ex-localauthority.com set up this guide that might be very useful for people looking for an affordable housing.
There are some opportunities applicable to affordable housing, which are listed below.
If you want to find more about affordable housing in the area you want to live just get in touch with the area's local authority housing advice centre.
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1. Council Homes |
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Council homes are an opportunity to find affordable housing. There are some requirements you have to respond to, if you are seeking council homes.
All local authorities have a register, so called a waiting list of people who have applied to be housed by that authority. This register is the only route to being given permanent secure accommodation by that authority. And if your eligibility is accessed you will be put in their waiting list.
Local authorities or the Housing Executive use different systems to give priority to applicants on the housing register. The most common is the "points system" under which your position is determined by the number of points you gain. How points are allocated varies from council to council but points will normally be awarded for:
- Poor health made worse by housing conditions
- Lack of or shared use of, for example, some facility, a bathroom or lavatory
- An inadequate number of bedrooms for the size of your family
- Length of residence in the area
- Age, for example, in the case of access to sheltered or warden supported accommodation
- Length of time on the waiting list
- "Separation" if you are unable to have your family living with you (including a family which is overseas) because of inadequate accommodation
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2. Registered Social Landlords |
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A registered social landlord is the term used to include all landlords registered with the Housing Corporation in England.
A registered social landlord is opportunity to find affordable housing on the open market on the relatively inexpensive prices compared to other properties.
There are many registered social landlords providing a range of accommodation. Some provide housing for certain types of people, for example, single parents or disabled people. Others provide general housing in the same way as a local authority.
Most registered social landlords take nominations from the local authority housing department.
In some areas the registered social landlords and local authority have joint waiting lists. This enables you to register with the local authority, and local registered social landlords, on the same form.
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3. Accommodation agencies |
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An accommodation agency may be able to help you find accommodation owned by a private landlord. If you register with an agency you will be asked the type of property you are looking for and how much rent you are willing to pay. You will normally be asked to give details of your job and income, and may also be asked to provide references from your employer, bank, and present or previous landlord.
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4. Rent deposit guarantee schemes |
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Rent deposit guarantee schemes are opportunity for people that do not qualify for council accommodation, or have to wait years for a property and their only way to find somewhere permanent to live is to use private rented properties. If you have low incomes or do not have incomes at all it will be hard to you to find deposit. Fortunately, providers of rent deposit schemes have the solution.
The scheme finds suitable accommodation, having first approached a number of landlords. Speaking to landlords first helps to overcome any resistance to "DSS" tenants, enables properties to be checked, and can even lead to a reduction in deposit or rent. Some projects will ask the client to find a property, and then they will talk to the landlord on the client's behalf.
The deposit and any rent in advance is then paid or guaranteed by the scheme from its own funds. The new tenant is helped with his or her housing benefit application, and, when this is processed, any advance rent paid is refunded to the scheme. At the end of the tenancy, the deposit is then returned to the scheme.
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5. Schemes to buy property |
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Right to Buy scheme gave council tenants the right to buy the properties that they were living in. Since its introduction, the RTB scheme has helped thousands of council tenants buy their properties from a Council or Housing Association.
If you want to find out more about RTB Scheme, please click here.
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6. Schemes for key workers |
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Key Worker Living Programme helping key workers, primarily health workers, teachers and police workers, to buy homes in urban and rural areas where high house prices are undermining recruitment and retention.
The Key points about the scheme are:
- Homebuy - which provides an equity loan of at least 25% of the property value up to a limit of £50K
- London Challenge Key Teacher Homebuy - providing a higher level equity loan of up to £100,000 for which only a small, highly targeted group of teachers will be eligible
- Intermediate renting - a rent between social and open market rates
- Shared ownership on new build schemes, where the purchaser buys a share of the equity from a minimum of 25% and pays rent on the balance
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7. Shared ownership |
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Shared ownership is a prospect to help you if you can't afford to buy home on the open market but would like to have your own home.
You could buy a share of a property from a housing association and pay rent for the rest.
Your monthly payments will include repayments on your mortgage, plus rent on the part of the property kept by the housing association. Later, as you can afford it and if you want to you can increase your share until you own the whole property.
You can apply this scheme if you are currently employed. But usually the priority is given to:
- Council or housing association tenants
- Key workers
- People on the council waiting list
- First - time buyers
- People who need to move for social reasons such as overcrowding or to receive support
Shared ownership for elderly - This scheme replaced leasehold schemes for elderly in 1989. It is restricted to people aged 55 and over. The maximum equity which can be purchased is 75%. When the maximum level is reached , no rent is paid on the remaining 25%.
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8. Homebuy |
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Homebuy is an opportunity for people who do not qualify to be put on the waiting lists of the Local Authorities but can not afford to buy property without help.
Homebuy is a kind of shared ownership. It differs in that only 75% of the equity can be purchased. There is no flexibility. No rent is paid on the balance of 25%. Instead this is effectively an interest free loan. Homebuy scheme is provided through some housing associations. When you sell your home you have to repay the 25%. This could be more than what was originally lent, as the property could have increased in value.
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9. Right To Acquire and Voluntary Purchase Grant Scheme |
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Right To Acquire - is a scheme for eligible tenants of registered social landlords which gives them a legal right to buy a home they currently rent at a discount generally between £9,000 - £16,000 depending on the local authority area in which the property is located. Tenants are always required to contribute 50% of the purchase price. The scheme only applies to Registered Social Landlord properties built or purchased with public funds or transferred from a local authority on or after 1 April 1997. Some properties are exempt from Right To Acquire including those in small rural settlements and sheltered housing.
Eligible tenants must
- have spent a total of two years as a public sector tenant or in accommodation provided by the armed services if they have been a public sector tenant before 18th January 2005.
- have spend a total of five years as a public sector tenant if their first public tenancy was created on or after 18th January 2005.
- live in a house or flat which is a self-contained property qualifying for the scheme.
- not be an undischarged bankrupt
- not be required to vacate your property as a result of a court order for possession
Voluntary Purchase Grant Scheme is essentially the same as Right To Acquire but the sale is at the discretion of the Registered Social Landlord. Both schemes are funded through Social Housing Grant.
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All materials contained on these pages are provided for guidance purposes only. While every measure is taken to ensure that the information is accurate, ex-localauthority.com accepts no responsibility for their accuracy nor for the direct or indirect consequences resulting from the use of the site. We strongly suggest that you carry out your own checks and seek professional advice before taking any action. Content on the ex-localauthority.com site is intended for the personal, non-commercial use of consumers using the site. It may not be reproduced, redistributed, retransmitted or otherwise disseminated without the express written permission of ex-localauthority.com.
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