leaving your home

Leaving Your HomeA guide to leavingyour home in a goodcondition for the next occupant

2 A Guide to Leaving Your Home

Introduction

Tenants’ responsibilities

Stockport Homes’ responsibilities

Mutual exchanges

Examples of acceptable standards

Examples of unacceptable standards

Potential charges

Payment process

Tips to avoid charges

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Contact information

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Contents

3A Guide to Leaving Your Home

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The purpose of this booklet is to help you understand how to prevent charges being made against you and to gain an appreciation of the charges involved if items are left behind.

Now that you are leaving your property, you have the responsibility to return it in a clean and undamaged condition.

This means any damage you may have caused will need to be repaired and any outstanding repairs need to be completed.

If the repair is due to normal wear and tear, please contact 0161 217 6016 to report the repair and Stockport Homes will make an appointment to sort this out before you leave. Please see pages 12-13 for a list of possible charges, including the cost of these.

If you leave furniture, white goods, clothes and rubbish in the property when you depart, this will be removed but you will be liable for the full charge of the chargeable works.

Items left in a property are always charged to you. If you do not pay any charge this will be passed onto an external debt collection agency. When required people are taken to court.

Introduction



Once you have provided notice of tenancy termination to your Area Housing Office and prior to handing in your keys, it is important that you carry out the following tasks.

• If you have carried out any alterations to your property without advance permission, please inform Technical Services on 0161 218 1281 as it may be that you have to make good these repairs before you leave.

• If any repairs are required due to wear and tear, please contact the Repairs Contact Centre on

0161 217 6016 immediately to arrange for the work to be carried out before you leave your home.

• If any repairs are required which would be identified as chargeable as per your Tenancy Agreement, please arrange for the work to be carried out privately and at your own expense. Alternatively, you could request for the work to be carried out through our Repairs Contact Centre and you will be charged accordingly.

• Ensure ALL fixtures and fittings that you have installed are removed from inside the property. This includes carpets / underlay, laminate flooring, cookers and fridges. Please remember to clear lofts, outhouses and basements.

• Ensure ALL damage to work surfaces, walls and other surfaces are repaired by you prior to leaving your home.

• Ensure ALL items are removed from external areas, including garden furniture, plant pots, toys and tyres.



• Remove greenhouses and / or sheds if you have installed them without permission.

• Cut back any gardens that are your responsibility.• Ensure ALL items are removed from the garage (if

applicable).• If you are planning on vacating the property much

earlier than the date you are due to hand in your keys, it is vital that you visit the property on the final day to ensure no items have been dumped in any external areas. Stockport Homes would have no knowledge or evidence of who dumped the items, therefore, any clearance costs would be charged to you.

Should costs be incurred by Stockport Homes as a result of the property not being left to the required standard, you will be charged the full costs plus a 10% administration fee and VAT (see section 7 for cost information).

• Please remember to pay any outstanding rent or other debts you may have on your account with Stockport Homes.

In addition, you must tell your energy provider you are leaving and supply the details they request to terminate your account.


Stockport Homes’ responsibilities

Once you have provided notice of tenancy termination to your Area Housing Office, Stockport Homes will carry out the following tasks:

• A tenancy condition with us states that you must provide access for our staff when required. Your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will visit to assess the property prior to you vacating. If you wish to leave any carpets or curtains, these must be in excellent condition and agreed in writing with your Housing Officer.

Upon receipt of your keys, Stockport Homes will carry out the following tasks:

• The property will be inspected to ensure it is up to standard (see pages 4-5 for tenants’ responsibilities). Photographic evidence will be taken of any aspect of work which will result in a charge to you.

• The locks will be changed.• If any items have been left internally or externally, these

will be disposed of.• The Repair 1st Team will carry out any safety checks

and carry out any work to bring the property up to the Lettable Standard.

• A charge account will be set up (if applicable).


A mutual exchange is where two households agree to exchange properties. In these circumstances, the tenants agree to accept the properties in their current condition.

Prior to the exchange, the Neighbourhood Housing Officer will inspect the properties to assess the condition. An agreement may be made for the outgoing tenant to carry out some repair work prior to the exchange taking place.

The incoming tenant will be able to request any repair work due to wear and tear through our Repairs Contact Centre on 0161 217 6016. However, the incoming tenant will be responsible for any repairs which are not due to wear and tear and will be responsible for any alterations carried out by the former tenant.

Stockport Homes should incur no unnecessary costs during a mutual exchange process. The electrical and gas supplies will be checked and safety certificates in your name will be provided.

Stockport Homes does not normally change locks as a part of a mutual exchange.

Mutual exchanges



The following photographs show acceptable standards of how a property should be left upon termination of your tenancy.

Please leave your home clean and tidy with no furniture or carpets left behind.



Please leave your garden tidy with no shed or greenhouse left behind.

If you have waste bins provided for the property, these must be left empty, clean, and safely stored.



The following photographs are examples of how a property should NOT be left upon termination of your tenancy. These would result in costs being charged to the former tenant.

Remember do not leave any furniture behind!

Remember do not leave any garden structures, items or rubble in the gardens!



Remember do not leave any carpets behind!

Remember to make sure your garden is tidy and cutback!


Potential charges

Chargeable repairs costs

It is not possible to provide accurate costs of chargeable repairs in this booklet as the level of labour or materials could alter from job to job. However, the table below provides an indication of the costs associated with common chargeable repairs.

Repair Cost

Renew glass panel to door £75.00Reglaze window £125.00Renew door (front) £610.00Renew door (rear) £540.00Renew door and frame (front) £1000.00Renew door and frame (rear) £700.00Renew door (internal) £125.00Unblock wash hand basin / sink £40.00Unblock toilet £40.00Renew wash hand basin complete £220.00Renew basin £190.00Renew pedestal £80.00Renew toilet completely £220.00Renew toilet cistern £80.00Renew toilet pan £110.00Renew toilet seat £40.00Renew kitchen worktop £40.00


Potential charges

Clearance costs - Costs of clearances are shown below.

Item Cost

Clearance – Small £185.97Clearance – Medium £216.16Clearance – Large £246.35Exceptional clean £203.57Garden cutback – Small £76.65Garden cutback – Large £153.30Infestation treatment £104.23

Some domestic items incur additional costs due to legislation over the manner in which they are disposed of. These costs are detailed below and would be charged to you.

Item Cost

Fridge / freezer £35.00Gas bottle £10.00TV screen / computer £7.00Car tyre £4.50Car battery £6.00Cooker £12.00Fluorescent tube £1.00Paint tin £0.50Needles / sharps £443.11

Remember that all costs also incur a 10% administration fee and 20% VAT.


If any costs incurred by Stockport Homes are identified as chargeable, a charge account will be set up in the name of you, the former tenant.

An invoice will be issued by post.

Payment must be received within 21 days of the date on the invoice. Failure to do so will result in a further reminder letter. If you still do not make contact, Stockport Homes will take firm action to recover the debt in accordance with the law. This will include transferring the debt to a Debt Collection Agency to recover the money accordingly.

If you can settle up promptly, a discount of 20% will be applied to the charge if the balance is paid in full within 21 days of the initial invoice date.

Stockport Homes appreciates that it is not always possible to pay significant amounts in full. In some circumstances, payment arrangements can be discussed with Customer Finance on 0161 474 2820.

After receiving a charge, should you feel the charge has been issued incorrectly, you must dispute it within one month from the issue date. After this period, disputes will not be investigated and the charge will stand.

Payment process


Tip 1 - If you have made any alterations to the property, ensure these are put back to the existing layout as per alteration application conditions.

Tip 2 - Ensure any damage to the property is repaired to an acceptable standard prior to ending your tenancy.

Tip 3 - Ensure you remove ALL items from inside the property, including furniture, carpets and cookers. Items can ONLY be left with written permission.

Tip 4 - Ensure you remove ALL items from external areas including outhouses. Remove contents and structures of sheds and greenhouses if you installed them.

Tip 5 - You must contact Social Services to arrange for any non-fixed items such as equipment and adaptations belonging to them to be collected prior to handing in the keys.

Tip 6 - Your garden must be cut back to an acceptable standard and all plant pots and garden furniture removed.

Tip 7 - If you make arrangements with Stockport Council to remove any items left outside the property, be aware they may require five to seven working days notice.

Tip 8 - Any items not removed by receipt of the keys or the termination date (whichever falls first) will be disposed of by Stockport Homes and the cost charged to you.

Tips to avoid charges


Frequently Asked Questions

Q The tenant has died so why charge them?

A Stockport Homes appreciate that this is a very distressing time for the family. The money will only be recovered if an estate has been left. If there is no estate, this must be confirmed in writing to Customer Finance at 1 St. Peter’s Square, Stockport SK1 1NZ.

Q Can I leave carpets for the next tenant?

A No, not usually. All carpets, underlay and laminate flooring must be removed. This is because the ingoing tenant may not want the flooring and have to pay to dispose of them.

If the items are in excellent condition, you must get in touch with Stockport Homes and obtain written permission to leave them in the property.

Q Can I leave net curtains?

A Yes. A charge will not be made for net curtains as these act as an aid for security.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q I am unable to move large items of furniture, can you assist?

A If you are unable to rely on family and friends to help, Stockport Council provide a service to dispose of bulky waste, please contact them directly on 0161 217 6111 to make arrangements.

Q I did not leave the items in the gardens, can this be removed from the charge?

A No. You are responsible for the garden area. It is important that you check this area is clear just before handing the keys in. Stockport Homes cannot accept responsibility for any items found to be in the garden which need disposing of.

Q The internal damage was caused by a break-in, can this be removed from the charge?

A Yes. Vandalism can be removed from the charge if you can produce a valid crime reference number from the police. An incident log number is not acceptable.


To enquire about the tenancy termination process, please contact your Area Housing Office.

West Area Housing OfficeBridgehall Community CentreSiddington AvenueAdswoodStockportSK8 8NR

Tel: 0161 474 4371Email: [email protected]

East Area Housing Office1 Berwick ParadeNorthumberland RoadBrinningtonStockportSK5 8LQ

Tel: 0161 474 4732Email: [email protected]

To enquire about the charge process or to dispute a charge, please contact:

Catherine ArdenTechnical Services AdministratorTel: 0161 218 1281Email: [email protected]

To discuss payment options, please contact:

Customer FinanceTel: 0161 474 2820Email: [email protected]

Contact information


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Notes

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2011Accessing our services

This leaflet gives you information about avoiding charges. If you would like a copy in large print, Braille, on audio tape or CD, please contact the Social Inclusion Team on 0161 474 2860 or email: [email protected]

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