Here you will find useful information relating to your home and your tenancy agreement.

    Tenancy Team

    The Tenancy Team work across all BCHA properties to provide a Housing Management service to all of our customers.  

    We visit people every day within their homes and work hard to give all of our customers great services. We can work with you to help you maintain your tenancy or licence agreement and can support you at any point. 

    Contact us

    The Tenancy Team are based in four BCHA Hubs and can be contacted by location of your home: 

    Dorset and surrounding area

    Call: 01202 410500

    Plymouth, Devon

    Call: 01752 664441

    Yeovil, Somerset

    Call: 01935 411618 

    Exeter & South Hams, Devon

    Call: 01392 258899

    Alternatively you can contact Customer Services on 01202 410500.

    Your Tenancy Team work together with other BCHA departments in order to provide help and assistance for you to maintain your Tenancy or Licence Agreements and live in a safe and comfortable home. 

    Types of Tenancy

    There are two types of tenancy that you can have with us at BCHA; General Needs and Supported Housing.

    If you are unsure about which type of tenancy you have, please contact your Tenancy Team for more details. 

    Three people stood outside by a fence, talking in the sunshine.
    Three people stood outside by a fence, talking in the sunshine.

    Rights & Responsibilities

    All of our customers in both our General Needs Housing and our Supported Housing Schemes have the same rights to a service from BCHA which are outlined below. 

    Two people laughing on a sofa.
    Two people laughing on a sofa.

    Environmental Services

    The service charges which you pay as part of your tenancy agreement help to pay for a number of services provided to you.  

    Your Tenancy Team, working alongside our Repairs Team, is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and safety of the communal areas such as courtyards, lobbies and communal stairways. 

    BCHA will be responsible for:

    • Ensuring weeds, hedge growth and gardening are maintained 
    • Check communal lighting 
    • Report repairs needed in the communal areas 
    • Report fly tipping for removal 
    • Ensure any shared laundry services are clean and safe 

    A detailed specification of services provided to your block is available upon request. 

    Person smiling beside a plant and art print.
    Person smiling beside a plant and art print.

    Contents Insurance

    Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen. Home contents insurance can help provide peace of mind should any of this happen. 

    We do not cover your contents as part of the tenancy agreement so it’s a good idea to consider what a home contents insurance policy would cover you for in order to make an informed decision on whether you need one. 

    The National Housing Federation works in partnership with Thistle Tenant Risks, who provide My Home Contents Insurance. The My Home scheme is designed for tenants and residents living in social housing, offering economical and flexible schemes to protect tenants against a whole range of risks.  

    Thistle Tenant Risks is a leading provider; developing tenant contents insurance schemes in the social housing sector for over twenty years and working with in excess of 700 housing associations and local authorities. 

    Some benefits to having contents insurance include: 

    • No excess to pay, meaning you don’t pay the first part of the claim 
    • Covers theft, water damage, fire and many more household risks 
    • Covers tenants’ improvements  
    • Covers contents in sheds, outbuildings and garages  
    • Covers damage to external glazing for which you are responsible
    • Covers replacement and installation of locks for outside doors or windows and alarms, if keys are lost or stolen 

    There is no need to have special door or window locks to have a contents insurance policy and all postcodes in the UK can be covered.  

    Person sat in a bedroom holding a crochet project.
    Person sat in a bedroom holding a crochet project.

    Pets

    We recognise that pet ownership is a rewarding experience, bringing companionship, good health and social benefits to a growing number of people. 

    You may be able to keep a pet, although this will depend on the type of property that you live in or be based on certain circumstances. 

    Generally, residents who live in a property with exclusive use of a garden may keep any domestic pet including up to two cats and two dogs. Residents who do not have exclusive use of a garden may keep pets which reasonably stay in the home such as caged birds, fish in a tank or small non-poisonous caged reptiles. 

    If you would like to keep a pet in your home, please seek our permission first by contacting your Tenancy Officer.

    HomeSwapper

     

    We are now partnered with HomeSwapper, meaning that our tenants with assured tenancy can be considered for a mutual exchange.
     
    A mutual exchange is a home swap between two social housing tenants. It can happen for many reasons, such as needing more (or less) space, moving for work or to be closer to family. It’s a great option for social housing tenants who can’t access or don’t want to wait for the normal allocation process. It gives you more control and means you’re able to choose a home that suits your needs better in a place you want to live.
     
    You will need to be a social housing tenant with a secure or assured tenancy to have the right to a mutual exchange.  If you have a starter tenancy or a demotion order you won’t be allowed to swap. If you’re not sure, it’s always a good idea to speak with us to find out what type of tenancy you have and if you’re allowed to swap, before you start looking. It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to swap with a private housing tenant – both homes need to be social housing properties.
     
    You can swap homes with any other council or housing association tenant that lives anywhere in the UK, so your swap doesn’t have to be in the area managed by BCHA. All social housing landlords must allow mutual exchanges.
     
    Joining HomeSwapper is simple and completely free, simply go to the HomeSwapper website and choose the register option. Here you will be able to see all properties that are available for a mutual exchange quickly and easily. 
     
    Two people swapping keys with the HomeSwapper logo. 
    Two people swapping keys with the HomeSwapper logo. 

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    Call us

    01202 410 500