Sample tenancy agreement

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Sample tenancy agreement - Part 2

Sample tenancy agreement - Part 1

Introduction
Definitions
About your tenancy agreement
- Keeping to the agreement
- For Introductory Tenancies only
- For Demoted Tenancies only
- Photographs
- Second Home
- Misrepresentation of Information
- Housing Fraud
Living in your home
- What you can expect
- Who can live in the property with you
- Subletting
- Activities in your home
Rent
- Your rent and service charges
- Former Tenancy Arrears
Repairs and maintenance
- Access
- What you must do
- What we will do
Improvements and changes you can make
Use of your garden and outside space including balconies
Health and safety
Animals

Introduction

This is a very important document. Please read it carefully. It is the legal contract between you and Oxford City Council. It sets out the rights and responsibilities you have as a tenant and the responsibilities we have as your landlord.

You should get advice if there is anything in this document that you do not understand. A Housing Officer, independent housing advice service, Citizen’s Advice Bureau or a solicitor should be able to help you.

This tenancy agreement is used for:

Introductory tenancies
Secure tenancies, including fixed term tenancies
Demoted tenancies

Introductory Tenancies (New Tenants)

You will be an ‘introductory tenant’ unless you are transferring from a secure tenancy or an assured tenancy with a registered social landlord (but not an assured shorthold tenancy).

Secure Tenancies

A secure tenancy means that you can keep your home for as long as you want, unless there is a fixed date when it will end or there is a legal reason for us to repossess your home. These legal reasons are called ‘Grounds for Possession’ and are set out in legislation. For us either to gain possession of your home or to make you move to another property, a County Court must agree with our request.

Demoted tenancies

The Council can apply to the County Court for a Demotion Order under the Housing Act 1985 as amended by Grounds 2a and 2b of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. A Demotion Order may be granted if the court is satisfied that the person who is the secure tenant, or any person who lives in or visits the home, takes part in anti-social behaviour, or threatens to do so or has used your home for an unlawful purpose. If a Demotion Order is granted you will have a Demoted Tenancy and you will no longer be a Secure Tenant.

Some additional conditions may apply to particular properties, or types of properties, from time to time. This includes housing for older people, tower blocks, flats and new build schemes.

These will form part of your tenancy agreement. If you are offered a property where such conditions apply you will be informed of these additional conditions before you sign your tenancy agreement. By signing a tenancy agreement you also agree to comply with these additional conditions and you acknowledge that they have been drawn to your attention.

If you wish to serve a Notice on Oxford City Council relating to your tenancy, please deliver it or send it to:

Tenancy Management team 2.6
Oxford Town Hall,
St Aldate's,
Oxford, OX1 1BX

2. Definitions

These are explanations of certain words that have a very exact meaning in this agreement because it is a legal document. The words may have a more general or more limited meaning than you would normally expect.
All expressions in the singular also carry the plural meaning, unless the context requires otherwise.

2.1. You, or tenant: If you are joint tenants the word ‘you’ or ‘tenant’ refers to both tenants but also to either tenant. This is because each of you, as individuals, has complete responsibility for keeping to the terms of the Tenancy Agreement.

2.2. The property: This is the building or part of a building that you have the right to occupy under this agreement. It also includes any garden that is part of the property and is used only by you and members of your household. It does not include any area that you share with another household.

2.3. We, us, our: Oxford City Council and our officers, approved subcontractors and agents.

2.4. Animals: Any type of animal including mammals, reptiles, birds or livestock.

2.5. Anti-Social Behaviour:

conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person,
conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises, or
conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person.

2.6. Assignment: A legal transfer of a tenancy by deed by the tenant to a person who meets the criteria as set down in law.

2.7. Domestic Abuse: A pattern of abusive behaviour between individuals aged 16 and over who are personally connected as a result of being, or having been, intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Behaviours include physical, sexual, threats, economic, emotional, controlling and coercive abuse.

2.8. Exchange: Swapping your tenancy of a property with the tenancy of another tenant.

2.9. Fraud: Examples include, but are not limited to, subletting the property, abandoning the property, not telling the truth so as to induce the granting of a tenancy, housing
benefit and council tax fraud.

2.10. Garden: Lawns, hedges, flower beds, trees, shrubs, outside walls, fences, paths, paved areas and decking.

2.11. Housing Officer: Any person employed by the Council to manage our homes.

2.12. Household: The tenant, their partner, their children and any other adult family members living at the property as agreed by Housing Services, Oxford City Council.

2.13. Housing for people aged over 55: Housing specifically for people aged 55 and over who prefer to have neighbours in this age range.

2.14. Legal Notice: In this agreement a Legal notice is a formal written document, given either by you or the Council, saying that you or the Council intend to end the tenancy agreement.

2.15. Lodger: A person who lives in your property with you and who pays you rent but does not have exclusive use of any area of the property except for a bedroom.

2.16. Locality: The general area in which the property sits.

2.17. Neighbour: Any adult or child living, even for a short while, in the neighbourhood or local area around the property including any shared areas.

2.18. Older Peoples Housing: Housing suitable for people aged at least 60 years, or people who have a physical disability and who would benefit from a property of that size and design. The property provides access to communal facilities.

2.19. Permission: Written authority from the landlord

2.20. Service Charges: These are charges that must be paid in addition to the rent for the property. They are for services or facilities that you beneﬁt from. Most often these are charged to people who live in properties where there are shared or common facilities that need maintaining, for example lifts and door entry systems, or common areas.

2.21. Shared or Communal Areas: This includes stairs, lifts, landings, foyers or entrance halls, roofs, paved areas, gardens, bin stores, parking bays and other areas that can be used by more than one person living in the same building.

2.22. Social Landlord: This is any registered landlord that provides social rented homes. This can include councils, housing associations and tenant-run organisations.

2.23. Sublet: Allowing another person to live in the property or part of the property that you rent instead of yourself.

2.24. Succession: This is the term used to describe the tenancy of a property passing to a person who qualifies by law on the death of the tenant.

2.25. Transfer: A move to a different property through the Oxford City Council Housing Register

2.26. Vehicle: Any motorised vehicle including, a boat, caravan and mobility scooter.

3. About your tenancy agreement

(Note: In this agreement there are speciﬁc paragraphs that deal with items that only apply to introductory tenants, or to secure tenants or to joint tenants).

Keeping to the agreement

3.1. This agreement gives you the right to stay in the property as long as;

you keep to the conditions of this agreement,
you live in the property as your only and principle home.

3.2. If you break any of the conditions of this agreement we can take legal action against you.We may apply to court to make you leave your property, or we may apply to court to change a secure tenancy to a demoted tenancy. We may also use other legal powers available to us where appropriate. Before we take action you will be given the opportunity to discuss the matter with a Housing Officer or other Council ofﬁcer. You may also be given the opportunity to correct the situation.

3.3. If you are joint tenants, you are both responsible, individually and together, for keeping to all the conditions of your agreement.

For Introductory Tenancies only

3.4. If you have an introductory tenancy, and you keep to the terms of this agreement for a trial period of 12 months your tenancy will automatically convert to a Secure Tenancy.

3.5. As an introductory tenant you do not normally have the right to:

Sublet, assign or exchange any part of the property,
Carry out improvements to the property, or
Apply to buy your property.

3.6. We can extend the period of the Introductory Tenancy beyond 12 months if we feel it is appropriate to do so. We give you our reasons in writing. You have the right to ask for a review of the decision to extend the period.

3.7. If you fail to comply with any of the terms of your tenancy during the period we will send you a Notice of Proceeding for Possession. This will tell you that we intend to go to court to ask for a Possession Order and will give the reasons why we are taking possession.

3.8. You have the right to ask for a review of the decision to serve the Notice of Proceedings for Possession. You must contact the Review Ofﬁcer(s) at the Councils offices within 14 days of the date that the Notice was served.

3.9. If we apply to court because we believe you have not complied with the terms of your tenancy during the period the court must give us a Possession Order.

3.10. If you are an introductory tenant you do not have the right to carry out any improvements or alterations to the property. We will consider any requests to carry out improvements or alterations but would normally only give permission if or when we give you a secure tenancy.

For Demoted Tenancies only

A Demotion Order is granted by the Court and normally lasts for a period of 12 months. If you have complied with the terms of your tenancy during that time it will revert back to a secure tenancy. If we have served a Notice of Possession Proceedings because you did not comply with the terms of the Demoted Tenancy the Court will give us a Possession Order.
You have the right to ask for a review of the decision to serve the Notice of Proceedings for Possession. You must contact the Review Ofﬁcer(s) at the Council offices within 14 days of the date that the Notice was served.

3.11. If your tenancy is changed to a demoted tenancy, you do not have the right to:

Sublet, assign or exchange any part of the property,
Carry out improvements to the property, or
Apply to buy your property.

3.12. If you are an introductory tenant or have a demoted tenancy you are not allowed to sublet any part of your property.

Photographs

3.13. We will take photographs of all new tenants as and when they come in to sign their tenancy agreement or as soon as is reasonably practical thereafter. Where a sole tenancy changes to a joint tenancy, or there is a succession or assignment of a tenancy, the photograph of the new joint tenant / succeeding tenant will also be required. The photograph will be retained electronically and stored safely. It will not be disclosed to any third parties unless we are required to do so by law, and will be kept securely.

3.14. Photographs held will be used to help us identify people living in our properties without our permission and tenants who have sublet their homes illegally. They will solely be used for the prevention of fraud / criminal behaviour and for safeguarding purposes.

Second Home

3.15. During your tenancy you must not (either solely or jointly) own or rent any other residential property which is physically and legally available for you to live in and which would be reasonable for you to live in as your home. You must tell us immediately if you own a residential property or have another residential lease or tenancy.

3.16. If you inherit a property this condition is enforceable once the inherited property is no longer subject to probate or you have owned the property for more than 12 months.

3.17. If we discover that you have a legal or beneficial interest in another property we will require you to provide evidence that this it is not your principal home.

3.18. In deciding whether you have broken this this tenancy condition, we will consider your circumstances and the proportionality of seeking possession;

Whether the property is fit to live in.
Whether you have acquired the property for use as a holiday home only and whether it is suitable for that purpose
Whether the property is suitable for your household, taking into account the size of the property, your income and employment, any disability or medical problems you have, its location in the UK or elsewhere and any other relevant circumstances.

Misrepresentation of Information

3.19. This tenancy is granted to you on the basis that the statement made by you, or someone acting on your behalf, in order for us to grant you the tenancy is truthful. If we discover that you have knowingly or recklessly made a false statement, or have had a material change in your circumstances before being housed that you did not tell us about, we will take steps to end the tenancy and repossess the property.

Housing Fraud

3.20. You must not carry out or commit any fraud related to your occupation of the property. Examples of tenancy fraud include, but are not limited to, subletting the property whether for profit or not, abandoning the property, not telling us the truth about your circumstances which induced us to grant you the tenancy, housing benefit and council tax fraud.

3.21. Housing fraud can result in criminal prosecution, civil financial penalties and court action to bring your tenancy to an end.

4. Living in your home

What you can expect

4.1. You can expect to live in the property without being disturbed by us, the Council, unless we have good reasons. However, we have the right to be allowed into the property to carry out certain repair and maintenance work or inspections.

Who can live in the property with you

4.2. You must not have more people living with you than the maximum number allowed for the property. The number is written at the front of this document.

4.3. You can take in lodgers as long as you will not have living with you more than the maximum number of people allowed for the property.

4.4. You must not let your property become overcrowded by allowing people outside your immediate family to live with you. Immediate family is defined as your spouse or partner, child or other dependant you are legally responsible for.

Subletting

If you are a secure tenant you can ask to sublet part of your property while you live in only part of it. You must write to us ofﬁce asking for our permission and you must not sublet until you have received our permission in writing. You agree not to part with possession of the whole property.

4.5. We will not give permission for you to sublet the whole of the property to someone else and live somewhere else. If you do so the Council will consider that you have ended the tenancy and seek to recover possession of the Property.

4.6. You are responsible for the behaviour of any lodger or subtenant who lives in the property.

Activities in your home

4.7. If you want to run a small business from the property you must get our written permission. We will not normally refuse permission unless the business could damage the property or significantly increase wear and tear, or cause a nuisance to your neighbours. Examples of businesses we would not allow include repairing & maintaining cars and selling cars and businesses involving machinery or other sources of noise.

4.8. We can withdraw our permission if we believe your business causes a nuisance.

5. Rent (including service charges)

5.1. The amount of rent you must pay may include certain other payments or charges for additional services. These are called service charges. If any of these are included in your rent they will be listed in your offer letter at the beginning of your tenancy and in any further letters you receive about changes to your rent.

5.2. From time to time we will change your rent and/or service charges. This will usually be in April each year. We will write you a letter letting you know the new amount you must pay. This letter will be sent to you at least four weeks before you need to start paying the new amounts.

5.3. Rent and any other service charges are due weekly in advance. We must receive the total weekly amount no later than 12 am (noon) on the Monday of each week. If you want to pay once every two weeks or once a month instead of once a week the payments must be made in advance.

5.4. If you do not make all your payments on time, we can apply to a court for a possession order

5.5. You must not hold back any rent because you have a dispute with the Council unless you have followed the correct legal procedures. If you do not follow these procedures, we can apply to a court for a possession order.

5.6. If you are joint tenants, you are each responsible for all the rent and arrears even from a tenant who is no longer living in the property.

5.7. If you pay service charges you have the right to see our ﬁnancial records relating to service charges. You must give us a reasonable notice period if you want to see these and we can make a reasonable administrative charge for doing this.

Former Tenancy Arrears - This paragraph is only applicable if it has been completed.

5.8. If this paragraph is completed it means that this is an exceptional case and the Council has granted you a tenancy of this property even though you still have arrears from another property and/or a previous tenancy, which you must now pay.

5.9. The payment of this debt is additional to the rent for the property in this tenancy. The payment of this debt will discharge your liability for rent arrears and/or charges incurred by you at:

5.10. You agree to pay the debt of £xx at the rate of £x per week in addition to the rent for the property in this tenancy. The amount and period of instalments may be varied from time to time by agreement between you and the Council.

Signed (tenant 1):
Signed (tenant 2):
Signed Authorised Officer:

6. Repairs and maintenance

Access

6.1. You agree to allow our officers, contractors or agents enter your property to carry out inspections or surveys of your property, installations, shared areas or adjoining property.

6.2. We may require access to;

Carry out inspections and assessments required by law including, but not limited to, gas safety, electrical inspections, fire safety, smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, asbestos surveys
Carry out emergency work
Carry out repairs, general maintenance, treatment or modernisation works
Erect scaffolding to work on an adjoining property
Deal with any other matter for which we are responsible including inspecting the condition of your property and ascertaining who is living there
Ensure the conditions of this agreement are being met
Carry out Tenancy Update visits

6.3. You must let our officers or agents enter your Property if we give you at least 24 hours written notice and ensure that a responsible adult is present.

6.4. In the event of an emergency where we are unable to gain access in another way, we may force entry to the property without notice.

6.5. You will have to pay for any costs we incur as a result of any failure by you to provide access. If you unreasonably fail to provide access for any safety inspection required by law we have the right to force entry to the property and by accepting a tenancy of the property you are agreeing that we have the right to do this.

What you must do

6.6. You must report any faults, repairs or damage to the property (including criminal damage) as soon as possible.

6.7. If a repair is required as a result of criminal damage you should report this to the police and get a crime reference number.

6.8. You must arrange, and if necessary pay for, the repair or replacement of any part of the property that is damaged deliberately, carelessly or neglectfully by you, any member of your household, visitor or animal. If, for reasons of safety or security, we have to do the repair, we will charge you the full cost of the work.

6.9. You are responsible for keeping the inside of the property in a good condition during the time you are the tenant of the property. This includes using all the fixtures and fittings responsibly and taking reasonable steps to keep them in good condition.

6.10. You are responsible for decorating the inside of the property and for doing certain minor repairs and replacements. This includes;

Replace plugs and chains in baths, basins and sinks
Replace lost or broken keys, if you get locked out
Replace ash pans and fire baskets for solid fuel fires
Get chimneys swept regularly (at least once a year) if used for wood or coal fires
Replace light bulbs and fluorescent tubes and starters, and fuses in appliances.
Reset trip switches
Fill small cracks and holes in plaster
Replace toilet seats and try to clear blocked sinks, baths, basins and toilets
Replace glass, unless you can give us a police crime report number (not an incident number)
Repair and maintain your own fixtures and appliances, including the pipework to your washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier
Replace clothes lines between posts, and replace or re-string rotary driers (except in shared areas)
Replace shelves, curtain rails and roller blinds
Maintain garden paths (but not the ones leading from the road to the front or back door) and patio areas
Repair or replace handles, locks and catches on internal doors, cupboards and wall tiles
It is recommended you test smoke, heat and Carbon Monoxide detectors weekly, most detectors are mains supplied and batteries cannot be replaced. Report a faulty detector to the Contact Centre.
Repair and maintain internal woodwork including internal doors, cupboard doors, skirting, architraves, picture and dado rails, and boxing panels (but not bath panels). This includes adjusting doors for new carpets unless it is a fire door
Repair and maintain TV aerials if you live in a house, bungalow or flat where we have not fitted a shared aerial

6.11. You must take reasonable care to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting and to prevent damage to the property by ﬁre or explosion.

6.12. You must take reasonable steps to keep the property adequately ventilated and heated so as to prevent damage from condensation and mould and follow advice when provided by Oxford Direct Services or Oxford City Council.

6.13. You are responsible for repairing and maintaining all your own equipment, such as cookers or washing machines, unless you have an agreement for us to repair and maintain them.

What we will do

6.14. We will repair and maintain:

the structure and outside of the building including, for example, drains, gutters, outside pipes, windows and doors, kitchen and bathroom ﬁttings we have provided,
any electrical wiring and gas and water pipes and installations we have provided,
any heating equipment and water-heating equipment we have provided (or taken responsibility for), and
any shared areas around your property.

6.15. We will do repairs within a reasonable time. When you report a repair, we will tell you how soon we will get the work done. This will depend on how urgent it is. Response time categories are given to different types of repairs.

6.16. You have the Right to Repair for certain types of repair if we do not carry out those repairs within a set period of time.

6.17. We will clear up any mess after carrying out a repair and we will leave the decoration as close as possible to how it was before we did the work. We may not be able to where you have used wall paper or wall tiles.

6.18. We can, in special circumstances, move you out of the property to carry out work. This could be because the property needs to be empty for major building repairs, for complete redevelopment or because it has to be demolished. Your move could be permanent or temporary but we will always offer you a suitable alternative property. You will usually get compensation or help with the cost of moving, or both.

6.19. We will decorate the outside of your Property and Communal Areas of flats and maisonettes from time to time. You can only decorate the outside of your Property with our written permission. When asking for permission you must give us a plan of how you wish to decorate.

7. Improvements and changes you can make

7.1. If you are a secure tenant you can carry out improvements or changes to the property as long as you get our permission in writing before you start any work. Examples of changes that need our permission include:

installing a shower or a gas ﬁre
decorating the outside of the property
putting up an aerial or satellite dish
putting up a shed, porch or fence in your garden
hard standing for vehicles

Note that permission will not be given for security grills to doors or windows for fire safety reasons.

Permission for mini jets (bidets) will only be given where water hygiene regulations are met.

7.2. We must give you an answer within 42 days of receiving a letter from you asking for our permission to carry out changes, although we will usually reply much sooner. The letter will explain the conditions that apply to the type of work you are planning to carry out. We cannot refuse permission unless there is a good reason.

7.3. You can only install hard floor covering, including laminate, ceramic, marble or stone or have sanded floor boards in the property if you live on the basement level, ground floor, in a house or bungalow and there is no-one living beneath you. Carpet must be laid with underlay to prevent the transfer of noise. If hard flooring needs to be removed in order to carry out a repair we will not replace the hard flooring.

7.4. You are responsible for repairs to any changes you make unless you have an agreement for us to repair and maintain them.

7.5. You can sometimes get compensation when you leave the property for changes you have made. This only applies to certain types of improvement.

7.6. You must not make any alteration to the property which is in breach of any planning or building control regulation, for example removing internal walls, whether you have sought and obtained our permission or not.

7.7. If you do carry out any improvements or changes to your Property or add any fixtures or fittings without our permission, or in breach of any planning or building control regulation, we may require you to put back the Property to its original condition. You agree that you will pay the cost if we have to carry out the work and of rectifying any damage that may have been caused to the Property or the building in which it stands, or adjacent buildings. This includes the cost of any inspections required and if necessary we will instruct our contractor to carry out any repairs to ensure safety regulations are complied with.

8. Use of your garden and outside space including balconies

You must take all reasonable steps to keep your garden tidy. This includes, but is not limited to;
Regularly cutting the lawn and trimming the hedges and bushes
Clearing weeds from soil beds, pathways, hard standing and patios
Removing any rubbish
Keep any temporary structure, including a shed, greenhouse, aviary or arbour in a good state of repair.

8.2. You must not damage, remove or cut down any hedge or tree, or plant a new tree in your garden unless you have our written permission.

8.3. You must get our written permission and any required planning permission or building control agreement to erect a temporary structure or carry out major landscaping including a shed, greenhouse, aviary, arbour, decking, paving, or hard-standing, or to construct a pond. At the end of the tenancy you may be asked to remove it.

8.4. You can have a bonfire or barbecue at a reasonable time as long as you do not cause a nuisance with the smoke or the smell of the smoke and the frequency, only dry and suitable waste is burnt and it does not cause any risk to the property, people or other buildings. Barbecues are not permitted on balconies.

8.5. You must not use your garden, sheds or out-buildings for habitation or as a dwelling or allow another person to do so.

8.6. You must take reasonable steps to avoid attracting verminous animals into your garden. If you keep pets you must collect any faeces immediately and dispose of them in a hygienic way and take reasonable steps to clear up and disinfect the area. Any uneaten pet or animal food is removed to prevent pest infestation.

9. Health and safety

9.1. You must keep your property clean and tidy and free from rubbish. You must not hoard items so that they prevent a clear escape route from the building in the event of a fire. If the Property becomes infested with pests or vermin because of your failure to keep it clean we will charge you for the cost of disinfesting it and any other costs of cleaning your Property.

9.2. The council may from time to time publish regulations in respect of recycling household and/or bulk waste. You must keep to the rules of that scheme and in the event you do not we will take such action we think appropriate which may include a charge for removing and disposing of the waste.

9.3. You must present your rubbish tidily using any bins provided by the Council and take it to the correct place on the day that the collection service comes to your area. After collections bins must be returned to the property and not left on the pavement or the highway.

9.4. You must not keep mopeds or motorbikes inside the property or indoor shared areas.

9.5. You must not keep mobility scooters designed for external use inside the property or indoor shared areas unless in a purpose built scooter store.

9.6. You must take all reasonable steps to safely store any free standing heaters, patio heaters, gas barbecue or petrol lawn mower.

9.7. You must not keep any dangerous liquids or materials in the property (including in the garden) that could harm other people, or catch ﬁre or explode. In particular you must not use bottled gas, parafﬁn, petrol or anything else that may be dangerous or a ﬁre risk, in the building or in a shared area.

9.8. You must not pour oil, petrol or any other chemical substance down drains or gullies or place it in domestic bins.

9.9. You must notify us and the Fire Service if you need to store home oxygen.

9.10. You must not tamper with or remove any device fitted for fire or carbon monoxide detection purposes.

9.11. We will insure the property against fire, flood and other risks covered by buildings insurance and will use all reasonable efforts to arrange for any damage covered by the Oxford City Council Insurance to be remedied as soon as possible unless the damage is caused by a third party.

9.12. You are responsible for arranging insurance of your own belongings, internal fixtures and fittings and internal decoration. If you cause damage to a neighbouring property you will be charged the costs of repair.

9.13. Employees and contractors working for, or on behalf of Oxford City Council have the right to work in a smoke free atmosphere. You are requested to refrain from smoking in a room whilst work is being carried out and to ventilate the property before the visit.

10. Animals

10.1. You must obtain our written permission for every individual animal you wish to keep at the property. Permission will not be given to keep a dog in a tower block flat.

10.2. We will not give you permission to keep dangerous animals as defined by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

10.3. You must not keep a dog that is covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act, such as pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero or any other especially dangerous dogs.

10.4. If you keep a dog you agree to comply with the Control of Dogs Act 1992 which says that a dog must wear a collar and tag giving the owner's name / address at all times while in public and must be kept on a lead at all times when walking on estates. The dog must also be micro chipped and relevant owners details kept up to date.

10.5. The dog must not cause any damage to your home or cause nuisance, danger or harm to any other person in or around the locality. You must keep control of the dog at all times and move the animal to another room when requested by Council officers or our contractors visiting the property.

10.6. We will ask you to remove an animal or withdraw our permission if we believe that any animal you keep is causing a nuisance or we believe it is unsuitable to be kept in the property. This includes leaving a dog unattended in a property for an extended period of time. We will do this in writing giving our reasons and the date by which you must comply.

10.7. You must not allow your pets to foul public areas. You must collect any faeces and dispose of them in a hygienic way. You must also take reasonable steps to clear up and disinfect the area.

10.8. You must take all reasonable steps to prevent your pets from fouling the inside of your property or any communal areas. We will charge you the costs if we have to clean up after a pet, or repair damage caused by a pet, which is owned by you, a member of your household, a lodger, sub-tenant or visitor.

10.9. You must not use your property to engage in the business of pet breeding or keep an unreasonable number of animals.

Sample tenancy agreement