Tenancy Sustainment Policy

For how to request support, see Ask for help from the Tenancy Sustainment team.

Contents

Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this policy is to set out Oxford City Council’s approach to helping tenants maintain safe, secure, and stable housing. It outlines how tenancy sustainment is supported through early intervention, engagement, and coordinated working with internal teams and external partners.

1.2 This policy provides a framework for staff to identify risks, respond to support needs, and promote tenancy resilience. It also ensures that services are delivered in a consistent and inclusive way, helping to prevent tenancy breakdown and reduce homelessness.

1.3 The policy is focused on prevention, seeking to identify needs and ensure support is put in place before a situation arises which risks a tenancy. The policy is supplemented by procedures which will allow staff to identify tenants who need support with sustainment on an ongoing basis. It is also clear that all staff interacting with tenants have a role in tenancy sustainment, and is not just left to the specialist teams.

Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all Oxford City Council tenants. It applies to staff interacting with tenants, and in particular the Council's Tenancy Sustainment Team. The policy covers the full tenancy lifecycle from pre-tenancy assessments and sign-ups to ongoing management and enforcement. It guides how services work together and with partner agencies to support tenants with additional needs. While the policy promotes tenancy sustainment, it does not override statutory duties under housing, safeguarding, or care legislation. It also does not guarantee that all tenancies can be sustained but ensures that reasonable steps are taken to prevent tenancy failure.

Aims and objectives

3.1 The aim of this policy is to promote tenancy resilience and prevent tenancy failure by providing timely, consistent, and inclusive support to tenants.

3.2 The objectives are to:

  • prevent evictions and homelessness
  • identify and respond to risk factors that may affect a tenant’s ability to manage their tenancy
  • clarify staff members' role in identifying support needs and reduce risk
  • seek to adopt an early identification/ preventative approach to ensure potential problems do not escalate to tenancy failure
  • help ensure tenants in their homes are safe and healthy
  • ensure good access to support services, both internal in the Council, and to external specialist services
  • ensure tenancy sustainment complies with safeguarding responsibilities and ensure staff act on concerns appropriately
  • support tenants through a trauma-informed and person-centred approach

4.1 This policy supports Oxford City Council’s legal duties under the Housing Act 1988 and the Equality Act 2010. It ensures tenancies are managed fairly, protects tenants from discrimination, and promotes inclusive practice through the Public Sector Equality Duty.

4.2 This policy reflects the regulatory requirements set out by the Regulator of Social Housing, specifically the Tenancy Standard and the Consumer Standards, which require landlords to:

  • support tenants to maintain their tenancy and prevent unnecessary evictions
  • treat tenants with fairness, dignity, and respect
  • provide clear, accessible, and timely information about tenancy management and available support
  • ensure services are inclusive and responsive to individual needs, including through the use of reasonable adjustments as required under the Equality Act 2010

4.3 This policy also supports Oxford City Council’s responsibilities under the Care Act 2014, which places a duty to support Oxfordshire County Council to promote individual wellbeing and prevent, reduce, or delay the need for care and support. It reinforces the importance of identifying unmet needs early, making appropriate referrals to Oxfordshire County Council’s Adult Social Care, and working collaboratively to safeguard adults at risk. In doing so, the policy ensures that tenancy management contributes to wider statutory duties around care, protection, and prevention and supporting children.

Definitions

5.1 Inclusive practice: This approach is designed to prevent tenancy failure, which occurs when a tenancy ends prematurely or unsuccessfully such as through eviction, abandonment, or early termination. Tenancy failure is often linked to unmet support needs and can result in significant personal disruption and financial cost to both tenants and Oxford City Council.

5.2 Early identification of support needs: Early identification of support needs is central to the Council’s approach to tenancy sustainment. A preventative approach is adopted to ensure potential difficulties for affected residents do not occur. This includes recognising signs of difficulty such as financial strain, property neglect, or changes in behaviour, which allows the Council to intervene before issues escalate. Council staff and contractors are expected to take a proactive approach to understanding each tenant’s circumstances. This includes staff assessing residents' needs, reviewing existing records and engaging with tenants to identify risks and strengths. This process begins at the pre-tenancy stage, where staff meet with prospective tenants to understand any support needs before tenancy sign-up.

5.3 Safeguarding and crisis response: Oxford City Council has a legal duty to protect children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, or neglect. Safeguarding is a shared responsibility across the Council and is central to tenancy sustainment. Staff must be able to recognise signs of risk and respond appropriately, following established procedures and working with other agencies to ensure a coordinated approach. This includes making referrals to Oxfordshire County Council’s Adult or Children’s Social Care where necessary and ensuring all staff are trained and confident in safeguarding practice. In addition to safeguarding, staff must be prepared to respond to tenancy-related crises that may place individuals or households at immediate risk. These may include:

  • all forms of abuse, including domestic abuse, coercive control, and honour-based violence
  • mental health emergencies
  • imminent eviction or homelessness
  • fire, flood, or other property emergencies

5.4 In these situations, the Council will act swiftly to prioritise safety, assess the situation, and coordinate support using a trauma-informed approach. Responses may involve contacting emergency services or working with external partners such as health and social care services.

Identification of residents who require tenancy sustainment support

6.1 Residents may be struggling to maintain their tenancies for a number of reasons, many of which may be identifiable through contact with the Council for related or unrelated reasons. These contacts along with related data enable the Council to identify tenants with a view to helping them sustain their tenancy.

6.2 Council staff will assess whether residents require tenancy sustainment support by considering information and data relating to the following vulnerability indicators:

  • non-payment of rent and arrears over 2 months
  • anti-social behaviour (perpetrator or victim)
  • service of Notice of proceedings or legal action
  • failure to allow access to new tenant visits
  • non-reporting of repairs for 2 years
  • failure to allow access for annual gas service
  • rechargeable repairs (consistent or wilful damage)
  • known health support issue, such as substance abuse addiction
  • breach of tenancy
  • estate management issues
  • information from contractors
  • poverty in general as identified through arrears interviews
  • death of a spouse or family member
  • reporting of damp and mould which may indicate fuel poverty as there is not heating in the property

6.3 When assessing the tenancy support needs for residents, staff will be aware of specific characteristics which may mean a tenant needs additional support to sustain their tenancy. These include:

  • mental health
  • learning difficulties
  • drug and alcohol addiction
  • disabilities and physical health
  • leaving care
  • domestic violence/abuse
  • poverty and fuel poverty
  • being under 25 or in a first tenancy
  • young parents
  • people with support needs and no established local networks
  • history of homelessness
  • history of rent arrears, abandonment or antisocial behaviour in a previous tenancy
  • previously failed tenancy or eviction
  • adverse childhood experiences

Roles and responsibilities

7.1 All staff have a role to support tenancy sustainment. In addition, there are more specialist roles that have particular responsibilities to provide tenancy sustainment support.

7.2 Procedures accompanying this policy will guide staff as to the detailed requirements of their responsibilities.

7.3 The summary of these roles and responsibilities are as follows:

Council staff and contractors

They should:

  • make reasonable adjustments to ensure services are accessible
  • be alert to signs that a tenant may need extra support, especially during home visits
  • raise tenancy sustainment needs in line with process, either to landlord services or tenancy sustainment depending on level of need
  • check existing records before requesting information from tenants
  • complete needs assessments where appropriate, considering both risks and strengths
  • maintain accurate and up-to-date records of any factors that may affect a tenant’s ability to manage their tenancy, and, where appropriate, refer them to internal or external support services to help address those factors
  • complete all required safeguarding training and reporting any concerns through the correct channels
  • raise unmet care or support needs with Oxfordshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and/or Children’s Social Care where a Care Act assessment may be needed

People Team

It should:

  • make sure all staff have completed required safeguarding and relevant training, including any necessary refreshers
  • act on recommendations from reviews 
  • ensure staff are working safely and that health and safety procedures are followed

Housing Officers and other staff in Landlord Services

They should:

  • identify and assess tenants’ support needs
  • conduct routine and priority tenancy audits 
  • make appropriate referrals to internal and external support services with tenant consent, including Tenancy Sustainment
  • maintain accurate and up-to-date records of tenant interactions and support needs
  • follow safeguarding procedures and report concerns about children or vulnerable adults
  • ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010, including making reasonable adjustments for disabled tenants
  • collaborate with other teams and agencies to coordinate support for tenants with complex needs
  • participate in training and development, including safeguarding and tenancy sustainment practices
  • signpost support services to residents

Incomes Team (Finance)    

It should:

  • monitor rent accounts to identify early signs of financial difficulty and intervene promptly to prevent arrears from escalating
  • proactively contact tenants in arrears to understand their circumstances and offer appropriate support or referrals
  • work with tenants to ensure they are receiving all entitled benefits and income, including signposting to welfare rights or money advice services
  • develop and agree realistic and sustainable repayment plans with tenants, based on their individual financial situations
  • signpost debt advice services to residents
  • refer to Landlord Services and Tenancy Sustainment when unmet support needs are identified

Tenancy Sustainment Team  

It should:

  • provide intensive, proactive support to Oxford City Council tenants who are at high risk of tenancy breakdown due to multiple, overlapping, or enduring support needs
  • operate as a specialist, case-holding service, prioritising the most complex and high-risk cases to prevent avoidable eviction, safeguard vulnerable residents, and maintain regulatory compliance
  • handle case management of complex multi-agency cases
  • support tenants in rent arrears when there are support needs
  • help tenants who hoard by moving items out of the property and helping residents move to new properties
  • liaise with the temporary accommodation team to enable a smooth transition from temporary accommodation to a secure tenancy where there is an identified need
  • support the Council deliver its obligations to tenants under the Homelessness Reduction Act, ensuring Pre-Action Protocol is followed, and all tenants facing eviction are issued a Personal Housing Plan

HRA Assets Team and contractors

They should:

  • carry out repairs and maintenance work in line with Oxford City Council’s policies and health and safety procedures
  • be alert to signs that a tenant may be struggling to manage their home (e.g. property neglect, hoarding, or safety risks) and report concerns to Landlord Services staff
  • work in a trauma-informed way, recognising that some tenants may find repair visits stressful or overwhelming
  • refer to Landlord Services and Tenancy Sustainment when unmet support needs are identified

Support services – dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Team

8.1 The Tenancy Sustainment Team operates as a specialist, case-holding service, prioritising the most complex and high-risk cases to prevent avoidable eviction, safeguard vulnerable residents, and maintain regulatory compliance. They have a Tenancy Sustainment Criteria, that acts as a supporting document to this policy clearly defining who the team prioritises for support.

8.2 All staff working with tenants are expected to identify need, and to support tenants when possible. For small immediate interventions, this will typically be performed by staff working in teams such as Landlord Services and the Incomes Team. However, when support requires more than one or two short interventions and perhaps liaison with other public services, referrals can be made to the Council’s Tenancy Sustainment Team.

8.3 The Tenancy Sustainment Team either support directly or help tenants access support from other organisations. They often perform the role of coordinating support across different internal and external services. They are focused on addressing the vulnerabilities and characteristics outlined in 6.2 and 6.3 that increase the risk of tenancy failure.

8.4 Support often includes but is not limited to: support with access of other services, multi-agency working (including as lead professional), support with tenancy issues, support with income and benefit maximisation, support with accessing debt and money advice, hoarding, support with rent arrears, support with poor housing condition/ squalor, support with escalation of ASB where vulnerabilities are identified.

8.5 Services are typically delivered in the home via home visit, but can also be on the phone and at council/ community premises.

8.6 The Tenancy Sustainment Team is not a service to deliver long term support or to replace other public services delivered by agencies such as Social Services and the NHS. Instead, it is designed as a service that can engage tenants where there is a risk of tenancy failure, identify needs and then work with the tenant to meet those needs through resolving issues, or connecting the tenant with longer term support delivered by other agencies.

8.7 Support is tailored to individual needs, confidential, and free of charge, normally offered for as long as a tenancy remains at risk.

8.8 Tenants can self-refer to the tenancy sustainment service via the website, as can other council teams and external bodies.

8.9 The Tenancy Sustainment Team can arrange to refer the tenant to any number of additional support agencies.

8.10 There is no limit to the number of times the Tenancy Sustainment Team will attempt to engage with the tenant in order to meet the defined needs and circumstances of individual residents.

8.11 Outcomes in the tenancy sustainment are recorded to ensure good performance in the team and to ensure that the service is delivering its objectives.

8.12 Tenancy sustainment officers have a particular role in regard to rent arrears:

  • The Council’s Incomes Team will routinely refer to tenancy sustainment when a tenant is struggling with rent arrears and has a support need, in line with the Council’s Pre-Action Protocol
  • Referrals from the Incomes Team must include relevant case history and proposed repayment expectations, with cases allocated to a Homelessness Prevention Officer for early intervention
  • The focus is to prevent eviction through a Personal Housing Plan, developed in partnership with the tenant and Incomes Team, based on verified affordability
  • Cases will be monitored with outcomes including tenancy sustainment, transfer back to sustainment support where appropriate, or progression to enforcement action where tenants fail to engage

Safeguarding

9.1 Oxford City Council is committed to protecting children and vulnerable adults from harm and abuse. Housing Services work closely with Oxfordshire County Council’s Social Services to ensure staff are trained to identify safeguarding issues and report them appropriately.

9.2 All front-line staff working with vulnerable adults and children receive ongoing safeguarding training, equipping them with the skills to recognise potential risks and refer cases to the right agencies. This training is regularly updated, either in-person or online.

Monitoring and review

10.1 Tenancy sustainment outcomes are measured using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as tenancy sustainment rates, prevention of homelessness, and tenant satisfaction.

10.2 Regular performance reports are presented to senior management, with trends and learning points shared across teams.

10.3 The policy and procedures are reviewed annually, or in response to legislative changes, with input from staff, tenants and stakeholders.

10.4 Regular engagement with tenants and partners ensures the policy remains relevant and effective.

Equality and inclusion

11.1 Oxford City Council is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion. An Equalities Impact Assessment is conducted for this policy and all tenancy sustainment activities. Services are accessible to all, without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or any other protected characteristic. Reasonable adjustments and accessible communication formats are provided as needed.

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