This page sets out the key information that you need to know about your rights as a tenant, as well as our responsibilities as your landlord.
You can contact us via:
You can find all of our relevant team’s contact details here on our contact us page.
You can also arrange for us to visit you at your home, or you can meet with us at our office in King’s Lynn - which is located at Juniper House, Austin Street, King's Lynn, PE30 1DZ. All you need to do is contact the team you want to meet with and they’ll arrange an appointment at a time that suits you.
Please let us know if your circumstances change, so we can ensure our services are tailored to you. You can do this by contacting our Customer Experience team by emailing [email protected], or by calling 03332 404 444.
You can find all of our relevant team’s contact details here on our contact us page.
Your tenancy agreement sets out our responsibilities as your landlord and your responsibilities as a resident.
If you have any questions about your tenancy agreement, please contact our Communities Team by calling 03332 404 444. Alternatively, you can email [email protected].
Freebridge insures the home that you live in, but it’s your responsibility to insure the contents of your home. You can find out more about insurance and read through our summary of cover here.
Here is some more information about our responsibilities as your landlord.
Keeping your home safe
It is our priority is to ensure you’re safe in your home, and there are specific pieces of law that apply to you as a tenant. Our Head of Safety, James Banks, is our health and safety lead - as detailed in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
James is the nominated Freebridge colleague responsible for monitoring our compliance with health and safety requirements, assessing risks of failure to comply with health and safety requirements, notifying the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) of any risk of failing to meet any health and safety and safety requirements, and any material failings by Freebridge to comply with health and safety requirements. He also provides advice on addressing risks and failures to Freebridge, allowing compliance with health and safety requirements.
You may be aware that Awaab’s Law will shortly be in place. This is a result of the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, who died due to damp and mould in his home. This law will require social housing landlords to inspect, make good and/or repair hazards within a timeframe – something we’ll update you on when it becomes law.
To find out more about our damp and mould process, including how to report any issues you are experiencing, click here.
We will also carry out regular safety checks at your home and will give you plenty of notice before we undertake them. We’ll arrange a time that is convenient for you and, if we need to change your appointment, will contact you to discuss a time that is suitable for you.
In return, all we ask is that you contact us in advance if an appointment no longer suits you. This is so we can allocate it to another Freebridge tenant.
We also ask that you allow us access to your home to carry out repairs, safety checks and other visits, so we can ensure you and potentially your neighbours, remain safe.
The Decent Homes Standard
We are required to ensure that our homes meet the criteria of the Decent Homes Standard - which was introduced by the government for housing provided by housing associations like us, or councils.
This is a minimum standard, and ensures that homes are warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. The current standard was created in 2000 and updated in 2006 to include health and safety hazards – and the government is expected to review this again soon. You can find out more here about the current Decent Homes Standard.
As part of ensuring you home meets this Standard, we will undertake a stock condition survey every five years. As part of this, we will also carry out an inspection for any health and safety hazards in your home, using the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS). You can read more about this here.
This was introduced by the Housing Act 2004, and focuses on the hazards that can be present in homes, such as damp and mould, and aims to avoid or to minimise these. It considers the chance of harm, how serious it would be and if there’s any extra risk to residents, such as the elderly or very young.
Serious hazards are called ‘Category 1’ and include things like loss of electricity, gas leaks and a flood or leak. We will treat these as emergencies. Less serious hazards are called ‘Category 2’ and we’ll contact you to arrange an appointment for this to be resolved.
Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018
Back in March 2019, this new law came into force - which was to ensure rented homes were ‘fit for human habitation’. If a home isn’t, the resident can take a landlord to court.
The Act applies to tenants who live in social or privately rented houses and flats. Most landlords make sure that the houses and flats they rent out are safe and secure, warm and dry. But some landlords do not, and this means that some tenants live in dangerous or unhealthy conditions. This law help these tenants and make sure irresponsible landlords improve their properties, or leave the business.
If rented houses and flats are not ‘fit for human habitation’, tenants can take their landlords to court. The court can make the landlord carry out repairs or put right health and safety problems. The court can also make the landlord pay compensation to the tenant.
More information about this is available here.
If you have concerns about any health and safety issues in your home, contact us on 03332 404 444.
We are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).
Through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, from 1st April 2024, the RSH has set out standards – collectively called the Consumer Standards – for social housing landlords, which are designed to protect residents and improve the services you receive.
The standards are:
The Housing Ombudsman service is set up by law to look at complaints about the housing organisations, such as Freebridge, that are registered with them. Their service is free, independent and impartial.
They resolve disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords (housing associations and local authorities) and their voluntary members. Residents and landlords can contact the Ombudsman at any time for support in helping to resolve a dispute. Their service is funded through annual landlord subscription fees, paid by Freebridge and other members.
For more information on the Ombudsman, as well as the complaints and compliments process at Freebridge, please visit this page.
If you require any of the documents or detail on this page in another language or type, please contact our Communications and Engagement Team by emailing [email protected], or by calling 03332 404 444.