Flexible Tenancies -update

Derby City Council is asking for your views on the proposal to introduce flexible tenancies for certain types of social housing owned by the City Council.

In most cases, the council grants secure tenancies to new tenants on successful completion of a probationary tenancy. This means that, providing the tenant abides by their tenancy agreement, they can rent the home for as long as they want. You can read more about our tenancies in our Tenancy Strategy.

To help ease the pressure on demand for social housing, the council is looking to introduce flexible (also called fixed term) tenancies for new tenancies of properties in short supply or high demand. Homes identified as being in short supply or high demand consist of:

• Properties with four bedrooms or more 
• Properties that have significant adaptations for a disabled occupant. These will be defined as ‘homes which have undergone structural alterations or extension in order to accommodate the needs of a disabled person’. 

Applying flexible tenancies to these homes would allow more people in housing need to benefit from larger or adapted properties when they need them most. 

The tenancy will be for a minimum of five years and will be reviewed just prior to this time to determine if the household still requires this type of housing. Families who no longer need these types of properties would be supported to move into alternative homes. 

  What are Flexible Tenancies?

• Flexible tenancies are a form of secure tenancy that can be granted for a minimum of two years. Derby City Council is proposing to grant these for a minimum of five years.
• They will be granted for new tenancies only. This proposal will not affect those currently on a secure tenancy.
• The council will be required to review the tenancy just before the end of the fixed period to see if the tenant’s circumstances have changed and whether the current accommodation is still appropriate for their housing needs. The council will delegate this function to Derby Homes, who manage the council tenancies on our behalf.
• Those properties subject to a flexible tenancy with a five yearly review will be made clear when they are advertised on HomeFinder.
• Anyone taking on a flexible tenancy will still have the same rights as a secure tenant including the right to exchange, right to buy and right to succession.

 Please let us know your views on this proposal by answering the following survey by midnight on Wednesday 14 September 2022