{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-1985/section-81ZA",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-1985/section-81ZA.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1985/68",
  "legislation_title": "Housing Act 1985",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-1985",
  "path": "section/81ZA",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "81ZA",
  "heading": "Grant of secure tenancies in cases of domestic abuse",
  "text": "(1) 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.\n(2) The local housing authority must grant a secure tenancy that is not a flexible tenancy if—\n(a) the tenancy is offered to a person who is or was a tenant of some other dwelling-house under a qualifying tenancy (whether as the sole tenant or as a joint tenant), and\n(b) the authority is satisfied that—\n(i) the person or a member of the person's household is or has been a victim of domestic abuse carried out by another person, and\n(ii) the new tenancy is granted for reasons connected with that abuse.\n(3) The local housing authority must grant a secure tenancy that is not a flexible tenancy if—\n(a) the tenancy is offered to a person who was a joint tenant of the dwelling-house under a qualifying tenancy, and\n(b) the authority is satisfied that—\n(i) the person or a member of the person's household is or has been a victim of domestic abuse carried out by another person, and\n(ii) the new tenancy is granted for reasons connected with that abuse.\n(4) In this section—\n“abuse” means—\n(a)physical or sexual abuse;\n(b)violent or threatening behaviour;\n(c)controlling or coercive behaviour;\n(d)economic abuse (within the meaning of section 1(4) of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021);\n(e)psychological, emotional or other abuse;\n“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);\n“qualifying tenancy” means a tenancy of a dwelling-house in England which is—\n(a)a secure tenancy other than a flexible tenancy, or\n(b)an assured tenancy—\n(i)which is not an assured shorthold tenancy, and\n(ii)which is granted by a private registered provider of social housing, by the Regulator of Social Housing or by a housing trust which is a charity.\n(5) 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).",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 81ZA inserted (1.11.2021) by Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (c. 17), ss. 79(2), 90(6); S.I. 2021/1038, reg. 3(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 81ZA(4) omitted (1.5.2026 for specified purposes) by virtue of Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (c. 26), s. 145(1)(8), Sch. 2 para. 10 (with ss. 138, 146(1), Sch. 6 paras. 1, 3, 4, 16, 17); S.I. 2026/421, reg. 2(c)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/68/section/81ZA",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:59:47.243826+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}