Tenancy strategy

National context

The Localism Act 2011 made it mandatory for all Local Authorities to have a Tenancy Strategy. Their purpose is to set out matters, which all social housing providers in the area, must consider when framing their own tenancy policies.

In addition to the mandatory requirement to have a Tenancy Strategy, the Localism Act 2011 introduced new discretionary flexibilities for housing providers to offer social housing tenancies for a fixed term instead of life-time tenancies. The key aims behind the Government’s introduction of flexible fixed term tenancies were to:

  • Make the best use of council stock
  • Increase mobility
  • Target social housing for those in genuine need
  • Support tenants to take up work
  • Support tenants into other housing options
  • Support vulnerable/young people to develop skills to maintain tenancies
  • Tackle ASB and other tenancy issues

Nationally there was a relatively low take up of the use of fixed term tenancies by social landlords. Of those social landlords who did adopt fixed term tenancies, many already have or are now looking to discontinue using them.

Apprehension crept in as the earlier fixed terms came to an end, that flexible fixed term tenancies were not achieving their aims. The Government commissioned research from Heriot Watt University who conducted a study on the effectiveness of flexible tenancies. The policy recommendations presented to the government by the researchers were that the ‘Fixed Term Tenancy’ policy framework for social housing should be abandoned.

The Government no-longer champions the use of flexible fixed term tenancies in social housing and discarded further plans to make them mandatory, as put forward in the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 introduced revised Economic and Consumer Standards to be introduced alongside a new Statutory Code of Practice from April 2024.  All registered housing providers are expected to adhere to these.  The standards relevant to this strategy are:

  • Rent standard.
  • Transparency, Influence and Accountability standard (information about landlord services)
  • Tenancy standard (Tenancy sustainment and evictions)
  • Tenancy standard (Tenure)