Can I sublet my home?

• You may sublet a room in your home or take in a lodger while you are living there – provided you have our written permission.
• Customers in England may not sublet the whole of the property under any circumstances. This means you cannot move out and let your home to someone else.
• Customers in Scotland may sublet the whole property in certain circumstances and only with our written permission. You must intend to move back into the property.

Please contact your Customer Service Partner if you would like more information on subletting

What is unlawful subletting?

Unlawful subletting is when a customer signs a tenancy agreement with us but doesn't live in the property. Instead they charge someone else to live in the property without our permission and earn money from the rent.

Unlawfully sublet homes can cost Home thousands of pounds every year. They also reduce the number of homes we can offer to genuine applicants and add to the length of time genuine Home customers have to wait for a transfer. In some cases it also leads to illegal activity such as drug dealing or prostitution.

Tackling unlawful subletting

We take unlawful subletting very seriously. We will take steps to evict customers we find unlawfully subletting and may also prosecute under the Fraud Act. The government is considering making subletting a criminal offence that could lead to a prison sentence.

To help cut down on the number of illegally sublet homes we will conduct regular tenancy verification checks to establish that genuine customers are living in our homes. These will take place when we think a customer may be unlawfully subletting or in areas where subletting is more likely to occur.

How do I report unlawful subletting?

If you suspect a property has been unlawfully sublet please contact your Customer Service Partner at your local office. Any information you give will be treated in confidence.