Ending your tenancy

If you decide you want to move out of your home, you must write to tell us at least four weeks before the date you want to leave. This is called your notice period. The notice period must always start from a Monday. Even if you’re moving to another Watmos home, we’ll arrange for a Tenancy officer to visit you and inspect your home to check you haven’t caused any damage or made any alterations without permission. 

What do I need to do before I move out? 

There are a number of things you need to do before you move: 

  • Leave the property empty, clean and in good condition. 

  • Carry out any repairs or redecoration we tell you need doing. If you don’t carry out the work, we might charge you the cost of getting it done, and if you’re transferring to another one of our homes, we could stop the move. 

  • Return all the keys, including front and back door keys, meter keys, fobs, storage and outhouse keys. You have – to return them by 12pm on the Monday your tenancy ends. 

  • Give us your new address. 

  • Continue to pay rent until your tenancy has ended. Make sure your rent account is clear and that any other debt you have with us is paid off. If you still owe rent payments when you leave, we could take legal action against you 

  • Don’t not leave any other people or animals in the property after you leave. 

What if it’s a joint tenancy, and one person wants to leave?

The entire tenancy agreement will end. The resident who would like to stay at the home will need to speak to us and discuss their options. 

What happens if a resident has died?

We know when someone dies it is a difficult emotional time and there are many formalities to carry out.  

We’ll ask a relative or the person responsible for the resident’s affairs to write to us to end the tenancy . We’ll work with and support the family through the notice period and provide advice and guidance if they need it.   

We will need the following information:  

  • A copy of the death certificate  

  • Details of the tenant's next of kin or personal representative  

  • Your address or the address of the personal representative who is dealing with the tenant's affairs (if not you)  

Who else should I tell  

There may be other people who need to be informed about the death. These can include:  

The local authority if the person was receiving Housing Benefit and to inform the Council Tax department  

The DWP if they were receiving Universal Credit.  

You can use a service called Tell Us Once to notify most government organisations . You still need to tell us as we are not a government organisation.  

You may also find this information useful: What to do when someone dies: step by step - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  

Can I take over the tenancy of my home after the death of the tenant?

Sometimes it is possible for a tenancy to be passed on to another member of the tenant's household. This is known as succession or Survivorship.   

The person who takes over the tenancy is called a Successor. This can only happen following the death of the tenant. If the deceased person was a joint tenant, the only person who may be able to succeed the tenancy would be the other joint tenant.  

A succession can only happen once. This means that if the deceased person was a successor (including a previous joint tenant), there cannot be a succession by another family member.  

The right to succeed to a tenancy varies depending on the type of the tenancy , the relationship between the family member and the tenant and in some cases the length of time that the potential successor has lived at the property.  

We understand that applying for succession can be distressing and we will ensure that potential successors are quickly provided with appropriate advice and support.  

For further information please contact us