Secure housing association tenancies

Most people who rent from a housing association have assured tenancies.

You might have a secure tenancy if it started before 15 January 1989.

Secure tenancies are lifetime tenancies

You can normally stay in your home as long as you:

• pay your rent

• do not break your tenancy agreement

Read our guide if you have rent arrears.

Council tenancies transferred to a housing association

If your tenancy transferred to a housing association on or after 15 January 1989, it will be an assured tenancy.

This happens even if you did not vote for or agree with the transfer of housing.

You could have some extra rights in your assured tenancy agreement. These are sometimes called 'preserved rights' and might be almost the same as you had in your original tenancy.

You should have a written tenancy agreement. Ask for a copy if you do not have one.

Passing on your tenancy if you die

Joint tenancies always pass to the other joint tenant.

If the other joint tenant has moved out, they need to move back in to keep the tenancy.

If the tenancy is just in your name, it can pass to:

• your married or civil partner if they live there too

• an unmarried partner or close family member who lives with you for at least 1 year

The rights of married or civil partners come first before other family members.

These people have 'succession rights'. Only 1 person can inherit the tenancy in this way.

Signing your tenancy over before you die

You can do this if you live with someone with succession rights.

More about assigning your tenancy before your death.

Staying away from home

You must live in the property as your main home.

You can leave for a short time. For example, if you:

• go on holiday

• visit or stay with family

• work away during the week

• spend time in prison, hospital or a refuge

• sometimes stay with a partner who lives somewhere else

You must plan to return and make sure the rent is paid while you're away.

Ask someone you trust to check your post if you're away for more than a month.

If the housing association think you have moved out permanently they could give you a notice to quit.

Your other rights

You have the right to:

• get repairs done

• rent out a spare room to a lodger

• swap homes with another council or housing association tenant

• complain about poor service or unfair treatment from your landlord