As a council contract holder (tenant), you can ask to transfer your occupation contract (tenancy agreement) to another person. This person will become the contract-holder (tenant) at the property instead of you. We need to give permission for a transfer to happen, otherwise they are not legal.
Once you transfer your occupation contract to another person, that person becomes the contract-holder from an agreed date. They will have all the rights and responsibilities of the occupation contract. You will lose your rights and responsibilities from that date onwards. You can still be held liable for any breaches of contract which took place before the transfer date.
Successor transfers
If you request to transfer your contract to someone who would be entitled to succeed you in the event of your death, and we approve the transfer, we will apply a condition that the person is considered to have succeeded to the contract. Certain criteria need to be met for a transfer to be approved. Find out more about successions.
To apply for a transfer to a family member who could succeed you, you can ask for a successor transfer form from your local Hub.
Community transfers (mutual exchanges)
If you and another contract-holder want to swap houses, this is known as a community transfer (exchange). If we agree to the swap, you will transfer your occupation contract to the person you are transferring contract with, and vice versa.
In order to apply for a community transfer with someone, both parties need to be contract-holders with us or registered social landlord (housing association).
You can request to transfer (exchange) anywhere within the UK.
We have to agree to the transfer to make sure we are making the best use of the housing stock to meet the needs of the city. We will consider the size of the property, the housing need of anyone who will be moving in, and adaptations. We carry out a property condition check to see if the property is in a suitable condition for the potential new contract holders. We may ask you for more information to help us make our decision. This includes asking for references from other councils and Registered Social Landlords. Once you have provided all the information we need, we will give you a decision within 1 month.
We may give consent to the transfer with certain conditions. You will need to agree to and keep these conditions in order for the transfer to be binding. For example, a community transfer might be given consent with the condition that you carry out certain repairs before the transfer date.
If you want to apply for a community transfer, you can ask for a Community Transfer form from your local Hub.
