NCHA Tenancy Skills How to apply for housing Provides the knowledge required for the National Open College Network Pre-Tenancy Skills Award Unit 1 - Understand how to apply for housing Outcome 1 - Know the types of housing available NCHA Tenancy Skills How to apply for housing 1.1 Identify the types of housing available in your area. Nottingham, NG5 6LU [email protected] There are two types of housing you can rent social housing and private rented housing. Broxtowe Borough Council Foster Avenue Beeston Nottingham, NG9 1AB www.broxtowe.gov.uk Social Housing Social housing homes are let through Choice Based Lettings Schemes. All of these schemes have their own website, for example Nottingham City have HomeLink www. nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk/findahome/ homelink where you will find details of the types of social housing available from all social landlords in Nottingham. In the East Midlands there are ten local authority Choice Based Lettings Schemes which are all listed below. Rushcliffe Borough Council Civic Centre Pavilion Road West Bridgford Nottingham, NG2 5FE www.rushcliffe.gov.uk Bassetlaw area A1 Homefinder Nottingham City A1 Housing Bassetlaw Queen’s Buildings Potter Street Worksop, S80 2AH www.a1homefinder.org.uk Homelink (Nottingham City Council) Mansfield and Ashfield sub- region Homelink CBL 14 Houndsgate Nottingham, NG1 7BA nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk AM Homefinder Gedling, Broxtowe, Rushcliffe subregion Homesearch Gedling Borough Council Civic Centre Arnot Hill Park Arnold Mansfield District Council Civic Centre Chesterfield Road South Mansfield, NG19 7BH [email protected] Ashfield Homes Head Office Broadway Brook Street Sutton in Ashfield, NG17 1AL [email protected] www.ncha.org.uk NCHA Tenancy Skills Derbyshire Dales, Amber Valley, Erewash sub-region Home Options Derbyshire Dales District Council Town Hall Bank Road Matlock, DE4 3NN www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk Amber Valley Housing Ltd/Futures Homescape PO Box 6458 Asher Lane Ripley, DE5 3BF www.avhl.co.uk Erewash Borough Council Town Hall Wharncliffe Road Ilkeston, DE7 5RP www.erewash.gov.uk South Derbyshire District Council area Homefinder South Derbyshire District Council Civic Offices Civic Way Swadlincote, DE11 0AH www.south-derbys.gov.uk Leicester City area Leicester Homechoice Leicester City Council Housing Options Service Phoenix House Welford Place Leicester, LE1 6ZG www.leicesterhomechoice.co.uk Melton, North West Leicestershire, Charnwood, Oadby and Wigston, Blaby, Hinckley and Bosworth sub-region Leicestershire Choice Based Lettings Melton Borough Council Housing Options Team Council Offices Nottingham Road Melton Mowbray, LE13 0UL www.melton.gov.uk North West Leicestershire District Council Housing Advice Team Council Offices Whitwick Road Colville, LE67 3FJ www.nwleicestershire.gov.uk Charnwood Borough Council Housing Needs Council Offices Southfields Road Loughborough, LE11 2TT www.charnwood.gov.uk Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, Customer Services Council Offices Station Road Wigston Leicester, LE18 2DR www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk Blaby District Council Housing OptionsTeam Council Offices Desford Road Narborough Leicestershire, LE19 2EP www.blaby.gov.uk www.ncha.org.uk NCHA Tenancy Skills Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Customer Services Council Offices Agents Mead Hinkley Leicestershire, LE10 1BZ www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk 1.2 State the difference between social housing and private rents. Kettering area • Security of tenure refers to how secure your tenancy is and means how easy it would be for your landlord to end your tenancy, ask you to leave or evict you. Kettering Keyways CBL Kettering Borough Council Bowling Green Road Kettering, NN15 7QX www.kettering.gov.uk Northampton area Northampton Homechoice CBL The Homechoice Team Housing Services Northampton Borough Council The Guildhall St Giles Square Northampton, NN1 1DE www.northampton.gov.uk Private Rented Accommodation For private rented accommodation try using websites, for example Rightmove www. rightmove.co.uk or Zoopla www.zoopla.co.uk. You will be able to search by location, size and price and to select options to share with others. Some areas have lists of available properties printed in local newspapers. For both social and private rented homes there is likely to be more choice in city areas than in rural areas. This can make it difficult to find smaller accommodation, such as one bedroom flats, in rural locations. The main differences between social housing and private rents are as follows: Security of tenure • Most social housing is let on lifetime tenancies, which mean if you keep to the rules of the tenancy agreement you can stay in your home for as long as you want. • However if you do not keep to the rules of the tenancy agreement, for example by not paying your rent, playing loud music or being a nuisance to your neighbours, the landlord could ask you to leave. • In such cases the landlord would have to take court action against you and the judge would decide if the landlord is being reasonable in asking you to move. Under some tenancies social landlords can do this without going to court. • Accommodation let by private landlords has less security of tenure and it is easier for them to ask you to move. Their tenancies run on either a six month or yearly cycle. • At the end of the tenancy, even if you are a good tenant, a private landlord can still ask you to leave by giving you a letter and a Notice Seeking Possession. If your landlord does this you have to move. If you refuse the landlord can get a bailiff to evict you from the home. www.ncha.org.uk NCHA Tenancy Skills Rents • Social housing rents are lower than private housing rents. If you are unemployed and receive Housing Benefit, this will usually cover all of the social housing rents. However if the accommodation is judged to be too big for your needs, for example if you have a spare bedroom, then you may have to pay an underoccupation charge which will not be met by Housing Benefit. • In private rented housing the rents tend to be higher and Housing Benefit may not cover the whole of the rent. • Social housing tenants are expected to pay a month’s rent in advance. Private rented tenants are usually asked to pay a month’s rent in advance and another month’s rent as a bond or deposit which should be returned when you leave the accommodation. • Most social housing homes are not furnished. Tenants have to provide their own furniture, carpets, curtains and kitchen appliances. Private rented homes vary; some are fully furnished, some just have carpets, curtains and kitchen appliances and others are completely unfurnished. 1.3 Outline how a local housing register works For social housing homes the Local Housing Register is the local Choice Based Lettings Scheme as described above. To apply for a home you have to be added to the register. You will need to fill out an application form, which can usually be found on-line or can be picked up from the local authority offices or any housing association’s office. If you need help to fill out the application form, most social landlords will offer some support and a translation service if required. When you have completed the application form, your name will be added to the housing register and you will usually get a registration pack which includes a letter confirming your reference number and what band or priority you have been given. You may be also given some guidance or information about how long you will have to wait for certain homes in certain areas. www.ncha.org.uk