• What you are responsible for if your house has shared areas
• If you have a garden
• If you cannot maintain your garden
• How to get rid of rubbish

If you live in a flat or other type of property with shared areas, you must take your turn with all other residents who share the area to keep it clean and tidy. This includes the following:

• Drying greens and drying areas, staircases, landings, hall entrances, lifts and bin areas.  You must also keep the area clear of anything that might cause a danger or possible safety problem or block people’s access.  You might want to organise a rota with your neighbours to do the cleaning.
• If you and your neighbours cannot agree on the arrangements for doing this, or if you fail to do the work, we are entitled to decide exactly what you should do and when.  Before making our decision, we will consult you and your neighbours.  Our decision will be final.  If you do not do the work, we may do it for you and then charge you.
• Property belonging to you or anyone staying with you or visiting you, including bicycles, motorcycles or prams, should not be stored in any shared areas (apart from areas that are set aside for storage).
• You or your visitors must not do anything that causes inconvenience or danger to anyone using the shared areas.
• You must take reasonable care to avoid damage to your house and your neighbours’ homes. This is particularly important in freezing weather.  For example, if you are going to be away from home for several weeks and you have central heating, leave the heating on continuously with the thermostat down low.  This will stop your pipes freezing, but it will not cost much.  You can also contact your  local housing office to have your property drained free of charge.

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If you have a garden

If you share a garden with your neighbours, you must take your turn with them to keep it from becoming overgrown or untidy or causing a nuisance. If only you are allowed to use a garden attached to your house, you must take reasonable care to keep it from becoming overgrown or untidy or causing a nuisance. You must regularly:

• cut the grass;
• weed flowerbeds;
• trim hedges; and
• keep the garden free from becoming overgrown and free from litter.
• You must not remove, destroy or chop down any bushes, hedges or trees without our permission in writing, unless you planted them.

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If you cannot maintain your garden

If you feel that you are not able to maintain your garden due to your age, an illness or a disability, you should contact your local area housing office.  We operate a  grass cutting scheme, for which we charge a small amount.  For an application form, please contact your area housing office.

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How to get rid of rubbish

You must put all your household rubbish for collection in the wheelie bin, bin store or other place that we have allocated for it.  You must take reasonable care to make sure that your rubbish is normally collected from the street.  You should not put it out earlier than the evening before the day of collection.  For larger items that you need to get rid of, please contact Environmental Services

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