This page has a summary of your main rights and responsibilities while you live in your home. There are more details in your Tenants’ Handbook, which you can download from our publications and policies section.
If in doubt, you should always refer to your tenancy agreement for the exact terms that apply to you.
We explain more below
If two or more people sign your tenancy agreement, you are all individually responsible for paying the rent and meeting the other terms and conditions.
You must pay your rent on time and in full. See Paying your rent.
We set your rent using a Government formula, which depends on your tenancy type. We will always give you at least four weeks’ notice in writing before changing your rent and service charges.
You can download our rent policy here.
Your home is designed for normal residential activities only. You should not alter your home in order to accommodate your work or hobby.
We expect you to look after your home, carry out minor repairs and regularly decorate it. For a list of who repairs what, and how to report a repair that is our responsibility, go to our list of repair responsibilities.
If you are an assured tenant, you have the right to make certain urgent repairs if we fail to meet a set timescale. This is a complicated piece of law, so you would need to call the office first, to find out more.
You must not run any kind of business from your home without getting our permission first. Be aware that depending on the nature of your business, it may affect your council tax and our buildings insurance.
Depending on the type of home you live in, we allow some tenants to keep a pet – providing you get permission first.
If you are an assured tenant, you have the right to carry out certain home improvements. However, you must get our written permission first.
If you are an assured tenant, or an assured shorthold tenant with a fixed-term agreement, you have the right to exchange homes with the tenant of any social housing landlord, providing you get our permission first.
Note that if you have a fixed-term agreement, your swap partner would only take on what remains of your tenancy.
If you need to be away from your home for more than a month, you must contact us with full details. If you have a good reason – for example, you are going into hospital, or making an extended visit to friends or family abroad – we can agree to this. However, you will need to show how you intend to pay your rent while you’re away.
As an assured tenant, or an assured shorthold tenant with a fixed-term agreement, you have the right to take in a lodger. You need to get our permission first and you must not overcrowd your home.
It is illegal to move out and sub-let the whole of your home. If you do this, you are committing social housing fraud. We will take back your tenancy and you could be fined or even sent to prison.
What is succession?
Succession allows someone legally to take over a post-1989 assured tenancy* when the original tenant dies.
Who can succeed?
- A surviving joint tenant
- A spouse or civil partner living in the home at the time of the tenant’s death
- A partner or close relative (such as a son, daughter, brother, or sister) – but only if the tenancy agreement allows it and they have lived in the home for at least the last 12 months
How many times can a tenancy be succeeded?
- Only once by law (statutory succession)
- Further succession may be allowed – but only if the tenancy agreement allows this
Important note: Please be aware that when the final joint tenant passes away, other family members do not have the right to succeed.
Who qualifies?
To succeed:
- You must have lived in the property at the time of the tenant’s death.
- You must be able to prove your relationship to the tenant.
- If you are not the tenant’s spouse or partner, you will need to provide documents showing you lived there for the past 12 months.
Documents you will need
You’ll need to provide:
- The death certificate of the tenant
- Proof of relationship (for example a marriage or birth certificate)
- Proof that you have been living at the property (for example, council tax bill, utility bills, medical letters)
What If you don’t qualify?
If you don’t qualify:
- You will be asked to leave the property.
Under-occupation
If you succeed to a home that is larger than you need, we may offer you a smaller, more suitable home. This allows us to offer the original property to a family that needs the extra space.
How to apply
- Tell your housing officer about the tenant’s death.
- Contact us to ask to succeed to the tenancy. Provide the documents that prove your status.
- Wait for us to give you a decision. We may need to visit you at home first.
- Our written decision will either confirm your right to stay in the property, or advise you on your options.
Need advice?
Contact:
- Your Housing Officer
- Citizens Advice (www.citizensadvice.org.uk)
- Shelter (www.shelter.org.uk)
- A qualified housing solicitor
*Note: If you have a different sort of tenancy, your succession rights may be different. Contact us for details.
You can’t sign over (‘assign’) your tenancy to someone else, unless:
- it’s because you are making a mutual exchange
- a court orders this as part of a divorce or separation settlement.
In all of these cases, you must contact us first, to get our written permission. We will not withhold this unreasonably.
We expect you to live in your home peacefully and be a good neighbour. If you fail to do so, you are breaking your tenancy agreement and could lose your home. In the ‘Living in your home’ section of this website, you can find out more about how we handle:
- nuisance and anti-social behaviour, and
- domestic violence.