You must obtain written consent from mhs homes before keeping a dog or any other animal in your home or garden. If permission is given you must sign the Pet Contract. This is to ensure pets and livestock are kept under control, so they do not pose a nuisance or danger to others and are not allowed to damage property or foul in public places.

If you live a in purpose built sheltered housing scheme regrettably dogs and cats cannot be kept in the scheme.

mhs homes reserve the right to withdraw our consent if your pet(s) causes damage to the property, or if we receive complaints from your neighbours.

Can I have an aerial or satellite dish?

You must obtain our permission, and that of your local authority (if necessary), before installing an aerial or satellite dish. The work must be undertaken by qualified contractors who are suitably covered by insurance. Most blocks of flats have a communal digital TV aerial, which has just recently installed a new internal digital system (IRS), into all the blocks to alleviate the need for our tenants to install other satellite equipment. This equipment covers all the standard satellite services currently available in this country, and hence we are unable to give permission to install your own satellite equipment at the property. The maintenance cost of which is covered by your service charge.

Can I make improvements or alternations to my home?

If you would like to make your own improvements or alterations to your home, you must write to us first with the details of your proposals and plans, if appropriate, together with the names(s) of those who will carry out the works. Although this permission cannot be unreasonably withheld, certain conditions may be given. It may be necessary for us to visit you before we can decide if we can give permission for the proposed work.

We will only refuse permission for good reasons such as the proposed work will make your home less safe, or it will have a detrimental effect on your neighbours or environment.

You should also obtain the necessary planning and building control approval from your local authority before starting work on any improvements. You are responsible for applying for these.

If you want to replace a gas fire you may do so providing you comply with the requirements of the Gas Installation Regulations. You must first obtain approval from your area office and provide details of what you wish to install in place of the existing fire.

Remember the law requires that only CORGI registered companies can install or work on gas appliances. If you install a gas fire it must be serviced once per year. We will tell our service engineers about any gas appliances that you have installed in your home but they will not service it unless you enter into.

Annual gas servicing

By law you must allow access to our contractors to carry out the annual gas servicing required to any gas appliance (such as boilers) that we are responsible for. If you fail to provide access, we may have to apply to court to gain permission to force access to your home, in which case you will have to pay our court costs.

Why are gas safety checks necessary?

Carbon monoxide poisoning is caused by using fault gas appliances. Carbon monoxide doesn’t have a smell and you can’t see it; it can kill. This is why

If you smell gas:

Open the doors and windows to get rid of the gas
Turn off the cooker and fires
Do not use any electrical switches/doorbells as a spark could ignite the gas
Do not smoke/light matches

CALL TRANSCO-0800 111999 if you suspect a gas leak.

Am I allowed to take in a lodger?

Yes, you can take in lodgers as long as the property doesn’t become overcrowded. You need our written permission to do this.

You must not sub-let all of the property so that you no longer live there.

Can I sublet part of my home?

Yes, unless this would cause overcrowding, or if we intend to carry out improvement works which would affect the part to be occupied by the sub-tenant. You must obtain written permission from us. If you are under-occupying your home (ie it is too large for you) you may prefer to move to a smaller home. Sharing your may effect any benefit that you’re receiving.

What type of tenancy do I have?

Your tenancy agreement is a legal document and sets out your rights and responsibilities as a tenant of mhs homes. It is important that you read the agreement and understand it.

We usually grant three types of tenancies:

Protected Assured Tenancies

If you were a council tenant when the housing stock was transferred to mhs homes in 1990 you are likely to have a Protected Assured Tenancy. This includes protected rent and right to buy your property. Residents with this type of tenancy who transfer to another home within The mhs homes will continue as a Protected tenant/s.

Protected Assured tenants have certain rights under the Housing Act (1985). One of the most important rights is that you cannot be evicted from your home without a court order, and that before this happens, we must have served an appropriate Notice of Intent to Seek Possession and give you the reasons for serving it. This right and the others are all detailed in your Tenancy Agreement.

Assured Tenancies

If your tenancy started after the 27^th July 1990 you have an Assured Tenancies. These tenancies were established by the Housing Act (1988) and are now the major form of tenancy.

Assured tenants have similar rights and security of tenure to Protected tenants. However, there are some differences in the grounds on which we can take legal action to repossess your home. These are listed in your Tenancy Agreement. Again, you cannot be evicted from your home without a court order. As with Protected Tenancy there is no time limit on the length of your tenancy, provided that you keep to the terms of your agreement and pay your rent on time.

Trial Tenancies

If you are new to mhs homes, you will normally be given a trial tenancy. The Trial Tenancy is designed to last 12 months, during this period your Housing Officer will visit you twice to ensure that you are able to sustain your tenancy satisfactorily. Normally after the first 12 months of your tenancy your Housing Officer may offer an assured tenancy on a permanent basis, however if you have breach any of the condition of your tenancy your tenancy maybe extended or termianted via Section 21 notice.

What is a joint tenancy?

A joint tenancy is held when more than one person is named on the tenancy agreement. Each tenant is jointly and individually responsible for meeting the obligations of the tenancy, including paying the rent. If one tenant dies, the surviving tenant will automatically succeed to the tenancy(unless there has already been a succession).

How can we end a joint tenancy?

A joint tenancy can be terminated by either joint tenant notifying us in writing, giving the required minimum notice period of 4 weeks. This will end the tenancy for both joint tenants even if only one has given notice.

How can I change my tenancy?

Changing a Joint Tenancy into a Sole Tenancy?

Your first step is to seek the advice of your Housing Officer. If both joint tenants are in agreement, then the process is quite straightforward and you will be asked to come into your local office to sign an Assignment Deed. However, if both of you are not in agreement and only one wishes to give up the tenancy, you must seek independent legal advice.

Changing a Sole Tenancy to a Joint Tenancy

You will need to prove that your partner has lived with you for at least a year. mhs homes will then decide whether it can grant a Joint Tenancy. A new Joint Tenancy will not be granted if there are any outstanding rent arrears. You should apply to your Housing Officer as a first step.

Could I assign my tenancy?

Signing over of a tenancy from one named tenant to another person is called assignment. We do not usually grant permission to residents to assign their tenancy to someone else. The only exceptions are assignment by way of a mutual exchange or under a Court Order in the case of a relationship breakdown. In certain other cases, we may grant you permission to assign your tenancy. Please contact you Housing Officer for further details about this.

What would happen to my tenancy if my family break up?

If your relationship with your partner breaks down and you can no longer live together, you may become involved in a dispute about which of you will remain in the property. If this happens, you should seek independent legal advice regarding your occupancy rights. The laws surrounding this matter are complex but you should note that in the case of divorce or where there are children involved, the Courts can decide who keeps the tenancy and it is not always the tenant but the tenant’s spouse who is awarded the tenancy.

What if I want to change my name?

You should tell your Housing Officer in writing and attach a copy of any relevant documents, such as your marriage certificate or deed poll certificate.

What's the difference between a transfer and an Exchange?

A transfer is where a current residents of mhs homes can apply to move to another home within mhs homes. A mutual exchange is where you can swap your home with another mhs homes resident or a resident of a local authority or other housing association. We facilitate the exchange process in accordance with our policies. This includes making sure that the exchange will not lead to overcrowding and other problems. If you are a Protected tenant, you will keep the right to your protected rent (within mhs homes).

You can register online to view a list of all exchange properties and you are welcome to use the facilities at our express office to get in touch to see what might suit you.

Can I buy my home?

You can only buy your home at a discounted price if you are a Protected tenant (those who were tenants of Rochester Upon Medway City Council before the transfer to mhs homes) or if you are a successor of a Protected tenant.

The amount of discount you will receive dependes on how long you have been a tenant of mhs homes, although there is a limit to the amount of discount you will receive.

What's service charge?

When a service is provided with your tenancy, eg, gardening, lighting to communal areas, caretaking services, you will be required to pay a service charge to cover the cost of providing it. The service charge is included in the total rent charge of both Assured and Trial tenancies. It will be shown as a separate figure and totalled with the rent due each week/month.

How can I apply for mhs homes property?

Nearly all our residents are referred to us by local authorities. This means that you can’t apply directly to us for rented housing, but you can apply to your local council’s housing register. This register is a list of people in housing need. The council nominates people from this register to mhs homes and other housing associations based on their level of housing need.

Does mhs homes have any homes for sale?

Yes, through our Living team, They manage homes for sale. You can contact the team by living@kent.com , or by phoning 01634 354230. You can also visit our Living website to search for homes and find out your options for home ownership.