May How to apply for. social. housing. in Mid Sussex. Mid Sussex District Council Housing Options series

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1 May 2014? How to apply for social housing in Mid Sussex Mid Sussex District Council Housing Options series

2 2 What is Homemove? What is Homemove? Sussex Homemove is the choice-based lettings scheme used by most councils in East and West Sussex. Homemove gives you more choice about where you want to live. Homemove is for homeseekers looking for social housing for the first time as well as for some existing social tenants wanting to transfer. Every fortnight Homemove advertises all the available homes in Mid Sussex owned by housing associations in an electronic Sussex Homemove magazine which you can find at www. homemove.org.uk. You can tell us which homes you are interested in by making a 'bid' for up to three in each fortnightly cycle. You can bid over the internet, by phone, by special paper coupon, or by text. In Mid Sussex, Homemove is operated for the Council by the Homemove Team at Affinity Sutton, whose contact details are at the end of this leaflet. Before you can bid for homes in Mid Sussex, you need to register with Homemove. How do I join Homemove? You need to complete an application form to join the Mid Sussex Common Housing Register. Are some people not allowed to join? Yes, you may not be allowed to join if: You do not have a local connection with Mid Sussex You have a household income of over 60,000 You own or have a legal interest in accommodation or have the financial resources to do so You are subject to immigration control You are unsuitable to be a tenant because of unacceptable behaviour in the past You are a tenant of a housing association that has its own transfer list. What happens after I ve registered? After you have completed an application form the Homemove Team at Affinity Sutton will assess your housing need. If you are eligible for housing you will be placed in one of four Bands, A, B, C or D according to your level of housing need. You will then be sent a registration pack and a detailed Scheme Users Guide and a letter telling you your registration number, which Band you are in, your Priority Date (which is the date you registered) and the type and size of home you can bid for. The pack will also contain some paper bidding coupons for you to use, should you wish to bid by post. How is my housing need assessed? Your housing need is assessed according to rules set out in the Council's Joint Housing Allocation Scheme which is available on the Council's website at 3 How is my housing need assessed? The easiest and quickest way to register is to complete our online application form, which you can find on the Council s website at If you are unable to use our online form and would prefer to complete a paper form, then you may ask the Homemove Team at Affinity Sutton ( ) to send you one. A summary of who is placed into which Band is set out later in this leaflet. If your circumstances change after you have been assessed, you must contact the Homemove Team at Affinity Sutton ( ) immediately so that you can be re-assessed. Please note it is a criminal offence to give false information or withhold information that is relevant to your housing application.

3 4 Where can I find homes? Where can I see the adverts for available homes? The easiest place to see what homes in Mid Sussex are being advertised is by visiting the Homemove website at On the front page of the site you will see a link to the Sussex Homemove magazine showing all the available homes at the current time. When you log on to bid on the Homemove website, using your registration number, you will see only the homes you are eligible to bid for and can easily select the ones you are interested in. A copy of the Sussex Homemove magazine will also be made available to view at the offices of Mid Sussex District Council, the offices of Affinity Sutton and the Help Points in Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead. Unlike some authorities, we do not provide free magazines for you to take away. Some vulnerable applicants will be sent a personalised property list called My Homemove through the post, containing only the properties they are eligible to bid for. What happens after bidding closes? When bidding closes Homemove puts the bids for each home in order usually first by Band, then by Priority Date (the date you registered or changed Band) - to make a shortlist of applicants. If after further eligibility checks are made you come top of the shortlist for a home you will usually be contacted within a week of bidding closing to arrange to view. If you refuse the home, the next person on the shortlist will be offered it, and so on. Feedback Every home after it is let appears in the feedback section of the Sussex Homemove magazine. If you are unsuccessful with a bid you can use the feedback to help you understand why. It tells you how many people bid for the home, as well as the Band and Priority Date of the successful bidder. The Priority Date shows you how long the successful bidder has been waiting. Some homes are advertised at 'Affordable Rent' or 'Social Rent' what does this mean? Since April 2011 housing associations have been allowed to rent homes at 'Affordable Rent' set at a maximum of 80% of market rents in the private sector. These rents are higher than the 'Social Rent' that other homes are let at. 5 How do I bid? How do I bid for homes? You can make your bids for homes over the internet at by phone, by special paper coupon, or by text message. Full details of how you bid in these ways are set out in the Scheme Users Guide you will receive when you register with Homemove. Some homes are advertised as being let for a 5 year fixed term what does this mean? Housing associations are now allowed to let on fixed-term tenancies rather than offering a lifetime tenancy. Most fixed-term tenancies will be renewed when they come to an end, but this isn't guaranteed. Homes are advertised every other Friday and your bids must reach Homemove by 2pm the following Wednesday. This is the bidding cycle. You can bid for a maximum of three homes in each bidding cycle. All bids are considered so long as they are made in time. There is no advantage in bidding early and you can change your mind at any time before bidding closes.

4 6 Bands A-B BAND A emergency or urgent priority You have a Band A Medical Priority to be rehoused You are a Mid Sussex tenant of a housing association and are under-occupying your home You are a Mid Sussex tenant of a housing association and are occupying a significantly adapted home you no longer need but which could be used by someone else who needs the adaptations You need to move urgently from a Mid Sussex tenancy with a housing association because there is a serious personal risk if you remain (to be approved by the Discretionary Priority Panel) You are in exceptional need of housing that warrants placement in Band A (to be approved by the Discretionary Priority Panel) You have needs that, when considered together, are so high that you should be placed in Band A (to be approved by the Discretionary Priority Panel) You are a successor (or a non-statutory successor who has been approved for a move to smaller or more suitable accommodation) BAND B high priority You have been assessed as lacking two or more bedrooms You need to move urgently from a Mid Sussex tenancy with a housing association because of harassment or threat of violence (to be approved by the Discretionary Priority Panel) You have a Band B Medical Priority to be rehoused You have been selected by a Supported Housing Panel for a tenancy in general needs housing with specialist floating support BAND C medium priority You are homeless and Mid Sussex District Council has accepted a full duty to you under the homeless legislation You are ready to move on from supported housing in Mid Sussex (to be confirmed in writing by the manager of the supported housing provider) You have a home but Mid Sussex District Council has a statutory duty to rehouse you (e.g. Compulsory Purchase Order; Rent (Agriculture) Act duty) You have been assessed as lacking one bedroom You have a Band C Medical Priority to be rehoused You reside in unsanitary or unsatisfactory housing conditions that cannot be addressed by Environmental Health action such as lacking either a kitchen, bath/shower room, or inside WC You need to move for care and support reasons where failure to meet that need would cause hardship (to be approved by the Discretionary Priority Panel) BAND D low priority You may be placed in this Band if you fall within one of the following categories: You do not have a housing need identified in Band A, B or C You would normally be disqualified from joining the register because of home ownership, but have been made an exception You have deliberately worsened your circumstances or become homeless intentionally 7 Bands C-D

5 Who do I contact if I have any further questions? The Homemove Team Affinity Sutton Upton House 7 Perrymount Road Haywards Heath RH16 3TN Tel MidSussexHomemove@affinitysutton.com The Homemove Team manages the Mid Sussex Common Housing Register on behalf of the Council and its housing association partners. Need help accessing this service? If you would like this leaflet in another format, call us on