Ending your tenancy

Your tenancy agreement sets out what you must do if you want to end your tenancy with us. You can find it in the tenant portal. 

How do I end my tenancy?

If you want to end your tenancy you must give us 4 weeks written notice.

You must complete a Notice to Quit form. You can find this in the related documents section of this page. When completed return to:

Ashfield District Council
Urban Road
Kirkby in Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 8DA.

All tenancies will end on a Sunday.

What happens after I have submitted my notice?

You will receive a letter confirming we've received your notice. This letter will let you know the next steps and your responsibilities before you leave. It will also let you know where to hand your keys in. 

What do I need to do before I leave?

• Ensure your home is in good condition. This includes your property, garden, and outhouses being clean and tidy and free from damage
• ensure that your rent account is up-to-date. You can check this in the tenant portal
• remove all belongings and rubbish from the property and garden. You will be charged if items are left behind and we have to get rid of them.
• arrange with the Post Office to have your mail redirected
• you must let us know of the change in your circumstances for housing benefit and council tax
• you must let your utility providers know that you are moving and provide them with the most recent meter readings. You must have paid all utility bills and not have any outstanding amounts
• if you have large or bulky items to dispose of before you move you can book a bulky waste collection from us. 

What do I do when I leave?

You must return all keys to us at:

Ashfield District Council
Urban Road
Kirkby in Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 8DA.

Keys should be handed in before noon on the Monday that your 4 weeks notice period expires. Your tenancy formally ends on the Sunday, the day before you hand in your keys

You must double check your property to ensure no rubbish or belongings are left behind. No-one should be living in your property when you hand in yours keys.

What happens after I have left?

Any money you owe once you have left is called former tenant arrears.

We will contact you to arrange repayment. Having former tenant arrears can affect your ability to get another tenancy and may give you a bad credit rating.

We do expect you to have left your property in a good condition. If it is not in a good condition, we may charge you for the cost of putting this right. 

How do I end a tenancy on behalf of someone who has died?

When a tenant passes away their next of kin can end the tenancy. We can help you through the process and you can contact us to discuss options by: 

• telephone: 01623 450000 (option 1 followed by option 3).

A copy of the death certificate will be required to complete this request. The usual 4 weeks' notice can be negotiated and the end date of the tenancy will be the following Sunday after the keys are handed in.

Coping with a death of a relative is never easy and trying to deal with their affairs can be complicated. You should contact us as soon as you can to avoid the build-up of rent arrears. Payment of housing benefit stops on the death of the person who was receiving it but rent will continue to be charged on their council home up until the keys are handed in.

We will be able to advise you further about any benefit entitlement. We politely request that the property is handed back to the Council with all furniture and belongings removed. 

If there is no next of kin we will work with the personal representative and apply to the Public Trustee to officially end the tenancy.