In this section...
See details of the types of tenancy we offer and your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.
The type of tenancy you have is printed on the front of the agreement. There are different types of tenancies within Phoenix. Your tenancy agreement contains more details about your tenancy.
Most Phoenix tenants are assured tenants, including all those whose tenancies were transferred from the London Borough of Lewisham.
As an assured tenant with Phoenix, your rights are covered partly by Acts of Parliament and partly by a legally binding contract - your tenancy agreement - between you and Phoenix.
All new Phoenix tenants are given a probationary tenancy. This gives less security than an assured tenancy.
It means it is easier for Phoenix to evict a new tenant for breaking their tenancy conditions. That could include failing to pay rent or antisocial behaviour.
Phoenix staff will visit new probationary tenants after six weeks, three months and eight months to make sure they are receiving the right benefits and support, and are meeting their obligations under the tenancy. Probationary tenants are also invited to attend a Welcome to Phoenix session to meet staff and pick up useful information about their tenancy.
Probationary tenancies automatically convert to assured tenancies after the first year, so long as there have been no breaches of tenancy conditions.
An assured shorthold tenancy is given to people who are living in a Phoenix property on a temporary basis.
The tenancy agreement you have signed is a legal contract.
All tenants have a number of rights as part of their tenancy.
As a tenant you have the right to stay in your home (known as ‘security of tenure’), as long as you keep to the conditions of your tenancy agreement.
You should not have to deal with excessive noise or antisocial behaviour. Find out more about what to do if you are suffering from antisocial behaviour.
This is the right to pass on your home to your partner or a member of your family if you die. The person you pass on your home to must have lived in your home with you for at least 12 months. You must obtain our agreement for any succession to go ahead.
If you are an assured tenant and need to leave your property to live elsewhere, you may have the right to assign (hand over) your tenancy to someone else. You can assign your tenancy only to those people who would have the right to succeed.
A lodger is someone living closely with you in your property and paying you rent. You must contact us before taking in a lodger.
Subletting is when you let part of your home to someone else while you are still living there. If you wish to do this you must get our permission first. You must not sublet the whole of your home.
You can swap homes (do a mutual exchange) with another Phoenix resident, local-authority tenant or tenant of another registered social landlord, as long as you and they meet certain conditions. You must first get permission from both landlords. Find out more on our moving home page.
If you were a tenant of your home when it was owned by the London Borough of Lewisham you may have the (preserved) right to buy your home. Find out more about the right to buy by contacting us.
We will consult you before making any decision on a matter of housing management. This includes the right to be consulted on maintaining and improving homes, providing services and changes to policy likely to affect a number of tenants.
Except for changes in rent or service charges, your tenancy agreement may only be altered if both you and Phoenix agree in writing.
You can inspect information held on your housing file or any computer records we hold about you, in accordance with relevant legislation.
If Phoenix does not complete certain repairs within specified timescales, you can request that the work be placed with a designated contractor. See our repairs page for more information.
You have the right to improve your home as long as we, as your landlord, think it is reasonable.
The tenancy agreement you have signed is a legal contract. The contract means that we as your landlord are responsible for certain things, and that you too have certain responsibilities for looking after your home and behaving as agreed.
Your tenancy agreement is a legal contract. It means that we as your landlord are responsible for certain things, and that you too have certain responsibilities for looking after your home and behaving as agreed.
You must:
Phoenix will:
You must:
Phoenix will:
You must:
We will:
You must not:
We will:
You must:
You must: