The overall aim of this policy is to assist tenants with the financial cost of decorating their homes and, in doing so, assist in the effective maintenance of the Council's housing stock. Allowances are a contribution towards the cost of materials and equipment needed to carry out internal decoration works and should provide tenants with choice when decorating their home.

A decoration allowance does not remove the need for staff, carrying out work on behalf of the Council, to take adequate care to ensure that damage does not occur. It also does not remove the need for tenants to adequately insure the contents of their homes from damage. There are various low cost options available, but tenants of Selby District Council do have the opportunity to purchase exclusive household Contents Insurance, arranged with Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc. Further information can be found at https://www.selby.gov.uk/house-insurance or tenants can speak to their Neighbourhood Officer for more details.

a full copy of the Decoration Allowance Policy can be found here 

When will an allowance be made?

• A decoration allowance may be awarded in one of the following circumstances:
• An allocated Council property is deemed ‘hard to let’ by the Housing Tenant Services team because of its poor decorative condition or has been refused by applicants on multiple occasions on the basis that it is in poor decorative condition; OR
• Following any planned maintenance or improvement work carried out by the Council where it is deemed necessary for a decoration allowance to be given.
• Poor decorative condition may mean the wallpaper is considerably torn, the walls are badly marked or smoke stained, the woodwork has been badly chipped/ painted, the paint is peeling from the woodwork or has been painted a strong colour that is not easily covered up, and so on. This list is not exhaustive and final judgment would be made by the Council’s Housing Tenant Services team.
• When a tenant is not satisfied with a responsive repair and damage caused to internal decoration through this process, they should go through the Council’s Corporate Complaints Procedure.

When a decoration allowance will not be awarded

• A decoration allowance will not be awarded in the following circumstances:
• Where a tenant, family member or visitor has caused the damage.
• Where the tenant has neglected the interior decoration of the property.
• To change the interior decoration of a property because it is not to the new tenant’s personal taste (unless a new tenancy and the decoration is a strong colour, as assessed by the Housing Tenant Services team, which would prove costly to change, for example black).
• To act as payment following an incident which the tenant should have been insured for.
• Where a new tenancy is beginning as a result of mutual exchange.
• Where the Council, or its contractor, has completed decoration.