Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Secure tenancy definition

What does Secure tenancy mean? In social housing practice, a secure tenancy is a residential letting that gives a tenant strong security of tenure and statutory rights, typically when renting from a local authority. In England, the term is defined and regulated by Part IV of the Housing Act 1985. A tenancy is “secure” where the landlord is a local authority or specified public body and the statutory landlord and tenant conditions are met, unless an exception applies. Core features include: eviction only by court order on statutory grounds (Schedule 2), notice requirements, succession rights, limited assignment and mutual exchange, rights to repair/improve with consent, and...

Demoted tenancies in England and Wales: anti-social behaviour demotion, procedure, reasonableness, defences and mandatory possession; Welsh conversion under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert

Practice notes

Demotion

A Secure tenancy may be reduced to a 12-month probationary tenancy where the tenant has engaged in housing-related anti-social behaviour or has used the home for unlawful purposes. Where a demotion order is made and the tenant stays in occupation, the secure tenancy ends on the date specified and a demoted tenancy begins. Comparable powers apply to registered housing providers for assured tenants under the Housing Act 1988 (HA 1988).

Conduct

'Housing-related anti-social conduct' means behaviour that:

is capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to another person; and
directly or indirectly relates to, or impacts, the Landlord's housing functions

Such conduct includes:

causing a nuisance to neighbours
vandalism and graffiti
Noise

'Use of property for unlawful purposes' covers conduct that consists of, or involves, using or threatening to use housing accommodation for an unlawful purpose.

Statutory provisions for demotion

The statutory demotion regime for anti-social behaviour applies only where the landlord is a 'relevant landlord', namely a:

local housing Authority
housing trust
registered social landlord, or
private registered provider of social housing

A court must be satisfied before...

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Web page updated on 26/05/2026

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