If you die, a member of your family might be able to take over your tenancy. This is called ‘succession’.

Your husband, wife, or partner, or person you live with, has the first claim on your tenancy. If you have no husband, wife or partner, another family member might be able to take over your tenancy. This could include your:

• parent
• grandparent
• son
• daughter
• grandchild
• brother
• sister
• aunt
• uncle
• nephew
• niece

For another family member to take over your tenancy they must have been living with you for 12 months in a row before you died and you must have been living in the home as your only or main home.

If the property has been designed for someone with a disability, or for people with other special needs and no one living there needs them, we will offer the person taking over your tenancy another property.  

Family housing is limited. So, if the property is too large and you want to move to a smaller, more suitable home, contact us to discuss this as soon as you can. Phone OneCALL on 0345 8 507 507.

A tenancy can only be passed on once by succession or assignment.  However, if the tenancy has already been assigned or succeeded before, you should contact us for more information. If your tenancy was passed on while you were a Wakefield Council tenant, we will not count that as succession or assignment.

If you live in the property but don’t qualify to take over the tenancy you may not be able to stay there. But, in some cases we may be able to offer you other housing. You should contact us to discuss this as soon as you can.