What you need to do if you are a Highland Council tenant:
Giving Notice
Under the terms of your lease you must give us at least 28 days notice before your tenancy can be ended. The last day of your tenancy will always be a Sunday. You must give us this information in writing, and everybody who is a joint tenant of the property with you must sign it. You should tell us when you intend to move out and what your new address is.
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What you need to do before you move out
Before you move out you must make sure that your rent and any other debt (e.g. court expenses or recharges for repairs) is paid up to the end of your tenancy. You must also make sure:
- You leave your house and garden in a clean and tidy condition.
- Carpets and belongings are removed unless you have reached an agreement with the Housing Officer to leave items for the next tenant.
- Any sheds or outbuildings are removed if they are in a poor or unsafe condition.
- That you check with the Housing Officer whether any improvements you may have made are to be left or removed. You may also be entitled to compensation for some improvements that you have made – see our leaflet on Compensation for Improvements for more details.
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House Inspection
We will contact you to arrange a suitable time for us to come and inspect your house before you move out. It is important that this inspection takes place as we can then discuss any problems. You may be asked to carry out some repairs before you leave if there is any damage to the house, fittings or decoration that is not just fair wear and tear. If you do not carry out these repairs or damage is identified after you leave, we will carry out the work and charge you for the cost of it.
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Handing your keys in
It is important that you hand in all sets of keys - this will normally be two keys for each lock. If you do not hand in all your keys we will change the locks and recharge you for this. If you hand your keys in late you may be charged extra rent.
If you move out before the end of your tenancy and this is between October and March please let us know so that we can drain the water system to avoid burst pipes. If you do not let us know and damage occurs due to burst pipes you will be recharged for this.
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Transferring to another Council house
Normally we will only offer a transfer to another Council house if your rent account is satisfactory, and your house and garden are in a clean and tidy condition.
We will inspect your house before we confirm an offer of another tenancy. What happens next will depend on the condition of your house. The offer may not be made or you may be asked to carry out some repairs before you leave if there is any damage to the house, fittings or decoration that is not just fair wear and tear.
Once you have accepted an offer, you will be told what date the new tenancy will begin. This will always be a Monday. The new tenancy may begin very soon after you have accepted the offer, as the 28 days notice on your home does not apply. All essential repairs will be done before the tenancy starts, however some minor repairs may be carried out after you move in. You will be told whether there are any repairs still to be done.
You must hand in the keys to your old house by 12 noon on the Wednesday after the end of your old tenancy. If you hand them in later than this you will be charged rent on both houses at the same time. Housing Benefit will not normally cover both rents.
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Transferring to a house owned by another landlord
If you accept an offer of housing from another landlord we will require 28 days notice that your tenancy is to end. This will apply if you were nominated by us to a Housing Association or if you have independently applied for and accepted an offer from another landlord.
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Mutual Exchange
A mutual exchange is where two tenants exchange their properties. If you find another tenant to swap with, you must get permission from both landlords before you move. If you move without permission you could lose your home.
A Mutual Exchange can offer several benefits including:
- It may be much quicker than waiting for a housing transfer
- You can arrange multiple swaps where a chain of tenants swap properties to find their perfect home
- Swaps can take place between Highland Council tenants, Housing Association tenants, and tenants of other councils.
Highland House Exchange is a website for social rented tenants who are looking to swap homes.
When you register with them you will be asked for some details about your home and the type of home you are looking for. You can search their website to find someone to swap homes with.
To ask for an exchange, you and the other tenant need to complete a Mutual Exchange Request form and a Housing Application form. Both properties will be inspected by the landlords, and rent accounts must be satisfactory. If you transfer or exchange houses your right to buy entitlement may change.
You can download a “Request for permission carry out a mutual exchange” form from the Current Documents section on the right hand side of this page.
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For more information, please use our contact form