Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discretion is available to (a) local housing authorities and (b) registered providers of social housing to waive rent charges accrued between the death of a sole tenant and the formal ending of the tenancy; and what assessment he has made of the consistency with which that discretion is exercised.

The government does not collect data on rent debt accrued against the estate of a deceased sole tenant.

When a sole tenant dies, where a tenancy is not legally ended immediately, rent continues to accrue until the tenancy is legally brought to an end. Any arrears or debt built up on a property are a liability of the deceased’s estate or guarantor, where one is in place and the agreement provides for this.

Once the Renters’ Rights Act is implemented for social housing assured tenants of private registered providers from October 2027, guarantors of these tenancies will only be responsible for any arrears accrued up to the date of the tenant’s death. We would expect landlords to act sensitively when seeking recovery of any charges accrued.