Tenancy succession for dd?

[lucy2233]

We will hopefully be soon placed to a housing association or council flat.
I am a lone parent to a 13 year old dd.
Like most lone parents I sometimes worry what will happen to my dd if something happens to me and in this occasion when we move I would like her to be able to live in the new place, a roof over her head if something happens to me.
Is there anything I have to do? Like trying to put her name on tenancy agreement, but she is only 13, will they allow that?
Or will she automatically have the right to live there?
Thanks for your advices in advance.

[havehadenough]

If your social housing landlord still operates a tenancy succession policy, it will say on the tenancy agreement somewhere.

My HA only allow succession of tenancies if the other person has lived with me (the tenant) in the property for a minimum of 10 years, which I have to show proof of, and only then if they can show they have nowhere else to go and that it would be detrimental to them to live elsewhere.

Your DD cannot be a joint tenant until she is 18 years old unless there are exceptional circumstances and even then the HA can refuse.

What makes you think your DD won't be able to find her own way in the world anyway?

[HPparent]

It depends on the HA. I think it is unlikely they will allow a 13 year old to be a joint tenant. Many do allow succession if she is living with you at the time and presumably of an age when she is able to live independently, but you will have to check their website or the handbook they give you.

[Alreadyaugust]

I work for a housing association. In the case of the HA I work for you would not be allowed to put a 13 year old as a joint tenant. Neither would she be allowed succession rights unless there were very exceptional circumstances (in years to come). Succession is for partners only, thus a tenancy does not become hereditary. A lot of councils and housing associations are reviewing their policies on mutual exchanges, transfers etc at the moment and offer 'starter tenancies' for the first year, before converting to an assured tenancy once they have seen that everything is going ok.

[candybird]

I assigned my council tenancy to DS when he was 18 - I was moving out anyway, so it meant he could have the security of the tenancy for himself. The council wouldn't allow it when he was any younger, and he wouldn't have coped with the responsibility anyway. They allowed assignment to any family member who had lived in the house for at least a year, didn't have to be partner. They wouldn't allow us to be joint tenants together though (partners can become joint tenants but not family members), but that was fine as I was ready to move out with new DP anyway. But councils are less strict than HAs in this area, and it was an old tenancy, we'd been there for 15 years. I know some rules have changed since then, but usually older tenants retain their rights.

It has definitely been worth doing, DS is paying roughly the same rent for a 2 bed house that his friends are paying for shared rooms. And it's good for him to have the security of staying in the home he's been raised in.

[lucy2233]

Thanks for all the advices, I really appreciate. :)

[CuttedUpPear]

I am also interested in this.

To the poster who asked what makes you feel that your DD wouldn't be able to find her way in the world anyway - that's not the point. As a parent you I am concerned with helping my DCs get the best start they can. It is almost impossible to get a mortgage as a young adult, an the economic downturn hits lone parent families particularly hard.

I have a friend whose DD took over paying the rent for their flat when she was 20. My friend wanted to travel to work elsewhere and needed to move out. Their HA advised them not to completely transfer the tenancy as if the DD defaulted she might lose her home. So the payments still come from my friend but her DD has a standing order going into her mum's bank account.