Your notice period
You must give us 4 weeks’ notice (ending on a Monday) to terminate your tenancy. You can do this by completing our termination of tenancy online form.
Termination of tenancy online form
If you would prefer us to send you a paper copy of the form, please speak to your housing officer.
It is in your own interest to submit the form as soon as possible in order that the notice period does not need to be extended. A telephone call is not sufficient to terminate your tenancy.
On receipt of your termination notice a housing officer will visit you at your home to carry out a pre-vacation inspection.
During the inspection you will be told about:
- any decorating you must do to bring the home up to a reasonable standard
- the fixtures and fittings you must put back, replace or repair
- any alterations you have made that must be removed or returned to the original condition
- any outstanding rent arrears
Please remember that your tenancy is a legal agreement and will not automatically end when you move out of the property. On receipt of the notice, we will write to you to confirm the date that the tenancy will end.
If you are joint tenants, the whole tenancy will end if you or the other tenant ends the tenancy on their own.
Preparing to leave your home
You’ll need to clear your home of all your possessions before you leave and the property should be clean and tidy. This means you must:
- thoroughly clean the bath, toilet and wash basin
- wash all tiled floors and all painted surfaces
- thoroughly clean all ceramic tiled surfaces
- wipe down kitchen units (inside and out) and wipe down work surfaces
- sweep all floors (and scraping floors after removing carpets)
- vacuum all carpets
- completely clear the loft, all storerooms, sheds and outbuildings
- ensure that the garden is neat and tidy, grass cut and hedges trimmed
- clear away all rubbish and unwanted items
- tell us about any alterations you’ve made to the property
- tell us about any damage to the property
We can help clear some bulky items but you could consider donating any furniture in reasonable condition to charity, for example, the Essential Needs Furniture Store in Harrogate who you can call on 01423 870040.
What happens on the day you leave
A housing officer will meet you at your property on the day your tenancy is due to end to carry out a final inspection of the property and to check all rent payments are up to date.
If you leave your accommodation owing any rent, we will contact you to set up an arrangement to clear your debt. If you do not make suitable arrangements, legal action may be taken.
If you owe us any money you will not be able to join our housing waiting list at any time in the future until you have made satisfactory arrangements to repay.
You should also make sure:
- all your belongings have been removed (we will charge you the cost of removing anything you have left behind)
- we know about any damage to the property (we will charge you to put right any damage that wasn’t caused by fair wear and tear)
- you have taken meter readings for the water, gas and electricity
- you have informed the relevant utility companies that you’ve moved out
- you have arranged for any post to be directed
- you have told our council tax team that you’ve moved out
- you have handed back the keys (before midday on the day of departure)
- we have your contact details or forwarding address
Ending a tenancy because someone has died
If a tenancy ends because the tenant has died (and there is no surviving tenant or successor) we still require the usual four weeks' notice.
We may accept a shorter period of notice if the property can be cleared quickly and it is in a condition that enables us to re-let it without delay.
If you are acting on behalf of someone who has died, please complete the termination of tenancy on death of tenant online form.