Barnet Homes manages three different kinds of tenancy:
- introductory tenancies
- secure tenancies
- non-secure tenancies.
Introductory tenancies
When you first become a social housing tenant (or if you have not been one for a while) you will have an introductory tenancy for a trial period of one year.
This type of tenancy gives you fewer rights than a secure tenancy and less security. It can be ended more quickly by Barnet, so it’s important to keep to your tenancy conditions from the start.
Our tenancy conditions state that tenants must:
- have consideration for those living around them and not cause or allow anti-social behaviour
- pay their rent on time
- look after their home
- keep to all other tenancy conditions.
Your introductory tenancy will automatically become a secure tenancy (see below) after 12 months unless:
- legal action has started to end your tenancy
- Barnet Homes has extended your introductory tenancy because you have not kept to its conditions. Any extension to the introductory tenancy is usually 6 months.
Secure tenancies
Secure tenancies have no end date so as a secure tenant, you have the right to stay in your home or to remain a secure tenant if we need to move you for as long as you choose, so long as you keep to the conditions set out in your tenancy agreement.
We will only seek possession of your property if you give us good reason to do so. That could be because you:
- fall in to rent arrears
- provide false information on your housing application
- harass other people, or allow your visitors to do so
- cause a nuisance, or allow your visitors to do so
- abandon your home or live permanently at another address
- use your home for immoral or illegal purposes
- break any other conditions of your tenancy agreement.
Very rarely, we sometimes need to rehouse our tenants but we are required to provide you with a suitable alternative home where you would also be a secure tenant if you choose to be.
Non-secure tenancies
We grant non-secure tenancies to new tenants moving into some homes which will be affected by regeneration.
These are on the following estates:
- Grahame Park
- Dollis Valley
A non-secure tenancy is a weekly tenancy and does not have an end date also but it can be ended by giving four weeks notice and then obtaining an automatic possession order from the court.