Ending a council tenancy upon bereavement
It can be difficult when a family member or close friend dies. We therefore aim to make it simple for you if you need to contact us to end a tenancy because the tenant has died.
What do I need to do if a tenant dies?
Let us know as soon as you can by calling us on
01522 881188
We will ask you to complete a form and return it to us. This form will give us formal notice that the tenancy needs to be brought to an end. The earlier you send us the notice the better.
You can post the notice back to us at City Hall. If you can, please give us a copy of the death certificate.
How much notice do I need to give?
We legally require four weeks’ notice to end a tenancy. This will start from the Monday after death. The tenancy will end on a Monday, and we will tell you the actual date when the tenancy ends.
Rent payments
Rent will continue to be charged during the four-week notice period. Any housing benefit will stop from the date of death. The rent charged during the notice period, and any outstanding balance when the tenancy ends, will be charged to the tenant’s estate.
“Estate” means the total value of the tenant’s money and possessions. We will write to you when the tenancy ends to tell you if any money is owed to us. We will ask you to either pay this amount from the tenant’s estate or produce evidence that the estate doesn’t have enough funds to pay the debt.
If you are responsible for sorting out the tenant’s affairs after they have dies, you will not have to pay these debts yourself.
Other important information
- You must leave the property in a good condition
- Please allow us to do an ‘end of tenancy inspection’ of the property if you can. This will help us to let the property to a new tenant more quickly, and we will advise you what you need to do before you return the keys
- You must give us ‘vacant possession’ of the property when the tenancy ends. This means there must be nobody living in it. If the tenant had a lodger you must make sure they leave the property by the time the tenancy ends
- All keys for the property must be handed into City Hall before midday on the Monday when the tenancy ends. If you return them after this time extra rent will be charged
End of tenancy Inspection
We will book an appointment with you to carry out this inspection as soon as we receive your notice. Please keep this appointment.
During the visit we will:
- Complete any missing information on the ‘end of tenancy’ form
- Discuss any rent arrears and agree how these will be paid when the tenancy ends
- Identify repairs that are needed before the property can be let to somebody else
- Tell you about the condition we expect you to leave the property in when the tenancy ends
- Tell you if any damage or repair issues will be charged to the tenant’s estate
Leaving the property in good order
A new tenant will be moving in after the tenancy ends, so you need to:
- Leave your home clean and tidy, and in good repair. This includes any garden, yard, balcony or shed
- Leave all permanent fittings in the property like kitchens, bathrooms and other things that shouldn’t be removed
- Disconnect and remove cooker and washing machine safely. If you're not sure how to do this, then get someone else to do this for you
- Remove all belongings, including everything stored in the loft, yard, shed or garden
- If there is a garden, make sure it is clean and tidy and cut any grass or hedges
If there are large items in the property that you need to get rid of, we can arrange for these to be collected.
Call 01522 881188
Apply for a bulky item collection
A charge will be made for the cost of any cleaning, or if we have to remove any rubbish or belongings from the property. Our charges include the cost of any work, plus the cost of arranging it.
We will inspect the property when you hand the keys in to make sure it has been left clean and tidy.
Gas and electricity
If gas and electricity were paid by a prepayment card or key, please leave the card or key inside the property. The card or key is linked to the meter in the property and will not work anywhere else.
The gas and electricity meters should not be left with money owing on them. The tenant’s estate is liable for that debt and if we incur any costs because of a debt, the estate will be charged.
The energy supplier will be changed to British Gas when you give us notice that the tenancy is ending. We do this to make it easy for the next tenant to set up their energy account when they move in. If you receive a letter from British Gas at your new home, this is normal.
You should get a Gas Safe-registered engineer to disconnect any gas cooker and any gas fire that were owned by the tenant. Please do not disconnect our gas fire if there is one fitted.
Keys
Lock the property when you leave, and hand all keys including any windows, shed, garage and communal entrance door keys or fobs into City Hall.
Meters and Water
Make a note of the meter readings and give these to the gas and electricity supplier. This will stop the tenant’s estate being charged for energy after the tenancy ends.
Tell Anglian Water the tenancy is ending so they don't charge the estate. Turn off the main supply stop tap when you leave the property, to stop any damage from leaks or burst pipes. This is very important in cold weather.
Council tax
Please tell Customer Services at City Hall so that council tax charges can be ended.
Post
You can arrange for any post to be directed to your address through the Post Office. There is a small charge for this service. If you don’t redirect the post, we will not keep any letters sent to your old address.
Phone and cable or satellite TV
You will have to tell the service provider about the death to end any service being provided.
Inform the TV licensing authority of the death so that the licence can be ended. You can do this at Post Office or online.
Others you should tell
Contact any insurance companies, banks, building society and all other agencies with which the tenant had contact.
You will need to notify the Department of Works and Pensions if any benefit was being paid. You must contact the office where the claim is based.
If the tenant had a council garage
You only need to give us one week’s notice to end a garage tenancy. You can give notice on the same form that you used to give notice on the property. You must pay the rent till the tenancy ends.
You can hand the garage keys in earlier as a shorter notice period is applied. Please return these keys to City Hall.