Tenancy standards
This area covers standards relating to your access to a property through our application process, and also to the requirements of your tenancy agreement.
Applying for a home
We want to ensure that your move to a new property is as smooth as possible. We operate a Choice Based Lettings scheme that is managed by Salford City Council, which gives you the opportunity to tell us your interest in a property by placing a bid rather than waiting for a property to be offered to you. Once you have been successful in bidding for a property, our Empty Properties team will be available to offer advice and assistance appropriate to your needs throughout your move.
A selection of our properties are allocated through a Community Lettings Policy. The aim of this policy is to support the development of stable, balanced communities by using the skills of local people and locally-based staff to allocate properties on a basis that suits both the individual applicant and the local community.
You should expect this service to meet the following standards:
- We will publish the results of choice-based lettings bidding activity on a weekly basis to demonstrate that our homes are let in a fair and transparent way.
- If you are the winning bidder for a property, we will contact you to let you know on the Tuesday after bidding on the property closed.
- We will give you the opportunity to view your home with an officer of Salix Homes before signing for it, and agree a timescale with you for any repairs or upgrades to the property that need to be carried out.
- We will assess your support needs when you sign up for a property. If we identify that you would benefit from support, we will make a referral on your behalf to Salford City Council's supported housing team or other partner agencies.
Managing your tenancy
We have an obligation to balance the needs of customers applying for housing with the stability of existing neighbourhoods, and to ensure that all customers meet the responsibilities outlined in their tenancy agreement.
To help us in doing this, if you are a new customer who has never before been a council or housing association tenant, we initially ask you to sign up to an introductory rather than a secure tenancy. We then monitor your conduct over a 12 month period and transfer you to a secure tenancy if you have shown us that you can be a responsible tenant.
We also aim to carry out an annual programme of tenancy health checks across introductory and secure tenants, to ensure that we are continuing to provide the level of service that you need.
You should expect this service to meet the following standards:
- We will explain your tenancy agreement and your rights and responsibilities as a tenant before you sign up for your new home.
- If you have an introductory tenancy, we will visit you within 6 weeks of the start of your new tenancy to ensure you have successfully moved in. We will also contact you after 4 months and 8 months to check on the progress of your tenancy.
- If you are living in a property where the customer has died, we will provide advice and guidance about succeeding a tenancy.
- If you are living in a property that is too big for you, we will offer you the opportunity to be directly rehoused in a smaller property.
- We will participate in mobility and mutual exchange schemes to give you more flexibility over where you want to live.
Rents, money and advice
We need your rent so that we can continue to provide you with excellent housing services.
If you find yourself in financial difficulty, our Income Management team can also support you and help to make sure you get the right advice to improve your financial situation.
You should expect this service to meet the following standards:
- We will inform you 28 days in advance of any changes to your rent, and provide a breakdown of all charges.
- We will provide you with a quarterly rent statement so that you can keep track of charges and payments on your rent account.
- We will contact you if you fall one week into arrears with your rent payments.
- We will make personal contact with you if you fall three weeks into arrears with your rent payments, to agree an affordable repayment plan.
- We will provide a free and impartial welfare, benefits and debt advice service, on request.
Buying your home
We manage our properties on behalf of Salford City Council. Right To Buy is a scheme that lets you buy your council home if you meet criteria set out by the Government.
If you are successful in buying or you have already bought your council home, we may still provide you with some services as a leaseholder. You could also become a leaseholder by buying a former council home on the open market, or by acquiring a long lease.
You should expect this service to meet the following standards:
- We will provide you with information about your Right To Buy and an application form within 5 working days of your request.
- We will acknowledge receipt of your Right to Buy application within 5 working days of receiving the form.
- We will send a letter telling you whether or not you have the Right to Buy within 4 weeks of receiving your application form.
- We will provide you with advice and assistance on request throughout the Right to Buy application process.
- If you are a leaseholder, we will provide you with an annual statement of your service charge account every April, including a breakdown of all service charges.
- We will monitor leaseholder satisfaction with our services independently of other customers, and provide you with this information on a quarterly basis.
- If you are a leaseholder, we will keep you informed on a quarterly basis of any repairs to communal areas in your block.
How we are doing
You can look at how well we are meeting these standards by clicking here.
