your tenancy

What is a tenancy agreement?

When you agree to become the tenant of your home, you must sign a tenancy agreement.

The tenancy agreement is a contract between you (the tenant) and Haringey Council (the landlord). Although Homes for Haringey manages your home day to day, Haringey Council is still your landlord. This is a very important document and you will need to keep it safe.

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. The most basic tenancy agreement is sole tenancy.

There are other types of tenancy agreement which may change according to certain circumstances, as you can see below.

At the end of this page you will find some useful contact details for further help and information.

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.

Find out more

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.

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