Choose a topic

  1. News
  2. About us
    1. Our history
    2. Governance and Board
      1. Executive team
    3. Strategies, plans & reports
      1. Customer Charter
      2. Annual reports
      3. Value for money
    4. Policies and Strategies
    5. Jobs
      1. Vacancies
      2. Volunteering
      3. Apprenticeships
      4. Why work for us?
      5. Equality and diversity
    6. Performance
  3. Repairs
    1. Report a repair
    2. Immediate repairs
    3. Repair responsibilities
  4. Customer handbook
    1. Your Customer Handbook
      1. Welcome
      2. Customer Handbook Downloadable PDF
      3. Our Customer Charter
    2. Repairs
      1. How do I report a repair
      2. How do I report a defect in my new home?
      3. Appointments
      4. Tenants repair responsibilities
      5. Landlord repair responsibilities
      6. How quickly will you deal with my repair?
      7. How do I report a communal repair?
      8. Which repairs are recharged to me?
      9. Who is responsible for the cyclical maintenance programme?
      10. How do I report an aid or adaptation to my home?
      11. What to expect from our repairs service?
      12. Delays in carrying out your repairs
      13. What compensation you can expect for service failure
      14. Monitoring our repairs service
    3. Contact us
      1. Contact us on Social Media
      2. Contact us by phone
      3. Contact us online
      4. Emergency repairs
      5. Contact us by post
      6. Visiting our office
    4. Confidentiality and data protection
      1. Confidentiality and how your data is used
    5. Leaseholder hub
      1. Repairs hub
      2. MySBHG – your online rent account
      3. How do I pay rent or service charges?
      4. Service Charges explained
      5. Your lease explained
      6. Your mortgage explained
      7. Property Maintenance and Alterations
      8. Major works and section 20 consultations
      9. All things insurance
      10. Safety in your home
      11. How can I move on?
      12. How can I own more of my property?
    6. Paying your rent
      1. When do I pay my rent?
      2. How do I pay my rent or service charges?
      3. I need help with rent arrears
      4. What do I need to know about claiming benefits?
      5. What to do if you get a Rent Arrears Letter
    7. Your tenancy
      1. What is a Starter tenancy?
      2. What happens after the Starter Period?
      3. What is a Fixed Term tenancy?
      4. What being a tenant means
      5. Breaking a condition of your tenancy
      6. Moving into your new home
      7. Standards for your new home
      8. Ending my tenancy
      9. Notifying you of changes to my household
      10. Moving out
      11. Can I keep a pet?
      12. What should I do if a tenant dies
    8. Property maintenance
      1. When do we replace kitchens and bathrooms?
      2. What is a stock condition survey?
      3. Can I make improvements or alterations to my property?
      4. What can I do about condensation and damp?
    9. Pest Control
      1. What do I do about pest control?
    10. Cleaning, Gardening and Communal Services
      1. What communal services are provided?
      2. My garden is shared, what are my responsibilities?
      3. I have my own garden – what are my responsibilities?
      4. Who collects waste and recycling?
      5. What do I do about bulky rubbish?
    11. Areas outside of your home
      1. What happens with abandoned vehicles?
      2. When can I expect an estate inspection?
      3. What do I do about parking?
      4. If I am a leaseholder, what do I do about parking?
    12. Safety in your home
      1. What do I do about contents insurance?
      2. What should I do if there is a fire?
      3. How do we keep your electrical installations safe?
      4. What do I do if I have a gas problem?
      5. How is asbestos managed?
      6. How to avoid Legionella?
    13. Domestic violence and abuse
      1. How do I report abuse?
      2. Where can I find help and support?
    14. Antisocial behaviour and hate crime
      1. What is anti-social behaviour?
      2. What is hate crime?
      3. How do we manage this?
      4. How do I report abuse?
      5. I've got problems with my neighbours what do I do?
    15. Get involved
      1. Get involved in what we do
      2. How can I get involved?
      3. As a homeowner how can I get involved?
    16. Moving on
      1. Relationship breakdown
      2. Mutual Exchange
      3. Buying your own home
  5. Health & safety
    1. Fire safety
    2. Cladding information
      1. Cladding FAQs
      2. Fire wardens & change in fire policy
    3. Gas safety
      1. Gas safety & what to do if you smell gas
      2. Carbon monoxide safety
    4. Electrical safety
    5. Lifts
    6. Water testing
    7. Asbestos
  6. Our Services
    1. I am a tenant
      1. Energy efficiency
      2. Noise nuisance tool box
        1. What is noise nuisance
        2. What you can do to reduce noise
        3. Who to contact
        4. How we can help
        5. Collecting evidence
        6. Noise nuisance complaint form
    2. I am a leaseholder
      1. Shared ownership
      2. Your service charges
      3. Buildings insurance
    3. How can I pay my rent?
    4. Money management
      1. Rent and money matters
      2. Benefits
        1. Housing Benefit
        2. Universal Credit
        3. Personal Independence Payment
      3. Home contents insurance
      4. Other sources of help
    5. Resident Voice Scrutiny Panel
      1. Resident Voice Scrutiny Panel person specification
      2. Our Resident Voice Scrutiny Panel explained
    6. Our community services
      1. Welfare & benefit support
      2. Sheltered homes for elderly
  7. Contact Us
    1. Official complaints
    2. Frequently Asked Questions
      1. Customer Service FAQ's
      2. Repairs FAQ's
      3. Home insurance FAQ's
      4. Estate cleaning FAQ's
      5. Paying rent FAQ's
      6. Resident FAQ's
      7. Landlord FAQ's

What is a Starter tenancy?

For the first year as a tenant with us, you will receive a starter tenancy. This is also known as an assured shorthold tenancy. It is a short-term tenancy agreement and intended to last for 12 months. But this can be extended for another 6 months if you do not fulfil your responsibilities outlined in the tenancy agreement and we need the additional time to look into the issues.

Your starter tenancy agreement is very important as it sets out your legal rights and responsibilities as the tenant and ours as the landlord. Please keep it in a safe place.