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SNH offers two different types of tenancies – ‘starter’ and ‘assured’. A starter tenancy will be given to all new tenants for 12 months unless they have come from another local authority or social landlord property.
For more information on your tenancy read your Tenants' Handbook.
A starter tenancy is a form of short-hold tenancy and has less rights attached to it than an assured tenancy. For example, starter tenants are not permitted to transfer to another property or exchange with another tenant. All starter tenants will be contacted at least three times by their housing officer in the first 12 months and as long as all is well (i.e. there are no rent arrears and no issues surrounding neighbour nuisance), the tenancy will convert to an assured tenancy at the end of the 12 month period. If there are problems, we will work with you to resolve these but we do have the right to extend the starter period by a further six months, and even terminate the tenancy in certain circumstances.
Assured tenancies are long-term, and give the tenant a range of rights, including the right to exchange, the right to take in a lodger or sub-let part of the property.
When two people share a tenancy, it is know as a joint tenancy. Both starter and assured tenancies can be a joint tenancy but we would always recommend that an applicant thinks very carefully before entering into a joint tenancy as both parties have equal right to the property and are ‘jointly and severally liable’ for the tenancy. This means that you are equally liable for any breaches of tenancy, regardless of who is at fault, but we also reserve the right to only pursue one of the tenants for breach of tenancy. For example, you and your partner have split up and one of you has moved out but their name remains on the tenancy. If we must go to court to have the debt repaid, you are both liable for the debt and any judgements against you will be in both names. However, we reserve the right to only pursue the person remaining at the property.
