There are four main types of tenancy agreements managed by Stockport Homes. These are Secure, Introductory, Assured Shorthold and Assured. The information below highlights the main differences between agreements.
We don’t include copies of our agreements on our website as these are legal documents and we want to safeguard all of our tenants against possible fraudulent use. If you require further information, please either check your own tenancy agreement or contact us on 217 6016. If your tenancy agreement type isn’t listed below and you have a question, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If you have never been a tenant of a council or housing association, you will start with an Introductory Tenancy. This tenancy is a trial period during which you must show us that you are responsible enough to keep your tenancy. The tenancy will become ‘secure’ after twelve months if we have not taken legal action against you during this time.
If you are an introductory tenant, you have fewer rights than secure tenants. For example:
- there is no right to buy
- you cannot take in lodgers or sublet your home
- you cannot exchange with another tenant
- you cannot carry out home improvements
Your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will contact you to arrange a home visit towards the end of your first twelve months and will talk to you more about this.
If you have moved into a Stockport Homes-managed property from another Council or Housing Association property and were already a ‘secure or assured tenant’ with no break in the tenancies, you will become a secure tenant straight away.
Otherwise, once you have completed your 12-month introductory period, you will be eligible to become a ‘secure tenant’. This will happen automatically unless we have taken any form of legal action against you during your introductory tenancy; for example, if you have been taken to court for rent arrears or anti-social behaviour.
As a secure tenant your main rights are:
- to stay in your home unless you have broken the conditions of your tenancy agreement and we have got a court order against you
- to apply for the right to buy your home
- in certain circumstances members of your family may be able to take over the tenancy if you die (succession)
An Assured Shorthold Tenancy in a Stockport Homes owned property is the same as an Introductory Tenancy (see section above). This means that the first 12 months are a ‘trial’ or ‘probationary’ period before you become an Assured tenant.
At around the nine month anniversary of your tenancy, your Neighbourhood Housing Officer will make an appointment to come and see you to check everything is going well in your new home. At the point of you becoming an Assured tenant on the twelve month anniversary of your tenancy starting, a member of the Neighbourhoods team will be in touch with you again for you to sign an Assured Tenancy agreement confirming you are now an ‘Assured tenant’. Key features of being an Assured Shorthold tenant include:
- Stockport Homes can gain possession of the property if you owe at least two months or eight weeks rent
- after the first six months, Stockport Homes have an automatic right to possession provided a tenant has been given two months’ notice. This will only happen if the tenant breaches the agreement
- there is no right to buy
- there is no right to acquire (similar to right to buy)
Stockport Homes own a number of its own properties. Any properties owned by Stockport Homes are either assured or assured shorthold (starter) tenancies.
An Assured Tenancy is the same as a Secure Tenancy. Key features include that you have the:
- right to acquire (similar to Right to Buy)
- right to remain in the property unless Stockport Homes can prove there are no grounds for possession
Moving Into Your New Home Property Condition Standards
Please note the following items are strictly prohibited for use inside any Stockport Homes property:
- The use of BBQ equipment (including disposable BBQs)
- The use of bottled Gas equipment(propane or Butane) or Camping Gas canisters
The relevance of this is vitally important with regard to Gas safety, as the equipment and ventilation requirements do not satisfy the GAS Safety and use regulations (1998).