Joint Tenancy

Apply for a joint tenancy

If you are a sole tenant and wish to share the rights and responsibilities of your tenancy with a partner or spouse that you live with, you need to apply for a joint tenancy.

Before making an application, please also see our guidance.

Completed application forms should be returned to the Residents and Estates team who aim to let you know their decision within 15 working days of the application as long as any required supporting documentation has been received. If there are any delays we will let you know.

The death of a joint tenant

If you are an existing joint tenant and your partner dies, you may be able to take over sole tenancy of the property providing there has been no previous succession.

The remaining tenant must notify us of their partner's death and provide a copy of the death certificate. A Housing Officer will then arrange an appointment to discuss your housing options.

A joint tenant leaving a property

In the event of one tenant wanting to leave the property, both tenants should write to us requesting the tenancy be terminated, and a discretionary tenancy agreed for the remaining party. This should be in the form of a signed letter.

The person leaving must give us a forwarding address so that the end of the tenancy can be confirmed.

It is also important that if you are a joint tenant and you leave the property, you ensure that you do not leave rent arrears. By law, both tenants will be jointly responsible for any arrears accumulated during their joint tenancy. A change in tenancy will not be agreed if there are any arrears or court actions pending.

If you do not inform us that you no longer want to be a joint tenant you can, by law, still be held responsible for the payment of rent, the maintenance of the property and everything else you were responsible for under the terms of your Tenancy Agreement.