01900 702702
01900 702507

Allerdale Borough Council,
Allerdale House,
Workington,
Cumbria,
CA14 3YJ

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What is this for?

Finding a home to rent in Allerdale

IntroductionProperty Services - House

A fifth of all homes in Allerdale are rented from Housing Associations and a further tenth from private landlords. This information will help you decide where to go if you want to rent a home.

Renting from a private landlord

Nearly all of Allerdale's privately rented housing is owned by small landlords, who generally advertise vacancies in the local press. Some estate agents also maintain lists of privately rented accommodation and it is always worthwhile looking at the advertisement postcard displays in the shops in the area where you want to live.

What you will need to rent a private property

Most private landlords ask for a deposit before they will grant a tenancy.

Private tenancies

You should ask your landlord for a written copy of your tenancy agreement and, if you have had to pay a deposit, a receipt for the money you have paid.
Unfurnished private properties are let on what is known as an assured tenancy. This means that you are secure in the property, as long as you don't break any of the tenancy rules laid down in your tenancy agreement, for a minimum period of six months. 
You need to agree with the landlord how long a shorthold tenancy will last.
Paying for a private rented property - f you are planning to rent a private property, it is worth checking that you can afford to pay the rent. In places where demand for privately rented properties is high, such as Keswick and Cockermouth, rents are quite high. Don't forget that you will also have to pay the Council Tax and bills such as electricity and gas.
You may be able to get housing benefit help with paying your rent; before you take on a tenancy and claim housing benefit, you can ask Allerdale Borough Council for a pre-tenancy determination.
If you are single and under 25 years of age, housing benefit will only cover rent up to the cost of shared accommodation in the area.
You can get a claim form for housing benefit and pre-tenancy determination form from any Council office or by calling 01900 702650.
If you think your rent is too high, you can in the first six months of your tenancy ask the Rent Assessment Committee to decide what your rent should be. You can contact The Rent Service on 01900 600700.
Ending a shorthold tenancy
Your landlord can ask you to leave at any time after six months, providing any fixed term you agreed has ended. He must give you two months notice in writing that he wants you to leave.
Your landlord can apply to the County Court for a Court Order ending the tenancy at any time for certain reasons laid down in law. These include rent arrears, anti-social behaviour and damage to the property.
Your landlord cannot evict you without a possession order from the County Court. If you have problems with your landlord trying to force you out of your home, please contact Allerdale Housing Services on 01900 702570.

Council housing

Allerdale has no Council housing. All housing provided with help from public funds is provided by Housing Associations. See below for more information.

Renting from a Housing Association

Housing Associations have been building and providing homes for many years. To make sure that rents are kept to an affordable level, they receive financial help from both the Government and Councils. Find out more about renting from Housing Associations.

What to do if you are homeless

The Council has a legal duty to help and assist homeless people.
Not every homeless person has a right to be offered a new home. Assistance can consist of advice, help finding a private tenancy or a nomination to a Housing Association. Only certain vulnerable households are entitled to receive preferential treatment in the allocation of housing owned by Housing Associations. These include families with children, people with disabilities, elderly households or people made homeless by natural disasters.
For more information on homelessness, contact Allerdale Housing Services on 01900 702570.

Downloadable Documents

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Adobe PDF format - download the viewerFinding A Home To Rent - April 2006 in PDF format312 Kb1 min 29 secs @ 28.8k, 45 secs @ 56k
Microsoft Word formatFinding A Home To Rent in Word format301 Kb1 min 26 secs @ 28.8k, 43 secs @ 56k

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Contact Information

For more information please contact Housing Services.

Telephone Number 01900 702660

last updated Tuesday, April 01, 2008