“I should be excited about my opportunity to work abroad for a year. But my HA’s subletting policy has made it incredibly stressful.”
I accepted a job abroad and asked my housing association for permission to sublet my flat for a year. It took them six weeks, but permission finally came through. However, I requested to sublet for a year from 1 February 2025 but their approval expires at the end of November 2025. At first, I thought it was a typo, but the housing association confirmed it’s correct. Their 12-month approval starts from the date of the housing association approval letter and not from the day I need to rent it out, which is 1 February 2025.
It doesn’t make any sense to me. They haven’t actually approved 12 months, as I won’t need to sublet until I move in February 2025. I’m currently still living in my property until the end of January 2025.
I needed to make my plans based on the fact that I start working in Spain at the beginning of February 2025. Now I will technically have less than a year to sublet, with no room for flexibility and extension according to my decision letter. I can only relocate back to the UK after a year has passed with the company I work for. Also, it’s probably going to make it more stressful managing tenants with an awkward fixed-term tenancy. My housing association’s decision is causing me stress, logistical challenges, and financial constraints.
The subletting policy feels unfair and punitive
When I asked for the decision response to be escalated and reviewed by someone senior, they replied that I would have to submit a complaint.
I found my housing association’s subletting policy online. According to the policy, some flexibility is allowed – but apparently not for me! This feels unfair and punitive. I can’t help wondering if it’s because I have been vocal and complained about this year’s significant increase in service charges and the mismanagement of our building and estate.
I should be excited about my opportunity to work abroad and instead I’m feeling anxious about the upcoming year. It’s making me seriously consider starting the selling process next year while it’s being sublet, as I feel like I don’t want to come back to my flat due to the unnecessary stress the housing association have caused.
I’m pretty sure that the housing association is going to be difficult again when I initiate the selling process, as it’s not at all clear whether I can ask them to be flexible and extend my initial permission. For example, I would like to continue subletting while I’m trying to sell my flat. Or do I need to serve the tenant notice to leave once the subletting approval lapses? It’s all very confusing, and I don’t think a housing association should stand in the way of people’s livelihood if it’s not going against their policy and shared ownership regulations, especially during the current cost of living crisis.
Featured image: senivpetro on Freepik
The punitive sub-letting policies of HA is extremely unfair. If the rent for the property is not extortionistic then why would they prevent most shared ownership tenants to sub-let I wonder. They are behaving in a tyrannical way. This is against the backdrop of shared-ownership flats being usually more expensive, when you take into account a number of factors, than so called private flats in the same block owned by the same HA. We really need to challenge this.