TENANTS'
RIGHTS 
TENANTS'
RIGHTS These are your legal rights as a tenant under Acts of Parliament.
When a tenant dies, the tenancy will pass to any joint tenant, or it can be taken over by the husband or wife if he or she is living in the home at the time of the death.
If there is no joint tenant, or husband or wife, then any close member of the tenant's family or a partner may take over the tenancy, provided he or she has been living with the tenant for at least 12 months before the death. This is called a succession.
If you leave your tenancy but wish to hand over your tenancy to another member of your family who is remaining you can do so in certain circumstances. This is called an assignment.
A transfer of tenancy (succession or assignment) cannot happen a second time, ie if the tenant who dies or leaves had taken over the tenancy from a previous tenant, then no further succession or assignment can take place. See HOUSEHOLD CHANGES. However, the Council may grant a new tenancy in certain circumstances.
When a succession takes place we have the right to re-house a successor in more suitable housing. However they will remain a Secure Tenant.
We must publish certain information annually to let you know how we are performing.
You can expect to have certain emergency and urgent repairs carried out within a certain number of days. These are repairs which, if not completed on time, would seriously affect your health or safety.
You will be informed if a repair you request is classified as a 'qualifying repair'. We must make sure the work is completed within the set period.
If one of these repairs is not completed within this time, you can demand action under the Right to Repair regulations. However, if the work is not done because you did not keep the appointment made you will lose your rights under the regulations.
You
have the right to request us to send another approved maintenance contractor
to do the work. If the second contractor also fails to attend, then you
may be entitled to compensation.
You can take in lodgers provided you do not overcrowd your home. A lodger is someone who shares your home as a member of your household.
You can sub-let part of your home but only if you first get our written permission. You may not sub-let the whole of your property.
You should inform us of the name, age and sex of any intended lodger or sub-tenant, the date they move in and move out, and the part of your home they will occupy. See LIVING IN YOUR HOME.
You can exchange (swap) homes with another Secure Tenant of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council or a tenant of a housing association or another council. You must inform both landlords and get our permission in writing before you move. We will give permission except where there are specific reasons such as overcrowding, under-occupation or you are in breach of your Tenancy Agreement. See APPLYING TO MOVE.
Most Doncaster MBC tenants have secure tenancies. No secure tenant can be made to leave their home unless ordered by a court. Generally, before ending a Secure Tenancy a court has to be satisfied that there are specific grounds for making you leave, such as you breaking the Tenancy Agreement, or making false statements when you applied for the tenancy. See YOUR TENANCY and TENANCY AGREEMENT.
You can buy your home from us provided you are a Secure Tenant and have been a tenant for at least 2 years.
Members of your family who are living with you may be able to buy your home with you. The sale price will be the market value of the property and you will get a discount on the purchase price depending on how long you have been a tenant, and whether the property is a house or a flat. See BUYING YOUR HOME.
Certain types of home cannot normally be purchased, for example, sheltered accommodation and some housing built specifically for people with a disability.
We must consult about any proposed changes to your Tenancy Agreement, about any modernisation or improvement to your home, and about any change in our housing management policies, such as repair responsibilities.
In addition we will advise you of any plans that affect you or your home. We will also listen carefully to your views before making any final decisions. See RESIDENT INVOLVEMENT.
We must treat all personal information about our tenants and leaseholders as confidential. You can see any personal information relating to you held by us on file or on computer provided you let us know in advance. We can make a charge for providing this information.
If you are unhappy about any information or an expression of opinion that you have seen in your files, you can ask for it to be corrected, amended or taken out. If we disagree with your request, you can insist that a note about your views is added to the records.
You can carry out improvements to your home provided you have our permission in writing before you start work. We can only refuse to give permission for certain reasons.
If
you leave your home, you may get compensation for certain types of improvements
you have carried out. See IMPROVEMENTS.
Transfer Your Tenancy | Information about Our Performance as Your Landlord | Getting Repairs Done | Sub-letting and Taking in Lodgers | Exchanging Tenancies | Security of Tenure | Buying Your Home | Consultation about Changes that Affect You or Your Home | Access to and Control of Personal Information | Carrying out Improvements to the Home