To make sure you not only get the best possible service, but that you also have all the information you need to settle into your new home and community, we’ll visit you between nine and twelve weeks after you move in.
We'll ensure we book an appointment so our visit is at a convenient time for you – but it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes, including a quick look around the property.
If you have an appointment for a visit but can no longer make it, make sure you contact us as soon as possible to rearrange. It’s really important to make sure your visit takes place as, otherwise we must start our abandonment procedure – so if you’ve missed an appointment and we’ve left you a card, please contact us as soon as you can to rebook.
There are certain questions that crop up quite frequently at New Customer Visits – you may find it helpful to talk through the FAQs listed below during the visit.
How do I pay my Council Tax, and what Band is my home?
Your local authority can help with this – click here to find contact details for yours.
Which company are my utilities with?
You’ll be given information on your suppliers at sign-up, but you can also double-check your supplier online.
How do I get refuse bins, and what day are they collected?
Your local authority can help with this – click here to find contact details for yours.
I have a service charge for communal gardening – what does this cover and what areas do you maintain? See our My service charges page for more information
How do I report a repair? See our Book a repair page
Do I need permission to have a pet in my home?
You should contact us for permission regarding pets, but please note that pets aren’t permitted in flats or properties with a communal entrance. You can find additional information in our Pets Policy.
Can I install a satellite TV dish? See our Property Management page
Am I allowed to purchase the property in the future? See our Buy a home page
If I want to decorate the property, do I need permission?
Whilst you don’t need permission to decorate, if and when you move out, you must leave the property in good decorative order, i.e. neutral colours.
A tenancy audit is simply the process of gathering, checking and recording information about who lives in a property and the condition the property is in.
Our Tenancy Services Officers carry out these audits. The checks are carried out during unannounced home visits, but as you should never let anyone you don’t know into your home without an ID check, our Tenancy Services Officers will always have ID with them. The aims of the visits are to:
ensure that the information we hold on the household is up-to-date and relevant;
support anyone in need, including signposting relevant agencies and services;
check the property is still suitable for your needs;
check the condition of the property, including any unreported repairs;
identify and address any breaches of tenancy, eg debt.
identify and tackle incidents of suspected tenancy fraud, or other illegal activity.
It’s really important that you allow us access for these visits, so we can ensure you are looking after your home in line with your tenancy agreement and so we can check that we are providing the right services for you.
A fixed-term tenancy is fixed for a minimum of two years. We offer fixed term tenancies for five years on all general need properties, with the following exceptions:
Where the tenant has held a continuous social housing or local authority tenancy (or tenancies) since 1 April 2012. In this case an assured tenancy will be offered.
Where a significant reason exists not to use a fixed term tenancy, such as a major redevelopment programme.
We always intend to renew a tenancy or end the tenancy in discussion with you, as part of a review process which begins 12 months before the end of your fixed term period. This includes a review with household members, as well as how the tenancy has been managed by us. The review takes into consideration:
the number of household members and any overcrowding or under-occupation;
household income levels and affordability;
housing needs and suitability of the property;
tenancy history at the property; and
legal right to remain.
We need you to help us to complete the review by providing the information asked for. Each situation is assessed on an individual basis, considering specific needs and requirements, and during the process we keep you updated, if needed, on other housing options available to you.
We will usually offer a further five-year fixed term tenancy unless certain criteria apply, including but not limited to:
Any current and / or continuous breaches of your tenancy agreement during the fixed term period including, but not limited to antisocial behaviour, subletting, tenancy fraud or rent arrears.
The property being under or over-occupied.
You or your advocate not engaging in the fixed term tenancy review process.
We’ll let you know the outcome of the review at least six months before the end of the fixed term tenancy. If a new tenancy is offered, it will be a five-year fixed term, which must be signed prior to the end of the existing fixed term tenancy. If you have arrears on your account, you’ll be asked to clear these in full before a new tenancy is granted.
If the tenancy is to be ended, we will notify you in writing by serving a Minded Notice at least six months before the end of the fixed term tenancy. A Section 21 Notice, with the date to leave the property, is served no later than two months before the end of a fixed term tenancy.
You are required to leave the property by the Section 21 Notice date. After this date, we will apply to court for a possession order.
Where a decision is made not to offer a new tenancy, we always offer help and advice to find somewhere else. The tenancy can only be ended during a fixed term period in line with the following ending of tenancy procedures:
Surrender of Tenancy by the customer(s) in agreement with us.
Court Order as a result of possession proceedings taken in accordance with the relevant policy.
A total of 28 days’ notice of intent to vacate the property, in writing, from the customer(s).
You have the right to appeal any decision not to offer a further fixed term tenancy, but this appeal must be lodged within 14 calendar days of the date of issue of the Minded Notice.
All appeals are considered by a panel who have not been involved with the review or previous decision. You will then be advised of the outcome of the appeal, in writing, within 10 working days of the hearing.
If your appeal is successful, a new five-year fixed term tenancy will be offered, but if your representations are not upheld, the tenancy will be ended. There is no further right to appeal.
You have the right to complain or appeal against the length of the fixed term tenancy and type of tenancy offered at the outset under this appeal process and in line with 2.2.1(f) of the Tenancy Standard. The same principles and timescale above will apply.
There are many life events and lifestyle changes that may affect your tenancy, so please ensure you let us know so we can help you as needed in times of change.
We understand there is a lot to deal with when a loved one, family member or friend passes away. Please contact us as soon as possible to let us know, and we will do all we can to make the process easy during a difficult time.
We understand there is a lot to deal with when a loved one, family member or friend passes away. Please contact us as soon as possible to let us know, and we will do all we can to make the process easy during a difficult time.
There are certain pieces of information we will need, so please make sure you have this to hand if you are calling or that it is all included if you are writing to us:
Name of the customer
Customer address
The date they passed away
The name and contact details of executor or personal representative
Your relationship to the customer
Whether the property is secure
Who has the keys to the property
Whether anyone else lives at the property and if they’d like to stay there
You can submit all this information online if you prefer, by clicking here.
The tenancy needs to be ended by the executor or personal representative in writing, giving a minimum of four weeks’ notice, to end on a Sunday following the date we receive it. We have a pre-filled form, which can be downloaded here, to make this easier for you.
We will also need a copy of the death certificate, either sent by email or post stating the address of the property, via contact us.
Rent will still be payable until the tenancy end date, and the executor or personal representative can find out the balance on the rent account at any time, by contacting us.
All items must be removed from the property, and if there are items that aren’t wanted or needed by family members, we recommend contacting local charities regarding potential donations.
The keys must also be returned to us at the end of the tenancy, and we suggest sending them by recorded or registered post. Once we receive notification that a customer has sadly passed away and the notice to end the tenancy, we will advise the executor or personal representative of the tenancy end date, rent balance and where the keys should be returned to.
Please remember, you will need to contact utilities providers and your local council tax team as well as any benefits agencies, if applicable. We recommend you take meter readings at the end of the tenancy, and you may wish to consider redirecting mail.
We understand this can be such a difficult time and you may need bereavement support, we recommend the National Bereavement Service.
If you have a joint tenancy and your joint tenant has passed away, it is likely the tenancy will automatically transfer into your sole name.
There are certain pieces of information we will need, so please make sure you have this to hand if you are calling or that it is all included if you are writing to us:
Name of the customer
Customer address
The date they passed away
The name and contact details of executor or personal representative
We will confirm any changes to you in writing.
If you or someone else is living in the property, but they were not a joint tenant, they may have the right to stay in the property and take the tenancy on, i.e. ‘succeed’ the tenancy. This right depends on the type of tenancy, the relationship between the occupant and the customer who has passed away, and the length of time the occupant has lived there.
You will need to apply to succeed the tenancy by contacting us.
You will also need to provide evidence of your relationship to the customer with, for example birth and marriage certificates, and evidence of your length of occupancy at the property with, for example a council tax bill or bank statement. We will also need a copy of the death certificate, either sent by email or post stating the address of the property via contact us.
If you do have the right to succeed the tenancy, we will confirm this in writing as soon as possible. If the property is larger than is required to suit your needs, or adapted to suit certain disabilities you do not have, we may offer you an alternative property or help you find something more suitable for you to move to.
If you do not have the right to succeed, we will also confirm this in writing as soon as possible. We appreciate this will be a very difficult time, and we will give all the help and advice we can to find alternative accommodation.
Please remember, you will need to contact utilities providers and your local council tax team as well as any benefits agencies, if applicable.
For bereavement support, we recommend the National Bereavement Service.
If someone is moving into your home, you need to let us know.
If you want to add the person to your tenancy, you’ll need to apply for permission which will be subject to certain criteria, detailed in our Tenancy Management Policy.
However, if you want to add a person to your household but not to your tenancy, you still need to let us know. Your Tenancy Agreement may tell you the maximum number of people permitted in your household.
If you want to charge the person rent to live with you, you will also have to request our permission.
If you are claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, you need to report any changes in your circumstances right away.
We must carry out right to rent checks before adding any potential occupants to a tenancy (through assignment or contractual / discretionary succession), or to a household – even if they are not on the tenancy. These checks apply to all members of the household over the age of 18.
The rules that require us to make the checks are part of the Immigration Act 2014, which introduced measures to reform the immigration system.
Where the required documents can be provided, we will note this on our records. For the purposes of assignment / succession, a person cannot sign a tenancy agreement or be added to the tenancy until we have completed all checks and received the correct documents.
More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/check-tenant-right-to-rent-documents
Where the required documents cannot be provided:
We will need to check for an ongoing or pending Immigration Appeal. If an appeal is pending, we will await the outcome. If no appeal is pending, it will not be possible to make the tenancy changes and unfortunately the person will not have the right to live or remain in your home until the documents needed can be provided.
Where necessary, we will ask the Home Office to provide a decision. If they confirm the right to rent, we will let you know and note it on our records. If they advise there is no right to rent, we will let you know the person is unable to live in the property.
If you want to add a person to your household, you can notify us.
An assignment is a legal transfer of tenancy, and can include:
Sole to Sole
Sole to Joint
Joint to Sole
We only allow tenancy assignments involving certain groups of people:
A spouse or civil partner. There is no requirement for them to have been living at the property for a certain period.
A partner who can evidence they have been living at the property as their main home for at least 12 months.
A would-be successor (applicable to secure tenancies only).
You need to submit your request to assign using the online form or by contacting us.
You can find more information here.
We understand there are lots of reasons someone may change their name or be known by a different name. However, as a Tenancy Agreement is a legal document, we can only agree a name change request if you have changed your name by marriage, civil partnership, deed poll, or if you have divorced.
To complete the change, we’ll need a copy of your marriage / civil partnership certificate or deed poll. A divorce does not legally change your name, so we can only agree a change to your previous name if you have the Decree Absolute and marriage certificate.
If you wish to request a name change, please complete our name change form. by visiting Contact us
If you wish to leave an Orbit property you need to tell us this in writing by providing a Notice to Quit. You can do this online by choosing the appropriate option below.
You can only submit an online Notice to Quit for weekly tenancies. If you have a monthly tenancy, including Intermediate Rent, please contact us. We can explain how to end your tenancy, as we need a full month’s notice (starting from the 1st of the month).
When you choose an option you will be taken through a form to understand the conditions of ending your tenancy. You will be asked to provide basic information about your current property, for example who your utility suppliers are. This will allow us to ensure that the property can become a home to someone else as quickly as possible so please have this information to hand before you begin.
You will be asked to sign the form electronically once you have entered your information. This is legally the same as you having signed a paper Notice to Quit and sent to us.
If you are the only tenant named on the tenancy agreement, we will begin to process your Notice to Quit straightaway and we will contact you to confirm your tenancy end date and give you further information regarding the end of your tenancy.
If you have a joint tenancy i.e. you and another person are named on the tenancy agreement, we ask that your joint tenant also signs and you will need to enter into the form the e-mail address of your joint tenant. Once you have completed the form it will automatically go to them to review and sign. We will only receive your form to begin processing it once your joint tenant has also signed it.
Some Orbit tenancies require both joint tenants to sign the Notice to Quit to be valid i.e. to allow you to end your tenancy. If you have a joint tenancy and you are not able to get the other person to sign, we will review the Notice to Quit once it is received and will speak to you and advise whether we are able to accept your notice at this time. If you have any queries or concerns about this, please contact us in the first instance and we will be happy to discuss.
Please note, we understand circumstances can sometimes change, however if a valid Notice to Quit has been given by a customer, this automatically and legally ends the tenancy. It cannot just be retracted. We will review any request to withdraw a notice in line with how the tenancy has been managed and current circumstances, but it is not a given that we will issue a new tenancy. Therefore we ask that you be sure of your decision to end your tenancy, before giving notice.
Please choose the option appropriate to you: