Tenancies
Every home let by the Housing Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network is let on the terms of its standard tenancy agreement. The agreement was published on 6 September 2026 and applies from that day to the 4,120 homes transferred from member organisations and to every home let under the Affordable Housing Programme. The Department also registers every private tenancy of a home within the Network and holds the deposits taken on those tenancies.
The agreement is written in plain language and is the same for every Department home. Tenancies are granted without a fixed term and continue until ended by the tenant or by the Department on one of the grounds in the agreement. The main terms are summarised below; the full text of the agreement is sent to every applicant before signing and to any tenant on request.
The standard tenancy agreement. The main terms are as follows.
- Rent
- Rent is payable monthly in advance on the first day of each month. Rents for homes under the Affordable Housing Programme are set at no more than 70 per cent of the comparable market rent; rents for homes transferred from member organisations remain at the level the occupant was paying on 6 September 2026.
- Rent review
- Rent is reviewed once a year on 1 April. The Department gives two months' written notice of any change, and no rent is increased by more than the change in the Department's published rent index for the year.
- Deposit
- A deposit of no more than five weeks' rent is paid at the start of the tenancy and held in the Department's deposit scheme. It is returned within ten working days of the end of the tenancy, less any deductions agreed with the tenant or determined on review.
- Repairs
- The Department keeps the structure, exterior and installations of the home in repair and to the Housing Standard, within the published response times. The tenant keeps the interior in good order and reports defects promptly.
- Occupation
- The home is the tenant's only or principal home. The tenant may not sublet the whole of it, and may take in a lodger or sublet part of it only with the Department's written consent, which is not unreasonably withheld.
- Ending the tenancy
- A tenant may end the tenancy by giving one month's notice in writing. The Department may end it only on one of the grounds in the agreement and only by giving the notice set out below.
Notice periods. The table below sets out the notice that must be given to end a tenancy, by the tenant and by the Department. The same periods apply to registered private tenancies within the Network.
| Ground | Notice |
|---|---|
| The tenant, for any reason | One month |
| Rent arrears of two months or more | Two months |
| Breach of the tenancy agreement other than arrears | Two months |
| A false statement made to obtain the tenancy | Two months |
| End of the employment on which an employment-tied tenancy depended | Three months |
| Major works that cannot be carried out while the home is occupied | Four months, with an offer of another home |
| Disposal or demolition of the home | Four months, with an offer of another home |
Where a home was let because of the tenant's employment with a member organisation, the Department may end the tenancy on three months' notice from the end of that employment. Tenants in that position are placed in Band B of the Housing Register on the day notice is given, so that an offer of another home can be made before the notice expires wherever a suitable home is available.
Beginning a tenancy. A Department tenancy begins in the same four steps whether the home is newly built or has been let before.
Step 1: Receive and view the offer
The Department writes with the address, size and rent of the home and a date for viewing. You have seven days from the offer to accept or refuse it.
Step 2: Sign the agreement
The standard tenancy agreement is sent to you to read before signing. Joint tenancies are granted to couples and to two adults who apply together; each joint tenant signs.
Step 3: Pay the deposit and the first month's rent
The deposit, of no more than five weeks' rent, is paid into the Department's deposit scheme and you receive confirmation that it is held. The first month's rent is paid before the tenancy begins.
Step 4: Agree the inventory and collect the keys
An inventory recording the condition of the home is signed by you and the Department at the start of the tenancy. It is the record against which the home is inspected when the tenancy ends.
Questions from tenants. The answers below deal with the matters tenants most often raise. Questions about the Department's services more generally are answered on the frequently asked questions page.
Private tenancies. A landlord letting a home within the Network must register each tenancy with the Department within 28 days of its start. Registration gives the tenant the protection of the Housing Standard, the deposit scheme and the notice periods above, and gives the landlord confirmation that the tenancy is recognised by the Department. The steps are as follows.
Step 1: Certify the Housing Standard
Confirm in writing that the home meets each requirement of the Housing Standard. The Department may inspect the home before or after registration.
Step 2: Register the tenancy
Within 28 days of the start of the tenancy, send the Department the address of the home, the names of the landlord and the tenant, the start date, the rent and the deposit taken. Registration is free of charge and is confirmed by email.
Step 3: Protect the deposit
Pay any deposit, which may not exceed five weeks' rent, into the Department's deposit scheme within 14 days of receiving it and give the tenant the scheme's confirmation.
Step 4: Observe the notice periods
Give the tenant the notice set out in the table above for the ground relied on. A notice that gives less than the required period, or that is given for a tenancy that has not been registered, is not valid.
A tenant may check whether a tenancy has been registered by writing to the Department with the address of the home. Deposits on private tenancies are returned through the scheme in the same way as deposits on Department homes, and disputes about deductions are determined by the Department on review of the inventory and the evidence of both parties.
Questions about a tenancy, requests for the full text of the agreement and registrations of private tenancies may be sent to contact@housing.gov.vin. For the standard every home must meet, see Housing Standards; if you have been given notice and have nowhere to go, see Homelessness.