Does my name need to be on the lease?

[Cleopatracat]

I have a council property in Manchester but I want to move to London. I've applied to transfer but it's a process that will take some months. I've just got a job in London and have been staying with a mate to see if I like it. I love it. So now I want to get a private rental for 6 months while I wait for the transfer process to go through.
My problem is that I can't put my name on the lease or I'll lose my council flat. My aunt is willing to pay for the flat and put her name on the lease but the letting company say that only my name can be on the lease. Is this true? Does anyone have any solutions?

On what basis do you qualify for a council house? If you’re employed and can afford to rent privately then I can’t see it happening ever, let alone in a few months time. I’m not against subsidised housing but surely it goes to those who actually need it?

There is technically a way that your Aunt could be the tenant and you could be a noted occupier but I’d be amazed if any reputable letting agency would allow this as in theory it would be a way for tenants who don’t meet their letting criteria take possession of the property.

How do you know that you will definitely get a council house in London?

I'm not sure you'd be able to get a transfer just on the basis that you fancy living in a different city. If you had family/personal issues, perhaps, but the waiting list for council property in London is years long. Pretty sure they aren't going to house you over somebody who's homeless. A mutual exchange could work, but this could take a long while too.

If I were a landlord I'd be reluctant to accept this arrangement. They don't know you, they just know that you can't take on a tenancy yourself. It would ring alarm bells. You might not have the money, you might have credit problems, you might have a habit of leaving rented properties in a state with rent in arrears.

I do wonder if you'll be able to get a council property in London. I live an hour north of London and people are moving to council properties here. We don't have a surplus of social housing here either but the people moving are in circumstances that would get them quite near the top of the list anywhere else, just not in London where demand is so high.

If you've already decided you are not returning to your northern council accommodation you've already lost security of tenure the bit that makes your tenancy "secure" or "assured" and protected, and therefore you cannot mutually exchange or transfer.

The council are highly likely to find out before a swap/transfer can happen so you should do the right thing, terminate your council tenancy and just sign the new lease in your own name.

Anything else is actually social Housing fraud.

Is trying to hold on to the council property worth a criminal record? It is fraud.

I thought council houses were for people in need

I have a solution.
Give up your council house, it will go to a family who needs it and you enjoy your new life in London.

Wow people are being so harsh here. How do you know she will earn enough to afford a private rental? Not everyone in London earns a large salary!
OP speak to your housing people and be honest with them - people council swap all the time; I think it will be fine.
Could you maybe rent a room or get a cheap Airbnb until it goes through?
Good luck!

The OP says she can’t get a private rental because that would mean forfeiting the council property NOT because she can’t afford it

Oh… so if i don’t earn a large salary in London, the council will give me a free house then? Or will i need to house share- like millions of people in London on lower salaries. This post is a FUCKING DISGRACE

I am the OP and I left out a million details which would make this post very much not a disgrace. Nobody is rich in this situation, and it is centred on a very, very vulnerable person. I didn't want to write a huge long post, covering up all the identifying details, I just wanted to know the facts: which have been answered, thank you.

You were asking how to commit a fraud

I'm sure you meant well but people can get funny about social housing. At a time when most are struggling to afford rent, you mentioned that you could afford rent while you wait but have the ultimate goal of moving back to social housing once you have it where you want (aka one of the most expensive cities in the world). Not to mention, it will annoy the commuters who can't afford rent in London either and (from my town at least) are spending over £6,000 a year for the privilege of living somewhere more affordable.

I don't know anything about council houses so I will stay well clear of that.

Instead of a private let for 6 months, how about lodging? Just check out the spare room website. You could find a room with an ensuite, an annexe etc

A transfer to London will not take months, it will take years, surely? Being as thats the worst hit by the social housing crisis, they’re not likely to give a home to someone out of area when they have locals who need homes.

Could you get a house/flat share for a while?