27 Sep 2026
A controversial consultation into council housing tenancies is to be carried out again following confusion over the proposals.
As part of a complete overhaul of SADC’s secure tenancy agreement, a consultation carried out earlier this summer featured a Table of Proposed Changes.
These included the following terms:
- Eviction Threats for Missed Appointments: Tenants faced losing their homes and paying full council court fees if they failed to answer or miss communication from third-party gas and electrical safety contractors.
- Mandatory Photos: Every single person named on a council tenancy agreement was to be legally forced to submit a photograph of themselves to a council database.
- The Total Loft Ban: A strict blanket statement was added to the contract rules stating residents “must not use or enter the loft” for health and safety reasons. This would prevent ordinary storage (like Christmas decorations or suitcases) for families who have lived here for decades and have no alternative storage space.
- Seizing Compensation: If a tenant wins a compensation case against the council for massive housing failures like severe damp or black mold, the council would be able to legally seize that money to offset separate disputes rather than paying the cash out to the tenant to replace ruined belongings.
- Property Access: In the small print, the council said it was slashing the standard notice required to enter homes from 48 hours down to just 24 hours. Vulnerable tenants, the elderly, and those with support needs require longer notice periods to arrange assistance or prepare, not less.
- Home Alterations: Tenants would have to formally apply for written permission for minor, ordinary changes. If a family makes an improvement without jumping through council hoops, the text states the tenant will be forced to pay the full cost out of their own pocket to rip it down and return the property to its original state.
- Visitor Responsibility: SADC slipped in clauses making the tenant entirely legally liable for the behaviour of any visitor. If a guest or family member uses “insulting words” or is accused of any form of verbal “abuse” near the property, the council can hold the tenant liable.
In a letter to tenants requesting their views on the changes, SADC stated: “St Albans City and District Council is reviewing its tenancy agreement to ensure it is clear, fair and up to date… The proposed changes form part of our wider service improvement work and are intended to support safe and well-managed homes and neighbourhoods and clearly set out tenant and landlord responsibilities.”
But a tenant who contacted the St Albans Times on condition of anonymity said: “Nothing in the Regulator’s standards requires a council to threaten vulnerable tenants with eviction over missed contractor text messages, force them into a mandatory photo database, ban them from their own lofts, or seize their repair compensation cash.
“Many tenants feel intimidated by these changes. The official survey forces people to input their exact names, addresses, and personal details to object, meaning vulnerable people are too afraid of council retaliation to reply. I’m deeply concerned about the timescale and how many tenants are actually aware of these punitive changes – it could now be too late to fight back.”
SADC strategic director for community and place delivery Chris Traill responded at the time: “Our tenancy agreement has not been updated since 2014 so is in need of a review. We are working to ensure the updated agreement will be easy to understand and reflect current legislation and good practice. The changes we are proposing are minor and in most cases are simply a clarification of existing procedures…
“We can assure them that our updated tenancy agreement will be fair, consistent and transparent, support well-managed homes and set out the responsibilities of both the council as landlord and the tenant.”
But at last week’s meeting of SADC’s housing and inclusion committee, an officer admitted the consultation had not gone the way they expected: “When we received the consultation responses, some respondents indicated that they hadn’t fully understood the proposals. As a result, we’re carrying out a further consultation with updated frequently asked questions and additional supporting information.”
London Colney Labour councillor Emma Turnbull, who sits on the committee, responded: “We are pleased the council has recognised the need for a second consultation. The fact that tenants reported not fully understanding the original proposals suggests the first consultation fell short of the standard residents should expect when changes to their tenancy agreement are being considered.
“These are important changes which could affect the rights and responsibilities of more than 4,000 households, including the rules around eviction. Tenants deserve clear, accessible information and a meaningful opportunity to have their say.”
Following the meeting, Chris Traill confirmed SADC’s updated approach: “Our current tenancy agreement has been in place since 2014 and needs to be updated, partly to take account of new legislation.
“We received valuable feedback earlier this year from our consultation on our proposed changes and this was assessed.
“Before we moved on to the next stage, we decided we needed to address a number of comments and concerns some of our tenants had expressed.
“In view of that, we are now holding a follow-up consultation aimed at clarifying the issues raised and tenants have been sent a letter informing them of this.
“Included with the letter, explaining the reasons for this second consultation, are our answers to the most frequently asked questions.
“We have provided more detail in these responses to the issues some tenants were unsure about. This includes the clauses on loft storage, service standards for repairs and personal data.
“We hope this information will deal with all concerns raised and help our tenants to contribute to the consultation
“Again, all feedback will be considered before we finalise the tenancy agreement and then put it before councillors on the housing and inclusion committee for approval.
“The proposed new tenancy agreement and supporting documents, including the questions and answers sheet, are published on our website.”
To view the documents, visit: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/tenancy-agreement-consultation
