Leaving your home

How do I end my tenancy?

If you're a current Council tenant and you're moving home, you must give four weeks notice in writing, using a Notice to Quit form or a Notice of Termination form, depending on the type of tenancy you have. The form giving notice must be received on a Monday - your tenancy will end on the Sunday four weeks later. If it's not received on the Monday, you'll be charged an extra week's rent. You can download the correct form for your tenancy in the downloads section on the bottom right of this page. 

How do I end a tenancy that’s not mine?

When a relative or close friend passes away, dealing with their affairs at such a time can be very difficult.

If your friend or relative was a tenant of ours, you should contact their Neighbourhood Officer about the following:

• The name and address of the deceased
• Date of death
• The contact details of the person dealing with the affairs of the deceased person - please let our staff know if you are the Executor
• If known, the date you expect the property to be cleared and the keys returned to us
• If there is a will, we will need a copy of the pages of the will naming the executor/administrator and the end section signed by the tenant and witness.
• We'll need to see a death certificate or alternatively use the “Tell Us Once” service, which is completed with the Registrar.

At least four weeks’ notice is required in writing, with the tenancy ending on a Sunday.

To end a tenancy, we're only able to accept a formal notice from the Executor. However, if there's no will or the named Executors aren't willing to act, we can accept a formal notice from an Administrator who's responsible for dealing with the estate.

An Administrator has to apply for letters of administration before they can do this. In the event that there's no Executor or Administrator, we'll need to apply to the Public Trustee to formally end the tenancy. The tenancy will then end on the next Sunday after 28 days have passed from the date when the Public Trustee was informed.

The rent due and any other charges should be paid in full. If the tenant was receiving housing benefit, this will cease on the Sunday following the date on which they passed away. Council Tax benefit will cease on the day before they passed away. Don’t forget to notify our Council Tax team and if applicable, our Housing Benefit team to advise them of this change via 01884 255255.

If there's an outstanding balance on the rent account after the termination date, we'd expect to recover this from the deceased person’s estate.

If you're the husband, wife, partner or relative of the deceased person and are living at the property, you will need to contact the Neighbourhood team to get additional advice. For example, if you or anyone else was living in the property for 12 months or more when the tenant passed away, you or they may be able to continue living there. We'll let you know if you or they can do this.

If you were not a joint tenant or do not qualify to succeed the tenancy and you require alternative accommodation, our Neighbourhood team will advise what options are available to you. You'll also need to return the keys to us when the notice period on the property ends.

If you're a joint tenant, you won't need to end the tenancy, but you will need to contact us to update your tenancy details.

Where can I return the keys?

All keys to the property need to be handed back to us by 10:00am on the Monday immediately following your tenancy end date. Please refer to your tenancy agreement to see which time applies. 

What if I or a relative is moving into a Care home?

If a tenant moves into a Care home and has no intention of returning to their property, a notice will need to be served to end their tenancy.

If the tenant has mental capacity, they'll need to follow the procedures above and give four weeks’ notice in writing. If a tenant does not have mental capacity and has a Power of Attorney (POA), that person will need to give four weeks’ notice in writing. See GOV.UK – Power of Attorney for more details.

If a tenant does not have mental capacity and doesn’t have a Power of Attorney (POA), you'll need to contact the Neighbourhood Officer as soon as possible to discuss the way forward.

Note: If the tenant is in receipt of Housing Benefit, payments will stop on the Sunday after it's confirmed they have no intention to return to the property.

Checklist of things to do: