Tenants
Your tenancy agreement
Your tenancy agreement sets out what we, the landlord, must do and what you, the tenant, must do.
Conditions in your tenancy agreement
Your tenancy agreement also sets out conditions such as rules on keeping pets and anti-social behaviour.
If you break the conditions of your tenancy agreement, or allow other members of your household or your visitors to break the conditions, we may take legal action against you. This can include evicting you from your home.
Types of tenancy
If you are a council tenant you will usually have one of two types of tenancy:
• A secure tenancy
• An introductory tenancy.
The type of tenancy you have depends on your circumstances and on legal rules. It will also affect your rights as a tenant.
If you do not know what type of tenancy you have, look at the agreement you signed at the start of your tenancy.
All tenancy agreements insist that the tenancy property is your main home.
If this is not the case, or if you sublet the tenancy property to someone else, you may stop being a secure or introductory tenant and we can then bring your tenancy agreement to an end by serving a notice.
Interested in moving?
Here are a few different ways of helping you move;
Lewisham Homesearch
If you already a Lewisham council tenant and are overcrowded, under occupying or have medical needs, you can register online in order to be on the Bidding list for Rehousing within the London borough of Lewisham.
How to register?
• Go online www.lewishamfindyourhome.org.uk and click Join the Register
• Fill out the application form
PLEASE NOTE WE NO LONGER ACCEPT PAPER APPLICATION FORMS
Housing Moves
Housing Moves is the Mayor of London's housing mobility scheme that allows tenants of London boroughs or housing associations to move outside their existing borough to a different part of London. It is run by the Greater London Authority and the majority of London boroughs and housing associations are participating.
• In order to qualify you must have a clear rent account for 12 months prior to registering
• To register please visit www.housingmoves.org
Mutual Exchange / House Exchange
A mutual exchange is basically a home swap with another tenant. It could be a council house exchange, flat exchange, bungalow, maisonette or any other property type. You can swap homes with any council tenant or Housing Association tenant in the UK providing they have the right to mutual exchange and want to swap homes with you.
• To register please visit www.houseexchange.org.uk/
Home Swapper
HomeSwapper is for social tenants (in rented property) who want a house swap, flat swap or exchange their council house. This is also called mutual exchange. If you live in a council house or housing association property you can swap. This is also free to use for Lewisham Council tenants
• To register please visit www.homeswapper.co.uk
Seaside & Country Homes
Seaside & Country Homes is a housing mobility scheme that offers households living in council or housing association housing in Greater London the opportunity to move home. The scheme’s landlords manage approximately 3,200 bungalows and flats: along the southwest coast from Cornwall, through the countryside from Shropshire to Cambridgeshire, over to Norfolk and Lincolnshire in the east.
• In order to register one member of the household must be aged 60 or above
• To apply you will need to fill in the application online http://seaside.housingmoves.org/seaside-country-homes.htm,
• You can also pick up an application pack from your local council’s housing office, or phone or email the Mayor of London’s Housing Mobility Team - telephone 08450 21 20 20, email housingmobility@london.gov.uk