homes for rent how to apply for a home Please note that our Plus Dane customer contact telephone numbers refered to throughout this leaflet have now changed to: 0800 169 2988 [free from most UK landline phones] 0300 123 4560 [local rate from a mobile phone] www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com
homes for rent We have a customer centred approach to letting homes that helps you make informed choices about where you want to live. We provide a range of housing options which cater for different needs including families, single and older people and those with disabilities. This leaflet tells you how you can apply for a home in Cheshire. From Spring 2010, all our homes will be let through Cheshire Homechoice, the choice based lettings scheme for Cheshire. Homechoice means you make an application but can bid for homes with different landlords across Cheshire East. Who can apply? Anyone can apply for housing with us even if you are under 18 years old. If you are 16 and17 years old you can apply for a home in the usual way but we will ask you to provide a guarantor and agree to a support package to help you keep your tenancy. A guarantor is someone who agrees to sign an agreement that if for some reason you could not pay your rent or comply with the conditions of your tenancy, will help put things right. However, there are circumstances when we may not accept your application for housing. This would be if you have: A history of anti social behaviour in the last two years; Been convicted of any racially or hate motivated offence during the last 2 years; Certain convictions within the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, including offensive weapons, supplying drugs, assault on a member of staff or any offence which suggests you could present a danger to anyone; Current arrears or have owed money to your current or previous landlord unless you have fled from domestic violence, racial harassment or some other form of harassment; Left your tenancy with another housing association without giving the correct amount of notice; 2
Knowingly or recklessly misrepresented your circumstances to secure a tenancy from another housing association. If you fall into any of the categories above and you apply for a home, we may refuse to rehouse you. We will contact you and tell you why. There are also some restrictions that prevent us from offering tenancies to some people who are subject to immigration control. Ex offenders who have spent convictions are not required by law to disclose such convictions. A spent conviction is a conviction under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 that can be ignored after a set period of time. This depends on the sentence that was given. What to do if you are homeless If you are threatened with or actually are homeless, you should contact your Local Authority Housing Department immediately. They may be able to help you secure temporary housing as well as helping to secure your long term future. How to apply To apply for a home, you will need to fill in a housing application form for Cheshire East. You can contact them on 01270 686 625. Please ask us if you need help to complete the application form or if you have any questions about the application process. When you complete the form, it is important to give as much information as possible to help assess your application. You may be asked for a range of information to support your application which includes: Landlord references; Proof of identity photographic identify may be required; National insurance number; Proof of income. 3
homes for rent You will be asked to renew your application every year so that there is up to date information about you and your circumstances. Assessing your application Applications are assessed against your housing need. Through a points system, we are able to identify which applicants have the most urgent housing need. Cheshire East will provide information on their points system. When we receive a nomination from Cheshire East, we will carry our own comprehensive assessment of the information supplied. Once this has been verified we may then offer you a home. If we offer you a home, we will write to you to: Tell you the amount of rent and other charges you will be charged; Tell you the type of tenancy you will be granted; Give you a copy of the proposed tenancy agreement. 4 We will then invite you to view your home. The viewing will be carried out with your Neighbourhood Officer and gives you an opportunity for you to look around the home to check it meets your needs. Our Welcome to your new home guide tells you what standard of work and cleanliness you can expect us to complete before you move in. When you have viewed the home and accept the offer, we will arrange for you to sign your tenancy agreement and other key documents. We will help you to complete all forms and help you to make a claim for housing benefit, if needed. If you have never held a tenancy with a local authority or housing association before, we may issue you with a starter tenancy. A starter tenancy is a trial tenancy which lasts for 12 months. During this period, we will visit you at least three times to check you are keeping to the terms of the tenancy. If you keep to the terms after 12 months you will gain a full assured tenancy. If you do not, you may be at risk of losing your home.
Mutual exchange If you are already a tenant of a housing association or local authority and looking to move home you can try a mutual exchange. A mutual exchange is where you find another tenant who wants to move and you swap homes. This can be a great way of moving home as it allows you to search for a home where you want to live and find someone who wants to live where you do. You can find someone to swap with using the free HomeSwapper scheme. This is a national service which is quick and easy to use with powerful and effective matching. Hundreds of households swap each month through HomeSwapper. You can register with HomeSwapper by visiting their website direct at www.homeswapper.co.uk. If you do not have access to the internet, contact us and we can register your application. Once you find someone to exchange with, you should contact us to complete a mutual exchange application. Once we have received this completed application, we will tell you if you can exchange homes within 42 days. We will only withhold consent if: You owe us money or your exchange partner owes their landlord money; There are chargeable repairs that you are responsible for and have not put right; There is a history of anti social behaviour caused by you, your family or your visitors or your exchange partner has a history of anti social behaviour; You or your exchange partner will be over or under crowded as a result of the exchange. You must not exchange homes until you have received written confirm from us. When you complete a mutual exchange you step into the tenancy of your partner. This means that you take over their tenancy and keep their original tenancy start date and their tenancy rights. 5
homes for rent Tenancy changes under a mutual exchange may affect your tenancy rights. If you are an assured tenant, whose tenancy started after 1989, you will not have the right to buy. If your exchange partner is an assured tenant who transferred to us from the local authority, they might have the preserved right to buy. After a mutual exchange you would remain an assured tenant but would gain the right to buy your exchange partner would become an assured tenant and lose the right to buy. The tenancy stays with the property and not the tenant under the mutual exchange scheme. Please speak to your neighbourhood officer to get more information about mutual exchanges. want to exchange, you can apply for a transfer by contacting us on 0500 026 079. We will tell you within five working days of receiving your transfer application how many points you have been awarded. We will not approve your transfer request if: You owe us any money and have not kept to your agreed repayment plan; You have not conducted your tenancy agreement in a satisfactory manner; We have secured or applied for legal action against you for anti social behaviour, rent arrears or any other breach of tenancy; You have outstanding chargeable repairs that you have not put right; You have not lived in your current home for 12 months or more. Transfers If you are already a plus dane tenant and want to move home but do not Contact your neighbourhood officer for more information about transfers. 6
Other housing options As well as offering homes for rent we have other options that you could benefit from. These are: Market Rent In addition to affordable homes, we also offer a range of homes at market rents. These homes are let on an assured shorthold tenancy which means they can be let for a minimum of six months to several years. If you are interested in this type of home, please contact us for further information. Shared ownership We offer a range of low-cost home ownership products known as HomeBuy to help first-time buyers or those who cannot afford to buy a home outright to get a foot on the property ladder. Shared ownership is a great way into home ownership. If you can't afford to buy outright, you can part buy and part rent your home. You might buy a 25%, 50% or 75% share in your home. You pay a small rent on the share that you don't buy. The bigger the share that you buy, the less rent you have to pay. Rent-to-HomeBuy Rent-to-HomeBuy is designed for people who want to buy their own home, but are not ready yet. It allows you to plan for becoming a homeowner, and means you can save some money whilst renting a new home. Rent-to-HomeBuy could be for you if: You are unable to buy a home at the moment; You would like to try a property out before you commit to buying; You need to save up for a deposit; You are unsure about buying in the current market. 7
homes for rent Rent to HomeBuy means you can rent the home for up to 5 years maximum, and the rent you pay will be about 80% of the normal market rent for the property. This allows you to begin saving to own your home. To find out about homes available contact Cheshire HomeBuy at www.cheshirehomebuy.org.uk Frequently Asked Questions Here s some questions we often get asked about applying for a home. Q How quickly will I be offered a home? A It is difficult to estimate when you will be offered a home. The length of time you wait will depend on the type of home you need and where you want to move to. We have a Where Our Homes Are guide which tells you exactly where our homes are and how often they became empty in the last year. This gives you an indication of how long you might wait. Q How many offers will I receive? A We will make two offers to you. If you have refused the offers Cheshire East will contact you and will normally suspend your application from the waiting list for 12 months because there is nothing suitable to offer you. Q A family member has just moved in and I have already made an application for housing. Will I be considered for a larger home? A Your application will need to be reviewed. You will need to provide Cheshire East with information that shows that the family member will be moving in permanently and they are using your home as their only and principal home. 8
Q Do you let homes to staff, their relatives and Board Members? A We can offer homes to our staff and board members on a case by case basis in circumstances where we are clear that they fully meet plus dane s published criteria and priorities and the necessary regulatory requirements. This is to make sure that we let our homes in a fair and transparent way. Customer Feedback We value your views and would like to hear what you think about the service you receive from us. If you wish to make a complaint, compliment or give us a suggestion you can do so by contacting us on 0500 026 079. When we let homes to staff, their relatives or Board Members we will report this to our Board. Your rights You have the right to check any information that you have given to us as part of your application, this includes receiving a duplicate copy of your application form. Please contact us if you would like a copy of information relating to your application. 9
Translations available on request Other languages, Braille, audio format & large print available on request Plus Dane Group Shepherds Mill Worrall Street Congleton CW12 1DT 2.4 C Produced by Plus Dane Group communications team July 2012