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Before you can apply for a new council or housing association home, you must complete a housing register form and be accepted onto the housing register.
We use a system called 'choice based lettings' to allocate council and most housing association homes in the district.
Unfortunately, many more people qualify for housing than can be re-housed each year. We have a limited supply of affordable housing - so many home seekers will not find a home immediately.
How old must I be?
In most cases, you must be over 18 years to hold a tenancy.
If you're 16 and 17 years old, you can apply to go onto the housing register - but you must be over 18 to hold a tenancy or have a guarantor (a person over the age of 18 who will guarantee the rent will be paid and the terms of the tenancy agreed to).
Can I transfer from one home to another?
You can register for a transfer if you want to move to another social housing tenancy, if you are an existing social housing tenant (council or housing association) - providing you have:
- an assured shorthold or secure tenancy
- a local connection to one of the seven partner local councils in Leicestershire.
To be offered an alternative property you will usually have to have a clear rent account, and your current property must be in good condition - although we will take into account any difficult personal circumstances.
Moving through the Home Swapper scheme is often much quicker that waiting for a suitable transfer through the Choice Based Lettings scheme.
Downsizing incentive
If you are a tenant of North West Leicestershire District Council, then you may be entitled to a 'downsizing incentive' - to help you move to a smaller home more suitable for your needs.
This could be for you if you:
- Currently under-occupy a family home (a 2, 3 or 4 bedroom house)
- Are eligible for supported or sheltered flat or bungalow.
Please contact our Housing Management Team for more information.
Register with the Choice Based Lettings Scheme
To apply to the housing register visit www.nwlhomes.org and click APPLY HERE.
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Frequently Asked Questions (6)
There are some people who are not eligible or do not qualify to be included on the housing register. These are
- people who are subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act
- people from abroad who are not subject to immigration control but who are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland
- people (including members of their household) whose behaviour makes them unsuitable to be a tenant
- Certain home seekers with the financial means to meet their own housing need
- Home seekers who lack the mental capacity to enter into and sustain a tenancy agreement
- Home seekers from outside the sub-region – other than in exceptional circumstances, home seekers from outside the sub-region who have no local connection to any of the seven partner local authorities within the sub-region, and who are not existing tenants of a social housing provider, will not qualify for social housing.
For more detailed information contact Housing Choices Team
When your housing register application has been checked and activated, we will let you know by email or letter and will send out a Choice-based Lettings Scheme Guide.
This will explain in detail where you can view homes that are advertised and how to bid for any that you are interested in and would be eligible for.
Help will also be available from our Housing Choices Team and our website.
It is important that you tell us of any changes in your circumstances so that we can amend your housing application. We will tell you if this results in your housing priority moving to a different band.
If you change bands your registration date may change. We will make checks before confirming any offer of accommodation and if your circumstances are different to those on your application form, the offer may be withdrawn and your application suspended until you have provided details of your new circumstances.
Once we have received your housing application form we will check that all the information and documents requested have been sent in. If anything is missing we will contact you to let you know.
Provided we have all the information needed, your details will normally be put onto the computer system within 10 days of receiving all your supporting evidence and then assessed in relation to your housing need.
You will be placed in one of four bands (Priority, High, Medium or Low). Priority band represents the highest need to move while the low band is the lowest priority.
Once we have assessed your housing need, we will send you an email or a letter advising you which band you have been placed in, your home seeker registration number, and what type and size of property you are eligible to apply for.
If you disagree with the assessment, the letter will explain how you can ask for a review.
Photographic proof of identity will normally be required in every case e.g. by supplying a copy of your photo driving licence, valid Passport or bus pass etc. If you have no photo ID, a copy of your original Birth Certificate or National Insurance Card will be accepted provided it is accompanied by a passport sized photo that is countersigned on the back by someone who can confirm your identity.
Please do not send your original photo I.D
Yes. Once a year, normally on the anniversary of your housing application, you will be sent a renewal form, which you must complete and return by the due date stated on the letter.
If you do not return the form, we will write and tell you that your housing application will be cancelled.
Last updated: Mon 21 January, 2019 @ 10:08