Information for new tenants
Welcome to your new home. We hope you’ll be comfortable and happy in your home and we’re here to help if something isn’t right. On this page you’ll find information and advice about the services we offer to help you settle into your new home and how to get in touch if you need support with something.
Moving in – what to expect
When you’re offered a new home, a Neighbourhood Officer will contact you and show you around the property. Once it’s ready, we’ll ask for your comments on the standard of your new home and arrange for you to sign a tenancy agreement (see below). The Neighbourhood Officer will also show you where to turn off your gas, electricity, and water, and where the meters are. Once you’ve moved into your new home, a Neighbourhood Officer will visit you within 28 days. This visit is your chance to discuss any issues you may have.
We’ve put together a helpful list below so you can make sure you’ve got everything in place for your new home.
Moving checklist
Contact your media service provider(s) for things like broadband, cable, satellite, telephone and so on, to end service at your old address and arrange for service at your new address. If you're out of contract, you might be able to save money by switching.
Check whether you'll need to contact the following people to let them know you're changing your address:
- Your work
- Your bank, insurance, pension, and credit card companies
- The council, electoral roll
- TV Licensing
- Doctor and dentist
- DVLA
- National Insurance / DSS offices
A change in your circumstances can affect the amount of council tax you pay, so it’s important to let Barnsley Council know that you’ve moved so they can check your details:
Remember to cancel or change the address for any regular deliveries you get such as milk, newspapers, and so on.
Inform your electricity and gas supplier of your move. Make sure you give your supplier the final meter readings on the day you move out. It’s a good idea to make a note of them and keep it to check against your final bill.
There's information below about what to do at your new home.
If you already have contents insurance, remember to contact your insurance company, and give them your new address and moving date. If you need to get insurance, read the information below.
You need to let the council know about any changes in circumstances, so they pay the right amount of benefit or support:
Remember redirect your post to your new address with Royal Mail. There’s a charge for this, and you can choose to have your post redirected for up to 3, 6, or 12 months:
Paying your rent and support with money
When we sign you up for a property, we give you information about welfare benefits that are available if you need to claim financial help towards paying your rent. We’ll also tell you of any possible shortfall in your benefit entitlement due to the under-occupation charge.
If you’re signing up to an introductory tenancy, our tenancy support team will contact you within four weeks of your tenancy starting to check if you need any help. They can help you with benefit claims and can help you with advice on how to manage your money. Sometimes they can give help or advice over the phone. It’s important you don’t wait for them to get in touch with you before making a claim for either housing benefit or universal credit.
There’s help available if you’re struggling with the cost of living. If you’re worried about paying your rent or other essential costs, please talk to us as soon as possible.
Click on the buttons below to find out more.
Home contents insurance
Berneslai Homes doesn’t cover your contents as part of your tenancy agreement, so it’s important that you arrange contents insurance to cover your belongings in case of things like theft, water damage, fire, and other household risks. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged, or stolen. Home contents insurance can help give peace of mind should the worst happen.
If you need to get insurance, the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme is a specialist insurance scheme for tenants provided by Thistle Tenant Risks. The policy covers the contents and personal belongings for tenants in social housing against loss or damage from specific events (for example, fire, theft or escape of water).
Other insurance providers are also available, and insurance comparison websites can help you find the best deal for you and your circumstances.
Gas and electricity
At the moment, you probably can’t save any money by switching. This is because of changes in the energy industry. The government has limited what suppliers can charge on standard variable tariffs. This is called the Energy Price Guarantee.
In your new home
When you sign up for your new home, you’ll need to find out who supplies gas and electric to the property. It may be the same supplier for both, which is known as a dual fuel tariff. You’ll then need to contact the supplier(s), give them your details, and arrange for the supply to be made live if it isn’t already connected.
If the previous tenant of your home has already let the supplier know they’re moving out, it’s likely the energy supplier will send you a letter addressed to ‘The Occupier’. This letter should provide the details you need.
At the moment, the standard variable tariff you’re automatically put on with your new supplier should give you the cheapest energy price you can get for now.
It’s worth checking whether your plan offers any discounts for having an online account, paying by Direct Debit, or choosing a dual fuel plan.
Your home and estate
You’ll need to know how to report any repairs to us. It’s also helpful to know what sorts of repairs we’re responsible for, and what you’re responsible for.
We also have lots of useful information to help you stay safe in your home, understand the regular inspections and safety checks that we carry out, and know why it’s important to keep your appointments and let us into your home.
Finally, make sure you know about what happens in your local area, including your local housing management team, when your bin days are, how to report problems and so on.
You’ll find everything you need in the sections below.
Get involved
We believe the best way of improving our service is to work closely with our tenants. Your views are important to us and every voice matters.
You'll find information on opportunities to get involved in the section below.
