Your tenancy

We want to make it easy for you to manage your tenancy in a way that suits you. Please let us know if you have any health conditions or disabilities that impact on how you can communicate with us.

We will do our best to adapt our approach to make sure you can always access our services. For example, we can provide braille translations of essential information, offer a translator for important conversations, or simply let people know you need some extra time to open the door. 

The accessibility tools on our website might help you to manage your account too. Find out more on our accessibility and translations pages. 

If you were a secure tenant of Peterborough City Council when your property was transferred to CKH in October 2004, you might qualify for the Preserved Right to Buy your property. If you move to a different property owned by us, your Preserved Right to Buy will go with you to your new home.

You don’t have the Preserved Right to Buy if:

• You’re an assured tenant and don’t hold an assured protected tenancy
• Your home is rented to you in relation to your employment
• The courts have issued a possession order for you to leave your home
• You are undergoing bankruptcy proceedings
• You live in housing specially provided for older people and, in certain cases, disabled people.

Download a Right to Buy Application Form and the Right to Buy Guide.

If you're not eligible for Right to Buy, you might be able to buy your home using the Right to Acquire. 

If you are a secure or assured tenant and have been a public sector tenant for at least three years. You might be classed as a public sector tenant if you've lived in a home provided by a local authority, the armed forces, fire service or police authority.

Your home must be:

• a property that was transferred to Cross Keys Homes from Peterborough City Council
• a property that was built or acquired by Cross Keys Homes with public funds
• a qualifying property registered with the Homes and Communities Agency as a Registered Social Landlord.

We will be able to tell you if your home fits this criteria.

You won't be eligible if there is a court order evicting you from your home, you are declaring bankruptcy, or your home is specifically provided for older or vulnerable people.

The amount of discount currently available is £9,000. If you sell the property within five years of buying it, you’ll have to pay back a percentage of the discount we gave you

If you would like to submit a right to acquire request, complete the Right to Acquire application form Return your completed form by email to customerfirst@crosskeyshomes.co.uk or send to Cross Keys Homes, Shrewsbury Avenue, Peterborough PE2 7BZ.

We need to know about significant changes to your household.

Contact us to:   

• Change your name (for example, if you got married)
• Remove someone from a joint tenancy
• Add someone as a joint tenant
• Tell us about changes to your household (for example, if you have a baby or someone moves out)
• Give permission for us to talk to someone else about your tenancy.

Talk to us on live chat or call our Customer First team on 01733 385000 to let us know about any changes to your household. We may send you a form to complete or ask for evidence before we can confirm the change.

You can update your general contact details, like your phone number or email address, at any time using MyCKH.

When you signed your tenancy agreement, you agreed to meet key responsibilities as a CKH resident. We expect you to:

• Keep up to date with your payments
• Be a good neighbour
• Look after your home
• Allow us access to your home for essential visits.

If you do not do this, we will contact you and let you know if there are consequences. If you receive an email, text or letter from us saying you have broken the terms of your tenancy agreement, it is best to contact us straightaway so we can talk about the problem and get your tenancy back on track.

We also contact you throughout the year with important information about safety in your home and how to access our services, as well as writing to you each spring with information about your rent and service charges.

You can update your general contact details, like your phone number or email address, at any time using MyCKH.

When you want to move out, you should give us notice at least 4 weeks before the date you want to move. If you are ready to leave your CKH home, login to MyCKH to complete our ending your tenancy form. You can also call our Customer First team on 01733 385000.

After you get in touch, we may arrange a visit to assess the condition of your home. You may be charged for any repairs or maintenance work we need to carry out as a result of you not looking after your home. If your account is in debt, we will also talk about your final payments and how to clear your balance.

We will ask for contact details and your new address in case we need to get in touch after your move. 

We expect anyone living in a CKH home to be respectful of their home and the people around them. Most neighbour disputes can be sorted out by talking to one another and being mindful of the impact you can have on one another’s lives.  

Anti-social behaviour is not tolerated and we will intervene when residents are displaying more extreme behaviour. Find out more about what our ASB team can support with.

Looking after your home is also an important responsibility. Report repairs as soon as possible. We’re here 24/7, report a repair online or in an emergency, call 01733 385030.

You do not usually need our permission to keep a pet in your home. A pet is classified as a domestic animal such as cats, dogs and guinea pigs. Farm animals, such as goats, donkeys and pigs are not considered pets and cannot be kept in your home or garden.

Any animal living at your property must not cause a nuisance or pose a health and safety risk to your neighbours or any visitors to your home. We have the right to ask you to re-home an animal that is causing a nuisance or poses a health and safety risk. 
 

XL bullies

Residents who currently own an XL bully need to have an exemption certificate for their animal. Any new residents will not be permitted to have an XL bully or any other banned breed (as listed in the Dangerous Dog Act 1991). During our property condition visits, Neighbourhood Managers will ask residents who own an XL bully to show their exemption certificate. 

We will visit you at home at least once every year. Your Neighbourhood Manager will check the condition of every room in your home and talk to you about any support you might need. These visits are a great chance to ask questions and make sure you know how CKH is here to help. If you have an email address, we will sent you an invitation to book an appointment using our online calendar when your annual visit is due.

If you have gas appliances, our contractors will also need access to your home every year to complete a safety check. They will need to visit once every five years to check the safety of all the electrical appliances in your home. These safety checks are essential and the law says we must make sure they happen on time.

We will also send one of our Surveyors to your home once every five years to complete an in-dept assessment of the condition of your home to make sure everything is working as it should and to help us plan when maintenance or replacement works might be due.

If you fall behind with your rent, we may also visit you at home to talk about how to get your payments back on track.

When you signed your tenancy agreement, you agreed to let us into your home for essential visits like this.