St Albans Council Tenants: Loft Storage Ban Stays In

St Albans City and District Council is asking its tenants a second time what they think of their new tenancy agreement. The first consultation left many of them unsure about the changes, the council says. The follow-up opened on 23 September and closes on 14 October 2026.

The council has not backed down on the change most likely to affect people at home. Tenants would no longer be allowed to store anything in their loft. It has dropped one other proposal: a line saying it would not grant a joint tenancy once a tenancy had started.

The first round ran from 15 June to 13 July and drew 446 responses, according to the council’s updated questions and answers. No decision has been made. The council’s Housing and Inclusion Committee is due to consider a final draft on 10 November 2026. Until then, the current agreement stays in place.

What the council is sticking with

The council’s summary of proposed changes and its updated answers set out these changes, which it is keeping:

• No storage in lofts. The council says it reviewed this after the first round and kept it.
• 24 hours’ notice to enter your home, down from 48. The council says 24 hours is the minimum, not what it will usually give.
• The time you can be away from your home cut to one month, from three. The council says three months is too long if a home has been abandoned.
• Permission needed for a camera doorbell, which is new. Permission already given still stands.
• Photographs of household members over 16, which the council says is already its practice under its Allocation Policy.

Why no loft storage

The council gives several reasons. It says combustible items such as paper, cardboard and clothes make a fire spread faster and burn longer. Lofts increasingly hold electrical equipment and ventilation fitted during improvement works. Stored items can also affect insulation and cause damp and mould if air cannot flow.

It also approached the local fire service. The council says the service did not advise against loft storage, but warned that overloading a loft affects fire safety, blocks ventilation and puts items next to electrical equipment.

The council says it would not enforce the rule straight away. Tenants would have up to 12 months to clear their lofts.

What it has changed or explained

• Joint tenancies. The line “We will not grant a joint tenancy once your tenancy has begun” will be deleted. The council will review its joint tenancy policy with the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum.
• Paper copies. Nothing is moving online only. Paper copies, large print, braille, easy read and translations stay available on request.
• Photographs. They are used only to confirm identity, stored on the tenancy file and kept for seven years after a tenancy ends, then destroyed.
• Time away. Tell the council if you need longer away, for a hospital stay or to care for someone. It says a genuine reason “will not be a problem”.
• Rent arrears when leaving. Repayment arrangements will be allowed, for example for someone fleeing domestic abuse or moving into care.

The council says tenants welcomed the clearer wording, the removal of flexible tenancies, which it no longer offers, and a new clause on domestic abuse.

What it means for you

• If you are a council tenant, you can respond until 14 October. Read the updated answers first, then fill in the short survey on the consultation page.
• Paper copies of the survey are available by calling 01727 866100.
• Nothing changes yet. The new terms would apply only from the date the council issues a formal notice of variation under section 103 of the Housing Act 1985.
• If you store things in your loft, the 12-month transition would start only once the agreement is approved. The council says it will send more information.
• If you want to fit a camera doorbell, ask the council first. It says one is treated like any other change to your home, and permission it has already given still stands.

The council’s own budget and housing pressures are covered in our report on the 2027/28 council budget.

Sources

• St Albans City and District Council: Tenancy Agreement Consultation, checked 28 September 2026, for the 23 September to 14 October dates, the section 103 notice, the first consultation dates and what happens next.
• Updated Tenancy Agreement Consultation FAQs (PDF) for the 446 responses, the loft storage reasons and transition period, the fire service’s view as the council reports it, the joint tenancy deletion, photographs, paper copies and the 10 November committee date.
• Summary of Proposed Changes to the Tenancy Agreement (PDF) for the 48 to 24 hours notice change, the three months to one month absence change and the camera doorbell clause.