Your responsibilities as a tenant of Homes NSW

When you (the tenant) sign a tenancy agreement (lease) with Homes NSW, we take on certain responsibilities, and you do as well.

Your responsibilities include:

Following your tenancy agreement

Your tenancy agreement is a legal document that lays out the rights and responsibilities for both you and for Homes NSW. Tenants and Homes NSW both have to follow the tenancy agreement and with the legislation that guides it. That legislation is the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.

As the tenant, you are responsible not just for yourself, but also for anyone living in your household. You’re also responsible for any visitors to your home. If the behaviour of your visitors or the people in your household does not follow the rules of your tenancy agreement, you risk losing your tenancy.

Making your payments on time

You need to:

• meet all your payment responsibilities, including paying your rent and water usage charges on time
• pay any money you still owe from previous tenancies with Homes NSW
• meet your rental bond payment responsibilities and make your payments on time if you are required to pay a rental bond
• pay your electricity and gas usage.

Taking care of your property and living in your property yourself

You need to:

• clean and maintain your property to a reasonable standard, including the gardens
• make sure you, the members of your household and your visitors do not damage the property
• make sure you personally are living in the property. It is not enough just to pay rent for the property. Homes NSW properties are a scarce resource and we need to ensure we are providing for people most in need
• notify us as soon as possible if any repairs are needed
• ask us for permission before making changes to your property such as installing an air conditioner or making building changes to the house and yard
• look after the security of the property, including advising Homes NSW if there are any issues with your smoke alarms.

Living peacefully

When you live as part of a community and as a Homes NSW tenant, you have certain responsibilities for your behaviour and how you look after your home. You need to:

• ensure your family and visitors behave in an acceptable manner
• cooperate with neighbours and, if possible, settle any disputes by talking with them directly
• maintain a good community spirit by respecting your community’s right to peace
• check with us that your pet is suitable for your home is not a nuisance to neighbours
• treat all our staff fairly and respectfully when you are communicating with us.

Changing or ending your tenancy

You need to:

• tell us within 28 days about any change in your circumstances, such as:
  • employment
  • the number of people in your household
  • income changes for yourself or any household members
• tell us if you are moving:
  • within 14 days (if you are on a fixed-term tenancy)
  • within 21 days (if you are not on a fixed-term tenancy)
  • when you can do so safely if you are experiencing domestic and family violence. If you are not the perpetrator, you can end your tenancy immediately.
• make sure when you’re moving out that:
  • the property is left as you found it
  • all outstanding payments are paid
  • you hand the keys in to your local Homes NSW office
• cooperate with us if it becomes necessary for us to move you to another property (like if the property you’re in is being sold or redeveloped).

If your tenancy is terminated by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)

If your tenancy is terminated by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), you must:

• comply with the orders
• hand the keys back
• leave the property as you found it.