When a tenant dies
When a tenant dies
We’re sorry to hear that your relative or friend has passed away. This can be a difficult time and we will do all we can to support you and help you manage any tenancy changes and arrangements that are needed.
What you need to do
- Contact us as soon as you can and let us know that the tenant has passed away
- Send us a copy of the death certificate
If no one else will continue living in the property
After we’ve received a copy of the death certificate we’ll send you a letter (known legally as a Notice to Quit). This will tell you the date that you need to return the property to us. This will usually be the first Monday after the four week notice period, which will start after we receive the death certificate.
For more information about what you need to do during the four week notice period and before returning the property to us please read the moving out page.
If someone else wants to continue living in the property
When a tenant passes away sometimes the tenancy can be transferred to another person. This is called succession and will depend on the type of tenancy agreement.
If you or someone else who has been living in the property wants to take over the tenancy please tell us in writing. You’ll need to do this even if you’re already a joint tenant.
- Within 28 days of your request we’ll write to you and confirm whether you can take over the tenancy
- If you’re not the spouse or partner of the tenant, we might ask you to provide information that shows how you qualify
- We might need to move you to another property if the home is too big for you
- A succession can only happen once. For example a tenancy could be passed from a husband to a wife but not then to a child at a future date