Your tenancy agreement

You can request a joint tenancy using our Request for Joint Tenancy form. We will consider each application and may refuse if the prospective joint tenant does not meet the eligibility criteria. 

What you need to know

A sole tenant can at a later date apply to the Council to consider their request for a joint tenancy. There is no legal right to a joint tenancy and GYBC will consider each application upon its merits.

The following criteria applies:

• the tenant's spouse, registered civil partner or partner has continuously resided with the applicant in the previous 12 months
• the tenant's carer where a medical need for a residential carer exists and the carer has either:
  • surrendered a tenancy from a Registered Provider in order to move in with the tenant to provide care, or
  • lived with the tenant or not sought independent accommodation for a period of 12 months or more due to undertaking caring responsibilities of the tenant and where the exceptional circumstances of the case mean that awarding a joint tenancy will substantially increase the likelihood of that tenancy being sustained

To ensure the best use of our housing stock, children of tenants will not normally be considered as joint tenants unless the criteria as a carer or exceptional circumstances exist. 

A joint tenancy may not be awarded in any of the following circumstances:

• the existing tenant has more than 3 minor breaches or is significantly breaching their tenancy agreement
• the prospective joint tenant has an interest in another property or land
• the prospective joint tenant has previously demonstrated that they are unable to sustain a tenancy or are unsuitable to be a tenant. This will be by conduct that, if a secure tenancy was in place, would result in a breach of that tenancy
• the property has additional features or adaptations which are specific to the needs of the tenant and, in creating a joint tenancy; it would have a direct effect on the possible future best use of the property