✔ Pay a deposit on signing your tenancy agreement, where applicable.

✔ Pay the total weekly rent and charges due, on time and in full, at least one week in advance.

✔ Use the property only as a place to live, in accordance with the terms of your tenancy agreement.

✔ Ensure that only those listed on your tenancy agreement are living in the property.

✔ Inform the Trust of any changes to your household (i.e. who is living in the property).

✔ Provide the Trust with details of your total household income when required.

✔ Keep the property in good condition and let the Trust know when repairs are needed.

✔ Decorate the interior of the property – internal walls, doors, ceilings and woodwork.

✔ Carry out repairs that are your responsibility.

✔ Ensure that no changes or alterations are made to the property, without first receiving permission from the Trust in writing.

✔ Ensure that all occupants permitted to live in the property do not cause damage to the property or its contents.

✔ Allow reasonable access to the Trust’s staff or agents working on the Trust’s behalf for repairs or inspections.

✔ Do not keep waste or possessions in the property that may make exit and entry difficult, block ventilation or increase the risk of fire.

✔ Replace any original fixtures and fittings before you move out.

✔ Do not fix satellite dishes, CCTV or any equipment to the exterior of the property or the building containing the property.

✔ Do not keep any dangerous materials in the property that may make the property uninsurable.

✔ Insure your own belongings.

✔ Do not engage in any kind of anti-social behaviour or disrupt the peaceful enjoyment of those living around you.

✔ Do not keep pets in or around the property.

✔ Provide the Trust with the required notice in writing before you move out of the property.

✔ Make sure the property as provided to you is in good condition.

✔ Provide you with exclusive occupation of the property in accordance with the terms of your tenancy agreement.

✔ Provide you with adequate notice of any increase to your rent or charges.

✔ Provide you with a quarterly rent receipt statement.

✔ Ensure that the property complies with the appropriate standards.

✔ Carry out repairs that are the landlord’s responsibility.

✔ Reimburse you where reasonable receipted expenses are incurred for repairs that are the Trust’s responsibility.

✔ Provide facilities for disposal of household refuse.

✔ Insure the property (structure only).

✔ Promptly return any deposit paid at the end of the tenancy, subject to lawful deductions.

✔ Schedule inspections of the property.

✔ Manage and protect your data in accordance with data protection laws and regulations.

✔ Register your tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board.

✔ Provide you with the required notice to end your tenancy.

The Tenancy Agreement may be between the Iveagh Trust and one or more adults.

An agreement made with one adult is known as a sole tenancy while an agreement made with two or more adults is known as a joint tenancy.

Those named in section 1 on the first page of the agreement and that have signed the agreement are the Sole or Joint tenants, often referred to as the Head or Joint Heads of the household.

It’s important to understand that while others may be listed on your tenancy agreement as occupants that are permitted to live in the property, the tenancy agreement is a contract with the named Sole or Joint tenant(s).

Typically, joint tenancies are signed by couples, but whatever the composition of your household, all named tenants are equally responsible for meeting the conditions set out in the tenancy agreement, including the payment of any rent due.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is a statutory agency, established to resolve disputes between tenants and landlords and to operate a national tenancy registration system. The RTB is also a key source of useful information for both tenants and landlords.

From April 7th 2016, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 brought tenancies of Approved Housing Bodies (like the Iveagh Trust) under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

If you moved into your property before April 2016, the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement were amended to comply with the Residential Tenancies Act.

By law, all new and existing tenancies must be registered. For new tenants, the Iveagh Trust will register your tenancy with the RTB within 30 days from the date stated on your tenancy agreement. The Trust is required to provide the RTB with your name, your PPS number, information relating to the type of property you are renting and the amount of rent you pay.

The introduction of the Residential Tenancies Act made some changes to the terms and conditions of tenancies provided by Approved Housing Bodies like the Iveagh Trust.

For example, the first 6 months of your tenancy is known as the “probationary period” and the Trust may terminate your tenancy within that time without providing a reason. The probationary period is there to provide both you, as the tenant, and the Iveagh Trust, as the landlord, with an opportunity to end the tenancy if either party is not satisfied.

However, the Trust aims to work with all of our tenants to resolve difficulties. Our goal is to provide long-term, secure tenancies that lead to thriving communities.

Following successful completion of the probationary period, you will have a right to remain in the property in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act and your tenancy can only be terminated in specific situations. Depending on when you took up your tenancy, the right to remain in the property after the first 6 months may extend to 3.5 years or 5.5 years, before the cycle starts again.

Once you have successfully completed your first 6 months, you will gain security of tenure for a set period under what is known as "Part 4" of the Residential Tenancies Act(s).

tenancies commencing before December 2016

For tenancies that began before the 24th of December 2016, after a 6 month probationary period, the tenant secures the right to remain in the property for a further 3.5 years. This is known as a ‘Part 4 tenancy’.

tenancies commencing after December 2016

For tenancies that began after the 24th of December 2016, security of tenure has increased. After successful completion of the 6-month probationary period, the tenant secures the right to remain in the property for a further 5.5 years.

Before signing your tenancy agreement, make sure that you have read and understand the agreement in full. If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask your Estate Manager or Housing Officer.

In the case of a joint tenancy, all named tenants must sign the tenancy agreement.

Your Estate Manager or another senior member of staff will witness your signature and will also sign the tenancy agreement. Once the agreement has been reviewed and signed by the Chief Executive and witnessed by another senior staff member, your copy will be returned to you for safekeeping.

On signing your tenancy agreement, you will need to pay one week’s rent, in advance.

Depending on how the property was funded, you may also need to pay a deposit. Your key deposit will be equivalent to two weeks’ rent & charges, rounded up to the nearest €5.

Additional weekly charges may apply for services depending on the estate that you live in. Typically, tenants are required to pay a weekly charge for tenant services and waste collection.

Other charges covering services like window cleaning and additional storage, for example, may be optional. The full range of services available on your estate will be explained to you before you sign your tenancy agreement.

If you have just joined us as a new resident, we are delighted to welcome you to the Iveagh Trust and hope that you will spend many happy years with us.

moving-in day
Your “moving-in day” is the date stated on your tenancy agreement, and you must move into the property on that date.

While it’s an exciting time, there are also some important tasks that must be seen to straight-away.

On some newer estates, you may receive your heating and hot water from an efficient “district heating” system. Rather than locating a typical gas boiler in each property, large communal boilers located in a central plant room provide a continuous hot water supply to the whole development.

Usually, a district heating system will provide hot water for your radiators, bath/shower and taps. If a District Heating System is in place on your estate, we will provide you with detailed instructions on how the system works and how you pay for what you use.

Decorating the interior of the property is your responsibility. Typically, this would include painting of internal walls, doors, ceilings and woodwork.

You do not need to make a written request before carrying out these works, but remember that you will need to obtain permission from the Trust, in writing, before carrying out any other improvements or alterations.

The Trust will provide you with exclusive occupation of the property to use as your home.

However, the property must be used only as a place to live – it must be your sole place of residence and you will need to notify the Trust if you intend to be away from the property continuously for more than 28 days.

In addition, the property must not be sublet or handed over to anyone else.

Pets are not permitted to be kept in or around the property.

Where a trained animal is required to assist, for example, with mobility or for medical reasons, please contact your estate manager to discuss your situation.

The first page of your tenancy agreement will name everyone permitted to live in the property, this includes:

✔ The Head or Joint Head(s) of the household (depending on whether yours is a sole or a joint tenancy), having signed the agreement.

✔ All other occupants permitted to reside in the property (known as “Named Occupants”).

If there are any changes to your household, for example, a birth, a death or the addition of a partner, you must get in touch with us to let us know.

If your rent is based on your income, you will also need to send us up-to-date Confidential Income Statement for all members of your household with an income so that your rent can be reassessed. Failure to notify the Trust if your household income has increased is a breach of your tenancy agreement and will result in a back-dated rental charge being applied to your account.

Births

Please inform us in writing of any new little members of your household and send a copy of the child’s birth certificate whenever it is available.

Losing a relative or friend is never easy and dealing with their affairs can be difficult and upsetting. Our staff will endeavour to assist in whatever way we can.

The first thing to do is to let us know and we will explain what you need to do, depending on the circumstances. We will need to receive notice in writing that a member of your household has died, along with a copy of the death certificate whenever it becomes available.

If you have become aware that a relative or friend living alone in an Iveagh Trust property has died, perhaps after a stay in hospital or nursing home, please get in touch with us to let us know.

If you have begun a new relationship or would like to add your partner to the household, you must first obtain permission from the Trust in writing, before they can move into the property.

If you are living in a differential rent property, we’ll also need to reassess your rent.

The next sections explain the process should you wish to add or remove a joint tenant – changing from a sole to a joint tenancy or a joint to a sole tenancy.

You may want to include a spouse, partner or household member on your tenancy agreement as a joint tenant.

Whether you are making an application for a new or existing household member to become a joint tenant, you must first have requested permission in writing for the applicant to reside at the property. They must have resided at the property continuously for at least 6 months and been included on your tenancy agreement as a named occupant, before the application to become a joint tenant can be made.

Your application may be refused if your rent account is in arrears or there have been any breaches of your tenancy agreement.

In the case of separation or divorce, one tenant will have to surrender their right to the tenancy and it should be borne in mind that the Trust does not have the power to remove a named party from a joint tenancy, unless the person is in agreement.

If your partner or spouse has died, please let us know so that the necessary changes can be made to your tenancy agreement in due course.

In certain circumstances, a tenancy may be passed on to somebody else following the death of a sole or a joint tenant – this is known as succession.

In the case of a joint tenancy, the tenancy will automatically pass on to the surviving tenant(s) in the event that a named tenant on your tenancy agreement has died.

If you are not a joint tenant but a member of the household and have been living at the property immediately prior to the death of the named tenant, you may be able to succeed the tenancy, provided that:

1. You are a spouse, civil partner or co-habiting partner of the tenant

or

you are a child, step-child, foster child, adopted child or parent of the tenant

2. You are over 18 years of age

3. You have been living continuously at the property for at least 6 months

4. You have been included as a named occupant on the tenancy agreement

5. You have upheld all of the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement

6. You have sent us a request, in writing, to succeed the tenancy.

Your application to succeed will also be subject to approval by the Local Authority – you must be eligible for social housing, be included on the Local Authority’s housing waiting list and have a reasonable requirement to live together as part of a single household.

To be considered for a transfer to another Iveagh Trust property, you will first need to complete and return a transfer application form.

It may also be possible to transfer to a property owned by a Local Authority or another Housing Association; they will have their own criteria and you will need to contact them directly. Transfer requests to certain Iveagh Trust properties can also only be dealt with by the Local Authority.

Generally, requests for a transfer to another Iveagh Trust property will be considered for the following reasons:

1. Increase or decrease in the size of your household

2. Medical needs

3. Social difficulties

Health & Welfare Issues

If you are seeking a transfer to alternative accommodation because of a medical need, you will be asked to provide supporting documentation from your Doctor or Clinician.

- If you have refused an offer of alternative suitable accommodation without good reason, the date of your transfer application will be changed to the date that you refused the offer.

- If the reasons for refusal are considered to be reasonable, the date of application will not change.

While we will endeavour to consider requests for a transfer under these criteria, it should be noted that just a small number of Iveagh Trust properties become vacant every year and there are significant demands on those properties. Providing suitable alternative accommodation may take some time.

It should also be noted that there is no right to a transfer under your tenancy agreement.

A mutual exchange may be possible where two existing tenants agree to swap their accommodation. It may also be possible to exchange properties with a tenant living in a property owned by another housing association or a local authority.

It is your responsibility to find a suitable exchange partner and a request to exchange must be made to the Trust, in writing, by both tenants. In all cases, the Iveagh Trust and any other organisation involved will need to approve the exchange.

In order to be eligible for a mutual exchange, both tenants must meet the criteria for standard transfer applications as explained above.

In addition, both tenants wishing to exchange do so on the understanding that they accept the condition of the property ‘as seen’. The Iveagh Trust is not responsible for carrying out works or re-decoration to either property before or after the exchange.

Once an exchange has taken place, neither party can apply to transfer to alternative Iveagh Trust accommodation for a two-year period, from the date of their new tenancy.

While we will endeavour to consider requests, it should be noted that the Trust is under no obligation to facilitate exchanges.

You are required to provide access to the Trust’s staff (or agents working on our behalf) to carry out repairs or routine inspections. We may need to survey the work required before ordering a repair and we will contact you to make an appointment.

Once an appointment has been made, it is important that somebody is at home at the agreed time to allow access to our staff or agents. If there is nobody at home when we call, the repair will be cancelled and you will need to log a further request for the repair to be carried out.

The Trust may also undertake annual inspections to assess the condition of the property. These inspections are required to help us plan for any future maintenance & repair works that may be required.

Under section 34 of the Residential Tenancies Act, there are a number of different grounds under which we may end your tenancy, including:

- breach of tenancy
If you have failed to comply with one or more of the terms and conditions contained in your tenancy agreement (having first been notified of the failure and given an opportunity to remedy it).

- the property is no longer suitable
If the property is no longer suitable to the needs of your household, for example, if the number of people in the property is greater than the number of available bed spaces.

- substantial refurbishment works
Where substantial refurbishment works are required and it is not possible or practical to carry out these works while you and other members of your household are living there. Tenants asked to vacate to facilitate refurbishment works will be offered first refusal once the property becomes available for re-letting.

The length of notice that we are required to give depends on the length of your tenancy. These notice periods are set down in the Residential Tenancies Act(s) and may be subject to further change.

The law permits landlords and tenants to agree shorter notice periods than the minimum set out below, but this can only be done at the time it is decided to terminate the tenancy. In other words, it’s not possible to agree a shorter notice period at the start of the tenancy.

Minimum notice periods:

Less than 6 months: 28 days

6 months or longer, but less than 1 year: 90 days

1 year or longer, but less than 3 years: 120 days

3 years or longer, but less than 7 years: 180 days

7 years or longer,but less than 8 years: 196 days

8 years or longer: 224 days

No. As a not-for-profit housing charity, we are committed to ensuring that our properties can continue to be made available for their intended purpose – to provide homes to those that need them now and in the future.

The Trust will carry out a census periodically to keep our records up-to-date. All tenants are asked to cooperate by completing the census form in full and returning it to your Estate Manager.

The Trustees of the Iveagh Trust take the protection of your personal information very seriously. We will provide you with a Privacy Notice at your first interview followed by an updated Privacy Notice once you sign your tenancy agreement.

The Privacy Notice is intended to clearly explain the various categories of personal information that are collected by the Iveagh Trust in the provision of housing and housing services to you.

The notice also explains how the Trust protects and manages your data, and your rights to access that data.

Under the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have a right to obtain a copy of your personal data. To lodge a Data Subject Access Request, please download and complete the Access Request Form from the 'Download Forms' section or request a copy from your Estate Manager.

Please note that we can only provide data that relates to you and will require proof of your identity before we can respond to your access request.

We try to provide the best possible service and set high standards for response, courtesy, efficiency and quality. However, if we have not performed as well as you would like us to, it is important that you tell us.

We would also like to hear any suggestions or useful feedback that you might have. Generally, the best way to pass any comments back to us is through your Estate Residents’ Committee. Your Residents’ Committee meets with senior Iveagh Trust staff at regular intervals and can raise issues on your behalf.

What is a Complaint?

A complaint is a report to us about poor service. It may include:

- Failure to take action following initial contact.

- Failure to provide a service.

- Delay in providing a service.

- Failure to comply with a procedure.

- Unhelpful behaviour or unreasonable treatment by staff or contractors.

- Where we got it wrong.

First, you can always make an informal complaint – talk to us and, if possible, we will try to resolve any issues immediately.

If you would like to make a formal complaint, a copy of our complaints form can be downloaded from the "Download Forms" section of our website, or is available through your estate manager.

If you would like to lodge a formal complaint, there are a number of steps that we’ll follow.

You can find a copy of our complaints form on our website or your Estate Manager can provide you with a copy. Our complaints policy may change from time to time – you can always find the most up-to-date version on our website.

Under the terms of your tenancy agreement, if you plan to be away from the property continuously for more than a 28 day period, you must let us know.

If you have ceased to pay rent and have been away from the property continuously for more than 28 days without notifying us, we may consider that you have abandoned the property. Over the following 28 days, we will make every effort to contact you by any means available, including contacting your next of kin, checking with those at forwarding addresses and talking to your neighbours.

Iveagh Trust staff will access the property to check for signs of inhabitation and deal with potential safety issues. The Trust will maintain a record of any entry to the property and all efforts to make contact with you.

Once 56 days of continuous absence have elapsed; you have failed to make contact with us and all reasonable efforts to make contact with you have been unsuccessful, the Iveagh Trust will begin proceedings to take possession of the property. We may arrange for the property to be cleared of your belongings and the locks to be changed.

Following 84 days of continuous absence, the Trust may terminate your tenancy. We will hold any belongings for a maximum of a further 84 days and dispose of them thereafter, if you have failed to make contact with us.

If you are moving out of your home, you must provide the Trust with notice in writing of your decision to leave the property.

Generally, the length of notice required depends on how long you have lived at the property. The notice periods are set out in legislation and are outlined here. However, it may also be possible to agree a shorter notice period with the Trust, once your notice has been received in writing.

In all cases, your tenancy should end on a Sunday and the minimum notice period we can agree to is 4 weeks.

Length of your tenancy and notice required:

Less than 6 months: 28 days

6 months or longer, but less than 1 year: 35 days

1 year or longer, but less than 2 years: 42 days

2 years or longer, but less than 4 years: 56 days

4 years or longer, but less than 8 years: 84 days

8 years or longer: 112 days

✔ You have provided the Trust with notice in writing of your intention to move out.

✔ You have cleared any rent arrears that you may have, including any outstanding service charges or recharges for repairs.

✔ You have cleared the property of all of your belongings and the belongings of any other occupants.

✔ You have cleared all of your belongings that you may have stored in the Trust’s storage sheds.

✔ You have ensured that the property is clean, tidy and in good decorative order.

✔ You have facilitated an inspection of the property by your Estate Manager at least 2 weeks before the agreed date to move out.

✔ You have ensured that all members of your household are ready to leave the property with you.

✔ You have signed and returned the Termination of Tenancy Form.

✔ You have taken final readings from your electricity and/or gas meters.

✔ You have cancelled any Standing Order or Household Budget payments, once all outstanding rent or charges have been paid in full.

✔ You have closed all windows and doors.

✔ You have returned all keys to your Estate Manager by the last date of your tenancy. Please note that your tenancy will not end until your keys are returned and you will be liable for any charges due in the interim.