Introductory Tenancy

Introductory tenancies were created by Part V, Chapter I of the Housing Act 1996 as an opt-in scheme for local authority landlords. A local housing authority or a housing action trust may elect to operate an introductory tenancy regime, and where that election is in force, every new periodic tenancy that would otherwise be a secure tenancy is instead an introductory tenancy, unless the tenant already held a secure or qualifying assured tenancy immediately beforehand.

The probationary period is fixed by statute at one year, but can run longer in some circumstances. A tenancy remains an introductory tenancy until the end of the trial period, unless one of the events mentioned in subsection (5) occurs before the end of that period, and the trial period is the period of one year beginning with the date the tenancy was entered into (or, for adopted tenancies, the date of adoption) — subject to extension by a further six months under section 125A where the authority has served an extension notice.

During the trial period, an introductory tenant does not have the security of tenure that comes with a full secure tenancy: the authority can seek a possession order without needing to prove one of the statutory grounds for possession that apply to secure tenants, provided it follows the correct notice and review procedure. If the trial period passes without the tenancy being ended, it converts automatically into a full secure tenancy.