Policy background
- This is an Act to require local authorities, when re-housing a person, or offering a person a new sole tenancy in the same home, where that person has or had a ‘lifetime tenancy’ of social housing, to grant such a person a new lifetime tenancy in circumstances where the local authority is satisfied that the person or a member of their household is or has been a victim of domestic abuse carried out by another person, and the new tenancy is being granted for reasons connected with that abuse.
- The Act extends to those who have lost their lifetime tenancy after they have fled their home as well as to those with an existing tenancy applying to move, and applies to all lifetime tenants of social housing, whether the person being re-housed and offered a new tenancy has a tenancy agreement with a local authority or a Private Registered Provider of social housing (a housing association).
- The Act also extends the same level of protection to joint lifetime tenants of local authorities who have suffered domestic abuse but wish to remain in their home after the perpetrator has left or been removed, by ensuring that, if the local authority decides to grant the victim a further tenancy in these circumstances, it must be a lifetime tenancy.
- The Act delivers on a commitment given by the Government at Lords Report stage of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 which was reiterated in the Conservative Party’s 2017 Manifesto.
