Know Your Tenancy
Understanding Your Tenancy
We are an independent charitable registered provider of over 200 affordable general needs homes in Birmingham.
Your Tenancy
Your Tenancy Agreement: What You Need To Know
Our policy is to grant assured tenancies unless there is a specific reason for granting a short or fixed term tenancy for example where a property has a short remaining lease.
Before you move into your home you will sign a tenancy agreement with Birmingham Civic Housing Association.
This is an important legal agreement which sets out your rights and responsibilities and our obligations as your landlord.
You should keep the agreement in a safe place.
You are at risk of losing your home if you break the conditions of your tenancy agreement.
Most of our tenants are Assured Tenants, however if you moved into your home before 15 Jan 1989 you will have a Secure Tenancy.
Secure Tenancy
This gives you the right to live in your home as long as you do not break the terms of the agreement. Your tenancy can only come to an end by order of the courts unless you choose to give it up.
A secure tenant has the following rights unless any tenancy conditions have been broken, to:
- Buy your home
- Stay in your home
- Pass on your home to a spouse or in some circumstances a family member
- Take in lodgers
- Make improvements
- Do a mutual exchange
- Receive information from the association
- Be consulted about any proposed changes to the service provided
- Complain if you are unhappy with our service
You may need to get our permission for some of these things, so please contact us for further advice.
Assured Tenancy
As an Assured tenant you have the following rights unless any tenancy conditions have been broken to:
- Stay in your home
- Pass on your home to a spouse or partner
- Take in lodgers
- Make improvements
- Do a mutual exchange
- Receive information from the association
- Be consulted on any proposed changes to the service provided.
- Complain if you are unhappy with our service
Some of our Assured Tenants may have the right to acquire their home if we purchased the property after March 1997 using grant money provided by the government.
More information on the Right to Acquire scheme is available at www.gov.uk or contact us to check if you are eligible.
We will only end your tenancy in certain circumstances and with the courts approval. This could be if you do not pay your rent, break a tenancy condition by causing damage or nuisance problems or by moving out without telling us.
You can only be evicted from your home if a court decides that it is reasonable for us to take back the property and issues a court order.