Rights and responsibilities: community housing

As a tenant of community housing, you have a number of rights and responsibilities. The majority of your rights are defined in the Residential Tenancies Act 1987. These rights cover such areas as repairs to your home, the amount of notice your housing provider must give you before they inspect your home and what they have to do if they wish to end or change your tenancy.

Importantly, the Residential Tenancies Act also ensures that your housing provider must respect your privacy.

To find out about tenants’ rights read the renting a home guide published by Fair Trading. Copies can also be obtained from community housing organisations, along with further information about tenants’ rights.

In addition to your rights, as a tenant of community housing you have a number of responsibilities. Foremost amongst these are your responsibilities to pay your rent on time, to keep your property clean and tidy and to report any repairs to your housing provider as soon as they occur.

Equally important, is your responsibility to help keep the place you live in safe and pleasant. As a result, it is your responsibility to ensure that you, the people living in your home and/or your visitors do not cause a nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours. Similarly, it is your neighbours’ responsibility to ensure that they do not cause you a nuisance or annoyance.