Social Housing Bill: new eviction and tenancy rules (England)

The government has tabled new amendments to the Social Housing Bill, currently going through Parliament. The changes focus on domestic abuse protections in social housing: where a protective order is already in place, survivors will not have to prove the abuse again to keep their tenancy, and courts will be able to act against the perpetrator instead.

Other amendments cover council and housing association housing more broadly. These include a longer notification period before social housing disposals, changes to Right to Buy rules in rural areas, a simpler Right to Manage framework for council tenants, and bringing Tenant Management Organisations under Freedom of Information rules from April 2027.

The Bill also introduces duties on councils and housing associations to identify households at risk of homelessness earlier and to offer suitable homes to people referred by local authorities, with some changes to support for armed forces veterans.

This is a bill for England. Social housing law in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is separate, and nothing in this announcement changes those frameworks.

This affects councils and housing associations in England that hold or manage social housing tenancies, and their tenants.

It does not change the law for private rented sector tenancies. The measures described here apply to social housing.

If you own or manage social housing stock alongside private lets, check which of your tenancies fall under this Bill before assuming any of these changes apply to you.

• If you manage council or housing association tenancies in England, follow the Bill's progress through Parliament, as these are amendments, not yet law
• If you are unsure whether a tenancy you manage is a social housing tenancy covered by this Bill, check with a solicitor
• If you only let privately under assured shorthold tenancies, this announcement does not require any action from you