Ending a tenancy after bereavement

Ending someone else’s tenancy following bereavement

We know when someone dies it is a difficult emotional time and there are many formalities to carry out. The following information aims to support you when an Incommunities tenancy needs to be ended.

If the family member or friend was our tenant, please contact us. We will ask if there is a personal representative of their estate – either the executor of the late tenants will or administrators appointed by the courts.

In most cases, we will accept a ‘third-party notice’ from a next of kin, however there may be instances when we can only accept a notification to end a tenancy from a designated Personal Representative.

What we need to know:

· Details of the tenant's next of kin or personal representative

· Your address or the address of the personal representative who is dealing with the tenant's affairs (if not you)

· Which Monday you expect to hand the keys in by. This is the date you will have cleared the property of all furniture and belongings and can return the keys.

· Please provide us with a copy of the death certificate.

The tenancy will continue until the four week notice period ends, or or at the point keys are handed in before the four week period.

You should return the keys and any door entry fobs as soon as possible, but no later than 12 noon on the Monday the tenancy ends. After this time, the deceased tenant’s estate will be charged. If there are any items left in the property, we may charge to dispose of them.

If the tenant was receiving welfare benefits, you will need to contact your local authority’s benefits team. If there are arrears on the rent account after keys have been handed in, we will look to recover the outstanding balance from the estate of the person who has died.

You should also tell your local authority about changes to Council Tax payments, arrange to have meters read and redirect any post.

Sometimes it is possible for a tenancy to be passed on to another member of the tenant's household – this is known as succession. For more information on succession or ending a tenancy, please contact the customer services team on 0330 175 9540 or enquiry@incommunities.co.uk