Your tenancy

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What to do if things go wrong in your tenancy

Falling ill

If you, or someone visiting you, become seriously ill or injured, you need to call the emergency services on 999. Only call this number if the illness or injury is life threatening.

If the illness or injury isn’t life threatening, consider making an appointment at your local GP surgery or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

When things break

When something in your properly breaks, don't just leave it. If it’s an appliance, don't try to fix it yourself because this might be dangerous and you may do more damage.

You must speak to your landlord or housing provider about what you’ve broken. If it was your fault, you’ll need to pay to get it fixed or this will come out of your deposit when you move out.

Your landlord may have a specific tradesperson or organisation that they use for repairs, or they may be able to recommend someone. If not, ask people you know and trust to suggest a qualified person to carry out the repairs. 

If something goes wrong due to normal wear and tear, and it’s not your fault, contact your landlord. They have a responsibility to fix (and pay for) the property itself and items included in the tenancy agreement, if things go wrong due to wear and tear. 

If you don't know how to approach this issue with your landlord, your leaving care coach will advise you.

Buying and cooking food

It’s good to have a few basic meals in your mind before you move out so that you can start to cook for yourself.

It’s a good idea to make a shopping list before you go to the supermarket. Set a total budget for how much you want to spend on food and list the items of food and drink that you’ll need for the week.

It’s important that you’re aware of what types of food you eat and how good they are for you.  It’s best to avoid ready meals because they’re usually more expensive than cooking it yourself, and they are often high in salt, sugar and other preservatives.

If you need some extra support around buying and cooking food you can always speak to your leaving care coach.

Cleaning your place

It’s important to keep your place looking and feeling clean. A clean and tidy flat will also make you feel good and supports your emotional health. 

Avoid buying branded cleaning products as these are expensive. The cleaning products that are a supermarket’s own brand are cheaper and do the same job.

You can get into a routine of cleaning and tidying your place at the same time each day or week, which will help you to keep on top of it. If you do a little bit often it doesn’t pile up.  

If you need some extra support around keeping your place clean and tidy you can always speak to your leaving care coach.

Budgeting

Whether you’ve managed to get a job, or are in the process of finding one, it’s still really important to budget - no matter how much money you have. It’s important you know how much money you have each week and what you need to spend that money on.

You need to think about how much income you have weekly and monthly, such as:

• wages
• benefits  
• Housing Benefit   
• other income  

Then think about what you can afford to spend on each of the following:

• rent  
• food   
• travel   
• clothes  
• TV licence/ rental  
• Council Tax   
• water bill   
• electricity    
• gas   
• laundry    
• cleaning materials   
• toiletries  
• credit or loans 
• phone

The golden rule for budgeting is to never spend more than you have coming in. If you do, you could get into debt which will get worse each month until you’ve paid off what you owe.  

If you need some extra support around budgeting you can always speak to your leaving care coach.