Responsibilities of landlords

If Hackney Council is involved with arranging the funeral for a deceased person who was renting accomdation, his/her landlord has special responsibilities.

The landlord

• must not enter the property until the council has completed its enquiries
• should not remove any items from the property
• must advise the council regarding the condition of the property, so that arrangements may be made to ensure the safety of staff who will be entering it (i.e., please let the council know if the deceased was a known drug user, how clean the property is etc.).

In normal circumstances, the council's enquiries will be undertaken without delay and the keys subsequently returned to the property owner, who is responsible for clearing the premises.

More information

For more information about landlord responsibilities, you can contact Bereavement and Property Protection Services using the details at the top-right corner of this page.

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Page updated: 15 Jun 2010