The Letting Centre

My daughter and I had to leave our home just over 7 years ago moving in with my mum, in the same town but some distance away. We lived under the tyranny of a selfish alcoholic drunken argumentative nasty man (my now ex) who made our lives a misery with his behaviour and abuse. He stayed at the house and has over the years filled it with his "friends" (also drunks and worse). They have between them turned the house into a squalid and filthy hell hole - there is not a door left on the hinges (smashed off in all the drunken rows they frequently have) all the electric sockets are broken or again smashed off walls and the place is a total mess ! The neighbours have had enough of the constance noise from music, shouting, swearing, arguments inside and outside the house - in the street etc. The police visits are numerous but no one I think has complained to the Housing Assoc. because they fear reprisals and damage to their property so I am not aware whether the HA know of all this trouble or not. He has recently walked out of the property - leaving his debts and mess behind him. It was a council owned property but has since I left has been transferred to a Housing Association. My name has never been removed from the tenancy agreement (in his twisted mind he can tell himself that he has not really forced us out then and he's an ok person) and I am still named as joint tenant albeit in my married surname (I have reverted to my maiden name following my divorce). Does anyone know what my rights are to move back into the house taking up sole tenancy ? I have looked at the housing act under Reversion of Assured Tenancies and Surrender and Re-grant?