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Looking for housing or getting into housing difficulty can be a very daunting and distressing time. Here is some useful advice and tools to help you:
Housing Points Calculator
How do I get a Council or Housing Association home?
Your rights and the Housing Act
Rent arrears and eviction
Housing Points Calculator
A simple points calculator built by Housing Net to give you an idea of how many points you might be “worth” when applying for Council or Housing Association Accommodation…
How do I get a Council or Housing Association home?
Councils must ensure priority for social housing goes to those in the greatest need. Some councils do this by using a points system. Points are awarded according to the circumstances and level of housing need.
What are points?
The law states that in allocating housing ‘reasonable preference’ must be given to certain categories of persons. These categories are:
- people who are homeless
- people living in insanitary, overcrowded or unsatisfactory housing.
- people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds.
- people who need to move to a particular locality in the district of the authority, where failure to meet that need would cause hardship to themselves or to others.
In addition, councils may give additional preference to people in the above categories who are considered to have more urgent housing needs. A points system must take these factors into account.
What other factors are taken into account?
Other factors which a points system may take into account could include:
- residency – do you live in the area where you are applying for housing?
- financial circumstances – are you on benefits or in paid employment.
- tenancy record – for example, have you a good record or have you accrued rent arrears?
- time on register – you may gain extra points if you have been on the housing register for sometime.
You can request a leaflet from your council that details how it allocates its housing points.
How can I get a council home?
- Apply to your council. The council will usually put your name on its waiting list.
- You have a right to know how your council decides to let the homes it owns so you can be sure you are treated fairly.
- Your council must publish a short version of its rules for deciding who gets council homes. Your council should give you a free copy. The rules also apply to people who already have council homes who want to move to other council homes in the area.
- You have the right to look, free of charge, at the full rules for who gets council homes at the housing office, during normal office hours. You also have the right to a copy, but may have to pay for it.There will be someone at the housing office who can tell you about the rules for getting a home.
How can I get a housing association home?
You may want to apply for a home from a housing association (sometimes known as a Registered Social Landlord) in your area. Housing associations provide similar sorts of homes to those provided by your council. Your council can tell you how to get in touch. If you become a housing association tenant, you will still have most of the rights set out in this article. Your rights are explained in a booklet called A charter for housing association applicants and residents which is available from the Housing Corporation pdf document available here.
Housing associations must publish the rules for their waiting lists. In some areas the council and the housing associations operate a common housing register so that you can apply for a home from either your council or a housing association.
More information on the Housing Net website…
Your rights and the housing act
Every local authority will hold a housing register. The housing register will contain, in most cases, any local authority housing and registered social landlord (RSL) properties. Anybody is entitled to apply for the housing register, but the local authority will asses whether a person has the right to qualify.
Every local authority has a scheme on how they allocate the housing stock, but generally the rule is the higher the “need” the higher you will be placed on the register. Most local authorities “band” the applicants on the housing register, and the “band” that the applicant is placed in matches their need. If a persons circumstances change then they can be moved up the register, as they become more of a priority.
Those applicants that are given preference are:
- People occupying unsanitary or overcrowded housing or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions.
- People occupying housing accommodation which is temporary or occupied on insecure terms.
- Families with dependent children.
- Households consisting of or including someone who is expecting a child.
- Households consisting of or including someone with a particular need for settled accommodation on medical or welfare grounds.
- Households whose social or economic circumstances are such that they have difficulty in securing settled accommodation.
If you present as homeless or are threatened with homelessness you will, if found to be unintentionally homeless and in priority need, be owed a duty to be housed immediately without being placed on the housing register.
Rent arrears and eviction
If you have rent arrears you need to take action immediately. Arrears can lead to eviction from your property, so do not ignore the problem.
Start a dialogue with your landlord as soon as you go into arrears. Explain fully the reason why the arrears are occurring and what you are doing to address these arrears.
Different types of tenancies will effect how quickly you can be evicted for arrears – Read your tenancy agreement so you know your rights. Mortgage arrears are dealt with in a different way.
More information and advice on the DirectGov website…
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Disclaimer: Our advice section is here to offer you general guidance, however we strongly recommend that you also seek independent professional advice that is specific to your needs.
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