When you become one of our tenants, we’ll give you a tenancy agreement. This will be either be a lifetime secure tenancy, a fixed term secure tenancy or an introductory tenancy.  

Secure tenants' rights and responsibilities are covered in the 1985 Housing Act. These include the right to buy and, in some circumstances, the right to pass your tenancy on to someone else.  

If you have a lifetime secure tenancy, you can live in your home for the rest of your life, provided you keep to the terms of the tenancy agreement.  

If you have a fixed term tenancy, we'll review it at the end of the fixed term to check if you’re still eligible for a council tenancy.  

We can only change the terms of a secure tenancy by talking to you about the changes we want to make, and we'll provide written notice of the changes, letting you know when they come into effect.  

When we decide to end your tenancy  

To end your tenancy, we need to serve a notice and then apply for a court order. We can end your tenancy if:  

• you have not paid your rent 
• you've broken the terms of the tenancy agreement 
• a resident or visitor to the home is causing serious or persistence nuisance to others 
• a resident or visitor is using the home for immoral or illegal purposes 
• a resident or visitor was arrested for an offense committed in or near the property 
• a resident or visitor has caused damage to the home or communal parts of the building 
• a false statement was made in the application for the tenancy.  

We may end your tenancy and provide you with a different property if:  

• you and your family are able-bodied, but your home has been specially adapted for use by an elderly or disabled person 
• you take over the tenancy (succeed) from a partner or relative, but the property is too big for your own needs 
• we need to carry out demolition or major repairs and improvements to the property.  

When you decide to end your tenancy  

If you wish to end your tenancy, you need to give us 28 days' notice that you're moving out. We do not need 28 days' notice if the tenant has died or been transferred to a different council property.