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Social Rented Housing: Evictions

Asked by Perran MoonLabourMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 9 July 2025UIN 64603

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the level of risk of eviction of social housing tenants who remain in a property after a joint tenant has served notice to quit (a) in cases involving relationship breakdown and (b) in general.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook

Joint periodic tenancies can be ended unilaterally by one of the joint tenants.

Once one of the joint tenants terminates a joint tenancy, then as a matter of law it ceases to exist and the landlord has a right of possession, though that may be challenged in the Courts.

Social landlords, subject to complying with their own allocations policies, have the flexibility to provide a new tenancy to a current resident where a notice to quit is served, either for the same property or for a different property.

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