Service standards and policies
Our service standards explain what you can expect from us as your landlord, and what we expect from you as a tenant. Our policies set out the full legal and procedural detail that supports these standards. Together, they provide clarity on the range of services we provide and how we deliver them.
How are we doing? - Tenant Satisfaction Measures
Each of our service standards includes Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) set by the Regulator of Social Housing. These show how we measure our performance as your landlord. You can tell us exactly how we are doing.
Give feedback by heading to our Contact us page.
Service standards
These explain how our services work day to day.
Moving in
We must keep the inside and outside of your home in good repair.
We are responsible for repairing the structure and the outside of your home and also for any systems that supply heating, water (baths, sinks and toilets), gas and electricity within your home. We will repair all entrances, halls, stairways, lifts, rubbish chutes, lighting and other common parts of all blocks of flats and maisonettes.
Take good care of your home and report any repairs we are responsible for as soon as you notice them. You must allow access to our staff and contractors to inspect your home or carry out work if we have given you 24 hours' notice in writing.
We will occasionally require access to your home to carry out repairs and checks to make sure your home is well-maintained and safe for you and your family. We will always treat you and your home with care and respect.
We will ensure that your home is well-maintained and safe to live in. We will work with you to conduct repairs and checks at a suitable time.
You must allow access to our council housing staff and contractors to inspect your home or carry out work if we have given you 24 hours' notice in writing. We must service your gas appliances yearly and check electrics every five years.
Involving tenants and leaseholders in decisions that affect them is central to what we do as a landlord.
We will keep you up to date with changes to our services. We will offer you several ways to get involved. We will involve you and local tenants and resident associations in local housing plans. We will carry out a tenant satisfaction survey every year and share the results with you.
We ask you to join in any engagement or consultation activities we invite you to participate in. Please give your feedback by completing any surveys we send you.
Living in
It is important that you look after your home to keep it comfortable, safe and that your behaviour does not disturb others. Helping to care for your garden and shared communal areas helps to ensure your estate is a nice place to live and gives your community a sense of pride.
You must use your home as your only or principal (main) home and use it in a responsible way. You must keep your home clean and tidy and make sure the decoration inside your home is in good condition.
After 10pm and up to 7am the following morning, you must make sure that no one entering or leaving your home makes a noise that might disturb the neighbours.
You and your neighbours have the right to quiet enjoyment of your home.
If you are a victim of anti-social behaviour or a hate incident, we will investigate your complaint and take whatever action we think is appropriate to resolve the problem. We may take legal action to evict tenants and their families who behave in an anti-social way.
You should ensure that you do not annoy your neighbours by making a lot of noise, especially at night or early in the morning. Avoid having your TV on loud, noisy parties, banging and shouting.
If you live in a flat or maisonette, you should be aware of some extra responsibilities.
We will routinely inspect communal areas to make sure they are clean, tidy, in a good state of repair and safe. Our Safety in Communal Areas Policy sets what items you are allowed to keep in shared communal spaces.
Keep communal areas clean and free of obstructions in line with our Safety in Communal Areas Policy. You must not prop fire doors and security doors open. Please do not smoke in lifts or in other enclosed shared areas where there are no-smoking signs.
We understand the benefits that pets bring to tenants' lives. We ask tenants to take responsibility for their pets to ensure they do not cause a nuisance to neighbours.
You should ensure that no animal you keep or bring to your home causes any nuisance or annoys or frightens anyone. You should take reasonable steps to prevent your pet from causing a nuisance.
If you want to keep a cat or a dog in a maisonette, flat or bed-sit that does not have its own direct, separate entrance to the outside, you will need our permission in writing. You cannot keep more than two animals at your home without our written permission.
We know most of our estates were built when vehicle ownership was low. Increasing motor vehicle ownership and limited space on some of our estates means parking is often challenging and can result in neighbour disputes. This section focuses on responsible vehicle ownership.
You must not park any motor vehicle in the open air at your home or on any housing land unless it is in a roadworthy condition and fully taxed, unless you have our permission in writing.
You should not allow any motor vehicle to be repaired, serviced or worked on after 10pm until 7am the following morning. You must not allow any motor vehicle to obstruct any road, lane, path or access way or to block the route of emergency vehicles.
Keeping our homes free from damp, mould, and condensation is important for your health and safety.
We will treat mould growth and respond to any repair defects causing damp and mould growth within standard response times. It is important that you recognise damp, mould and condensation and understand how to report it.
Please report all cases of damp, mould and condensation to us. Email: dmc@kirklees.gov.uk | Tel: 01484 414800
Moving out
Your tenancy agreement is a legal contract. Informing us that you would like to end your tenancy is important. We will work with you to ensure that your tenancy is ended correctly and you do not incur any financial penalties.
In writing, you must give four weeks' notice to end the tenancy. The notice must end on a Monday. Leave your home in a good state of repair. If there is damage to your home or you have removed any items we own, you will have to pay for any repair or replacement.
Secure tenants have the 'Right to Buy' their homes and a 'Right to Exchange' their home with another secure tenant. Introductory tenants do not have this right.
If you are in breach of your tenancy agreement, we may take legal action to repossess your home.
We will always seek to intervene early when there is a tenancy breach. This can include providing you with advice and support so that you can rectify the issue. We will serve warning notices and letters before action so that your behaviour or that of household members impacts your tenancy.
If notice is served on you for repossession of your home, you can ask for a review of the decision. A manager or managers will review without involvement in your case.
