How to end your tenancy
You must give the council four weeks notice, in writing, to end your tenancy. Your tenancy must end on a Monday. You still have to pay rent during the four week notice period up to the date your tenancy ends.
You can download a Termination of Tenancy form below.
Please make sure you give a forwarding address. If your tenancy is joint then both tenants should sign the Notice.
Your responsibilities
Along with your rent, please make sure you have paid any Housing Benefit Overpayments and charges for any work the council has done to your home.
You should arrange an appointment for someone from the council to come and inspect your home during the notice period. 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
You will not have to carry out repairs necessary as a result of fair wear and tear. You will be asked to sign a record of the inspection and will be given a copy.
Please leave the property in a clean condition:
- Thoroughly clean the bath, toilet pan and wash basin
- Wash all tiled floors and all painted surfaces
- Thoroughly clean all ceramic tiled surfaces
- Sweep all floors (and scrape floors after removing carpets)
You must also completely clear the loft, all storerooms, sheds, outbuildings, garages, front and rear gardens. If you use Stevenage Borough Council's Bulk Refuse Service, see link below, please arrange this so that the rubbish is removed before you return your keys. You cannot use this service after you leave your home. Refuse can be disposed of at the household waste site on Caxton Way at no charge (see link below).
The council must have 'vacant possession', which means that you cannot leave anyone living there.
You must tell utility companies that you are leaving and you should make a note of all meter readings before you return the keys. Return the Virgin Media decoder and remote control handset to Virgin Media.
Please tell the Post Office you are moving and arrange to have your mail forwarded to your new address. You will NOT be able to borrow the keys once you have moved out.
On the last day of your tenancy, please hand all keys (front, rear, garage and shed door) back to the Customer Service Centre by noon on the Monday when the tenancy ends. You will be given a receipt for the keys. If they are not returned you will be charged a weekly rent until you return them. If you have a Community Care alarm handset please leave it in the property.
Allowing new tenants to view your home
After receiving your Notice, the council will usually offer your home to a new tenant very quickly. They will contact you to arrange a convenient time to view your home. If you do not want us to give your phone number to the new tenant please tick the appropriate box on your 'Ending your Tenancy form'.
After you Leave
After you return the keys, the council will inspect your home to make sure:
- You have carried out to a satisfactory standard the work you were asked to do
- That there are no other works necessary that are your responsibility
- You have cleaned your home to a satisfactory standard
- You have not left any items or rubbish in the home
- You will be charged if we have to carry out any of this work on your behalf.
What happens if the tenant has died
Housing Benefit ends immediately on the death of a tenant. The four weeks notice period still applies on death. Please note there may also be charges for redecorating, cleaning and removing rubbish that must be paid from the deceased tenant’s estate. Please talk to the Tenancy Advisor if you need any more information.