Council tenants - your rights and responsibilities
Most secure tenants have the right to buy their home. If you have been a tenant for two years or more, you will receive a discount, depending on the type of property and the length of time you have lived there. For more information, please contact your local housing office or Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO).
Succession
When a tenant dies, the tenancy can be passed on to the husband or wife or partner, or any other family member who has been living with you for the last 12 months. But a tenancy can only be passed on once, so if you have already succeeded to the tenancy on the death of a family member, you cannot pass it on again.
Mutual exchanges
A mutual exchange is when you swap homes with another tenant of the council, another local authority or housing association. Our offices display details of tenants who are looking to swap. You will need written permission from your ALMO before you can go ahead with an exchange.
They will only say no if there is a good reason - for example, if you or the other person have serious rent arrears or you would be moving into a house too small for your family. If you exchange without telling us, you may lose your home.
Ending your tenancy
If you want to leave your home for any reason, you must tell your housing office in writing at least 28 days before you intend to leave. If you leave without giving them this notice, you will be charged rent for those 28 days.
Important points for joint tenants: if either of you gives notice, that will end the tenancy for both of you. Neither of you has an automatic right to stay in the property. Please speak to your local housing office before you give notice if just one person wants to leave.
Anti-social behaviour
We want all residents of Leeds to enjoy their home and neighbourhood in peace. We also believe that the vast majority of people want to get on with their neighbours and live in quiet enjoyment of their home. That means we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour (ASB).
ASB can take many forms - loud music, drug or alcohol abuse, dumping rubbish, foul language or criminal activity. Racial harassment and racial abuse are also ASB, and we will not tolerate them in any form. If you behave in a way that causes a nuisance to other people, you can be evicted.
Please see our section about on anti-social behaviour for more information on what to do if you are suffering from ASB or what will happen if you act in an anti-social way.
Ask us if….
…you want to do the following things in your home, as you may need written permission from your ALMO:
- Sub-let part of your property (you won't get permission if you're an introductory tenant)
- Do home improvements
- Put up a shed, garage or other outbuilding
- Keep pets
- Paint or alter the outside appearance of your home
- Build a driveway or hardstanding
This is just a summary. Please read your Tenancy Agreement for full details. The agreement also explains what will happen if you do any of the above without permission.
If you need any more information on any aspect of your tenancy, please contact us.
Tenancy Agreement Translations
Leeds City Council’s Tenancy Agreement is available in English and in translated form. These are the languages and the links to them on the Council’s website: