Private Sector Housing
 In addition to our own properties Marches Housing
Association operates a Private Sector service, whereby we
manage houses and flats on behalf of private owners. This
service began in the mid 1990s following a government initiative
to bring empty houses in the region back into use. Grant money
from the Local Authority or the Housing Corporation was made
available to owners to renovate the properties and in return
the owners agree to lease the property to Marches for a fixed
period of time. We currently have 105 private sector properties
in management.
What does it mean being
a Private sector tenant?
Marches Housing Association does not own these properties,
but we have entered into an agreement with a private
owner to take over the management of the property
for a fixed period of time. We take on the property
under a legally binding lease agreement. Our staff
will be able to tell you when the lease agreement
on a particular property ends.
When the lease ends, you may be asked to move out, and help
will normally be offered with re-housing. Alternatively, you
may be able to stay if the Association agree with the owner
to keep the property on for a further 12 months. The lease
will then be reviewed on an annual basis.
Because we do not own the property, the terms of the tenancy
are different from other Marches Housing Association tenants.
Private Sector properties are offered on an assured shorthold
tenancy, which is initially for a fixed period of 6 months.
After that, it becomes an assured periodic tenancy, which
means that if you want to leave, you will be able to end the
tenancy by giving us one month's written notice. If the Association
want to end the tenancy (for example, because we are handing
the property back to the private owner) we will be able to
end the tenancy by giving you two month's written notice.
Because we do not own the property, requests for
repairs are managed in a particular way. Repairs may
either be carried out by :
- the owner of the property
- the owner's chosen contractors
- Marches approved contractors
Regretfully, tenants in private sector properties
are not permitted to keep pets at the premises.
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