Succession to tenancy upon bereavement
When you die your tenancy may pass to your wife or husband if they are living with you when you die or a close relative if they have been living with you for at least 12 months prior to your death. He or she will be your “successor” provided that you yourself did not succeed to the tenancy after 3rd October 1980.
If you did, there is no further right to succession.
If you have a joint tenancy with another person it will pass to him or her when you die, but there will be no further right to succession.
Succession happens once automatically but we may agree to a further succession in certain circumstances.
The housing officer will make an assessment of the claimant’s legal entitlement and take appropriate action.
If there is no right to succeed, a Housing Officer will give advice and assistance on re-housing options available in accordance with our allocations policy. Where appropriate housing officers may liaise with and involve outside agencies to assist in this process.
Our housing officer will discuss transfers to alternative more suitable accommodation where successors are found to be under occupying a property, have no need for adaptations in the current property or be occupying sheltered accommodation but are under 60 years of age.