your tenancy

• About your tenancy
• Joint tenancy
• Ending a joint tenancy
• Succession to a tenancy
• Assignment of tenancy
• Grants of tenancy
• Leaving your property
• Find out more about tenancy issues

About your tenancy

The tenancy agreement is a contract between you (the tenant) and Haringey Council (the landlord). Although Homes for Haringey manages your home on a day to day basis, Haringey Council is still your landlord. The tenancy agreement contains basic information such as your name, the date you became a tenant, and the rent you will pay. It also lists your and our responsibilities. It is a very important document and you will need to keep it safe.

When you sign up as a new council tenant, you will be given a trial period to show that you can keep to the terms of your tenancy agreement, look after your home and not be a nuisance to your neighbours. This trial period is your introductory tenancy.

If you are already a tenant with Haringey Council or a registered social landlord (housing association) on a secure tenancy and you are being rehoused, then you will continue to be on a secure tenancy.

Download our leaflet about introductory tenancies to find out more.

Joint tenancy

Unless you specifically ask the lettings team for joint tenancy, you will automatically be given sole tenancy. Even if you do ask for a joint tenancy we will have to take certain issues into account before we make a decision, such as how long your relationship has existed.

If you decide to change to joint tenancy after you have moved in, you will need to discuss it with your Customer Services Centre or local housing office.

To find out more about the pros and cons of joint tenancy, you can contact your local Customer Services Centre.

Ending a joint tenancy

There are various reasons why you might end your joint tenancy. If you do want to end a joint tenancy you should contact your Customer Services Centre. They will put you in touch with your local housing office where you can discuss your circumstances.

Succession to tenancy

If a tenant dies, a partner, adult family member living permanently in the home, or sometimes a carer, can apply to take over the tenancy, meaning that no new tenancy needs to be created. This is called succession to tenancy.

Only one succession is permitted. If there has already been one, you may be able to apply for a grant of tenancy (see below).

To find out more about succession to tenancy, you can contact your local Customer Services Centre.

Assignment of tenancy

When a tenant leaves to live elsewhere, in certain circumstances they can assign (pass on) their tenancy to an adult member of their household. There are three ways of assigning tenancy:

1. By mutual exchange

2. By order of a court

3. By handing over to an eligible successor.

To find out more about assignment of tenancy, you can contact your local Customer Services Centre.

Grants of tenancy

If someone has had a long-term interest in a property, such as a carer, but does not have the right to succession or assignment then it may be possible for them to get a grant of tenancy. This is granted at the discretion of the council in certain circumstances.

To find out more about grants of tenancy, you can contact your local Customer Services Centre.

Leaving your property

It is your responsibility to keep your property occupied and secure. If we believe that you have left the property or are not using it as your only or main home we will take action to repossess it.

If you are moving out of your council home you can get up to £250:

• You can get £100 if you give us four weeks' notice, allow us to inspect the property and let prospective tenants view it before you leave. (Note that tenants who are transferring to another Haringey Council home should give at least two weeks' notice.)
• You can get £150 if you leave your property clean, free of bulk rubbish items and in good repair.

You can find more details about our moving out incentive scheme in our Moving out of your council home leaflet, which is also available at your local Customer Services Centre (see link below).

To give notice, call our call centre on 0800 195 3404 or 020 8489 5611 (cheaper from mobiles) and we will explain what you need to do to benefit from the moving out incentive scheme.

Find out more about tenancy issues

To find out more about tenancy issues, you can contact your Customer Services Centre. They may put you in touch with your local area housing office.

To find out more about your rights, you can visit the Citizens Advice Bureau website or contact your local Customer Services Centre:

Contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for advice on your rights

Find my local Customer Services Centre

Useful External Links

The following links are not part of the Homes for Haringey website. Please read our legal notice before using these links.

• www.adviceguide.org.uk