The Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

Introductory tenancies

6.—(1) The Executive or a registered housing association may elect to operate an introductory tenancy regime.

(2) When such an election is in operation, every periodic tenancy of a dwelling-house entered into or adopted by the Executive or the association shall, if it would otherwise be a secure tenancy, be an introductory tenancy, unless immediately before the tenancy was entered into or adopted the tenant or, in the case of joint tenants, one or more of them was a secure tenant of the same or another dwelling-house.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not apply to a tenancy entered into or adopted in pursuance of a contract made before the election was made.

(4) For the purposes of this Chapter a periodic tenancy is adopted by a person if that person becomes the landlord under the tenancy, whether on a disposal or surrender of the interest of the former landlord.

(5) An election under this Article may be revoked at any time, without prejudice to the making of a further election.