Frequently Asked Questions

You can come to a meeting of our Residents Panel or joining your local Tenants Association.   If there isn’t a tenants group in your area please contact us and we will help you set one up. If you don’t want to attend meetings you can visit one of our ‘Chi & Cantref’ surgeries held across the area we work in. You can also find information in our tenants newsletter about workshops, focus groups and various meetings we organise which can help you become more involved in our work. 

Download the appropriate application form, fill it in and return it to us.  When we receive it from you, we’ll assess your needs and put you on the register.  We have an open waiting list, which means anyone can make an application.

We’ll assess your application, your housing needs, the type of home that’s suitable for you and where you want to live. We will tell you how many points you have - your "points assessment" - which is an indication of your housing need.

Depending on the type of home that is available for letting we will select the applicant with the greatest housing need. We will write to you with an offer of a tenancy with us.

If you have a good reason to refuse the offer, your application shouldn’t be affected. However, if you refuse several offers we may have to suspend your application for a period. If you are accepted as a homeless applicant by the council you will only be given one offer of housing. If you refuse that offer because you don’t think the home is suitable, you can ask the council to review your application.

It’s difficult to predict when vacancies occur as we don’t know when any one our existing tenants will tell us they’re going to leave. For more information on the availability of vacant homes please contact us.

We are a partner in the Joint Housing Register with Ceredigion County Council.  Every time a tenant leaves one of our homes it's offered to people on the Register or to people who are nominated to us by the council from the same Register - this is because Cantref and the council operate a different points system.  If you want to apply to us to live in Ceredigion you'll need a Ceredigion Application Form.

You need to apply to http://www.choicehomespembrokeshire.org/ which is a scheme which ensures all the available council and housing association homes in Pembrokeshire are allocated to those who need them most. Everyone who applies receives an individual membership number and is placed in different bands (Gold, Silver or Bronze) which reflect the applicant’s needs. Every time a tenant leaves their home they are advertised in the Western Telegraph and on the council’s website. Applicants wanting to be considered for a Cantref home in Pembrokeshire contact a central telephone number and quote their membership number. It will be offered to the highest banded applicant matching the specific property.

We are a partner in the Carmarthenshire Housing Choice Register along with the council and the three other housing associations which are part of the Register. Every time a tenant leaves one of our homes in Carmarthenshire it’s offered to applicants from the Housing Register. For more details see www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk

We don’t not have a waiting list for applicants who want to live in Powys. Every time a tenant leaves one of our homes in Powys it is offered to applicants nominated by the council. If you want to become a Cantref tenant in Powys you’ll need to apply to join the council’s Waiting List. See www.powys.gov.uk

We’ll send you the offer of tenancy in writing. You’ll need to respond within three working days. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll send an offer of tenancy, for the same property, to another applicant on the Waiting List.The offer letter will give the full address, type of home, bedroom size and weekly rent/service charge payable. You’ll need to consider carefully the offer that you’ve been given. It’s not always possible for you to view a home at the time of the offer as it could still be occupied by the person who is leaving. If you’re in a position to accept the offer, pending viewing, you’ll need to return the acceptance slip. A viewing can be arranged once the home is vacant. If you then decide that you don’t wish to accept, you can refuse the offer. If you do refuse the offer, this won’t affect your position on the waiting list, as long as you have a valid reason for refusing. If you accept we’ll let you know when the home is ready for you to move in.  We’ll arrange a convenient date and time to meet so we can give you the keys and show you everything you need to know.

When you become a tenant you sign a tenancy agreement with us and there are different kinds:

Probationary Tenancies - all our new tenants sign a probationary tenancy for 12 months, during which it’s important not to breach the agreement as this could mean you’ll lose your home. We make every effort to support you in your tenancy but unfortunately this isn’t always possible.

Assured Tenancies - If you haven’t breached the probationary tenancy agreement you’ll get an Assured Tenancy. This gives you greater security and means if you breach the agreement you won’t lose your home without a hearing in court.

Secure Tenancies - some tenants have ‘Secure Tenancies’, with the same tenancy obligations and security as assured tenants but with a few differences such as the right to buy their home.

Being a tenant means you have some important responsibilities which are explained in full in your Tenants Handbook. These include, for example: paying your rent on time; keeping the inside of your home in good condition; repairing damage by yourself or a visitor; keeping the outside of your home free from rubbish. The Agreement also makes clear that some behaviour, like the use of bad language and harassment, is unacceptable. You’ll also need to get our permission for some things, like keeping a pet, erecting a satellite dish, running a business or subletting your home.

We take anti-social behaviour very seriously and we won’t tolerate behaviour which is a nuisance to other tenants and residents in the local community. If a problem does arise please contact us as soon as possible as we are committed to taking action against those responsible.

If you want to end your tenancy and move out of your home, you need to give us at least 4 weeks notice in writing. You should leave your home and garden in a clean condition, in a good state of repair and decoration and clear of rubbish.

One of our officers will visit you before you leave to inspect your home. They can advise you on what re-decoration or repairs might need to be done. You also need to replace any broken fixtures or fittings. If you don’t we have to charge you for doing so. We will also dispose of anything you leave behind

Anything you leave behind in the property will be disposed of and you may be charged for the cost of disposal.

Don’t forget to keep paying your rent until the Monday at the end of the 4 weeks written notice you’ve given us. Even if you leave the property before this, you need to continue to pay the equivalent of your rent and service charges until this date.  Please return your keys to our office by midday on the final Monday.

A lodger is somebody who lives with the family but has no private room or rooms. Providing you have enough space in your home, you don’t need our permission to take in a lodger. You must however provide us with their name and age so that we can make sure that there’s no overcrowding. Your lodger will not have any rights under the Tenancy Agreement but is your responsibility and it’s up to you to ask them to leave the property when you want them to.

Sub letting is different to taking in a lodger. A sub tenant will have sole occupancy of your home. We do not allow homes to be sublet. 

Important: If you are entitled to Housing Benefit, then you must inform the Housing Benefit Department of your Local Authority if you take in a lodger or sub let your home as it will affect the amount of benefit you are entitled to.

You can keep a reasonable number of fish and small caged animals or birds in your home as long as they don’t cause a nuisance to your neighbours. You can’t keep any animal that needs to be registered with the council. You also need to ask permission from us to keep a dog or a cat. Permission will be granted according to the size and type of property that you live in. You will not generally for example be given permission to keep a pet if you live in a flat or anywhere with a shared entrance or hallway, or do not have your own garden.

There are of course exemptions for guide dogs. If you need to keep a guide dog, then we’ll do our best to provide you with suitable accommodation.

To report a repair please telephone your Area Team. The office is open 9am-5pm Monday – Thursday; 9am-4pm Friday). You will need to provide us with the following information:

• Your name, address and contact number.
• What you think needs to be done, giving as many details as possible.
• When somebody will be at home to allow the repair to be carried out or for an inspection made. You need to give reasonable access to our contractors when necessary.

When will my repair be done?

We carry out repairs according to their urgency: 

You are responsible for the keys to your home. We don’t keep spare sets so if you lose them it’s your responsibility to get the locks changed. You can ask us to arrange for this to be done by one of our contractors, but the cost will be charged to you (which will include a call out charge). If you live in one of our sheltered complexes, then the warden will have a master key that can be used in emergencies

Before making any alterations or improvements to your home, you must write and ask us, explaining what you’d like to do and if necessary with your detailed plans. No alterations or improvements can be carried out before you receive permission from us.

You will need to contact the Social Services Department of your local county council to request an assessment by an Occupational Therapist.

Ceredigion County Council:  01545 574000

Pembrokeshire County Council: 01437 764551

Carmarthenshire County Council: 
     Adult Team 01267 224421;

     Children’s Team 01554 742322

Powys County Council:  01597 827102

The Occupational Therapist will visit your home and if adaptations are needed, they will send us report.  If the adaptations are appropriate and practical, we could then arrange for their completion, through a process called Physical Adaptations Grant (PAGs).  We will have a design prepared, price the work and apply for grant-aid from the Assembly to fund the works and organise a contractor to carry them out to your satisfaction.

We don’t provide a refuse service, but your local council will provide a service for a small fee.  If you want them to collect items please contact them and give them the following details

·                     Your name and address

·                     The type and number of items you want collected

 
It’s always worth asking your neighbour if they have any items they need collecting so that the cost of the collection can be shared.

Yes we can but contact us as soon as you have a problem so we can work with you to try and ease the problem before the debt gets out of control. You may be entitled to benefits that you are not claiming or receiving. One of our Area Team Officers may be able to help you or offer advice about getting in touch with other agencies that can help too. Rent arrears are serious - we rely on the income from your rent to run our business. But we’re keen to help tenants manage their income and keep arrears to a minimum.

If you’re unhappy with our performance please let us know as soon as you can.  Use the contact form on this site or contact us by phone.  We’d like to sort out your problem immediately but sometimes this isn’t always possible and you may want to make a complaint. We have a complaints system and for more details view our complaints policy here.

If you are still dissatisfied once our own internal investigation is complete, you can make a complaint to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.  Here are the contact details:

Address:           Public Services Ombudsman For Wales

                        1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae

                        Pencoed

                        Bridgend

                        CF35 5LJ

Telephone:        0845 601 0987 (local rate)

Fax:                  01656 641 199

Email:   ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk