Knowing your rights

It’s important that you know your rights

We’ve created this page to signpost you to all the essential information you may need to help you exercise these rights if you aren’t happy with the service you receive from us. 

Click the quick links below to jump to each section:

You have a right to be safe in your home 

As a social housing landlord, we have a legal duty to provide safe and habitable properties for our customers that meet health and safety legislation. 

 

This includes ensuring that your home is free from serious hazards, including damp and mould, as required by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), the Housing Act 2004, and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023. 

 

More information relating to the Housing Act and Safety Rating system can be found here: 

 

We also comply with The Building Safety Act 2022, which offers customers living in buildings over seven storeys or 18 metres tall more rights and protections. It ensures that buildings are properly maintained, and faults are fixed whilst protecting customers from costs. This offers customers greater peace of mind in a safe and secure home.  

 

For more advice and guidance on a range of home safety topics, including fire, gas, electricity, leaks and floods, and more, go to our Home Safety area. 

You have a right to a good quality home that meets the Decent Homes Standard, and a good neighbourhood to live in

We’re committed to continuing to ensure that all our homes continue to meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard. 

 

If you have a repair that you need to tell us about, you can log into your MyKarbon account or call us on 0808 164 0111. 

 

Our website also has information about: 

You have the right to reasonable adjustments 

We believe in providing equal opportunities for all of our customers. This means making sure your needs are recognised and met. Where necessary, we will make reasonable adjustments if it is required for you to access services. This is in line with the Equality Act 2010. 

 

What is a reasonable adjustment? 

 

A reasonable adjustment involves making a change to the way that we usually do things to ensure that we take account of individual needs. It could mean making a physical change to a home or changing the way we communicate with you. This is to avoid or correct the disadvantage to a person with a disability such as, a mobility issue or being deaf.  

 

Adjustment examples: 

  • Information in appropriate alternative formats e.g. large print, audio 

  • Email or telephone in preference to hard copy letters where appropriate which may assist those with a visual impairment 

  • Providing an interpreter (including sign language) when appropriate 

  • Arranging home visits for those who have mobility difficulties 

  • Providing services or appointment times to take account of medical needs or special circumstances. 

  • Home adaptations and our Home Assist service 

 

If you would like to make a request for any reasonable adjustments, the first step is to contact us. You can call us on 0808 164 0111 or visit our contact us page. 

You have a right to know how your landlord is performing

We're committed to being a transparent landlord and showing our customers how we're performing in various areas. 

 

We publish results in our Customer Annual Report annually and we’ll also be sharing our Tenant Satisfaction Measures results in the Summer.  

 

You have the right to be treated with fairness and respect 

We're committed to treating all our customers with fairness and respect. Here are just some of the ways we ensure this happens:  
  

  • We have a Code of Conduct and Behaviour Framework for our colleagues.  

  • If we get something wrong, you can make a complaint to us.  

You have the right to have your complaints dealt with promptly and fairly, with access to the Housing Ombudsman (who will give you swift and fair redress when needed) 

We work hard to give you a brilliant service. But we know that sometimes things do go wrong. If you feel like our service hasn’t been up to scratch, please let us know. 

 

We have created a dedicated complaints area on our website which explains our complaints process. It also gives information on how to escalate your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint.  
  

You can also view our:  

The UK government website also provides information for social housing tenants, including how to complain.

You have the right to have your voice heard by your landlord 

We have the Resident Involvement Framework, which is our offer to customers to engage with Karbon. This includes numerous groups including:  

 

  • Residents Committee 

  • Area Forums 

  • Sheltered Housing Forums 

  • Scrutiny Panel 

  • Procurement Panel 

  • Environment Group 

 

As well as this, we have two customers that sit on the Housing Ombudsman Residents Panel. 

 

There are often opportunities to speak at regional and national conferences and our customers represent Karbon at these also.  

 

We want to give you more opportunities to share your views to help us improve our services. If you would like to get involved in any of customer involvement opportunities, then email: connectwithkarbon@karbonhomes.co.uk 

 

You have rights if you’re a tenant thinking about buying your property 

We have a dedicated area on our website to help guide you throughout the buying process. For more information on how Rent to Buy works and eligibility, visit the gov.uk website.  
 
View our most recent new build developments with Rent to Buy properties.

More information on regulation and your rights

Your rights and responsibilities will be outlined in your Tenancy Agreement. It will detail things like rent and service charges, repairs, and acceptable behaviour. More details of this can be found in our Tenancy Policy.  

 

You can find a summary of your rights below: 

 

  • Right to occupy: you can live in your home for the length of your tenancy, providing you keep to the regulations and conditions of the tenancy. 

 

  • Right to security of tenure: your tenancy can only be ended by us if one or more of the conditions shown in your tenancy agreement is broken or if you no longer occupy the property as your only or principal home. 

 

  • Right to repair: If we do not carry out repairs within an agreed timescale and fail to do so after a second request is made, then you may be able to organise your own repairs and be compensated for this. In the event of inspecting the property’s condition, any installations, or any repairs, you have the right to a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to us requiring access. This timeframe may become more immediate should there be an emergency.   

 

  • Right to consultation: you have a right to be consulted on housing management matters. 

 

  • Right to information: you have a right to a Tenancy Agreement and information on your rights. You can ask to look at information that we hold on our records about you. 

 

  • Right of succession: you can pass on your home to someone in your family living with you when you die, if they have been living with you in the property for 12 months immediately prior to your death. This can only happen once during a tenancy (see your Tenancy Agreement for the list of people able to succeed). 

 

  • Right to make a complaint: If you are not satisfied with the service you receive from us then you have the right to make a complaint. 

 

The following section applies to Assured tenants only:  

 

  • Right to exchange: with our permission, you can exchange your property for another one. 

 

  • Right to acquire: you may have the right to buy or acquire your home at a discount.  

 

  • Right to carry out improvements:  you can carry out improvements to your home with our written permission 

 

  • Right to take in lodgers: with our permission, you can take in lodgers so long as your home will not become overcrowded. 

More information 

Here are some additional resources to support you to understand your rights 

 

We're here to help

If you need more information regarding your tenancy and your rights, use this form to contact us and a member of the team will be in touch. 

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