BCHA is committed to ensuring its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). This is a technical standard that sets the minimum quality of standards for social housing. The DHS defines a decent home as one that:
- Meets the statutory minimum standard for housing
- Is in reasonable repair
- Has reasonable modern facilities and services
- Provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort
More information relating to the DHS can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Types of Tenancy
The rights and responsibilities you have as a customer depends on the type of tenancy you have. Your tenancy agreement is a legal document that tells you all of the rules about living in your property. Below is an overview of the types of Tenancy we provide at BCHA and a brief overview of what those tenancies mean.
Starter Tenancy
These tenancies usually last 12 months and are like a “trial” period. You will always be given a starter tenancy, unless you are an existing customer. After your starter tenancy has ended, you will automatically switch to an assured non shorthold tenancy, on the same terms as your starter tenancy. If you have breached the terms of your tenancy during your tenancy, we can:
- Serve a notice on you to extend the introductory period and/or
- Serve a notice requiring possession on the property and
- Start court proceedings against you.
If you continue to breach your tenancy conditions and we take you to court, the judge has discretion and will give us possession of the property. Subsequently, you may not be eligible for re-housing by us, or any other registered social landlord.
Assured Shorthold Tenancy
This is a Tenancy which gives you a legal right to live in accommodation for a set period of time. The tenancy will end if you:
- Choose to leave the property and give us notice
- We take action to evict you from the property
BCHA would only look to evict you from the property if you break any of the terms within your tenancy agreement. If BCHA were to take action to evict you from the property, we would:
- Serve a notice requiring possession of the property
- Start court proceedings against you
- Follow the court process to be granted a court order for eviction
For us to apply to court, we would have to have evidence that you have breached one of the 17 grounds detailed in your Tenancy Agreement.
Assured Tenancy
These tenancies are lifelong agreements, which will only end if you:
- Choose to leave the property and give us notice
- We take action to evict you from the property
BCHA would only look to evict you from the property if you break any of the terms within your tenancy agreement. If BCHA were to take action to evict you from the property, we would:
- Serve a notice requiring possession of the property
- Start court proceedings against you
- Follow the court process to be granted a court order for eviction
For us to apply to court, we would have to have evidence that you have breached one of the 17 grounds detailed in your Tenancy Agreement. More information relating to this can be found overleaf.
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