There's been a bit of confusion over the changes to Kinships since the release of Mines of Moria. So here is the definitive information all Kinship Leaders or potential leaders need to know.
I am being told my Kinship will disband in 5 days!
All Kinships, both old and new, are required to maintain a minimum membership of 8 characters. If your membership drops below 8 characters at any point you will receive a warning that your kinship will be disbanded within 5 days. You will continue to see this warning for the full five days regardless of the number of members. As long as you have 8 characters at the end of the 5 days, your kinship will not be disbanded.
Note: Characters not accounts. Each account can have a maximum of 7 characters per server. This means a kinship must contain a minimum of two accounts.
When will my Kinship earn the next rank? What do we get for it?
Rank 1 - immediate - Kinship Chat - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 2 - 1 day (24h) - Message of the Day - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 3 - 4 days - Kinship-only Titles - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 4 - 10 days - Officer Chat - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 5 - 30 days - Kinship-only Mail - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 6 - 60 days - Kinship-only Auctions - Upto 1000 characters
Rank 7 - 90 days - Kinship Housing - Upto 1200 characters
Rank 8 - 180 days – Upto 1300 characters
Rank 9 - 270 days – Upto 1400 characters
Rank 10 - 360 days – Upto 1500 characters
What if my leader went AWOL?
If the leader does not log in for more than 35 days or cancels his or her account, the successor receives a mail indicating the availability of the Usurp option. The successor can click the Usurp button in the Kinship Panel to become leader.
If the successor does not usurp leadership within 10 days, all officers of the kinship receive a mail informing them that any officer can usurp leadership.
If no officer usurps leadership within 20 days, all members of the kinship receive a mail informing them that any member can usurp leadership.
If a kinship goes 65 days without a new leader, the kinship will automatically disband.
Please note that the In-Game Support Team will not resolve issues regarding the transfer of ownership for a kinship or the automatic disbanding of a leaderless kinship. It is the responsibility of the kinship members to ensure that a successor has been chosen.
For more Kinship information take a look at Kinship Quide