Types of tenancy
We will offer each person or household the right type of tenancy or occupancy agreement for their needs, while meeting all legal requirements. Having a secure home helps people put down roots. It also supports settled, thriving communities.
Find a homeTenancy types
Please note, new customers will be signed on a starter tenancy or an assured tenancy. Existing customers may have one of the other tenancies listed.
We currently use the following tenancy and occupancy agreements.
We will offer an assured tenancy to:
- tenants who have successfully completed the probationary period of their starter tenancy
- existing assured or secure tenants who transfer to a Bernicia home, including a move between Bernicia properties
- people living in supported accommodation where they are the only occupant and do not receive overnight support.
We will offer an assured shorthold tenancy for:
- homes provided through the Rent to Buy scheme and charged at an intermediate market rent
- homes bought through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme
- some specialist supported accommodation, including:
- shared accommodation with no overnight support
- single-person accommodation with overnight support
- independent supported living for people with a learning disability, arranged in a core and cluster setting, with low-level support needs.
A secure tenancy is held by someone who was a local authority secure tenant when their home transferred to Bernicia.
A person under 18 years old cannot legally hold a tenancy in their own name.
Where possible, we will grant the tenancy to an adult, such as a member of the young person’s family. If this is not possible, we may grant it to another adult who will hold the tenancy in trust for the young person until they turn 18 years old.
Alternatively, we may issue an equitable agreement. This is an agreement confirming that we will grant the young person a tenancy when they turn 18 years old.
A garage tenancy is granted to those renting a garage that does not form part of their home tenancy.
A licence is usually used as a temporary measure for a time-limited period, for example when a tenant needs to be moved to temporary accommodation.
We will also use licences for short-term supported housing and long-term independent supported housing where residents cannot be given exclusive occupation of their accommodation.
A licence issued for temporary accommodation will not affect a tenant’s security of tenure in their permanent home.
You may have a secure tenancy if you were a tenant of Cheviot Housing Association or Three Rivers Housing Association and your tenancy began before 15 January 1989.
If you already have a secure tenancy, you will keep it when you move to another Bernicia home, as long as the new property is eligible for this type of tenancy.
We will usually offer a starter tenancy for 12 months. In some circumstances, we may extend it to 18 months.
After 12 months, the starter tenancy will become a full assured tenancy, unless we have extended it or started legal action to end it.
Tenancy arrangements and changes
These arrangements can apply to different tenancy types. They do not replace your tenancy type but may affect how your tenancy is managed.
Some homes are let at an Affordable Rent, which can be up to 80% of the market rent for a similar property.
Most new homes will be developed for Affordable Rent. When an existing Affordable Rent home becomes available to let again, it will usually remain at this rent unless we decide it is no longer affordable.
Applicants can apply for a Bernicia home as joint tenants. In most cases, we will grant a joint tenancy.
We cannot add another person to an existing sole tenancy. If we agree to a request for a joint tenancy, we will end the sole tenancy and issue a new tenancy in both names.
Any variation to the terms of a tenancy agreement will only be made in compliance with Sections 102 and 103 of the Housing Act 1985.
