How to end your tenancy

You must give us at least 28 days written notice to end your tenancy. You can do this in writing by completing an End of Tenancy form available at Forth Offices. Your husband or wife, your partner or any joint tenant, must also sign to show that they agree the tenancy should be given up. Please remember to tell us the date you are moving out and your new address. You should also tell us who supplies your gas and electricity.

What Happens Next?

We will write to you to confirm the date your tenancy will end and to make arrangements to visit you before you leave.

You must pay rent up to the end of the 28-day notice period even if you actually move before then.

The Assistant/Housing Services Officer and Property Services Officer together will make an appointment to visit you before you leave and will be able to answer any questions you may have.

At that visit we will inspect the condition of your home. If there are any repairs that are your responsibility, we will ask you to complete these before you leave. We will also look at the decoration and if this is not in an acceptable condition, we will ask you to improve it.

You must leave your home in a good state of repair and decoration and leave your garden tidy. You must remove all items from your home or we will charge the costs of clearing it for you.

If You Have Carried Out Home Improvements

If you have carried out any home improvements with our permission, you may be entitled to compensation.
You should make your claim in writing when you end your tenancy. The Alterations and Improvements Policy will give you further details on this.

Before You Leave Remember!

Before moving out of your house, you must do the following:
Leave the house in a clean and tidy condition as well as in good decorative order.
Remove all your belongings, including clearing the loft space and any rubbish from the garden.
Leave wheelie bins empty.
Make sure any lodgers or sub-tenants leave with you.
Remove any fixtures or fittings you have installed without our permission and put right any damage caused.
Check with us to make sure you have made all payments due.
Contact your gas and/or electricity supplier to arrange final meter readings.
Turn off the water at the stopcock.
Provide us with a forwarding address where we can contact you.

What Do I Need To Do On The Day I Move Out?

You should call at our office and hand in all keys to the house (including window locks) before 11.30am.
When you hand the keys in you will need to pay any rent and monies owing to us.

Abandonment

If you leave your home and do not end your tenancy, we can end your tenancy by serving notices on you and giving you fair warning that we plan to do this. We will give you 28 days notice that we believe you have abandoned the house; we may take back the property by service of another notice, advising you your tenancy will end.

If you are going to be away from your home for any good reason for a long period of time – for example, if you will be in hospital, staying with friends or even if you have been sent to prison, you should let us know.

If you abandon your home, any possessions remaining will be stored by the Association for a period of 6 months, providing that the cost incurred for storage and any rent arrears does not exceed the value of the goods. The value will be the value at auction, and this will be much less than you paid for them. If you property is worth keeping, we can sell it after 6 months and keep any funds. You will be responsible for paying rent due to the end of your tenancy – and the costs of clearing your home, changing the locks, etc.

You have a right to make an application to the sheriff against the repossession within 6 months.