Section 81ZA: Grant of secure tenancies in cases of domestic abuse

This section applies where a local housing authority grants a secure tenancy of a dwelling-house in England before the day on which paragraph 4 of Schedule 7 to the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (grant of new secure tenancies in England) comes fully into force.

The local housing authority must grant a secure tenancy that is not a flexible tenancy if—

The local housing authority must grant a secure tenancy that is not a flexible tenancy if—

In this section—

• "abuse" means—

  (a)physical or sexual abuse;

  (b)violent or threatening behaviour;

  (c)controlling or coercive behaviour;

  (d)economic abuse (within the meaning of section 1(4) of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021);

  (e)psychological, emotional or other abuse;

• "domestic abuse" means abuse carried out by a person who is personally connected to the victim of the abuse (within the meaning of section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021);

• "qualifying tenancy" means a tenancy of a dwelling-house in England which is—

  (a)a secure tenancy other than a flexible tenancy, or

  (b)an assured tenancy—

For the purposes of this section, a person may be a victim of domestic abuse despite the fact that the abuse is directed at another person (for example, the person's child).