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Ending your Tenancy Contract

Ending your Tenancy Contract is an important decision.

If you are considering giving up your home with us because:

  • You are struggling to pay your rent,
  • Are having problems, or
  • You are not sure where you are going to move.

Please speak to your Housing Officer. Alternatively, you can speak to Citizen’s Advice Denbighshire or Shelter Cymru.

How to end your tenancy

As a tenant, you must:

  • Give us at least 4 weeks’ notice, in writing, complete a ‘Notice of Termination’ form, signed by you, when you want to end your Tenancy Contract. If you have a joint Tenancy Contract, either of you or both can sign the letter. This must be given to your Housing Officer.
  • The last day of a Tenancy Contract must be a Sunday, and the keys returned to our offices before 12 noon on the following Monday.
  • Leave your home in good repair, clean and tidy, and clear your home of all your property and possessions.
  • You must also:
    • Ensure you record final meter readings before you vacate the property
    • Pay any outstanding rent and other charges
    • Return keys only to your nearest Council office
    • Inform us / the Council of your new address
  • If you do not give us vacant possession, you may be charged for:
    • Costs of clearing the property
    • Cleaning the property
    • Repairing any damage or neglect
    • Replacing any fixtures or fittings which you have removed and not replaced with alternatives of a reasonable and similar standard
    • Changing the locks
    • Re-instating excavated ponds etc.

In the event of a death

A Tenancy Contract does not automatically end if a tenant passes away.

  • Your Tenancy Contract may pass on to a joint tenant, spouse or civil partner, or a member of your family if they qualify to succeed.
  • If the tenant has left a will, the Tenancy Contract can be brought to an end by a personal representative of your estate, giving 4 weeks’ notice in writing (max).
  • If you have not left a will, legal responsibility of your Tenancy Contract passes to the Public Trustee, i.e. Denbighshire Housing/Denbighshire County Council. We will give notice to any next of kin you may have.

When we want to end your Tenancy Contract

There are a number of reasons why we might try to end your Tenancy Contract with us, including:

  1. If you have caused a nuisance to neighbours
  2. If you haven’t paid your rent, or have paid it late on a regular basis
  3. If you move out and rent your home to someone else.

If we do want to end your Tenancy Contract, we must:

  • Give you a legal notice of at least 4 week – which will be served to you once delivered to your address.
  • If you fail to clear the property and or leave it in a state of disrepair, we will charge you for the costs of doing this ourselves.
  • If you leave a person or animal at the property when you have moved out, we will take court action to remove them and charge you the cost.

Introductory tenants only

  • We can only end your Tenancy Contract if you have broken the conditions of your tenancy.
  • We would issue you with a ‘Notice to Serve’ after a court order. It will give you a starting date and you will then have four weeks to leave.

Secure tenants only

  • We would need to show you valid reasons to evict you. These are ‘grounds’ and defined by law.
  • You would receive a ‘Notice of Intention to seek Possession’ or ‘Notice to Intention to Demote’ your Tenancy Contract, saying our reasons for the notice.
  • You have the right to a court hearing.