Tenancy rights & responsibilities

If you are offered a property, you will normally be offered a Scottish Secure Tenancy. This gives you certain rights but also comes with some responsibilities. This section gives you more information about what those rights and responsibilities are.

Your rights

If you become a tenant with a Scottish Secure Tenancy Agreement you will have the following rights:

The right to a well maintained and safe property. We carry out regular safety checks and certain repairs in our properties.
The right to be consulted before your rent is increased. We carry out a rent consultation every year to get our tenant’s views.
The right to information. We give our tenants a written Tenancy Agreement which explains their rights and responsibilities in full. We also publish our policies on our website and consult with tenants before making changes to these.
The right to get involved. Our tenants can get involved in the local community and can influence the way we do things. You can become a board member, a member of one of our involvement groups or an Association Member. For more information about getting involved with Queens Cross, click here. For more information about getting involved with Maryhill, click here.
The right to make a complaint. We value complaints and use information from them to help us improve our services.

Your responsibilities

If you become a tenant, you will have the following responsibilities:

Keep up to date with rent payments - You would be responsible for paying the rent for the property in full. Rent payments are due monthly in advance and you will normally be required to make a rent payment on the day you sign your Tenancy Agreement. If you receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit we can assist you to update your claim. We can also help you if you get into arrears or struggle to make payments.
Take care of your property - You will be expected to take good care of your property and report any repairs to us as soon as possible. You will also need to give us access to carry out repairs and safety checks.
Live in the property and tell us if you are going away - You need to live in the property and use it as your only home. You should also let us know if you are going away for more than four weeks.
Be a good neighbour - We can make our communities the best they can be by respecting each other, looking after our communal areas and helping out when we can. You would be responsible for disposing of rubbish properly, keeping communal areas free from personal belongings, ensuring you don’t make excessive noise (especially at night) and that you treat others with respect. Tenants are responsible for their own behaviour and the behaviour of anyone they invite to their home. We will fully investigate any complaints of anti-social behaviour and take the appropriate action.
End your tenancy properly - You can end your tenancy at any time by giving us 28 days’ notice in writing.

For more information about tenancy rights and responsibilities, you can visit the Shelter Scotland website here.

How we can help

We have a number of services available to assist tenants who get into difficulty or who need advice.

Difficulties paying your rent?

If you’re having difficulties paying your rent, we are here to help. It’s important you contact your housing team as soon as you know there’s a problem. We can help you to set up a repayment plan, we can check that you are receiving all of the benefits you are entitled to and we can refer you for assistance from our Welfare Rights and Money Advice services.

Worrying about benefits or debt?

Our Financial Wellbeing and Support teams offer free, impartial and confidential welfare rights and debt advice to our tenants and factored owners. Our friendly, helpful staff will take the time to listen to your personal circumstances and discuss your options with you. They can help with issues with your benefits or help you to manage debt.

Looking for energy advice?

Our specialist energy advisers can provide support and help to reduce your fuel bills, manage fuel debt, switch supplier and apply for a fuel crisis payment.

Need help with repairs?

You can report repairs to us by phone, on our website, by email or through the tenants app. We can give you advice and assistance if you contact us.

Problems with neighbours?

You can report anti-social behaviour to us using the tenants app, completing an online form on our website or by calling us. When you report anti-social behaviour to us we will listen carefully to your problem and clearly explain what will happen next. We will treat all information confidentially, keep you up-to-date on our investigation and work with other organisations (such as Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council) to support you and resolve the problem.

Questions about your tenancy?

If you have any questions about your tenancy, you can talk to your housing officer or another member of your housing team. You can talk to us about anything from changes to your tenancy to keeping a pet. Just pick up the phone, send an email or get in touch using the tenants app.

Have children and need some support?

If you are a Queens Cross Tenant, our Family Wellbeing Project provides support to young families who are at higher risk of homelessness and provides them with wraparound family driven support. The support provided by the Family Wellbeing Project focuses on parents and children - improving the wellbeing of the whole family. We provide the support that the parents need to provide a safe, secure and nurturing home, but we will also understand the children’s needs.

If you are a Queens Cross tenant and think our Family Wellbeing service is something that would benefit you or you would like more information get in contact with Alana Stewart, our Family Wellbeing Project Manager at [email protected] or by phone on 0808 143 2002.

This project has been funded by the Nationwide Community fund.

For more information about any of these services, please visit qcha.org.uk or www.maryhill.org.uk