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Sub-letting your home
This page contains information about sub-letting, lodgers and paying guests. It is for Moat residents with a shared ownership lease or a HomeBuy equity loan.
Update: March 2012
We are currently reviewing our sub-letting policy and the information contained within this webpage is subject to change. We will update this webpage shortly with more information.
Important information for Moat shared owners
If you are granted permission to sub-let your shared ownership property, we are required to issue formal documents supporting the permission. These documents will be legally binding and will be issued by solicitors; the cost of which will be borne by the shared owner requesting permission to sub-let. Please contact us for more information.
Important information for people with a Moat equity loan charge on their property
We are unable to consider requests for permission to sub-let your property at present. We are currently looking into whether this is legally possible and will update this information shortly. Please consider other options such as redeeming (paying off) your equity loan or selling the property. Sub-letting, at present, is not an option.
Sub-letting of your home is not allowed except in very rare circumstances, defined as “exceptional”. We are duty bound to protect public funds and ensure that people allocated affordable homes are not benefiting from commercial gain.
If you sub-let your home without written agreement from Moat then you are in breach of the terms of your shared ownership lease or your equity loan charge; we will take action against you so that you terminate the sub-let. Sub-letting without permission is very serious and, if we have to, we will take legal action and pursue this through the Courts. You risk losing your home.
If you feel your circumstances are exceptional, we will consider a request from you to sub-let your home. We expect these requests to be rare and will consider them on a case by case basis. It is Moat’s decision as to whether we agree to the request or not. Any request must be put in writing to us.
Examples of circumstances that we would consider exceptional would be:
- If you are moving away from the area for reasons of employment and you expect this to be for a temporary short term period only;
- If you need to move because a close family member requires you to be their primary carer;
- If you are selling your home due to overcrowding but are unable to find a buyer.
If any of the above applies to you, we will ask you to provide us with evidence, for example, a doctor’s letter confirming that you are required to move to become someone’s primary carer, or a letter from your employer confirming that your place of work is moving to a location outside of a reasonable daily commuting distance (a distance of at least 50 miles or 90 minutes travelling time).
Requests to sub-let based upon market conditions or any reductions in the value of your property are not considered exceptional and permission to sub-let will not be granted.
If we agree to your request to sub-let your home, agreement will be for a period of six months only. An extension up to a maximum of 12 months may be requested with a further application.
For more information regarding sub-letting your shared ownership home home, please get in touch with Moat's Home Ownership team via email at
mhoadmin@moat.co.uk or call us on 0845 359 6161.
Your home is at risk if you do not keep up mortgage repayments or payments on other loans secured on it. Please note that the value of properties can go down as well as up.