Accommodation that comes with your job

Your rights in tied accommodation depend on whether you must live in the accommodation to do your job.

Tied accommodation

Tied accommodation means you live in housing that comes with your job.

You might pay rent to your landlord or it may be deducted from your wages. In some cases, you may get paid less because your employer provides you with somewhere to live.

If you live in accommodation provided by your employer, you usually have either service occupier or service tenant rights.

Farm or agricultural workers in tied accommodation usually have different rights

If you are a service occupier

Most people who live in tied accommodation are called service occupiers.

You are a service occupier if:

you must live in the accommodation to do your job or
your employment contract says you need to live in the accommodation to do your job properly

Service occupiers can include:

live-in carers or housekeepers
hotel or pub employees who live on the premises
caretakers or gardeners who live in or near their workplace

Rights of service occupiers

If you live in tied accommodation your contract should set out:

the rent you have to pay or the amount taken out of your wages for rent
how much notice you get if you are dismissed or made redundant
the notice you must give if you resign

Sometimes you may have a separate agreement that just deals with the accommodation

Getting repairs done

Your contract should say which repairs your employer is responsible for and which ones you should do yourself.

Your landlord should make sure the property is free from health and safety hazards. This includes:

annual gas safety checks
installing smoke alarms

If your job ends

Your right to live in your tied accommodation usually ends when your employment finishes.

If your employer decides to terminate your job and accommodation, you may be able to challenge that decision if you disagree with the reasons for your dismissal. You will need to take your case to an employment tribunal.

Your right to challenge the loss of your accommodation depends on whether you pay any rent towards your accommodation.

Contact Citizens Advice about going to a employment tribunal

If you are a service tenant

You're usually a service tenant if you choose to live in employer-provided accommodation but your job doesn't depend on you living there.

Service tenants have the same rights as most other tenants who rent.

You will probably have an assured shorthold tenancy if you pay rent to a private individual or company.

If you rent your home from a council or housing association, you will probably be a secure tenant or an assured tenant.

Rights of service tenants

If you are dismissed or resign from your job, your employer will probably ask you to leave your accommodation.

There are proper eviction procedures that your employer must follow for: