Your Tenancy Agreement

Before you move in, you’ll sign a tenancy agreement.
This is a legal document that explains:

• ✅ What you can do
• 📋 What you must do
• 🏠 What the council must do

Keep it safe and look at it if you have questions.

Types of Tenancy Agreements:

• 🔒 Secure and Introductory Tenancy Agreement
• 🏠 Temporary Non-Secure Tenancy Agreement

What you will get when you move in:

• 🏡 An energy certificate for your home
• 📄 Advice leaflets
• 🧾 A direct debit form

After you move in, tenancy management officer will visit to help with any questions.

Repairs & maintenance

• A survey is done before you move in to check for repairs.
• Gas and electricity are checked to make sure it's safe.
• You must pay for your own gas and electricity from the start.
• If the gas was turned off, red warning stickers will be on appliances.
  → These will tell you who to contact for safety checks.

If you want to install a gas cooker, you must:

• Ask for written permission
• Use a Gas Safe registered engineer

Gas, water & electricity

• Take meter readings and give them to your chosen suppliers.
• For water, contact Affinity Water and tell them your move-in date.

Decoration Voucher

You might get a one-time voucher to help buy paint or wallpaper.
After that, you will pay for decorating your home yourself.

Mutual Exchange

If you moved in by swapping homes with another tenant:

• We only check gas, electricity, and do a RAD survey
• You will not get a decoration voucher
• Make sure you’re happy with the home before you agree to the swap

Universal Credit/Housing Benefit

If you want help paying rent:

• Fill in the housing benefit form straight away or apply for universal credit housing costs
• Payments will not be backdated
• If you already get benefit at your old address, it will stop
  → Fill in a change of circumstances form

Changing Your Home

You can add your own fittings, such as pictures, shelves, carpets etc but:

• Do not damage or remove anything
• Ask for permission before making alterations, such as fencing, satellite dish, shower, taps.
• We may say yes, but you might need planning approval

Introduction to your new home

We are creating an ‘Introduction to your new home’ video for tenants and are currently working with our communications partner to have the final version available by the end of November 2026. In the meantime, we hope you find what we have created so far useful and we invite you to please send suggestions to our Tenant Involvement Team on how we can further improve the final version by e-mailing tenant.Involvement@tendringdc.gov.uk