Domestic abuse survivor welcomes major shake-up of social housing laws to protect victims

New protections are being put in place for domestic abuse victims in social housing.

The news is being welcomed by a domestic abuse survivor from West Yorkshire, Fran who now works with the Leeds Domestic Violence Service Voices project team.

It comes as, right now landlords have few options to support victims to remain in their home if they share a tenancy with an abuser, and many victims are forced to either leave or end the tenancy entirely, which can potentially leave you homeless.

According to the government, last year, around 15,000 households in England had to find a new social home because of domestic abuse.

In the year ending March 2025 the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 3.8 million of people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the past year.

Here is what is set to change:

• Abusers can be evicted without the victim having to leave.
• Landlords and courts can remove abusers from social homes.
• Abusers can’t use the law to force victims out. If they try to end the tenancy with a notice to quit while an eviction case is underway, it won’t work - the eviction will still go ahead.
• Victims can stay in their home, with the tenancy put in their name alone.
• Victims can be offered another home if needed. If it’s not safe to stay, a victim can be offered alternative accommodation, where this is available.  

Fran fled a domestic abuse relationship on Boxing Day 2021. She was living in social housing in West Yorkshire at the time.

She said: "I'm absolutely thrilled. It feels like a long time coming and honestly, when I've read through, it just, you know, sometimes like you think, oh, I'm a bit nervous about reading something that's going to be involving changes - but I couldn't believe it.

"I was absolutely staggered. They've really listened and these changes are going to make a massive difference."

She said at the time she was told it's not safe to live in the house she'd fled by social services and the police, but handing the keys back to the council was considered voluntary.

Fran said: "I had to go through the whole housing options again, where I got little to next to no support.

"I knew that I was going to be having to go back onto the whole housing bidding system. And although, yes, it was down that it was serious domestic violence, I was just told, yeah, you'll get a banding, but, you know, there's no houses.

She then had to go into temporary private rental, which impacted her position waiting for a council house.

"You're almost off the books.

"It was only because of set of unfortunate circumstances, I got breast cancer, so then I was deemed that I had the domestic violence, but then I had a health issue as well.

"So, it was only because of the two of them. I then got some amazing help from an MP at the time."

More information on the Leeds Domestic Violence Support Voices Project can be found here.