Harrogate Borough Council
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How to complete the Housing Application form
Filling in your housing application
Please provide as much information as possible as this will help us to assess your points accurately. If you need any advice or assistance in completing the form, help is available from Housing Needs, but you may need to make an appointment.
An incomplete form will result in a delay in processing your application.
Please use CAPITALS when completing the form.
Q1. and Q2. About you/joint applicant
If you are applying with another person and want to be joint applicants, both of you should enter your details in Questions 1 and 2. Joint applicants will usually be offered a joint tenancy, which means that you are both responsible for the tenancy. Applicants will be treated equally, irrespective of marital status, including partners of the same sex.
If you are applying for housing and are under 18, please provide details of an adult who is prepared to act on your behalf as a guarantor. This is someone who agrees to guarantee that you will do everything that is required of you as a tenant, including paying the rent.
Iif you do not have a permanent address, you can still join the Housing List. However, you should provide a contact address so that we can contact you to make an offer of accommodation. You should contact Housing Needs who give advice about finding accommodation.
Q4. Local connection
A local connection applies if:
- an applicant currently lives in the District/Lettings Area and has done so for at least two years
- an applicant has previously lived in the District/Lettings Area for a continuous period of 10 years
- an applicant has close family living in the District/Lettings Area, who have done so for at least the last five years. Close family is defined as children, parents, brothers and sisters only.
- an applicant has permanent employment in the District/Lettings Area.
Please give the following details if you have ticked any of the following:
- Previous resident - where you have previously lived and the length of time you stayed there
- Family - details of their current address and the length of time they have lived there
- Employment - name and address of employer and the length of time you have worked there
Q5. Your household
You should provide details of everyone who is to be rehoused with you apart from those named in Question 2 of the application form. If any of these people do not currently live with you, indicate this on the form and enter their details as requested. You should state their name and current address, together with the reasons why you live apart.
You may be given additional points if you cannot live together as a family because your accommodation is unsuitable. You must have lived together previously to be considered for extra points. The points will be assessed based on the facilities available in your present family home.
If you are expecting a child, you should enclose proof of pregnancy, and this should show the date the baby is expected. If you will be short of a bedroom when your baby arrives, you will be awarded 10 additional points after the birth.
Q6. People NOT to be rehoused with you
You should provide details of everyone who currently lives with you but is not to be rehoused with you. (There is no need to list unknown lodgers within a multiple-occupied development, i.e. bedsits).
Q7. Your previous homes in the last five years
These details must include previous addresses of everyone who wants to be rehoused with you. If you have been a Council tenant previously, any outstanding rent arrears or other debts must be paid before the Council will consider making you an offer of accommodation.
You may not be considered eligible for housing accommodation if you have lived in a property where legal action has been taken, or may have been taken against a tenancy, by a landlord due to anti-social behaviour, e.g. harassment, intimidation, drug dealing, sex offences, assault and other serious crimes or other breach of tenancy. If you have had a previous tenancy with another Council or Housing Association, we will normally contact them to confirm details of your tenancy.
Q9.
You may wish to name somebody to act on your behalf in respect of your application such as a social worker, care assistant, friend or relative.
Q10. Details of any convictions
If you, or anyone to be housed with you, has been convicted of a criminal offence or behaved inappropriately, your application may be deferred until we have confirmed the details of your conviction. We may have to contact other agencies, e.g. Police, Probation Services, to confirm these details. This information may be used by the Council in considering your application.
Please note that if you have a previous conviction and/or if you have conducted yourself in such a way that may be relevant to your suitability as a tenant (e.g. previous arrears, anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance), your application may not be deferred in the longer term. If evidence provided by yourself presents mitigating circumstances and/or if you have demonstrated that it is unlikely that the incident(s) will be repeated in future, your application may be reconsidered. The Council will take a number of factors into account when considering your application and you will be given the opportunity to state your case. Withholding information may adversely affect your application. All information provided will be treated in confidence and you have the right to review any decision made by the Council about your application.
Q11. Savings and investments
Please enter details as requested in respect of each applicant and anyone who will be rehoused with you. This includes any property which you, or anyone who will be rehoused with you, have a partial interest/investment in, for example an ex-marital home. Copies of bank statements etc., should be provided.
Q14. Your current home
If you are neither the owner of a property nor a tenant, you should tick "other" and provide as much information about your current situation, e.g. are you a lodger, living with friends or relatives, in prison, living in tied accommodation, living in Forces accommodation, no fixed abode, etc. Applicants of no fixed abode must provide a contact address and preferably a telephone number to allow contact should an offer of property need to be made. If you have neither, then you must, in your own interest, keep in touch with Housing Needs.
Q15. Home owners
If you, or anyone to be rehoused with you, own your own home, you must provide a letter from an Estate Agent/Valuer confirming the current market value of your home, together with a recent mortgage statement. You may be asked to provide an up-to-date valuation at the time you are made an offer of accommodation.
Q17.
If you have a tenancy and are being asked to leave, you must provide a copy of the Notice to Quit. If you do not have a tenancy, you must provide a letter from the person asking you to leave, stating an exact date to leave. You will receive maximum "security of tenure" points only after you have provided a copy of these details.
Q19. Shared facilities
Rooms and cooking and washing facilities are considered to be shared if you have to share them with people not being rehoused with you.
Q23. Disrepair
|A Housing Options Officer from Housing Needs will visit to assess the disrepair of your property and how many points are to be awarded. These points will reflect the condition of the structure and the installations in your present home. The condition of the roof and exterior of your home, including brickwork and windows, will be assessed, together with the condition of gas and electric installations. The condition of decorations, furnishings and floor coverings is not taken into account.
Q24.
Applicants will be able to make a choice of the property type, size and location. Full details of the available accommodation are listed in the information pack and further details of housing accommodation can be provided on request from individual Housing Associations.
Bungalows and ground floor flats are generally only available for the elderly, over 45s and people with special needs including medical needs.
If the Council accepts a full homeless duty to you under the homelessness Act 2002, you will not be able to specify the type of property that you will be offered.
Q25.
Please specify the minimum number of bedrooms you would be prepared to accept. Applicants may be considered for one bedroom more than they actually need in exceptional circumstances. However, priority will generally be given to household sizes which most appropriately match the size of accommodation available.
The size and type of property you will be considered for depends on the size, type and age of your household members.
Q26.
If you are a Council tenant and want to swap homes within the District, you should enter 'Yes'. Your details will be published on the Mutual Exchange list which is kept at each local housing office. Details of what you need to do to exchange properties can be found in your Tenant's Handbook.
Q29. Vulnerability
If you tick any of the boxes relating to feeling vulnerable, you MUST provide further details to support your application. The more information we have, the more accurately we can assess your situation and allocate points accordingly.
Q31. Reason for application
The reason for your application may include:-
- Personal circumstances
For example, family problems, want to return to home town, to get married, to be independent, marital problems, to be near family, family living apart, employment, education, disturbance by neighbours, harassment. - Difficulties with present accommodation
Unable to afford repairs, overcrowded, difficulties with internal stairs, landlord not carrying out repairs, property too large, property has external stairs, problems with the landlord, poor level of amenities, health. - Possible loss of home
Financial problems, eviction order, mortgage, repossession, losing tied accommodation, landlord selling property, being asked to leave, no fixed address, termination of fixed term tenancy. - Employment
A need to move to access employment.
Q32.
The Council has divided the Harrogate District into lettings areas. These lettings areas, together with property types are shown in the information pack. Please give details of the areas in which you would like to be housed; you should not put "any". It must be stressed that if you do put "any" your application form will be returned for correct completion.
On your application form you can be as specific as you wish. However, if you choose a lettings area in which you or a close member of your family currently live (and have done so for a minimum of two years/five years), or used to live for at least 10 years, or you have employment in that area, you may be awarded a further 25 points. Evidence to support this will be required.
- an applicant currently lives in the District/Lettings Area and has done so for at least two years
- an applicant has previously lived in the District/Lettings Area for a continuous period of 10 years
- an applicant has close family living in the District/Lettings Area, who have done so for at least the last five years. Close family is defined as children, parents, brothers and sisters only
- an applicant has permanent employment in the District/Lettings Area.
If the council accepts a full homeless duty to you under the Homelessness Act 2002, you can only specify districts where you would like to be rehoused, such as Harrogate, Knaresborough or Ripon and not individual lettings areas.
Q33.
For further information about the Council's sheltered housing please ask for the Sheltered Housing booklet.
Q35.
If you do not want to be considered for accommodation until a specific date in the future, please give this date. The Council cannot guarantee, however, that it will be able to make any offer of accommodation to you on or after this date. Your application will be deferred until this date.
Q36. Pets
There are some properties where you will not be allowed to keep pets. Housing Needs will be able to give you details.
Q37. Previous applications
Please give us details of any previous applications you have made to Harrogate Borough Council for housing accommodation. If your application was in another name, or at another address, please provide this information. If you can't remember the date of your previous application or its number, you can leave these columns blank.
Q38. Housing provider
The Council has close links with most of the local Housing Associations who, like the Council, provide housing for rent at affordable levels. The Council has nomination rights for many of their developments which means that the Council can put forward people from the Housing List who have a housing need, when one of their properties becomes available. Most of the new family and single persons housing for rent in the District that has been provided over the last 10 years has come from Housing Associations.
When you complete your application form, it is worth thinking about whether you want to be considered for Housing Association accommodation. A list of Housing Association properties is included in the information pack and you may be able to register with the Housing Associations as well as the Council.
It would be helpful if you could advise which specific developments with each Housing Association you would be interested in, should we have nomination rights.
Q39. Assured Shorthold Tenancy
This is a tenancy for six months which can be extended on a month-by-month basis once the six months has elapsed. You have fewer rights than a secure tenancy offered by the Council.
Q40. Low-Cost Home Ownership
Shared Ownership
Shared Ownership (also known as Newbuild Homebuy) can be of great benefit to people who would like to buy a property but are not able to buy one outright at present. Shared Ownership allows you to purchase a share of a property (usually 25%, 50% or 75%) and pay rent on the remainder to a Housing Association - the more you own the less rent you pay. Rents are less than market rent and are calculated on the basis that you are wholly responsible for the maintenance of your home.
You may qualify for Housing Benefit on the rent, depending on your circumstances. A detailed financial appraisal will be carried out by the Housing Association. You may increase your share of the property until you own all of your home and the property can usually be sold at any time, although a minimum residency of 12 months may be required, whether you own all or just a share of it. The selling price of the property will be based on its current market value as with any other house sale. The amount you receive from the sale of your home will depend on the percentage share you own at the time of sale.
Discounted Home Ownership
This is where a property is bought at a "discount" on market values.
You can buy 100% of a property, but at a substantial discount on the market value. This discount can be up to 60%. The property is bought on a leasehold basis, with the freehold retained by a Housing Association. On re-sale, the property is sold at the same discount on market value. Priority is given to local people, who are on the Council's Housing Waiting List.
Homebuy
Homebuy (also known as Open Market Homebuy) is a government backed scheme for people who cannot afford to buy a home outright. It offers another opportunity for people to own their own home which they may otherwise be unable to afford.
Applicants can buy the home of their choice (old or new) anywhere in England within reasonable limits. They pay 75% of the market value and receive a loan for the remaining 25%.
There are no ongoing monthly charges on the loan, however 25% of the property's value is paid back to the Housing Association when it is sold.
To qualify for the scheme an applicant will normally have to be either a Council or Housing Association tenant, or on the Council's Housing Waiting List.
Further information on low-cost home ownership is held by Housing Needs, or, contact Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust direct on 01904 735011/735012
Q43. Declaration
When you sign your Housing List application form, you are asked to agree that everything in your application is factually correct. If you have given false or misleading information you may be removed from the List. If you are given a Council tenancy and it is then found that you have given false information, the Council may seek an Eviction Order. If you have previously lived in Council or Housing Association accommodation we will usually contact your former landlord to check your previous conduct and behaviour.
Before you send in your application form
In order to avoid a delay in your application form being registered you should check that you have:
- Completed all the details
- Provided copies of information as requested and outlined in the notes (e.g. Certificate of Confinement, valuation details of any properties owned by you, copy of Notice to Quit, or letter from current landlord)
- All parties have signed the form
- Enclosed the Equal Opportunities sheet