Renting from a Housing Association
What is a Housing Association?
Housing Associations have been building and providing homes for
many years. They receive financial help from both the Government
and Councils to make sure that rents are kept to an affordable
level.
Housing Associations are closely regulated by a Government body
called the Housing Corporation. The Housing Corporation sets strict
rules and guidelines within which Housing Associations have to
operate. Councils are able to monitor the way Housing
Associations provide homes. They are encouraged to report back to
the Housing Corporation on the way Associations are operating in
their area. More information is available from the Housing Corporation
website.
Housing Associations work closely with Councils in deciding
where to build new homes. If you feel there is a need for more
affordable homes in your area, you should contact the Allerdale Borough Council Planning Department.
The Council will investigate further and in consultation with the
local community, consider whether or not new homes should be funded
and who should provide those homes. A list of
links to local Housing Associations is included at the bottom of
this page.
Allerdale has no Council housing. All housing
provided with help from public funds is provided by Housing
Associations, who have been serving the people of Allerdale since
before the Second World War.
On this website you will find a list of all
the Housing Associations providing homes in Allerdale, the
addresses of their local offices and the communities where they
have properties to rent. Using this information, you will be
able to decide which Associations you should contact to find out
about renting a home.
All the Housing Associations have a register
of people looking for a place to live. To be offered a home by an
Association, you will need to register with them. Your application
will be assessed in line with the policy used by the Association to
allocate homes. You can obtain application forms from the
Associations themselves or from Allerdale Borough Council.
Some communities have more homes available
than others so it is a good idea to check with the Associations
with homes in the places where you want to live, how long it will
take for you to be offered a property.
Choice based lettings
Choice based lettings (CBL) offer an alternative to the
traditional method of housing allocation by waiting list. Available
properties are advertised in the local community, e.g local
newspapers or websites. Housing applicants can then see all
available properties and apply for a suitable home. Priority is
given to those with urgent needs although where possible,
properties are allocated based on who has waited longest.
Communities and Local Government have set a target of 2010 for all
local authorities to have adopted a choice based lettings
system. The only housing association in Allerdale who use
CBL to allocate their homes at the present time is Impact
Housing. A registration pack and property adverts are available
online from Impact Housing
Association homefinder.
Housing Associations do not ask for a deposit
or any rent in advance. Neither will you have to provide
references. However, if you owe money to any Housing Association,
such as rent arrears or damage to property during a former tenancy,
it is unlikely that you will be offered a place to live. If you
have been evicted for anti-social behaviour or have been convicted
of certain criminal acts, any Association can refuse to house
you.
Housing Association properties are let on what
is known as an assured tenancy. This means that you are secure in
your home for as long as you obey the tenancy conditions laid down
by the Housing Association.
If the Housing Association want to throw you
out of your home, it must first get a Court Order from the County
Court. The Court will only grant such an order if it is satisfied
that you, the tenant, have seriously breached your tenancy
conditions. Every Association has different conditions of tenancy.
However, they all expect you to pay your rent, look after your home
and its garden and not to behave in an anti-social manner. You
should make sure that you fully understand the conditions of your
tenancy. Ask your Housing Association to explain these to you.
All housing associations with property in
Allerdale operate comprehensive repair services to ensure that your
home is kept in good condition. They also have regular programmes
of large scale investment, such as replacing windows and upgrading
kitchen units.
Housing Associations always try to make sure
that their rents are affordable. However, if you have a low income
you can apply to the Council for housing benefit for help in paying
your rent. Housing benefit cannot be backdated so you should make
sure that you apply for it as soon as you think your income is not
going to be enough to pay your rent. Housing benefit claim forms
are available at any Council office, any Housing Association office
or by calling the Council on 01900 702702. If you need any help
completing your housing benefit form, you can call the Council's
Benefits Advisor on 01900 702650 or ask for help from your
Housing Association.
If you do not pay your rent, for example by
simply not paying or by not making sure that your claim for housing
benefit is up to date and honest, a Housing Association will take
action to recover its money. It may even take you to Court to have
you evicted from your home. You should therefore always make sure
your rent account is up to date. If you are having problems with
your rent, contact your Housing Association immediately for advice
and assistance - DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THEY CALL FOR THE RENT
ARREARS!
Rent payments to Derwent & Solway
Housing Association can be made using our
online payments system.
If you wish to transfer to another Housing
Association home, you should first consult the A to Z Guide To
Social Housing on this website to find out which Housing
Associations have homes in the places you want to live. You should
then apply to those associations including your present landlord
who have homes of the type you want in the places you want to
live.
Housing Association tenants are also eligible
to participate in the national HOMES scheme. This scheme enables
you to register for either Council or Housing Association housing
in other parts of the country. You should contact your landlord for
further details.
You may be able to swap your home with another
of your landlord's tenants or with a tenant of another Housing
Association or Council anywhere in Britain. The landlords cannot
refuse permission for such exchanges unless they have very good
reasons for doing so. You should also remember to check out what
your rights will be with any new tenancy as these may change from
the ones you have in your current home.