Moving on

 

When you decide you wish to leave your home, please let us know in advance by giving at least four weeks notice in writing before you move out. Your tenancy must end on a Monday. If you have not given us the correct notice we may charge you rent for the full four-week period.

 

You must return all keys to your home and any communal areas to your local housing no later than noon on the Monday that your tenancy ends. If you hand your keys in late you may be charged extra rent. If the last day of your tenancy is a bank holiday, you may hand your keys in on a Tuesday.

 

You must leave your home, garden and any outbuildings clean, tidy, free from rubbish or unwanted furniture and in a reasonable state of repair. If you fail to do this you will be charged for cleaning up the property, and will again be charged if there is any damage that has been caused by you.

 

 

If you need to move to another home because your home has become unsuitable for you and your family’s needs, please contact your housing manager for advice.

 

You may wish to consider a transfer at any time. However, unless you have specific needs, the only offers on other homes that will be made to you within two years of the start of your tenancy will be for those where there are no competing applicants.

 

Any application for a transfer may be refused, deferred or given less preference for several reasons, such as where a debt is owed to the council. For further information please contact your housing manager on 01384 812345 or visit our website.

 

 

This is where you swap homes with another tenant. You can add your name and details to the mutual exchange register at anytime. You may also look through the register to find someone who may be willing to swap homes with you. These registers are held at our housing offices and also at Dudley Council Plus.

 

If you find someone to swap with, you must obtain written permission from you local area housing office before you can move. If the other person’s landlord is not Dudley Council we will need their landlords agreement as well.

 

If you owe rent or have broken another condition of your tenancy we will ask you to rectify this out before you can move. If you want to exchange and are an introductory tenant you are only able to exchange in certain circumstances – please contact your housing manager for further details.

 

 

Your local housing office will have a list of all housing associations that have properties. When you fill in your application for re-housing you will be asked whether you want to be considered for housing association accommodation.

 

To move to another local authority area you will need to apply directly to them. Information will be on their respective websites.

 

 

 

Under the right to buy scheme you may be able to buy your home from the council. The length of time you have been a tenant also entitles you to a discount on the price.

 

There is an initial qualification period that you must meet, however, before you can apply. You must have held a tenancy with us, another local authority, or another public sector body for at least two years. If you have a secure tenancy that started before January 18th 2005 you do not have the right to buy unless you have spent at least five years as a tenant.

 

There can be other reasons why you may not be entitled to buy your home, such as if it is not self-contained, if it is a form of sheltered accommodation, if a court has made a possession order against you, or if you are an undischarged or pending bankrupt. Please contact your housing manager for further advice.

 

 

This is a government-backed scheme that helps you buy a house on the open market. The government takes on 25% of your mortgage which you can buy out at a later stage or repay when you sell your home on. In Dudley this scheme is managed on our behalf by Mercian Housing Association who you can call on 0121 377 3725 or check out Mercian Housing Association.