A council or housing association landlord is usually responsible for renting you a home that's in a decent condition and for doing repairs to your home. When you move into a council or housing association home:If there are no working smoke alarms in your new home, ask your landlord if they can supply and fit them.Most council or housing association homes are unfurnished. You are usually expected to provide your own appliances, furniture, carpets and other floor coverings.You are responsible for repairing and replacing these.There are usually connections for a washing machine, fridge and cooker.To help with the cost of furnishing your home, check with the council if you can apply for a budgeting loan.Tenants are usually responsible for decorating a council or housing association home.Your landlord could be responsible for redecoration:Ask your landlord to pay something towards redecoration costs if the property is in a poor state of decoration when you start your tenancy.Some councils and housing associations provide decoration vouchers which can be used to buy decorating materials in local DIY stores.

Your landlord is responsible for repairs to:Your tenancy agreement might set out any other responsibilities the council or housing association has.Find out more about landlords' responsibilities for repairs.Councils and housing associations should have a system for reporting and dealing with repairs. They should give you information about this at the start of your tenancy.Find out more about how to report repairs.After you report a repair problem, your landlord should tell you how they are going to deal with it and how long it is likely to take.Your tenants' handbook or tenancy agreement may tell you how long a particular type of repair should take to be fixed.For council tenants, some small repairs may be covered by the right to repair scheme.Contact your landlord again if they take too long to start repairs or don't keep to their own agreements for what should be repaired.For example, if your landlord says that you have to pay to redecorate your home after damage caused by disrepair, but this is one of their repair responsibilities.

Find out more about what to do if your landlord won't do repairs.Landlords are not required to fix any damage caused by tenants or their guests or visitors.If your landlord does fix damage you're responsible for, they will usually charge you for this.If your home is damaged by repair or maintenance work organised by your landlord, they should fix it.christmas trees decorated outsideThis includes redecorating if disrepair or repair work caused damage.ways to decorate top of christmas treeYou can ask for a rent reduction if you can't use all or part of your home because of repair work.what is the best paint for an exterior deck

If your landlord refuses to reduce the rent, you could take them to court to claim compensation.Find out about what to do about problems during repairs.Find out more about action to take if your landlord takes too long to do repairs or refuses to repair your home.Your home must be safe and fit to live in when your tenancy starts and throughout your tenancy.wedding table decor rentalsYour landlord is responsible for:Find out more about health and safety standards that apply to rented homes.decorate your house handmadeThese are common problems in rented homes.best paint exterior housemon areas are those shared with other people, such as hallways, stairs or lifts in the building.Your landlord is responsible for the repair and decoration of these areas.

This applies even if your tenancy agreement says you have to help keep common areas clean and tidy.It's usually a tenant's responsibility to take care of their garden. This means you should keep it reasonably tidy. It doesn't mean that you have to improve the garden.Ask your landlord for permission if you want to make any changes to your garden, such as building a shed or laying a patio.If your tenancy agreement doesn't say anything about the garden, then you are expected to at least keep it in the condition it was in when you moved in.Where the garden is shared with other tenants, either your landlord may be responsible for maintaining it or you'll share responsibility with the other tenants.You usually need your landlord's permission to make your own improvements to a council or housing association home.Improvements could also include decorating the outside of the house, putting up a greenhouse or shed or building an extension.Council tenants may be able to apply for compensation for certain improvements at the end of their tenancy.

Contact your council's housing department for more information.Find out more about a tenant's right to improve a council or housing association home.Ask your landlord if the improvements you want might be classed as adaptations that you need because of a disability.Find out more about adaptations to your home if you are elderly or have a disability.Get advice if your council or housing association home needs repairs.Use Shelter's directory to find a local advice centre.Call Shelter's free national helpline on 0808 800 4444.Long a source of decorating inspiration, the beautiful forms of plants and animals are enjoying a revival on fabrics and ceramics, bringing distinctive detail to our homes. Here are a few ideas of how you can apply this theme to your own home.. Historical illustrations of fauna and flora suit a garden room. Team with colours derived from nature and galvanised metal accents.Circular table, £385, Barker and Stonehouse. Cactus jar, The Conran Shop. Butterflies in dome, £19.50, Marks & Spencer.

Pendant light, £190, Urban Cottage Industries. Stools, basket and safe, Baileys. Bold, larger-scale pictorial designs have decorative impact as wallhangings and offer greater flexibility than wallpaper.Pelargonium poster, £3.50, Paperchase. Wall hanging, £99, Colefax and Fowler. Bedstead, £1,495, Bed Bazaar. Large glass jars, such as those made by Kilner and Mason for preserving, are ideal as miniature garden containers for small cacti. Fill with sand and shingle to about halfway, plant up with an array of different succulents and water judiciously.Glass jars, The Conran Shop. Stools, Nkuku.Draw a simple insect silhouette with tailor's chalk onto a piece of fabric (felts and wools work well for appliqué as they don't fray) and cut it out. Use machine-embroidery to attach the shape to a cushion and to create the legs and detail on the carapace.Throw (£325) and cushion (£39.90), Linwood. Images of butterflies cut from wrapping paper or wallpaper make eye-catching decorative pins for a pinboard.

Stick a sheet of your chosen paper to lightweight card using Spray Mount. Cut out the butterflies, fold lightly down the centre and pin through. A coat of matt varnish will make them more durable.Butterfly shapes cut from wrapping paper, Paperchase. Pinboard, £59, Kiki Voltaire.Take inspiration from the beautiful accessories currently available featuring detailed botanical and entomological motifs to create your own designs for wrapping papers and labels. A photographic wallpaper featuring a collection of framed prints, butterfly and insect specimens creates a richly detailed backdrop, particularly when confined to a small area such as one wall of a study.Copper chair (£340) and desk (£1,495) Heal's.Fabrics, prints and ceramics with eye-catching images of butterflies and birds provide delicate accents in a simple rustic setting.Bird and butterfly plates, £6 each, Marks & Spencer. All others, David Mellor.TIP! Soften the vertical lines of panelling with pretty detail: busy botanical wallpapers work well in a restricted space, such as a single wall or cupboard interior.