Ending a tenancy

When you move out, you must leave your home in a good, clean condition. If you don’t, we may charge you for any repair work that is needed. We can’t store any personal belongings, so don’t leave any behind or we may have to dispose of them and make a charge for removing them.

You need to return all your keys to the Salix Homes office or caretaker by 12pm on the Monday you leave.

You will need to return all keys for the house or flat, as well as any keys to cupboards, sheds or storage lockers. We will give you a receipt which is important for you to keep.

Make sure you arrange to have your gas and electricity meters read before you leave and that any phones are disconnected. This is your responsibility and makes sure you don’t become liable for any bills after you’ve left.

To report that a tenant has passed away, please call us on 0800 218 2000 as soon as you can.

If you are the next of kin or acting on behalf of a tenant who has died, we will also ask for a copy of the tenant’s death certificate.

If you are a joint tenant or were living with the tenant prior to their death, contact us so we can assist you.

If you or someone else was living with the tenant when they died, you should check our information on updating or changing tenancy details to see who may be eligible to take over the tenancy.

Legal guidance

Following the death of the tenant, only the Executor (the person given authority in the tenant’s Will to deal with their affairs) or the Administrator (the person who has been given Grant of Probate for the tenant) can legally end the tenancy on behalf of the tenant.

You should seek independent legal advice.

The Executor or Administrator can complete a Termination of Tenancy Form to end the tenancy, which we will provide. We will need to see proof that the person is the Executor or Administrator.

If there is no Executor or Administrator, Salix Homes will service a Notice to Quit on the Public Trustee in order to end the tenancy. Rent and housing benefit rent will continue to be charged until the tenancy has ended and the keys to the property have been returned. Any arrears that accrue should be paid from the deceased tenant’s estate. If the deceased tenant was claiming housing benefit, this ends immediately on their death.

Accessing the property

If no one has keys to the deceased tenant’s property, Salix Homes can only issue a set of keys to the Executor or Administrator. You should make arrangements to clear the property of all the deceased tenant’s furniture and personal belongings before returning the keys. If there are items left behind, Salix Homes will dispose of them and will charge the tenant’s estate for the cost of removal. This is called a recharge.

You will need to return all keys for the house or flat, as well as any keys to cupboards, sheds or storage lockers. We will give a receipt which must be kept safe.