Assured tenancies with housing associations
Find out if you're an assured tenant, what your rights are and when assured tenants can be evicted.
Are you an assured tenant?
You’re probably an assured tenant if your landlord is a housing association.
It’s a lifelong tenancy which only ends if you leave or are evicted.
When you're not an assured tenant
You won't have an assured tenancy if:
you're a new tenant with a starter tenancy
you have a fixed term assured shorthold tenancy
your tenancy is secure because it started before 15 January 1989
your tenancy has been demoted because of antisocial behaviour
Check your tenancy agreement or ask your housing association if you don't know what type of tenancy you have.
Your rights
Assured tenants have the right to:
get repairs done by the housing association
pass on your tenancy to certain people if you die
You need permission from your housing association to:
exchange properties with another council or housing association tenant
assign your tenancy to someone else
take in a lodger
You don't usually have the right to buy your home as a housing association tenant. But you may be able to buy your home at a smaller discount under a scheme called the Right to Aquire.
Rent increases
The housing association must usually give you 4 weeks’ notice in writing before increasing your rent.
Eviction from an assured tenancy
The housing association must give you notice and get a court order if they want to end your tenancy and evict you.
They must normally prove that you broke the rules of your tenancy. For example, if you're:
in rent arrears
involved in criminal or antisocial behaviour
In some cases the court can stop or delay an eviction if it's not reasonable for you to lose your home.
Last updated: 24 July 2020