Home Leaseholder services

• Living in a flat
• Health and safety
• Nuisance and harassment
• Pets
• Gardens
• Car parking
• Insurance

Living in a flat

When you live in a flat it is important to bear in mind that what you do affects your neighbours. So please remember:

• not to make too much noise, especially at night or early in the morning;
• to keep shared areas clean and tidy;
• to be a good neighbour. Remember, under your lease agreement you have a duty not to cause a nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours. You are also responsible for making sure that your family and visitors to your home do not annoy your neighbours.

Health and safety

In October 2006, a new Fire Safety Regulation Order came into force that affects all tenants and leaseholders who have internal communal areas such as staircases, hallways and landings.

The order requires KNH to regularly inspect these communal areas to identify and address any hazards or risks.

To comply with these fire safety regulations the following applies to tenants and leaseholders who live in two storey blocks:

• Natural plants and flowers (not artificial) are permitted in communal areas but must not cause a trip hazard or obstruct the means of escape in the event of a fire.
• Christmas trees are not permitted (either living or artificial).
• Pictures hung on walls and in frames are permitted.
• Paper posters are not permitted.
• Notice boards must have a glass or perspex cover.
• Properly fitted carpets are permitted, as long as they don't pose a trip hazard or interfere with fire doors.
• Mats, rugs or pieces of carpet are not permitted.
• Items of furniture which are made of dense wood are permitted, but must not obstruct the fire escape routes.
• Soft furnishings are permitted.
• Curtains are not permitted unless made of flame retardant material.
• Electrical items are not permitted.

Please note that tenants and leaseholders must hold appropriate certification for any item which needs to be flame-retardant.

For tenants and leaseholders who live in three or more storey blocks the following applies:

• Natural plants (not artificial) are permitted in communal areas but must not cause a trip hazard or obstruct the means of escape in the event of a fire.
• Christmas trees are not permitted (either living or artificial).
• Pictures hung on walls are permitted but must be framed with either a perspex or glass cover.
• Properly fitted carpets are permitted, as long as they don’t pose a trip hazard or interfere with fire doors.
• Carpet, mats, rugs, and curtains are not permitted.
• Furniture is not permitted.
• Electrical items are not permitted.

We are responsible for maintaining the shared areas in your block, but everyone living in the block has a duty to keep them clean and use them properly.

• If there is a window cleaning service in operation in your block, we will clean the windows in the shared areas.
• If there is a cleaning service in operation in your block, we will clean indoor and outdoor shared areas.
• If you have shared grounds and drying areas in your block, we will maintain these.

You pay a share of the cost of maintaining shared areas so if you see someone causing damage to or misusing stairways, landings, parking areas, drying areas, rubbish chutes, security doors and other shared facilities, tell your housing officer at once. If you can get evidence of who caused the damage we can charge them for it and take the appropriate action so that none of the cost will fall on you in your service charges.

If a repair needs doing to one of the shared areas in your block, please report this to the repairs call centre.

Nuisance and harassment

Under your lease agreement you have a duty not to cause a nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours. You are also responsible for making sure that your family, visitors, lodgers and sub-tenants do not annoy your neighbours. You have a right to the quiet enjoyment of your flat, and your neighbours have the same right.

It is up to you and your neighbours to get on together, but if you don't, KNH have set policies and procedures to help deal with neighbour nuisance and harassment problems.

• Anti-Social Behaviour Policy (PDF 180kb)

Pets

If you have a pet, you must make sure that it is kept under control and does not cause any nuisance or annoys or frightens anyone.

If you want to keep a cat or dog in a flat 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. You must also not keep a lot of birds if they are likely to cause any nuisance to your neighbours.

Gardens

If your flat has a garden you are responsible for keeping it tidy. You should not allow rubbish to build up as it may cause a health hazard. If there are shared gardens around your block, we will maintain them.

Car parking

Some flats have their own driveway to park on, but most blocks have shared parking areas, where parking is first come - first served. No one has their own parking space unless it is a personal designated disabled user space.

• Do not cause an obstruction, you could prevent emergency vehicles from getting through.
• Do not park on the footpath; it is against the law.
• Do not park in your garden unless you have a hard standing and a dropped-kerb/

Sensible use of shared parking areas helps you and your neighbours - tell the local housing officer if someone is causing a nuisance in your parking area.

Insurance

Your service charge includes an amount for insuring the building, including the outer walls, the roof, shared areas and underground services. It does not include wear and tear.

This means that the council's insurance covers damage to the structure of the building caused by fire, flood and so on. It does not cover the inside walls and fixtures and fittings in your flat or your personal belongings.

To cover these you need to arrange your own insurance. You also need to arrange for insurance cover for the contents of your flat (such as furniture and personal belongings).

If you do not have home contents insurance you are taking a big risk:

• If there was a fire, a flood or a break in, in your home, could you afford to replace your furniture, clothing and belongings?
• If your bath overflowed and flooded out your downstairs neighbour, you would be responsible for the damage. Could you afford to pay if your neighbour took you to court?

Other websites

• Confused.com
• Moneysupermarket.com