Your tenancy
Rights & responsibilities
Once you sign your tenancy agreement with us you take on certain rights and responsibilities, some of these are highlighted here.
Find out moreYour tenancy
Ending your tenancy
You’ll need to let us know in writing at least four weeks before you want to end your tenancy. Find out more about how to end your tenancy and move out. You can also find out how to end a tenancy if the tenant has passed away or lacks capacity.
Moving outThe types of tenures we will offer are as follows
- Assured tenancies – for existing assured or secure social tenants and those new customers in extra care or housing for older people homes
- Fixed term tenancies for new tenants living in general needs homes or for affordable rent tenancies
- Starter tenancies - these are tenancies that roll into a fixed term tenancy for new tenants where after our pre-allocation assessment we identify there is likely to be a need to keep a close eye on the tenancy in the early days. This may be due to historical factors such as a previous history of rent arrears, or concerns around health conditions, lack of previous tenancies held, etc
- Licences for 16/17 year olds that roll into starter tenancies upon them reaching the age of 18
- Assured short hold tenancies for intermediate rent
- Assured short hold tenancies for short-term accommodation to help our local authority partners prevent homelessness.
When we might offer a licence that rolls into a starter tenancy. We will in the majority of circumstances offer fixed term or starter tenancies to new tenants. When dealing with certain types of potential new tenants, (ie. Ex-offenders with substance abuse) due to historical problems, the administration time and cost of managing lettings and tenancies in those circumstances we will offer a 12 week licence that flows into a starter tenancy.
Across the UK thousands of housing association and council homes are occupied by someone who's obtained the tenancy fraudulently.
We take tenancy fraud very seriously. If we find evidence of fraud, we will take action to regain possession of the property involved. The fraudster may also receive a jail sentence and be ordered to pay a fine. Our neighbourhood officers carry out regular checks and we work with councils and other community partners to detect and investigate fraud in all our neighbourhoods. If you suspect tenancy fraud, please let us know. It could make a big difference to people in real need. Just click here to send us an email. Any information we receive will be taken seriously and treated in the strictest confidence.
What is tenancy fraud?
There are several different types of housing fraud, including:
- Unlawful subletting: where a customer lets out their home without the knowledge or permission of their landlord. They often continue to pay rent for the property, but charge the person they are subletting to a much higher rate. It is unlawful and unfair to sublet and/or to profit from a property which could be given to someone legally entitled to occupy it.
- Obtaining housing by deception: this is where a person gets a home by giving false information in their application, for example not telling the landlord they are renting another council or housing association property or giving false information about who lives with them.
- Wrongly claimed succession: where a tenant dies and someone tries to take over a tenancy they are not entitled to. For example, they might say they lived with the tenant before they died, when in fact they were living elsewhere.
- Key selling: where a tenant is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one-off payment.
- Right to Buy: where someone provides false information when applying for the Right to Buy - for example, false documentation. It is also fraud if someone occupying a property unlawfully applies for a discount.
Why is it important to tackle tenancy fraud?
There is not enough social housing for the people who genuinely need it. So, we have to make the best use of what is available by making sure properties are occupied by those who are legally entitled to live in them.