Succession
If you should pass away whilst a tenant, your partner or close relative has the legal right to succeed to your tenancy.
The Right of Succession is a statutory right conferred by the 1980 Housing Act updated in the 1985 Housing Act and applies to all property types. You have a succession right whether you are a secure tenant or an assured tenant.
Your partner (the term "partner" includes gay or lesbian partners) has the automatic right to take over your tenancy if you die, as long as he or she is living with you at the time of your death. This right applies even if you are not joint tenants.
To be considered for succession your close relative must also be over 18, have lived in your house for the last 12 months and have your home as their main or only place they live. They would need to prove they have lived with you for 12 months and this could be by way of medical records or bank details, for example.
Succession can only happen once. This means that if you have already succeeded to the tenancy following the death of your partner, a member of your family could not succeed following your death. Any successions that have taken place under the Right of Succession prior to Stock Transfer will be discounted for the purposes of this policy.
If you are left in occupation of a Liverpool Mutual Homes property and do not qualify under the right of succession you may still be granted tenancy under our Left in Possession policy.
Any claim to succeed a tenancy must be made to your neighbourhood housing office in writing within one month of the tenant’s death. As various rules apply to succession you should contact your Neighbourhood Officer for more details.
