Death of a resident

There are certain pieces of information we will need, so please make sure you have this to hand if you are calling, or that you provide this information if you contact us online.

When notifying us that someone has passed away, you will need to provide:

• Name of the tenant
• Tenant address
• The date they passed away
• The name and contact details of next of kin, executor or personal representative
• Your relationship to the tenant
• Who has the keys to the property
• Whether anyone else lives at the property and if they’d like to stay there.

We will also need a copy of the death certificate. You can upload a copy of the certificate, if you complete the below form. Alternatively, you can send this via email, or post.

The tenancy needs to be ended by the next of kin, executor or personal representative, giving a minimum of four weeks’ notice, and when you have contacted us we will start of the process of ending the tenancy.

Rent will still be payable until the tenancy end date and the next of kin, executor or personal representative can find out the balance on the rent account at any time, by contacting us.  It is best to do this on the phone.

All items must be removed from the property, and if there are items that aren’t wanted or needed by family members, we recommend contacting local charities regarding potential donations.

Once we receive notification that a tenant has sadly passed away and the notice to end the tenancy, we will advise the next of kin, executor or personal representative of the tenancy end date, rent balance and where the keys should be returned to.

Please remember, you will need to contact utilities providers and your local council tax team as well as any benefits agencies, if applicable. We recommend you take meter readings at the end of the tenancy, and you may wish to consider redirecting mail.

We understand this can be such a difficult time and you may need bereavement support. We recommend the National Bereavement Service.

If you have a joint tenancy and your joint tenant has passed away, it is likely the tenancy will automatically transfer into your sole name.

There are certain pieces of information we will need, so please make sure you have this to hand if you are calling, or that you provide this information if you contact us online.

When notifying us that someone has passed away, you will need to provide:

• Name of the tenant
• Your name
• Tenants address
• The date they passed away

We will also need a copy of the death certificate. You can upload a copy of the certificate if you complete the below form. Alternatively, you can send this via email, or post. We will confirm any changes to you in writing.

If you or someone else is living in the property, but they were not a joint tenant, they may have the right to stay in the property and take the tenancy on, i.e. ‘succeed’ the tenancy.

This right depends on the type of tenancy, the relationship between the occupant and the tenant who has passed away, and the length of time the occupant has lived there.

Am I eligible to succeed?

This will be dependent on several factors that we will need to discuss and check with you before a decision can be reached.  In general terms for a secure/ assured tenancies a succession may be granted if;

• the tenant who has died was your husband, wife, civil partner, or cohabitee, and if it was your home when they died; or
• there is a clause in the tenancy allowing a family member to succeed if the tenant did not have a spouse, civil partner, or cohabitee. You will also need to be able to prove that you lived at the address as your home for at least 12 months; and
• the tenant who died wasn’t a successor to the tenancy themselves.

You will need to apply to succeed the tenancy by submitting the below form to us, or calling us to discuss.

You will also need to provide evidence of your relationship to the tenant with, for example, birth and marriage certificates, and evidence of your length of occupancy at the property with, for example, a council tax bill or bank statement.

We will also need a copy of the death certificate. You can upload a copy of the certificate, if you complete the below form. Alternatively, you can send this via email, or post.

If you do have the right to succeed the tenancy, we will confirm this in writing as soon as possible. If the property is larger than is required to suit your needs, or adapted to suit certain disabilities you do not have, we may offer you an alternative property or help you find something more suitable for you to move to.

If you do not have the right to succeed, we will also confirm this in writing as soon as possible. We appreciate this will be a very difficult time, and we will give all the help and advice we can to find alternative accommodation.

Please remember, you will need to contact utilities providers and your local council tax team as well as any benefits agencies, if applicable.