Frequently Asked Questions

The Act itself does not place restrictions on how the information supplied under it may be used.

But you should, of course, have regard to the laws of the land. It must not be used for any illegal purposes and you should not use it in a way which could leave you open to prosecution or other forms of litigation.

In particular, it should be noted that the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 does not transfer copyright in any information supplied under it.

Barcoded invoices can be paid at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet just like barcoded bills. Some invoices may also offer payment by bank giro credit slip as well. But if the bank giro credit is completed the Post Office may make a charge (currently £2.40), so to avoid being charged please DO NOT complete the giro slip, and ask to pay by barcode.

Yes - An agreement with the shopping centre owners and us allows for a number of free car parking spaces on the Market Hall Car Park.

You may ask for the information to be supplied to you in any format.

But we may take into account the cost of supplying the information in your preferred format.

In any case, you may ask for information in summary form, or for permission to inspect the records containing the information you require.

Many council bills and invoices can now be paid by Direct Debit. If you have a bank or building society current account this is often the easiest way to pay. Some services may also offer payment by Standing Order as an alternative.

For details of which bills can be paid by Direct Debit and to how to set one up please see our Direct Debit page.

When you report your repair we aim to offer an appointment for all urgent and routine repairs at a convenient time.

As well as explaining what day we will call, we will also confirm a morning or afternoon appointment.

For planned repairs which generally require an inspection, we aim to offer you an appointment before the work is done. Also at the time of inspection we'll arrange a further appointment for the work to be completed.

But not all repairs will need an appointment (work to the outside of your home, for example).

For emergency repairs you will need to guarantee access to your property for the following 24 hours.

You will not be given a set appointment but will be able to negotiate a time when you will be at home to make sure the emergency work can be done.

You will receive written confirmation of your appointment, and of the repair.

The contractor can generally only do the work that has been ordered.

But if you have other repairs that are outstanding you should ask the contractor and depending on the nature of the job, they will try to complete that work wherever possible,

Please be aware that contractors also have other appointments with tenants that they must keep and do not always have the necessary equipment and materials to do other work.

For safety reasons some work can only be carried out by certain contractors, such as gas repairs that can only be done by Gas Safe registered plumbers.

No. You can only insure your own contents on your landlord insurance policy. Your tenants must take out their own insurance should they wish to protect their contents.

The reason for this goes back to one of the principal rules of insurance, which is that the entity that is being insured must be owned or directly effect the person who is taking out the insurance contract.

If this rule is not strictly adhered to, the insurance contract can develop a moral hazard and end up more like speculation/gambling.

Providing the information you have requested is not covered by one the exemptions under the Act, we will provide it to you.

If we are unable to release the information for some reason, we will contact you to advise you of this as soon as possible. If this is the case we will also provide you with a full explanation of why you cannot access the data.

Read about exemptions from freedom of information requests.

Read about exemptions from data protection requests.

Unfortunately not. All payments need the barcode to ensure your payment gets to your account and outlets will be unable to process your payment without it.

Yes - season tickets are available at discounted prices which residents may purchase. There are no charges after 5pm.

Yes. The Street Trading legislation and the Licensing Act 2003 are independent pieces of law. As an example if you want to sell burgers in Coalville town centre after 11pm you will need a Street Trading consent and a Premises Licence authorising you to sell late night refreshment.

Most mortgagees insist as a term of the mortgage that you inform them of your intention to let the property.

It is quite likely that they will agree to this if your lender is one that accepts 'buy-to-let' mortgages, it may well be on different terms and at a different interest rate than your current deal and they may charge an arrangement fee.

It is recommended that you take advice from your mortgage provider or your independent financial advisor.