Moving out & swaps

Moving home

Image of Habinteg housing in South London

There are many reasons you might want move out of your Habinteg home.

You may be moving in with a family member or partner, relocating to another part of the country, or wanting to arrange a swap with another social housing tenant. If you want to move out, the first thing you need to do is let us know so we can help.

Ending your tenancy and moving out

If you wish to end your tenancy, you must give Habinteg 28 days written notice. You can fill in and email or hand deliver this Notice of tenancy termination form.docx to your Neighbourhood Team (or email it to our Customer Services Team). It's helpful if you inform us of your new address at this time. We’ll acknowledge your notice and send you details of your rent account.

You must pay any money owed before you leave the property. If you give less than 28 days notice, you’ll normally still have to pay rent for 28 days, even if you move out earlier.

There may be cause for you to extend your notice, especially if you’re buying your own home. Please let us know as soon as possible.

Before you leave, we’ll carry out an inspection of your property. You’ll be charged for any repairs or damage you’re responsible for in the property, as well as for the disposal of any goods left in the property. You’ll also be recharged for the cost of cleaning the property after you’ve left, if we need to do this in order to re-let it.

If you have any lodgers, you must make sure they leave before your tenancy ends.

All keys for your property should be returned by the date your tenancy expires. If you don’t return the keys, Habinteg will charge you for the cost of gaining access and of changing the locks.

If you're thinking of ending your tenancy, please contact us today.

Arranging a mutual exchange

A mutual exchange is when you swap your home with another Habinteg, council or housing association tenant. For a mutual exchange, you must:

Hold the legal right to make an application to exchange (see your tenancy agreement to check that you do)
Find someone suitable to swap homes with
Get written permission from your landlords
Complete the legal paperwork before your move.

If you swap homes without permission or without the necessary documents, you’ll both be at risk of eviction.

House Exchange is an online service which helps you find other tenants to exchange tenancies with. If you’re interested in this service, you can register online via the House Exchange website at www.houseexchange.org.uk.

If you’ve found someone to swap homes with, you can make an online application here.

Mutual Exchange

Moving from one Habinteg home to another

It’s possible for existing Habinteg tenants to request to move from one Habinteg home to another (an internal transfer). To be eligible for a transfer, you must meet certain requirements and have approval from your Neighbourhood Manager to be accepted onto the waiting list. It’s also dependent on availability of homes within your chosen area.

To request an internal transfer, please complete the application form.

Application form for housing transfer

Moving from a Habinteg home to another local authority or housing association home

It’s possible for existing Habinteg tenants to request to move to another local authority or housing association home (an external transfer). Contact your local authority housing department to apply for a tenancy transfer. In most instances, you’ll be asked to fill in a form or register online.

Moving home FAQs

Can I apply to move to another area?

If you’re applying for an internal transfer (from a Habinteg property to a different Habinteg property), you can apply to move anywhere where we have properties.

If you’re applying for a transfer via the local authority, you may need to evidence a local connection before they’ll consider and/or accept your application. Please contact the local authority in question to check this before making an application.

Do I need to have a clear rent account before I can apply for an internal transfer?

Yes, you’ll be required to clear any rent arrears (rent you owe) and to remedy any damage to your home before being considered.

If I am applying to move from one Habinteg home to another, does it matter which local authority area the home is in?

If you’re applying to move from one Habinteg home to another, you can make an application to be considered for any area where we have housing.

What requirements do I need to meet to transfer?

You can apply to transfer to another home with Habinteg if you’ve been a tenant with Habinteg for 12 months or more.

Please note that tenancy checks will be completed and you’ll need:

A clear rent account
To have not caused any anti-social behaviour or nuisance
To have kept your property to a good standard.

You can complete an application online. Please provide as much information as you can on your reasons for wanting to move as this will be used to assess your priority band. Please see the Lettings Policy guidance for more information.

If you’re wanting to transfer to a different local authority area, you may need to evidence a local connection before they’ll accept an application. Please contact the local authority for the area you’d like to move to check this.