Your Tenancy

When you become one of our tenants, one of the first things you will need to do is read and sign your tenancy agreement. This states your rights and responsibilities and is the full legal contract between us as the landlord and you as the tenant. We have four types of tenancy agreements. These include:

Whatever tenancy you are on, you will be given a copy of the tenancy agreement, which you must read, sign and keep a copy.

A breach of the tenancy means that you have failed to keep to the terms detailed in your tenancy agreement. Breaching your tenancy could lead to you losing your home.

Joint tenancies

Each of the tenancies listed above can be set up as a joint tenancy, which we will normally offer when letting a home to two adults over 18 years old who are cohabiting with one another.

We will not offer a joint tenancy to brothers and sisters or friends. If a joint tenancy is created, both tenants have equal rights and responsibilities and will both be held responsible if the tenancy agreement is breached.

If you would like to apply to change your sole tenancy to a joint tenancy or (or vice-versa), please contact us on 0845 155 3000 and request a sole or joint tenancy application form. Alternatively download the relevant form, complete it and post it back to us:

Sole tenancy application form (pdf)

Joint tenancy application form (pdf)

Starter tenancies

A starter tenancy is an assured shorthold tenancy which covers the first 12-months of your tenancy. As long as you take good care of your home and do not cause a nuisance to your neighbours, this tenancy will be changed to an assured tenancy at the end of the first 12-months.

Our research shows that antisocial behaviour is most common in new tenancies. Starter tenancies allow us to deal quickly with antisocial behaviour as they carry fewer rights than an assured tenancy and a simpler legal process if we need to end the tenancy.

Assured and Assured Shorthold tenancies:

Assured and Assured Shorthold tenancies give you a legal right to live in your home. There are various differences between the two tenancies – the main one being the level of security you will have.

Assured Shorthold tenancies allow us to apply to the courts to repossess the property and we have a mandatory right for possession as long as we give two months notice.

Assured tenancies give you greater security by giving you the right to remain in the property unless we can prove to the court that we have grounds for possession (according to the Housing Act 1988).
Assured tenancies have additional rights to Assured Shorthold. These include:

  • The right to apply to buy your home under the Right to Acquire scheme;
  • The right to exchange your home with another social housing or local authority tenant;
  • The right to apply to transfer to another of our homes;
  • The right to pass your home on to a family member – this is called ‘succession’;
  • The right to request permission for a lodger.

Protected assured tenancies

Protected Assured tenancies are the same as an Assured tenancy but are only available if you were a tenant already living in a Chelmsford Borough Council property when ownership was transferred to us in March 2002. Instead of the Right to Acquire, you have the Right to Buy your home. This means that if you would like to buy your home you will be eligible to receive a discount off the market value. The discount you receive will depend on how long you have been living there.

For more information about Right to Buy or Acquire visit the Communities and and Local Government web site.

What if your relationship is breaking down?

We are aware that a breakdown of a marriage or other close personal relationship can lead to a number of housing problems. If you are unable to reach a mutual agreement regarding your tenancy, you may need to seek legal advice.