Housing

Key things to include:

Difference between council owned, social landlord and private landlord properties
The bidding process
Rights and responsibilities of a tenancy
Understanding the inventory process
Understanding what a deposit is

Differences between council owned, social landlord, private landlord properties.

Social housing is housing that has been reserved for those who are most at need of it and has to be applied for through the local council. Generally it come in two types, council owned and social landlord. Council owned is housing where the council will be your landlord, whereas social landlord housing is owned by housing associations. These are not for profit organisations that rent and maintain housing for social benefit.

Council housing tends to be on large estates while housing associations tend to be smaller estates or streets. Housing associations are more likely to provide supported living program too, but both are open to the same kinds of tenants. In terms of applying usually you apply to your local council, where they have a single waiting list for both kinds of properties.

Private housing by contrast means you have pay rent to a private landlord, which may be a company, individual, or in some cases a charity that rents out on a non-profit basis to disabled individuals.

The application process

To apply for social housing you must do so through your local council. This process is known as bidding, although it does not involve the transfer of any money. In doing so you will have to fill out a form that outlines your personal circumstances, which the council will then use to decide how pressing your application is. You are likely to be evaluated as more pressing if for example you are currently homeless, have a serious medical condition or are currently living in cramped conditions. They will then assign you to one of 4 bands, A, B C or D, with band A being the most pressing and band D the least pressing.

It is also important you outline any specific requirements you may have in terms of properties. For example specific medical conditions that require particular property types or reasons you may have that would mean you would not be safe in a particular area. This is because if you do not mention these and then reject an offered property on these grounds the council will not see them as legitimate.

Waiting lists can be very long, particularly if you are not assigned to one of the more pressing bands, therefore it may be a while until you are made an offer. When you are you will be invited to view the property on a particular day, and once you have done so you have a very short period of time in order to decide if you wish to take the property or not. In Newham for example you have to decide on the day. There is additional pressure as if you reject an offer you will be placed lower don the application list, and in some councils taken of entirely.

Tenancy types and responsibilities

Within social housing there are a few different types of tenancies, but two major ones.

There are starter tenancies, which are essentially trial runs where your tenancy is conditional on certain standards being met. As such it is easier for the landlord to evict you if they so wish.

Starter periods tend to last 12 months, at most can only be extended to 18. Once you have finished the started period you automatically become an assured/secure tenant with full rights.

Responsibilities as a tenant.

Report any repairs needed to your landlord
Make sure your home is well ventilated (to help avoid condensation and damp)
Do minor maintenance (such as check smoke alarms are working, change light bulbs)
Dispose of your rubbish properly
You must not damage internal decorations, furniture and equipment. You'll have to pay for anything you've broken or damaged.

Rights as a secure tenant

The right not to be evicted unless your landlord can convince a court there is a special reason to do so (for example rent being in arrears)
The right to be informed about changes to your tenancy
The right to have certain repairs carried out by your landlord
The right to carry out certain repairs and improvements yourself
The right to sublet part of your home or take in a lodger, subject to landlords permission
The right to buy your home
The right to peaceful enjoyment of property is the right to enjoy your home without undue interference by the landlord or their agents. This also normally requires 24 hours notice of entry by the landlord unless otherwise specified in the tenancy agreement. This would be a request, and the tenant can refuse the request.

When you have accepted your offer you will be asked to pay a deposit. This is a sum of money that the landlord holds in order to incentivise you to keep the property in good condition. If you fulfil the terms of you tenancy and leave the property in as good as condition as you found it when you leave then you will have your deposit returned.

In order to assist this process when you move in you should be provided with an inventory. This is a list of all the times within a property when you arrive, and should also describe the condition they are in. Therefore at the end of a tenancy you and your landlord will be able to determine if you have left the property in the condition that you got it.

If you have not received an inventory on moving ask for one, and if you do not receive one make your own using someone who does not live there as a witness (get them to sign it). Even if you do receive one it may be worth taking photos that correspond to the items on it so there is no disagreement over how the descriptions are interpreted. You should also check that all of the items on the inventory are actually in your property, and that there are no items that are not recorded.

Sources on Housing

When searching for information about social housing local authority websites should be consulted first, with national government websites in the background. This is because individual local authorities have a fairly large degree of autonomy to specify conditions.