Your tenancy agreement gives you the right to use our repairs, emergency repairs, and support services. As a tenant, you have rights we must respect.
The Data Protection Act 2018 gives you the right to make sure that any personal information we hold about you in our written and electronic records is accurate and up to date.
If you want to access your records, we may charge a small fee.
When you ask us, we legally must give you information about:
To access your records, email dataprotectionofficer@gentoogroup.com
We will involve you in any major changes that may affect your home or neighbourhood. We will do this:
We will always ask for your permission before we enter your home. But we have the legal right to enter your home at reasonable times of the day.
We will enter your home to complete repairs we are legally responsible for and to inspect the condition of your home. We will give you written notice at least 24 hours before we inspect your property.
We treat everyone fairly and with respect. We will not treat you different because of your:
We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or intimidation against any person or group of people. We will take action against anyone responsible for this behaviour.
You may not sublet your entire home. If you want to sublet part of your home, you must get our written permission. We will not give you permission if subletting part of your home would mean your home would be overcrowded.
If you sublet your home without getting our permission, you will break the conditions of your tenancy agreement and may lose your home.
You have the right to improve or alter your home.
Before you do anything, get written permission from your local office. We need, in writing:
If the works are likely to damage or disturb the fabric of the building, your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator will arrange for an asbestos survey before the work starts.
If you move home or make improvements or alterations without our permission, we may ask you to reinstate your home to its original condition. If we need to do this, we will charge you for our costs. We can also take legal action as it is a breach of your tenancy agreement.
We never give permission for:
Once completed, there are certain improvements that will be your responsibility to repair and maintain.
You have the right to take in lodgers as long as:
If you have an assured tenancy, you may have the right to assign it to another person.
You will only be able to do this:
Your successor could be:
We can stop your tenancy going to your successor when:
Tenants living in new rented homes can buy a share of their property through Right to Shared Ownership. You must live in a home we built as part of the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026.
After renting for 12 months, you can buy between 10% and 75% of your home.
For more information, contact your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator.
An assured non-transferring tenancy agreement is for people who became tenants after 27 March 2001. This is when Sunderland City Council transferred properties to us.
Right to succeed
We make sure that if a tenant dies, their tenancy can be passed on to someone who lived with them immediately before their death. A successor could be:
Members of family must have documents that prove they lived with the original tenant for at least 12 months before they died. Members of family include:
Acceptable proof includes a:
The government department or local council letter could be about their:
If you think you are eligible to have a tenancy passed to you, you must tell us within 6 months of the original tenant’s death. We can only apply the right to succeed once. When completed, the tenancy and the tenancy agreement is passed to the new tenant.
In certain situations, we may seek to recover possession of a property through the County Court even if someone has the right to succeed. If this happens, we may offer you suitable alternative accommodation.
We can stop a tenancy going to a successor when the behaviour of the proposed new tenant and their family would get them removed from the Housing Register.
If the tenancy is part of an extra care scheme, there is no right to succeed for a family member or friend.
If you want to move home, you can swap with:
You must have:
Priority housing needs include:
We can stop you swapping your home when:
Your right to exchange may also be conditional on you paying any rent arrears or resolving any breaches in your tenancy agreement.
When you swap homes, your local office will assume you have inspected the property and accepted it as it is. We will not decorate it but will carry out any repairs as usual.
To get started, speak to the staff at your local office who will give you details of other people who want to exchange in Sunderland. Or you can use our Mutual Exchange service to see what homes are available.
Social landlords offer schemes to give you the chance to buy your rented home at a discount. You cannot buy some of Gentoo’s properties under these schemes. We will tell you if you can buy your home when you apply.
The right to acquire is for people:
Time in a private rent or market rent property does not qualify you for the right to acquire.
How much your home is discounted depends on:
The most your home will be discounted is £9,000.
If you are interested in the right to acquire, contact your local office.
A transferring assured transferring tenancy agreement is for people who became tenants after 27 March 2001. This is when Sunderland City Council transferred properties to us.
Social landlords offer schemes to give you the chance to buy your rented home at a discount. You cannot buy some of Gentoo’s properties under these schemes. We will tell you if you can buy your home when you apply.
The preserved right to buy is for people who were tenants of Sunderland City Council before 27 March 2001 and have been tenants continuously ever since. The most your home will be discounted is £87,200.
How much your home is discounted depends on:
If you are interested in the preserved right to buy, contact your local office.
We do not take account of tenancies that were succeeded before 27 March 2001.
If you improve or alter your home, you may be able to claim compensation when you leave. This depends on:
You cannot claim compensation for all the changes you make to your home. We will pay you an amount based on how much the improvement is worth when you leave.
This scheme gives you the right to get urgent and minor repairs because whatever is damaged will affect your health, safety or security. We will:
If the work is not completed by the agreed date, you can ask us to give the work to another contractor. If the second contractor does not complete the work by your new date, we may compensate you £10, plus £2 a day for every day the repair is not completed. The most we will compensate you is £50.
If you have any outstanding debts to us, you will not get any compensation.
During this time, you must not employ your own contractor to complete the work and send their bill to us.
The right to repair does not apply when: