Housing Services

Your Home and Environment

Being a Good Neighbour

Any tenant who is suffering the effects of neighbour nuisance should inform the Association at the earliest opportunity, when the procedure to follow to

assist the Association in the legal process(if necessary) will be explained. You, those living with you, and your visitors, must not harass or behave in an anti-social manner towards other people in the neighbourhood, including your neighbours and our employees. The Association will take legal action where persistent breaches of the tenancy agreement take place.

Care of the Property

You are expected to keep the property in good condition throughout your tenancy, including taking your turn at washing stairs, cleaning windows, and bin areas or maintaining your garden area where these are appropriate. If you are aware of any tenants who are not carrying out these responsibilities you should contact the Housing Management Section as soon as possible.

As tenant of the property you are responsible for the condition of the internal fixtures and fittings and you have a duty to report all repairs. Accidental damage does occur however and where this is reported promptly to the Association we will consider the circumstances and may decide to use our buildings insurance to cover the cost of such damage - Association staff do carry out inspections to detect unreported damage, so always report any damage as soon as possible. Any damage caused to the property by any wilful or negligent act will usually mean that the tenant is charged for the cost of any replacement or repair. Legal action will be taken for persistent or severe cases of damage to Association property.

Pets

You or anyone living with you may keep a domestic pet, however, you must seek prior written permission from the Association. Existing tenants who already keep a domestic pet within their household must have already acquired written permission from the Association. Permission is subject to certain conditions which are defined in detail within your tenancy agreement.

Noise Nuisance

The Association receives numerous complaints relating to issues of noise nuisance. To assist in the investigation of these complaints it is useful to have verification of a persistent noise problem from a source such as the Police or the Councils Environmental Services Department. South Lanarkshire Council now operate an Anti Social Noise hotline which is available to the public Monday – Sunday 8.45am – 3am, by telephoning 0800 242 024.

Graffiti Removal

Did you know that all residents in South Lanarkshire can take advantage of the Councils free graffiti removal service(for communal areas), by calling 01698 717777. Please don’t leave graffiti for someone else to report! - help maintain the look of your area by reporting graffiti promptly to the above number.

Other Assistance

As well as the services listed above South Lanarkshire Council also offer mediation services to resolve neighbour disputes, and the provision of community wardens patrolling in some areas.

In the case of neighbour disputes, although the association will try and help in the first instance, the Mediation service is sometimes the only route that can resolve a dispute where there is no clear right or wrong and it is not our responsibility to ‘take sides’. This service is free and can be a very successful way of resolving these disputes. In very serious neighbour disputes the Association may decide that the only solution to resolve the issue will be to take action against both neighbours – Neighbours should always ensure that they have done everything possible to amicably resolve a dispute at an early stage to ensure more serious issues do not develop.

For further information about how these services work or how they might be able to assist you please contact the Councils website at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk or call the Councils main telephone number 01698 454444.

Wheelie Bins

If your Wheelie bin is stolen or vandalised you have two options available to order a new wheelie bin – One can be ordered direct from the Cleansing Department on Tel 01698 717777, using a credit or debit card for payment. Alternatively, you can pay for a new bin using cash or cheque by calling into your local Q+A office at Rutherglen or Cambuslang. Unfortunately, the Association do not replace wheelie bins as these are owned by the individual householder and therefore the householders responsibility to renew. Costs of a replacement bin currently stands at £42.75, although you should ask about the availability of second hand bins which are around £15, but not always available.