rented at below open market rent levels, include white goods and carpets and are allocated to key workers who cannot afford an open market rent but cannot access social housing either)
Open market rented properties
Intermediate rented properties (usually rented at 80% of open market rent levels and are ideal for working people on limited incomes).

Key features of the tenancy are:

You cannot transfer or exchange your home
The tenancy can be ended by us without a court order, or by you with four weeks’ notice
We maintain the building and offer a day-to-day repair service.

There are other types of ASTs – starter tenancies which are used for the first year of longer tenancies and are offered to new social housing tenants.

Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) - Starter to fixed term

We no longer offer new Fixed Term tenancies. If you have an existing fixed term tenancy and you move during the current fixed term period, you will be offered another fixed term tenancy to expire on the original end date.

Key features are:

You cannot transfer or exchange your home
The tenancy can be ended by us without a court order, or by you with four weeks’ notice
We maintain the building and offer a day-to-day repair service
The tenancy rolls into the fixed term after one year
During the fixed term you can apply to make alterations to your home, exchange your home and exercise succession rights, meaning that the tenancy is handed over to someone else when you die.

Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) - Starter to assured

These are offered to:

People who have never held Social Housing Tenancy before and are offered a General Needs or Sheltered home.

Key features:

During the first year, or until your tenancy becomes assured, you can decorate but you cannot make any other changes to fittings or other parts of your home.
During the first year, or until your tenancy becomes assured, you cannot exchange your home or exercise succession rights.
During the first year, or until your tenancy becomes assured, the tenancy can be ended without a court order.

Assured tenancy