Are there any circumstances under which a council tenancy of a council flat in a council estate can be sublet?

Question

Generally the answer is a clear no, but what exceptions are there to this, if any?

Answer 1

The Citizens Advice Bureau states in Rights of tenants to sublet their home

Rights of secure and flexible tenants to sublet

Most local authority tenants are secure tenants. You are also likely to be a secure tenant if your landlord is a housing association and your tenancy started before 15 January 1989.

Most secure tenancies don’t have an end date. If your tenancy has an end date and you rent from the local authority, your tenancy is a ‘flexible tenancy’. Flexible tenancies are a type of secure tenancy.

What rights do secure and flexible tenants have to sublet?

You can sublet part of your home with your landlord's written permission. If you sublet part of your home without permission, you are in breach of your tenancy agreement.

Your landlord can't unreasonably withhold their consent to a request to sublet part of your home. Also, your landlord can't attach conditions if they allow you to sublet.

If your landlord refuses your request to sublet part of your home, they must give you their reasons why.

And then, crucially

You can't lawfully sublet all of your home. If you do, you lose your status as a secure tenant and your landlord can evict you.

For more detail about types of tenancy, please see that page.