3.14 You are responsible for decorating inside your home to a reasonable standard. 3.15 You are responsible for repairing and maintaining your own equipment such as cookers or washing machines and any improvement you have made yourself (unless you have an agreement for us to repair and maintain it — See 3.21). 3.16 You must not remove walls or make alterations to any other part of your home without our agreement in writing. For certain improvements /alterations planning permission may be necessary. (see 3.20) 3.17 If you make an improvement or alteration to your home without our written agreement we may tell you to return the property to it's original condition. If you do not we may do the work and you may be charged for the re-instatement. 3.18 If you have an emergency repair outside District Office working hours, you may telephone the emergency number. From 1st April 1998, the number is 521500. We will inform you if the number changes. Please use this number in cases of emergencies only. Please remember that you are responsible for replacing batteries in the smoke alarms in your home. TENANT'S RIGHTS 3.19 You have the right to get repairs done on time. In some cases you have a legal 'right to repair' — you may be able to get compensation if certain repairs are not done on time. Ask your housing officer for more information. 3.20 You have the right to carry out certain improvements to your home provided that you have our agreement in writing prior to carrying out the work. You may also need planning and building regulation approval. (Permission to carry out improvements will not be unreasonably withheld.) You may be entitled to be compensated for any approved improvements when your tenancy ends. You may be required to provide us with proof of the amount you spent on carrying out these works. Any compensation payments will be in accordance with the Council’s Estate Management Policy and the Housing Act 1985. 3.21 If you make an improvement you can ask us to repair and maintain it for you. If you do get this agreement we may increase your rent to cover the extra costs of repair and maintenance. Ask your housing officer for more information.
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PART FOUR Community Responsibilities
Some elements of community responsibilities are covered by the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Policy and Property Management Policy. These will be available from all District Housing Offices. Everyone has the right to enjoy life in their own way providing they don’t upset people living near them. A good neighbour will tolerate and understand the different lifestyles of others. We will try to help people solve their problems peacefully but we will take action quickly when this fails and in cases of harassment or victimisation. COUNCIL'S RESPONSIBILITIES 4.1
We must give you help and advice if you report nuisance or harassment. We will look into your complaints and decide what action to take.
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