The main points
- Your tenancy is your right to live in your home.
- It is a written agreement between you and Harbour Light. You signed it when you moved in.
- Getting support is part of living in a Harbour Light home.
- You can ask for help to understand your tenancy at any time. You can ask a support worker, a relative, a friend or an advocate.
- The law about tenancies is changing in October 2027. We will write to you before then. You do not need to do anything now.
What kind of tenancy you have
Your tenancy is called an assured shorthold tenancy. It is a written agreement between you and Harbour Light.
From October 2027, the law changes. Tenancies like yours are expected to become assured periodic tenancies. The section below called "The law is changing in October 2027" explains more.
Your tenancy gives you the right to live in your home. As long as you keep to your tenancy, this is your home.
Your tenancy also sets out what Harbour Light must do for you, and what you need to do. You have your own copy. If you cannot find it, ask us and we will give you another one.
What your tenancy gives you
Your tenancy gives you important rights. For example:
- the right to live in your home, as long as you keep to the agreement
- the right to a home that is safe and in good repair
- the right to be told before we visit, except in an emergency
- the right to complain if you are not happy (see Section 14)
- the right to be treated fairly and with respect
Getting support is part of living here
Harbour Light homes are supported homes. They are for people who need support to live well.
When you signed your tenancy, you agreed to accept support from your support provider. This is part of your tenancy agreement.
This means we expect you to:
- work with your support worker
- let your support worker visit you, at times that are agreed with you
- talk to your support worker about the help you need
Your support helps you to keep your tenancy and to live well in your home.
If you stop wanting support, or things are not working with your support provider, please tell us or tell your support worker straight away. We will try to help you sort things out. If it cannot be sorted out, it could affect your tenancy.
Looking after your home
Your tenancy asks you to look after your home. For example:
- keep your home reasonably clean and cared for
- be considerate to the people you live with and your neighbours
- tell us if something needs repairing (see Section 5)
- let us in for safety checks and repairs, when we arrange a time
- do not damage your home on purpose
Your support worker can help you with any of these things.
Ending your tenancy
If you want to leave. You can end your tenancy yourself. You need to tell us in writing. You must give us four weeks' notice. Your support worker can help you do this. If you are thinking about moving on, Section 17 explains how we can help.
If we need to end a tenancy. We only ever ask someone to leave as a very last step. We would always try to help first. We only do this by going to court. We never make anyone leave without a court order.
We know that losing your home is very serious. If you are ever worried about this, please tell us straight away. You can also get free, independent advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice, or ask your advocate or social worker to help you.
The law is changing in October 2027
The law about tenancies is changing across the country.
From October 2027, tenancies like yours will change. You will have more security. This means it will be harder for a landlord to ask you to leave.
You do not need to do anything now. Your tenancy carries on as normal until then.
Before the change happens, Harbour Light will write to you. We will explain what is changing and what it means for you. We will ask you to sign a new tenancy agreement. Your support worker will help you understand it.
Some things will change. For example, the notice you must give if you want to leave is expected to change from four weeks to two months.
Getting help to understand this
Your tenancy is an important legal document. It is OK if it is hard to understand.
We can give you your tenancy agreement in easy read. When you sign it, one of our property managers will meet you face to face and go through it with you.
You can ask for help at any time. You can ask your support worker, a relative, a friend, or an advocate. An advocate is someone whose job is to help you understand and speak up for yourself.
If someone helps you with your money or your decisions, like an appointee or a deputy, they can help you with your tenancy too.
You can ask us for this information on paper, in a bigger size, or in another format. Just ask us or ask your support worker.
More detail
This box is for tenants who want the legal detail, and for support staff, relatives, advocates and social workers. You do not need to read it to understand the section above. The tenancy agreement itself is the legal document; this is a summary.
Current tenancy type. Tenants hold assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) under the Housing Act 1988. Harbour Light's accommodation is supported "exempt accommodation". The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 applies, so a tenancy can only be ended through the correct legal process.
The position until October 2027. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed the law for the private rented sector from 1 May 2026. For social housing tenancies provided by private registered providers such as Harbour Light, the changes apply from October 2027, not before. Until then, the rules in place before 1 May 2026 continue to apply to these tenancies, including the existing possession processes.
What changes from October 2027. From that date, existing assured shorthold tenancies are expected to become assured periodic tenancies, "no-fault" Section 21 evictions are to be abolished, and possession will require a ground under Section 8. A tenant's notice to end the tenancy is expected to become two months. Harbour Light intends to issue new tenancy agreements, and will provide tenants with the information the law requires, before the change takes effect. The detailed possession grounds, including any specific to supported housing, are being finalised through secondary legislation and are not yet settled. This section will be reviewed before October 2027.
Ending the tenancy — landlord. Where possession is unavoidable, Harbour Light follows the Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims and the Regulator's Tenancy Standard. Eviction is a last resort, requires senior sign-off, and is preceded by attempts to resolve the underlying cause. The detail of grounds and notice periods is governed by the tenancy agreement and current law.
Support as a term of the tenancy. The current tenancy agreement treats engagement with support as a fundamental term and contains a possession ground relating to a tenant refusing to accept or engage with support. Before any action is considered, Harbour Light will work with the tenant, the support provider and, where involved, the tenant's social worker to resolve the issue, and will take account of its duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments.
Capacity, appointees and advocacy. Some tenants may have a DWP appointee, a Court of Protection deputy, or an independent advocate. The tenancy agreement is available in easy read, and a Harbour Light property manager goes through it with the tenant face to face at sign-up. The tenant may ask a friend, family member, support worker or someone else to help. Mental capacity and independent witnessing at sign-up are governed by Harbour Light's Mental Capacity and Consent Policy.
Data protection. Some references in the current tenancy agreement are to the Data Protection Act 1998, which has been superseded by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. To be corrected at the next tenancy revision.