You should have received the following documents via DocuSign - if not please contact us:
- Tenancy Agreement - including:
- The Rental Exchange
- Authorisation for Exchange of Information
- Utility Authorisation Form
- Rent Book Form
- Gas Safety Record (LGSR)
- Energy Performance Certificate
- Electrical report
Please print or save your signed tenancy agreement and all related documents, including safety certificates from DocuSign, and keep it safe. DocuSign only keeps records for a limited time.
We hope that you will find everything to your satisfaction in your new home. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us, and if you have any repair issues with your new home please call 01494 476100 as soon as possible.
You might also find the government's guide How to rent - the checklist for renting in England useful.
Now you're a Red Kite tenant, you are eligible to become a member - find out more about Red Kite and becoming a member.
Once again, welcome to the Red Kite community!
Tenant Handbook
- Your tenant handbook (PDF format)
In line with current health and safety regulations, your water and gas supplies may have been turned off.
- If this has not already been arranged, please call our contractor Sureserve Compliance South on 0208 269 5981 to ask them to come and reinstate your gas boiler.
(If your new home is a newly developed home or has electric heating, e.g. storage heating, you do not need to contact Sureserve Compliance South) - Turn on your stopcock if you need to reinstate your water supply - this is usually located under the kitchen sink, or in a storage cupboard, but if you can't find it contact us and we can advise.
Rent Payments
To avoid falling into arrears, it is crucial to set up your rent payment as soon as possible. We make this process easy by offering a variety of convenient payment options - our preferred payment method is Direct Debit.
Housing benefit
If you are currently receiving housing benefit then you must contact your local authority to tell them about your change of address within one month:
If you do not do this, your housing benefit may end and you will have to claim Universal Credit instead.
You can request housing benefit to be paid on both homes (dual housing benefit) if you have moved within the last four weeks and still have to pay rent for your old home.
Housing benefit eligibility
You can make a new claim for Housing Benefit if either of the following apply:
- you have reached state pension age
- you’re in temporary housing.
If you’re over state pension age but you live with a partner who isn't, visit the government website for further guidance.
Universal Credit
If you receive Universal Credit, you must advise the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of your change of address.
You can report your change of address by either:
- signing into your Universal Credit account if you have one, or
- calling the Universal Credit helpline (0800 328 9344) if you don’t have an account.
Support
If you're struggling with the cost of living and need some help, check out this list of organisations who can provide support, including grants for furniture and white goods.
FAQs - Paying your rent
Your tenancy states that rent is charged weekly on a Monday and must be paid in advance. That way your account doesn’t fall into arrears.
If you don’t want to pay your rent on a weekly basis in line with your tenancy, then that is fine. But you will still need to pay in advance. So if you pay every month, then we’ll need you to pay a month in advance so that your account doesn’t fall into arrears. This applies if you want to pay fortnightly, four weekly or any other frequency.
Get in touch with us on 01494 476100 and we can set up a Direct Debit for your full rent plus an additional amount to get you in advance over the course of a few months.
Yes, we still expect rent to be paid in advance. If you’re on benefits that pay you monthly or four-weekly in arrears then we’d want to get you on a Direct Debit to start building that advance at a rate that is affordable for you.
Your tenancy states that rent is due in advance, so you should never be in arrears on your rent account. It also protects you from changes in circumstances. For example, if you paid monthly in arrears and found yourself unable to make a payment at your usual time, your rent account could fall into substantial debt before you’re able to get it back up to date.
To ensure that you are only charged for the energy you use, it is important to contact the utility company (or companies) of your choice and register with them immediately. Make sure you give them the current meter reading from your new home.
We will pass on your contact details and moving-in date to the current energy provider. This will usually be Utilita, however we will inform you at the sign-up who your energy provider is. Find out more about Utilita.
If you are thinking of having your gas meter removed or capped please contact us first for guidance.
We also have some information on smart meters and heating your home.
Contact Thames Water on 0800 980 8800 and register with them. You will need to give them the current meter reading (if applicable) from your new home.
You will need to let Buckinghamshire Council's Council Tax team know that you've moved in to a new address.
You need a TV licence to watch or record programmes on a TV, computer or other device.
You may be able to get a free or discounted TV licence if you’re 75 or over and get Pension Credit, or if you’re registered as blind.
You don't need a TV licence to watch:
- streaming services like Netflix and Disney+
- on-demand TV through services like ITVX and Amazon Prime Video
- videos on websites like YouTube
- DVDs or videotapes.
When you move into a new home, it's very important that you arrange your own home contents insurance. We are not responsible for insuring your personal goods, so if there was an accident - such as a fire or a flood - you would need to replace any damaged items yourself.
Here is some information that will help you to arrange your own insurance.
Home Safety
To ensure the safety of both your home and your fellow tenants, it is crucial that you carefully review this information:
Being a good neighbour
Being a good neighbour means:
- Being tolerant and understanding of other neighbours in your community, and remembering that other people may have views, lifestyles, and family and personal circumstances which are entirely different to yours
- Considering how your behaviour and that of others in your home affects neighbours and the wider community.
Noise is a common cause of complaints, and you should ensure that noise, especially in very built-up areas, is reduced as much as possible. Make sure that you:
- Let your neighbours know if you are having a party or family event, or doing any noisy DIY work. Your neighbours will be more understanding about noise if you have told them about it first and when it will be happening. The fact you have mentioned it will often be taken as a kind gesture. Try and avoid making noise late at night or early in the morning, and be mindful of the kind of home you live in and how the noise will transfer to others
- Keep the noise from devices such as radios, stereos and televisions at a reasonable level and be conscious that the later at night it is, the more the noise will impact upon others because of the lack of other background noise
- Keep TV and music speakers away from your neighbours' walls, and off the floor if you live in an upper-floor flat. TVs that are attached to party walls can cause vibration and flanking noise very easily, so ensure you move the TV casing sufficiently far from the wall with a clear gap (if wall-mounted).
- Avoid using other loud equipment at night time or in the early morning.
If there are designated parking bays near your home, you should only park in them if you are permitted to do so. Do not obstruct dropped kerbs or other access/emergency points, use excessive speed, or play very loud music in your car for long periods.
As one of our tenants, you may keep a pet in your home - but before getting a pet of any sort you'll need to get permission from us by completing our Pet Request Form. It is better to do this before it is picked up as a possible tenancy or lease breach.
If you have permission for a pet, make sure that you:
- Clean up any mess left and keep your dog on a lead in public areas
- Do not leave your pet unattended for long periods and ensure it does not cause excessive noise or nuisance
- Do not leave your dog to bark in your garden for prolonged periods.
Tenants have the right to use and enjoy communal areas. To keep these areas clean and safe you should:
- Make sure your children and guests are considerate of your neighbours and their property
- Put your rubbish in the bins, recycling where necessary, and do not create contamination in rubbish disposal which can result in missed bin collections. Make sure that you do not block hallways or stairways with items such as rubbish, bikes, mobility scooters, or children’s toys
- Not smoke in internal communal areas, as this is against the law. When smoking elsewhere, dispose of cigarette butts safely and do not drop them on the floor. Avoid smoking near the windows of neighbouring homes. Smoking cannabis (which is a Class B prohibited drug) is a breach of your tenancy agreement and against the law.
- Never charge items such as electric bicycles or scooters in communal areas. (Communal area plug sockets should not be used by tenants for any purpose.)
Never use a barbecue on your balcony. They are not permitted because of the risk of fire and smoke transfer and such use would be a serious breach of tenancy. If you use a barbecue in your own garden, try and use it away from any neighbouring homes, including windows and fencing.
If you are having a problem with a neighbour, try to sort it out between yourselves as soon as possible. Your neighbour may not realise that they are causing you a problem, and by being calm and thoughtful when raising an issue the communication will normally be received on more positive terms and provide an opportunity for compromise and agreement.
If this doesn't work, please contact us and we will do what we can to help. We work closely with an organisation called Alternatives to Conflict (formerly Mediation Bucks) to offer a free conflict resolution and mediation service for our tenants. We encourage you to use this service which provides advice, one-to-one coping strategies and coaching, and if appropriate, mediation between neighbours to seek consensus and agreement through workable and constructive solutions to demanding situations. If you do make a complaint of antisocial behaviour (ASB) we will on occasion insist that this is done as part of our case management.
- For further help please see our ASB webpages.
Other useful information
You will find lots of other information across this website - here are some of the more important things for you as a new tenant:
- Your tenant handbook
- Understanding your tenancy
- Your account
- Report a repair
- Repair responsibilities
- Damp, mould and condensation
- How to contact us
- How to give us feedback
- Communal areas, loft access and storage
- Waste and recycling
- Making changes to your home
- Aids and adaptations
- Outdoor spaces, trees and parking:
- Our sheltered schemes
- Antisocial behaviour, harassment, noise, and hate crimes
- Check whether your home is part of our planned maintenance programme
- Our visits to your home
- Ending your tenancy
- Volunteering with us