Traditionally, tenants moved in and stayed for years and even decades.

Mr. Holmes said the repairs could be done while tenants stay in the building.

"The solution is for the county to just pay us for the docks, and the tenants can stay."

A talk with the owner convinced him to let the tenants stay, a member said.

But as the project progressed, Britain went into a deep recession, rents plunged and tenants stayed away.

The three tenants evicted this afternoon are staying with friends while they search for a new home.

So these tenants often stay as renters, protected by government regulations and, perhaps, hope for a windfall when they decide to leave.

"What we really like is that tenants stay in buildings," he said.

MOST rent-supplement tenants stay in their old apartments rather than move.

Transitional tenants stay from several weeks to a year - the average is six months.