How to get a Council home
How to get a Housing Association home
Allocation of Council Housing
Housing Register
Housing Applications
Special Housing Needs
Housing Refusals
Housing Exclusions
Rents
Your Rights and Responsibilities when you get a council home
More information...

How to get a council home

You need to apply to your council. The council will usually put your name on its waiting list.

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How to get a housing association home

You may want to apply for a home from a housing association (sometimes known as a Registered Social Landlord). 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 you have as a council tenant. 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.

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Allocation of Council Housing

The Allocations Team allocates Housing Association and Council properties and treats them both the same. They are also involved in the National Mobility and Homes Scheme, which helps people to move around the country to be near their families. There is also the national Houseswap scheme.

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Housing Register

The Housing Register is the Councils waiting list for housing accommodation. This register is used to allocate their housing and Housing Association accommodation that they have access to.

People on the Housing Register are separated into 3 categories:

Waiting List (W/L) For anyone living in private accommodation i.e. privately renting, living with friends or relatives or tied accommodation.
	Transfer List (TRA) For anyone currently living in Council or Housing Association accommodation who needs to move.
Homeless Waiting List (HWL) If you have nowhere to live it may be that you need to make a homeless application.

To check where you are on the Housing Register waiting list or for more information contact the Admin team on (01202) 633805

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Housing Applications

Applications are accepted from persons aged 16 or over, provided that they live or have full time employment in the Borough.

When an application for housing is made, the form requires applicants to agree which areas they are willing to accept. The more areas you choose the better your chances of a move as it means they have more properties to consider for you.

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Special Housing Needs – The council has a commitment to those leaving care and those in receipt of a care package. If you fall into either of these categories you should make this clear on your application form.

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Housing Refusals

It is part of the councils policy to:

• Suspend an application for 12 months if an applicant refuses 2 reasonable offers of accommodation within a 12 month period. No offers of housing will be made during that time.
  
  
• Remove a priority card from an applicant if they have not taken up reasonable accommodation within the time limit to the priority card.

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Housing Exclusions

There are certain groups of people who are excluded from joining the register. These include those subject to:

• Immigration control
  
  
• Those who owe a housing related debt
  
  
• Anyone who uses abusive language or threatening behaviour to a member of the Housing Services staff.

Applicants who have a history of being involved in any form of anti-social behaviour will be suspended on the housing register for a period of 5 years. They will only receive an offer of accommodation if they are not involved in any anti-social behaviour over that period and the offer will not be a secure tenancy for 2 years.

If you are unsure whether you qualify to go on the register, contact:

Housing and Community Services, Civic Centre, Poole
Tel: (01202) 633805

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Rents

Council rents are paid fortnightly, 1 weeks in advance and 1 week arrears. There are a variety of payment and collection methods:

Payment card at Post Offices Monthly Direct Debit Payment at the Bank or Council’s Cash Office Online payments facility

Housing Management are responsible for the collection of all council property rents.
(01202) 633424

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Your Rights and Responsibilities when you get a council home

Your rights as a secure tenant
In general:

• You can live in your home for the rest of your life as long as you do what you tenancy agreement says
  
  
• You can buy your home at a discount
  
  
• You can take in lodgers and sub-let part of your home
  
  
• You can get urgent repairs done quickly and at no cost to you
  
  
• You can carry out improvements to your home
  
  
• You can be paid for certain improvements you have made if you move home
  
  
• You can help to manage your estate
  
  
• You can exchange your property for another one
  
  
• You must be consulted on housing management matters
  
  
• You must be given information about how the council runs the homes it owns
  
  

Your responsibilities as a secure tenant:

You must keep to the rules in your tenancy agreement
	You must pay your rent
You must be a good neighbour and not annoy other tenants

Anti-social behaviour is taken very seriously and can result in the loss of your tenancy.

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For more information about council housing…

visit The Borough of Poole's web site

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