Understanding Your Tenancy

You told us you wanted more information about your tenancy, so we created this simple guide to help you break it all down. The guide covers your rights and responsibilities, as well as information on anti-social behaviour and making an appeal.听听

If you have any questions about this, or you want us to address another area, please email feedback@linkwentworth.org.au or call 13 14 21.听听

Your Rights and Responsibilities

As a resident of Link Wentworth, you have rights and responsibilities. These are the main obligations we have to each other. By knowing your rights and responsibilities, we hope you will feel empowered, secure and informed about your tenancy.

You have the right to a safe, comfortable and peaceful home听

Your home should be your safe space. If you experience behaviour that disturbs your peace and quiet, speak to your Tenancy Manager and Link Wentworth will support you to work through this issue. If you have an experience that makes you feel unsafe or scared, call the Police. If it is urgent, call 000.听

You have the right to live in a home in good working order听

If there is something broken or not working in your house, you need to let us know and we will get it repaired as soon as we can. Repairs fall into three categories: emergency, priority and non-urgent and will be responded to accordingly.听Find out more about repairs and maintenance by following this link.听

You have the right to appeal decisions made by Link Wentworth听

If you believe a decision we made in relation to your tenancy was unfair or incorrect, we encourage you to discuss this with us in the first instance. If you don鈥檛 feel the matter is resolved after speaking with us, you may be able to lodge an appeal upon request. This is the process of formally requesting a review of a decision. Making an appeal can be done on our website, over the phone or in our offices.听Find out more about making an appeal.听

You have the right to good service听

Link Wentworth staff follow Service Standards, as set out in our Customer Service Charter. This begins with a commitment to provide you with consistent, respectful and efficient customer service. We commit to actively listening to you helping in the best way we can. We commit to providing timely information that is easy to understand. We commit to respecting your right to privacy and personal information. We commit to always acting with integrity and in line with Link Wentworth鈥檚 values. We commit to continually improving our customer service, and to treat you with kindness, courtesy and respect.听Read our Customer Service Charter.听

You have the right to be listened to by Link Wentworth听

You have a right to express your view on matters relating to your tenancy. There are a number of ways you can do this, such as raising it with your Tenancy Manager or providing feedback through our website. We commit to listening and taking your concerns seriously.听

You have a responsibility to maintain your home

Your home is yours to take care of. We ask that you keep it tidy, free of excessive clutter and take reasonable care of it. You should not make any alterations or modifications without speaking to your Tenancy Manager first. If you have a backyard, it is also your responsibility to maintain the lawns and gardens.

You have a responsibility to pay your rent

It is your responsibility to pay your rent on time. Keeping your rent up to date helps you manage your finances, plan for the future and maintain peace of mind. As an organisation, rent payments are also a vital source of income and allow us to deliver essential services to tenants, including repairs and maintenance. If you鈥檙e finding it difficult to keep up with payments, please reach out to your Tenancy Manager. We can support you with options, including setting up automated payments to make things easier.

You have a responsibility to be a good neighbour

Just as you have a right to a safe and quiet home, so do your neighbours. Be mindful of your neighbours by keeping noise to a minimum. You are also responsible for your visitors鈥� behaviour too.

You have a responsibility to provide Link Wentworth with accurate information

It is your responsibility to let us know if there are any changes to your living circumstances. Examples of changes include having an additional person living with you, leaving your property for an extended period of time or changes in income. You can inform us of these changes by speaking to your Tenancy Manager and filling out a form on our website.

You can also join Link Wentworth鈥檚 Tenant Advisory Group (TAG). The TAG is a group of residents that meet every three months with Link Wentworth鈥檚 Management Team. In these meetings, the TAG offers their opinion and insights on customer experience, needs and areas of improvements to our services. In turn, the Link Wentworth Management Team delivers any important updates to the group or will consult them about changes. It is a great way to get involved in resident advocacy and community. Find out more about joining the TAG.听

How to Appeal a Decision

Link Wentworth regularly makes decisions relating to your tenancy. These decisions are usually quite important and Link Wentworth takes them seriously.

They can include matters relating to:

Your eligibility for housing
Your eligibility for transfer
Permission to keep a pet
A family member taking over a tenancy
Your water charges
Your level of rent subsidy

However, just because we made a decision, it doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 final. If you are unhappy with a decision we鈥檝e made, we would like to hear about it. We encourage you to speak to your Tenancy Manager or come into one of our offices to discuss the issue. If you don鈥檛 feel the matter is resolved after speaking with us, you may be able to
lodge an appeal.

What is an appeal?听

Making an appeal means that you are formally requesting that we review a decision we have made about your tenancy. It is a straight-forward process and involves you providing more information about why you think we got it wrong. We strongly encourage our tenants to make appeals and you will be supported by your Tenancy Manager and our Feedback and Complaints Team through the process.

Once you fill out the Appeals form, it will be reviewed by a person who was not involved in the original decision. This is to make sure you receive the most fair outcome.

You can start the appeals process by filling out an Appeals Form. Here is how to do that:

Click this link to access our online Appeals Form.听
Go to one of our offices. Attend any one of our six offices and a member of staff will provide you with a hard copy or help you complete the form.听
Call 13 14 21. A member of our team can fill out an Appeals form for you over the phone.听

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Addressing Anti-Social Behaviour

As a tenant, you have the right to peace, comfort and privacy in your home. You also have the responsibility to make sure your actions (or the actions of your household or visitors) don鈥檛 impact the peace, comfort and privacy of your neighbours. Living in a community amongst many neighbours can sometimes mean that disagreements can occur. In these circumstances, tenants can often resolve these disagreements without our intervention. When an issue cannot be resolved without Link Wentworth鈥檚 help, we can assist by investigating your concerns and letting you know the outcome of our investigation. If it is determined there is a breach of tenancy, we will take appropriate action.听

Here is what you can do:

If it feels safe to do so, approach your neighbour directly to speak with them about your concern.
If you have concerns for your safety, suspect illegal activity or have a noise concern, contact the police:
To report actual or suspected criminal information, call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
If you are affected by a crime that is not life-threatening or an immediate emergency, or if you are experiencing a disturbance such as a noisy late-night party, call the Police on 131 444.
If you are in imminent danger, call 000. If the dispute does not require police involvement, please contact your Tenancy Manager for advice and support or to report a neighbour鈥檚 tenancy breach. Contact them on 13 14 21.
Contact a Community Justice Centre for mediation by calling1800 990 777.
Contact your local council to report dumped rubbish. If the dumped rubbish is hazardous and presents an immediate threat to human health or property, such as toxic fumes or a large chemical spill, call 000.

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Here is what Link Wentworth will do:

Listen to your concerns and record the details of your complaint.
Speak to your neighbour and other relevant people.
Investigate the complaint and work with other agencies to gather evidence.
Support you to seek mediation through the Community Justice Centre.
If we determine a breach has occurred, we will take appropriate action against the tenancy.
Keep you up to date with information.
Let you know the outcome of the investigation.

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To read our Anti-Social Behaviour Policy, follow this link.听

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