Council Tenancies

Council tenancies

When signing up for a council property, you agree to abide by the conditions of your tenancy. These conditions reflect legal requirements and locally agreed conditions, which reflect local issues identified through consultation with tenants and other stakeholders.

The conditions include rules on keeping pets and anti-social behaviour.

If you break the conditions of your tenancy agreement, or allow other members of your household or your visitors to break the conditions, we may take legal action against you. This can include evicting you from your home

Types of tenancies we currently offer

  • Introductory Tenancies - given to new tenants for a trial period (usually a year) and provides limited rights.
  • Secure – gives tenants considerable rights.
  • Non-secure – offers fewer rights and less protection than other types of tenancy. This is only given in exceptional circumstances (for example, when providing temporary accommodation to people who are homeless).
  • Joint – named tenants share equal responsibility for the tenancy. 

All of these tenancies operate according to UK law and the council cannot choose to set up an individual tenancy outside of this legislation

Ending a Tenancy

The “Moving out standard” explains the standard we expect you to leave your property in when you move out.

Once you have left your property, we will inspect it and carry out any necessary repair work so that it meets the required standard. We will charge you for any work that we have to do, so it is in your own interest to make sure that you do everything you can to meet the standard.

You will need to give us four weeks' notice before you move, so this will give you time to make sure that your property meets the standard.

If you are being considered for another council property, we will inspect your property before you can be formally offered another property to ensure that it meets the standard.

If your property fails the inspection, we will notify you in writing as to why it has failed and give you time to put things right. We will visit you again after 28 days.

The offer of the property will also be withdrawn and the property will be offered to the next person on the list. You will not normally be considered for any further properties for a period of six months and this period will start when the property has been brought up to the moving out