The main points
- This handbook is about your home and your tenancy.
- Harbour Light is your landlord. We look after your home.
- You do not have to read all of it. You can read the bit you need.
- Each part starts with a short box called The main points. That box tells you the important things.
- If something is hard to understand, ask your support worker. You can also ask us.
Welcome to your home
Welcome to your home with Harbour Light.
We hope you will be happy here.
This handbook tells you about your home. It tells you what we will do for you. It tells you what we ask you to do.
Who this handbook is for
This handbook is for you, the tenant.
It is also useful for other people who help you. For example:
- your support worker
- a relative or a friend
- an advocate
- your social worker
You can show them this handbook. You can read it together.
What this handbook is
This handbook explains things in simple words.
It is a guide. It is not your tenancy agreement.
Your tenancy agreement is the legal document. You signed it when you moved in. If this handbook and your tenancy agreement ever say different things, the tenancy agreement is the one that counts.
If you cannot find your tenancy agreement, ask us. We will give you another copy.
How to use this handbook
You do not have to read this handbook from beginning to end.
Most people read the part they need, when they need it.
Here is how each part is set out.
1. The main points
Every part starts with a box called The main points. It is at the top of the page.
This box tells you about the most important things in a few short lines. There are pictures to help.
If you only read one thing, read this box.
2. The main writing
After the box comes the main writing. This explains things in more detail, in simple words.
3. More detail
At the end of some parts there is a box called More detail.
This box has the legal words, the rules and the exact dates and times.
You do not need to read it. It is there for people who want to check the rules. Support workers, advocates and social workers may find it useful.
It is fine to skip it.
Finding what you need
There is a list of all the parts of this handbook at the start. It is called the contents. You can select a part to go straight to it. Section 19 has the full list.
Section 19 also has a word list. The word list explains words that some people find hard, like "tenancy" and "arrears".
Section 18 has all the important telephone numbers in one place.
The most important things to know now
You do not have to remember everything. But these five things are worth knowing straight away.
- To report a repair, tell your support worker. They may check simple things first, such as whether power is going to an appliance. Then they will report the repair to Harbour Light. You can also report a repair yourself. Section 5 explains how.
- For an emergency at any time of day or night, telephone 0151 909 5919. Someone answers this number 24 hours a day.
- If you smell gas, telephone the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Open the windows. Go outside. Do not turn any light switches on or off.
- If you see damp or mould, tell us. We will find out what is causing it and put it right. There are special rules that say how quickly we must act. Section 8 explains more.
- If you are not happy about something, you can complain. Nothing bad will happen to you because you complained. Section 14 explains how.
Information about your own home
This handbook is the same for every Harbour Light home.
Some things are different at each home. For example:
- where to go if you must leave the building
- who cleans the shared parts and looks after the garden
- the name of your support provider
- what happens with your bins and recycling
- the telephone numbers for your local council
Your support worker can tell you what happens at your home. You can also ask us.
You may also have a property information sheet. This is a sheet about your own home. We give it to you with your tenancy agreement.
Where to find this handbook
This handbook is on our website at harbourlight.org.uk/tenant-handbook.html. You can read it on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
Your support worker can help you find it and read it with you.
Getting this handbook in another way
Some people find it easier to read things in a different way.
You can ask us for this handbook:
- on paper
- in a bigger size
- in easy read, with pictures
- in another language
- as a sound recording, so you can listen to it
- as a computer file, so you can change the size yourself
Just ask us or ask your support worker. You do not have to say why.
Keeping this handbook up to date
Sometimes the rules change. When they do, we will change this handbook.
When we make an important change, we will tell you. Your support worker will tell you about it. We will also tell you in the letter we send you each year about your rent.
The newest version is always the one on our website. It shows the date it was last changed. If you have a paper copy, ask us or your support worker whether it is still the newest one.
Telling us what you think of this handbook
If something in this handbook is hard to understand, please tell us. That helps us make it better.
Section 15 explains how to tell us what you think.
Getting help to understand this
If any of this is hard to understand, that is OK. Ask your support worker. You can also ask a relative, a friend or an advocate to help you.
You can ask us for this information on paper, in a bigger size, or in another format. Just ask us or ask your support worker.
More detail
This box is for tenants who want more detail, and for support staff, relatives, advocates and social workers. You do not need to read it to understand the section above.
Status of this handbook. This handbook is an explanatory guide. It does not vary the tenancy agreement and does not create new contractual rights or obligations. Where the handbook and the tenancy agreement conflict, the tenancy agreement prevails. Where the handbook and the law conflict, the law prevails. Nothing in this handbook restricts a tenant's statutory rights.
Who Harbour Light is. Harbour Light Assisted Living CIC is a Community Interest Company and a Registered Provider of social housing, registered with the Regulator of Social Housing under registration number 4791. Harbour Light is the landlord. Care and support are provided by separate organisations under a Service Level Agreement. See Section 2.
Registered office. 71 Linacre Road, Litherland, Merseyside, L21 8NP. Telephone 0151 909 5919. Website harbourlight.org.uk. Email hello@harbourlight.org.uk.
Accessibility of this document. The handbook is written in plain English, using short sentences, in a sans-serif typeface at a minimum body size of 14 point, left-aligned, without italics, underlining or block capitals. Meaning is never conveyed by colour alone. Any published PDF version is intended to meet WCAG 2.2. These measures reflect good practice and Harbour Light's obligations under the Equality Act 2010; the NHS Accessible Information Standard applies to health and adult social care providers and does not legally bind Harbour Light in its capacity as a landlord, but its principles have been adopted voluntarily. See Section 13.
Version control and review. The handbook carries a version number and issue date. It is to be reviewed on a fixed cycle and whenever the law, the tenancy agreement or a relevant Harbour Light policy changes. Two review triggers are already known: the intended commencement of Awaab's Law Phase 2 on 30 November 2026 (regulations were in draft as at July 2026 and are presented here as Government intention, not settled law), and the application of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 tenancy reforms to these tenancies from October 2027. The handbook is owned by the Operations Department and approved by the Chief Executive. It was approved on 1 October 2026. It is reviewed in full at least every three years, and updated in between whenever a change is needed.
How the handbook is published. The handbook is published in digital form at https://harbourlight.org.uk/tenant-handbook.html, as web pages and as a downloadable PDF. It is the same for every Harbour Light property and contains no property-specific information. Paper, large-print and audio copies are available on request; a copy produced on request reflects the version current on the date it is produced. Property-specific information is given to each tenant on a separate property information sheet issued with the tenancy agreement. Superseded versions of the handbook are retained.