Guides.
Short, friendly guides to renting, your home and life in our areas.
- Your rights
Asking to keep a pet
You have a legal right to ask to keep a pet, a written answer within 28 days, and a refusal only for a good reason.
Read the guide - Home tips
Bills and council tax when you move in
A friendly checklist for your first week: council tax, meter readings, energy, water, TV licence and broadband.
Read the guide - Local life
Living in Blackpool
A friendly first look at Blackpool: the Illuminations, Stanley Park, the tram and the council services you will use.
Read the guide - Your rights
Damp and mould: how we deal with it
Spotted damp or mould? Tell us early. You won't be blamed, and here's what a proper response looks like.
Read the guide - Home tips
Keeping condensation at bay
Simple everyday habits that keep your home fresh, dry and comfortable, and when damp is a job for us.
Read the guide - Local life
Living in Fleetwood
A friendly first look at Fleetwood: two award winning beaches, seafront parks, the tram and the council services you will use.
Read the guide - Your rights
Your rights if you have a disability
The adjustments you can ask us for, how to get our consent for bigger changes, and the council grants that can help pay for them.
Read the guide - Home tips
Contents insurance: why it's worth having
Our insurance covers the building, not your belongings. Here's what contents insurance does, and why the choice is yours.
Read the guide - Local life
Living in Keswick and Penrith
A friendly first look at Keswick and Penrith: lakes and fells, the main line railway, local parks and the right council for each town.
Read the guide - Your rights
Holding deposits and what happens next
A holding deposit reserves a home while checks are done. Here are the rules that protect you, and the steps that follow.
Read the guide - Home tips
Fire safety at home
A simple escape plan, safer cooking and charging, what to do if there's a fire, and free home fire safety checks.
Read the guide - Local life
Living in Cleveleys and Thornton
A friendly first look at Cleveleys and Thornton: the beaches, the tram, the country park and the council services you will use.
Read the guide - Your rights
How we choose our tenants
Exactly what we look for when we let a home, the same for everyone, so you can see whether one of ours would suit you.
Read the guide - Home tips
Gardens and outside spaces
Enjoying your garden through the seasons, sorting bins and recycling, and why it helps to talk to us before bigger changes.
Read the guide - Local life
Living in west London: Greenford, Perivale, Southall, Ealing and Harrow
A friendly first look at Greenford, Perivale, Southall, Ealing and Harrow: tube and rail links, parks and hills, and the right council for each area.
Read the guide - Your rights
Moving out if you're a protected tenant
If you ever decide to move on from an older, protected tenancy, here's how giving notice works and what happens to any deposit.
Read the guide - Home tips
Going away, especially in winter
A few minutes before you leave keeps your home warm, dry and secure while you are away.
Read the guide - Your rights
Property licences, explained
Some councils license rented homes to keep standards up. Here's what the licences mean and how you can check one yourself.
Read the guide - Home tips
Using your heating and hot water well
Simple ways to get the best from your thermostat, timer and radiators, and what to do if the heating stops.
Read the guide - Your rights
Are you a protected tenant?
If your tenancy began before 15 January 1989, you may have a protected tenancy, with a fair rent and strong, lasting security.
Read the guide - Home tips
If money gets tight: talk to us early
Money worries can happen to anyone. Telling us early really helps, and there's plenty of free support too.
Read the guide - Your rights
How to raise a concern, and where to get help
If something isn't right, we want to hear about it. Here's how to tell us, and where to find free, independent help.
Read the guide - Home tips
Making your home your own
Pictures, paint, shelves or a satellite dish? Ask us first and we'll usually help you make your home feel like yours.
Read the guide - Your rights
References and guarantors, explained
What referencing involves, what happens to your information, and what a guarantor is actually agreeing to.
Read the guide - Home tips
Moving-in day
The papers you should have by the time you move in, what replaced the How to Rent guide, and a few jobs for the day itself.
Read the guide - Your rights
Rent increases for protected tenants
If you have a protected tenancy, a rent officer can register a fair rent for your home, and the law caps how much it can rise.
Read the guide - Home tips
Moving out smoothly, with your full deposit back
How to give notice, leave your home ready for check-out, and get your deposit back without fuss.
Read the guide - Your rights
How rent increases work now
Rent can rise no more than once a year, with two months' notice on an official form, and you can ask a tribunal to check it.
Read the guide - Home tips
Preparing for a viewing
A few quick checks before you go, the documents you're entitled to see, and good questions to ask while you're there.
Read the guide - Your rights
Repairs if you're a protected tenant
If you have an older, protected tenancy, here's how repairs work, and why the best first step is always to tell us.
Read the guide - Home tips
Why reporting problems early helps you
A dripping tap or a damp patch is never a nuisance to us. Telling us early makes fixes quicker and easier for you.
Read the guide - Your rights
Repairs: what we fix and how quickly
The repairs the law puts on us, how to report a problem, and what happens next.
Read the guide - Home tips
Saving energy and money on bills
Easy everyday ways to use less energy, plus the help available with bills this winter and how to get extra support.
Read the guide - Your rights
Right to Rent: why we ask for ID
Before a tenancy starts, the law asks us to check every adult's right to rent. Here's why, and how easy it can be.
Read the guide - Home tips
Your first week: settling in
A few quick jobs in your first week that make everyday life easier and help protect your deposit.
Read the guide - Your rights
Your home's safety checks, explained
The gas and electrical safety checks in your home, how often they happen, and the paperwork you're entitled to receive.
Read the guide - Your rights
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
The alarms your home must have, what we check, and the simple monthly test that helps keep you safe.
Read the guide - Your rights
Spotting rental scams
The warning signs of a fake letting, how to check who you're dealing with, and what to do if something feels wrong.
Read the guide - Your rights
Treated fairly: discrimination and renting
Everyone deserves a fair chance at a home. Here's the law that protects you, our commitment to it, and where to get help.
Read the guide - Your rights
When we visit, and your right to privacy
Your home is yours to enjoy in peace. Here's when we might need to visit, the notice you'll get, and the protections you have.
Read the guide - Your rights
What a landlord can and can't charge you
The law lists every payment a landlord can ask you for. If something isn't on the list, it isn't allowed.
Read the guide - Your rights
What's coming next for renters
A plain guide to the changes the government has announced for private renters, and what's actually known about when they arrive.
Read the guide - Your rights
Your deposit: protected, and how to get it back
Your deposit is capped, protected in a government scheme within 30 days, and there's a free way to settle any disagreement.
Read the guide - Your rights
Your EPC and what it means for your bills
What your home's Energy Performance Certificate tells you, the minimum rating the law sets, and how to find your own.
Read the guide - Your rights
Your tenancy since 1 May 2026: what's changed
Your tenancy now rolls on with no end date. Here's what that means, how to give notice, and when a tenancy can end.
Read the guide
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