Assured tenancies with housing associations

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.

From April 2016 housing associations were required to reduce the rent of most tenants by 1% each year until April 2020.

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.