Notice periods, garden leave and your first 90 days

Before you resign

• Get the offer in writing, with start date, salary, bonus terms, car or allowance and any conditions.
• Check restrictive covenants — non-solicit and non-compete clauses are common at director level in housing.
• Confirm what happens to accrued holiday and any bonus you are close to earning.
• Agree a realistic start date. Rushing a handover is remembered for years in a small sector.

Garden leave

If you are walked out, treat it as paid preparation. Read the market, meet the new team informally where permitted, and arrive with questions rather than conclusions.

The first 90 days

• Weeks 1–4: listen. Visit every site, scheme or patch you are responsible for.
• Weeks 5–8: verify the numbers yourself before you rely on anyone's summary.
• Weeks 9–12: pick two visible improvements and deliver them.
• Book a candid review at 90 days with your line manager and ask what they would change.