When you must contact us
These are situations where you must contact the housing office to get their permission before doing something.
Taking a lodger into your home
Subletting is where you let one or more rooms in your home to a sub-tenant, who has sole use of one or more rooms. If you are a secure tenant (not an introductory or demoted tenant) and want to sublet part of your home, you must first get written permission from Loughbourough Emb office. We will only refuse permission if subletting would result in your home being overcrowded. A sub-tenant cannot be included on your tenancy agreement.
You must not sublet the whole of your home, if you do, this is ‘illegal subletting’ and your tenancy can be ended. The housing office make regular checks to make sure only the people who should be there are living in your home.
If you sublet part of your home this may affect your housing benefit entitlements
Taking a lodger into your home.
A lodger is someone who lives with you in your home ,pays you money for this ,and does not have exclusive use of any rooms .they also probably receive some service from you such as laundry or meals .you may allow anyone to lodge in your home, as long as you get written permission from LEMB housing office first.
The housing office will only refuse permission if having a lodger will make the home overcrowded. A lodger cannot be included on your tenancy agreement.
Having a lodger may affect your housing benefit entitlements.
If anyone comes to stay with you for more than four weeks ,let the housing office know so we can record them on file as ‘authorized occupier’.an authorized occupier is someone who is living with you long term with permission from the housing office.
The housing office may refuse permission for your guest to be an authorized occupier if;
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You are subletting part of your home to them without permission.
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They are causing the property to be overcrowded, or
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They are not allowed to stay at your home for some other reason, for example anti-social behavior.
If the housing office records someone as an authorized occupier, this does not mean they have been granted any tenancy rights.
You must keep the inside of your home reasonably well decorated. The housing office will decorate the outside of your property and communal arrears of flats and maisonettes from time to time.
If you would like to decorate the outside of your property, you need to get permission from the housing office first and show them a plan of how you would like to decorate.
The housing office will repair any of your decorations that our contractors damage when carrying out repairs or improvements to your home. Or the housing office may give you a reasonable amount to the work instead .these offers do not apply if the repair work is needed because you have broken the terms of your tenancy by doing work without the permission of the housing office.
If you want to change the structure or outside of your home, you will need:
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Written permission from the housing office.
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Planning permission from Lambeth council (if necessary).
The same rules apply if you want to install a garage, greenhouse, shed, pigeon loft, parking space, driveway, wall, security grille, television aerial or satellite dish.
In certain situations you may be entitled to compensation for improvements you make to your home.
You are responsible for maintaining the improvements you make to your home.
If you make an improvement without getting written permission from the housing office first, we may:
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Obtain an order from the court requiring you to put the property back to its previous state.
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In very serious cases, obtain an order from the court ending your tenancy.
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Return the property to its original state and charge you for the cost of doing this, including the cost of repairing any damage you caused. The housing office will not be responsible for any damage our contractors cause when removing your unauthorized improvements.
Wooden or laminate floors can make homes noisy and can result in complaints from your neighbors about noise nuisance .normally, the housing office will not grant permission for you to fit laminate flooring or sanded floor boards in your home, unless:
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You live on the ground floor.
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No one lives beneath you.
If you already have wooden or laminate floors, they can remain as long as the housing office receives no complaints about noise. However if a neighbor does complain, you will have to try to reduce the noise, for example by laying a rug, carpet or good quality underlay. If complains persist, as a last resort the housing office may ask you to remove the flooring.
Certain floorings can make some medical conditions worse. If this applies to you and you want to fit an alternative type of flooring, contact the housing office.
If you want to keep a pet, it must be suitable for your home and lifestyle and you must get written permission from the housing office beforehand.
The housing office will refuse permission for any dog covered by the Dangerous Dogs act 1991, such as a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino , Fila Brasileiro or any other dog listed under the law.
You will not be granted permission to have more than two dogs, except in very exceptional cases. You are not allowed to breed dogs commercially or sell any animals from your home. Permission will be refused if the housing office thinks your pet will be a nuisance or danger to other residents.
The housing office can withdraw permission for you to keep domestic pets at any time, so it is important to be a responsible owner.
You are responsible for your pets and those owned by your visitors, sub-tenants or lodgers. A dog must wear a collar and tag showing the owners name and address at all times while in public and must be kept on a lead when on Loughbourough Emb estates. If they cause damage or mess, the housing office will charge you for clearing it up and take any action they think is necessary to resolve the problem.
For more information on how to become a more responsible pet owner contact Battersea Dogs and Cats home:
Telephone: 02076223626
Visit: www.battersea.org.uk
If you wish to trade or run a business from your home, you need to get written permission from the housing office first.
Loughborough Emb will generally grant permission, unless:
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You intend to carry out your trade or business from a garage, shed or shared area at the property.
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Your activities will cause a risk to you or anyone else’s safety.
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You will disturb or cause nuisance to your neighbors.
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Your activities will break the law or planning or environmental health requirements.
Permission will not normally be given for business or trades that require you to employ staff or install machinery, but the housing office will generally agree to occupations like accounting, freelance writing/journalism or child-minding. Permission may be withdraw if the business or trade causes a nuisance, or you don’t get planning permission for it.