Moving Out Guide for Tenants

Leaving your Property in 9 simple steps:-

Step 1 – Please give us as much notice as possible.

When you know when you will be moving out, please try to give us as much notice as you can,  so we can arrange to meet you to collect your keys on the day you are moving out.

Step 2 – Continue paying your rent & do not overstay your leaving date

Please remember you are responsible for paying your rent either to us or the Council up until the end of your tenancy, or until your keys are handed in, whichever is the later date.

It is important that you keep to this agreement otherwise, if you overstay, you will continue to be charged rent either by us or the Council, for which you will not be able to claim benefit.

Step 3 – (If you are a PLA or LHA tenant) Inform the Utility Companies

If utility bills (gas, electricity, water) are registered in your name, you must inform the utility companies you are moving out, otherwise you may have to pay bills after you have left. The gas and/or electricity companies will require final meter readings from you, as will the water company if you have a water meter. This is so that they can work out your final bill. They will also need to know your new or forwarding address.

Step 4 – Inform the Post Office

Please remember that you may also need to go to the Post Office to arrange for all your mail to be sent on to your new or forwarding address. There is a Post Office charge for this service. Please note that we will not forward your mail to you after you have left the property.

 Step 5 – Council Tax, Housing Benefit and the Department for Work and Pensions

If you claim benefits, you must contact the DWP to let them know you are changing your address. If you do not do this, you may risk losing certain benefit payments. You must also contact the local authority for the property where you have been living, to tell them you are moving, as this will affect your council tax and housing benefit.

Step 6 – Clean your home when you move

To help us re-let your home to another homeless household quickly, please ensure that you leave it – and your garden (if you have one) – in a clean and reasonable condition, with all the landlord’s items of furniture left in the property and all rubbish thrown away. Please make sure that the property is left in a good state of repair. Repairs that are necessary and are not your responsibility should be reported to us, before you leave.

Step 7 – Remove all your belongings

All of your belongings should be removed prior to you vacating the property and returning all your keys to us. If you leave any belongings in the property they will be taken into storage and you will be charged a daily rate for their storage. If your belongings are not collected within 1 month of you vacating the property we reserve the right to dispose of them. We will not accept any responsibility or liability for damage, loss or theft of your possessions either during their removal/delivery or whilst in our storage.

Step 8 – Return all your keys to Central Housing Group

You must return all your keys to us (main keys together with any garage or communal door keys) either at your property or at our office address at Woodgate Studios. We will give you a signed receipt for your keys. If you do not hand in your keys by 1pm on the day that you leave the property you may have to pay another full week’s rent to the Council. Before you leave, please ensure that you have secured the property by locking all the doors. If you have window keys, please lock the windows and leave the window keys in the property. If you have a gas card meter and /or an electricity key meter, please remember to return the gas card and/or electricity key to us when you hand in the keys to the property.

Step 9 – Pay what you owe

As a matter of policy, we chase up all outstanding arrears on your rent account – no matter how small they are. Please make sure that you pay Central Housing Group, or the Local Authority if you are a Council tenant, the full amount of money you owe before you leave your home.