Your tenancy

All general public sector housing authorities on the Island have agreed to use a standard form of tenancy agreement to ensure that all tenants are treated fairly and consistently across the Island. However, the information on this page relates specifically to the Department of Infrastructure Public Sector Housing. If in doubt, contact your own housing authority.

Standard Tenancy Agreement

Before you rent one of the Department's properties, you will be required to sign a tenancy agreement. You will be given your own copy of the agreement to keep. This will state what your responsibilities will be as a tenant and our responsibilities as a landlord.

The information contained below is a summary of the tenancy agreement and should just be referred to for general advice. All public sector tenants will have their own copy of the agreement and should refer to that for full details of its contents.

Your responsibilities as a tenant will include:

• Paying your rent - You must pay your rent and any other associated charges on time. Your rent is payable weekly in advance every Monday. There are more details about your rent and how you can pay it in the page on rent payment
• Looking after your home - It is your responsibility to take good care of your home and to prevent anyone else from damaging it. We will charge you for any deliberate damage or vandalism carried out to your property. You must keep the inside and outside of your home clean and tidy. See the pages on Repairs, Alterations and Maintenance for more details
• Using your home - We have let the property for you and your family to live in and you should use it only for that purpose. You do not have the right to run a business from your home but we may consider granting you permission. You must ask our permission before you set up your business and we will consider the request. An example of when we might refuse is where the business could disturb your neighbours or be unlawful
• Nuisance and harassment - Everyone has a right to peacefully enjoy life. Therefore, you must not cause a nuisance or annoyance, or any kind of deliberate harassment, to the people living around you. You are also responsible for the behaviour of people who live with you or are visiting you. See the Anti Social Behaviour page for more details
• Access to your home - We will sometimes have to carry out repairs and servicing in your home and will need access to do this work. In these circumstances you must allow the workmen into your home. In most cases, unless it is an emergency, you will have been notified in advance of our need to access your home. Authorised officers must also be allowed to enter and inspect the condition of your property at reasonable pre-arranged times. Any person who calls at your home on our behalf will carry official identification, which you should ask to see. See the Repairs page for more information about what repairs you and the Department are responsible for
• Looking after shared areas - If you live in a block where there are shared areas, we expect you and the other tenants to keep these areas clean and tidy. For your own safety, please make sure that you keep shared areas free from rubbish and obstructions
• Car parking - You and your family must park your car or any other vehicle in a proper parking area or a drive. Remember, most spaces are not allocated to specific properties and you may need to come to an agreement with your neighbours on parking. Please do not park untaxed or unlicensed vehicles, large commercial vehicles, caravans, boats or trailers in parking spaces. These may be removed if causing an obstruction and the owners charged.

If you need advice on any public sector housing matters, please contact: