Adding or removing someone from your tenancy
Adding or removing someone will change your tenancy to either a sole or joint tenancy.
- A sole tenancy is in your name only. You’re responsible for your home, including paying the rent.
- A joint tenancy is a tenancy that is held by you and one other person. You’re both responsible for the tenancy, including paying the rent.
This is a decision which is entirely at our discretion and there are criteria which need to be met to enable someone to be added to your tenancy.
We grant joint tenancy to married couples, civil partners or co-habiting couples. Both of you must be entitled to social housing. If you’re co-habiting then you’ll need to show proof that you’ve been living together for 12 months e.g., a utility bill in both your names.
If you’re a carer and you’ve given up an existing social housing tenancy to care for one of our customers, we’ll consider granting you a joint tenancy, as long as you’re both entitled to social housing.
You’ll both need to sign the application form and the legal paperwork. If one of you has already left the property and can’t be traced, we probably won’t be able to approve the application. Please contact us to discuss this.
If you’ve changed your name, you will need to send us a copy of the legal document that shows the change, for example your:
- marriage certificate;
- civil partnership certificate; or
- Deed Poll certificate.
Your tenancy will remain the same, and you won’t need to sign a new one. We’ll make sure your new name is updated in our records.
Please complete the below form and a member of the team will get in touch with you.
Complete change of circumstances form
If you need to speak to someone about a change in your circumstances, please contact us.
If you’re thinking about taking in a lodger or subletting part of your property, you'll need to ask permission. Most of our residents must not get a lodger or sublet their property before being given permission by us.
A lodger is a person who lives with you, they are not related to you and they pay you something towards their keep. Most lodgers are not subtenants.
When you contact us we'll let you know if you require our permission before getting a lodger. We'll ask for the lodger’s personal details and details of the charge you will ask them to pay. We will not refuse your request unless we have a good reason, for example:
- If it would cause overcrowding.
- If the lodger’s behaviour was unacceptable.
- If you live in sheltered accommodation and the lodger is under 55 years old.
It's important to remember that taking in a lodger may affect any benefits you're receiving. If you receive benefits or help in paying your rent then you must tell your Local Authority’s Housing Benefit Team and the Council Tax office about any changes to your household or income.
Subletting is different to taking in a lodger. Subletting is where space in a property is rented out to a subtenant.
We don't allow subletting of a whole property. If you want to sublet part of your property you will need to ask for permission. Some residents may be allowed to sublet part of their property as long as we have given written permission beforehand.
What to do if a tenant passes away
We know that losing a loved one is very painful and we care about making things as easy as possible when you are grieving. If your relative lived in a Your Housing Group home, here's what you need to know.
Please complete the form, providing next of kin/executor details.
A member of our Lettings Team will then be in touch to obtain a copy of the death certificate and explain what happens next with your relative’s tenancy and home. Once we’ve received a copy of the death certificate, a 28-day notice period will apply. Please do not be alarmed by this, we have to do this legally.
You’ll be responsible for paying the rent during this period. Please arrange for any belongings to be removed from the property within the notice period. There’s more information about what to do when a loved one dies on the gov.uk website.
You might be eligible to take over a relative or partner’s tenancy if they pass away. This is called tenancy succession.
Who’s eligible for tenancy succession?
Not all tenancies allow someone to take them over, so you should check the tenancy agreement first. Please contact us if you have any questions or wish to check if you are eligible for succession. You may be eligible to take it on in the following circumstances, if you:
- are a partner, spouse or co-habitee and you were living in the home without a joint tenancy;
- are a family member and have been living there for at least a year before the tenant’s death;
- are now responsible for the tenant’s children so may want to stay in the house. In this case, however, we may offer you a different property if the house is specifically adapted or is too big or small for you.