Moving from your council property

We could ask you to move if

• We lease your home from another landlord and the lease is coming to an end.
• Your home is to be demolished as part of a redevelopment scheme.
• Your home is having major repair or improvement work done to it and this cannot be reasonably done while you are living there.
• You inherited your tenancy and your home is too big for your needs.

If you have to move for any of these reasons, we will try to offer you the sort of housing that you need in an area of your choice in the borough. This could be council, housing association or cooperative housing. If your home is in a redevelopment area there may be special housing choices that apply and we will tell you about these if we ask you to move.

If we want you to move because of a redevelopment scheme, we will give as much notice and information as possible about your rehousing choices and we will fully consult you about the scheme.

Compensation for losing your home

If you have been a local authority tenant for more than one year and you have to move permanently, you may qualify for a home loss payment if certain conditions are met. We work out any payments due to you in line with section 30 of the Land Compensation Act 1973. Homeloss is a payment we have to make for the distress of losing your home. Ask your area housing office for more details.

Help with removal costs

If we ask you to move for one of the reasons previously mentioned, you may also  be entitled to a disturbance payment again if certain conditions are met. We work out any payments due to you in line with section 38 of the Land Compensation Act 1973. The payment can  cover the costs of

• Removal.
• Redirecting your mail.
• Disconnecting and reconnecting your cooker, washing machine, phone, cable television and dishwasher.
• Necessary adjustments to carpets and curtains (this is a fixed amount based on the number of bedrooms).
• Other essential expenses, for example disconnecting your alarms, by agreement with our removal expenses section.

If you are moved temporarily, and you are entitled to a disturbance payment this will be for both the move to and the move back from temporary accommodation. If you are moved permanently, you will be entitled to one disturbance payment. For more details, contact your housing services office.