Version 10 01/06/12

Transcription

1 Version 10 01/06/12 O Scheme USER Guide Information and guidance on accessing and using the HomeOption Scheme in Brentwood, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, East Herts, Epping Forest and Uttlesford.

2 Contents PAGE 2 Welcome to HomeOption PAGE 3 Translations PAGE 4 Landlords/Local Authorities PAGES 5-7 How the HomeOption Scheme Works PAGE 8-9 Distribution Points PAGE 10 Understanding the Adverts PAGE 11 Making your choice on the Internet PAGE 12 Making your choice by Post PAGE 13 Making your choice by Text Message PAGES Making your choice by Telephone PAGE Understanding the Feedback PAGES Alternative Housing Options PAGE 20 HomeOption General Information Welcome to HomeOption Scheme User Guide HomeOption gives more choice about where you want to live. In the past the Council or Housing Association would make an offer of accommodation when your turn had been reached in an area of your choice. Now you will have the chance to express an interest in a property which is suitable for your needs when it becomes available. Most Homeseekers will not get the opportunity to rent accommodation with a Council or Housing Association. There are many more people looking for homes than there are vacancies. Therefore, you may need to consider alternative solutions to your housing difficulties. Here are some alternative housing options you may wish to consider. Existing Council and Housing Association tenants who have registered to transfer to another home can use HomeOption to find one. Homeseekers can also use HomeOption to find a home. Every fortnight HomeOption produces a property list, which advertises the available Council and Housing Association homes within the six local authority areas. Some housing providers are changing the tenancies they offer (the new tenancies are called Affordable Rent Tenancies ). Homeseekers should check the adverts and the details of each property they are interested in carefully as some of the terms and conditions (such as amount of rent and length of tenancy) could vary significantly between different properties and different providers. You can look at the adverts and make an expression of interest for any properties you would like to be considered for. A summary of who can express an interest, and how to express an interest can be found in this Guide. Councils and Housing Associations in the HomeOption scheme will generally only allocate empty properties to people who have made an expression of interest through HomeOption. HomeOption gives you more choice about where you want to live. It also gives you a better idea of what is available in your area. In each edition you can see how homes in the previous editions were let by turning to the feedback page. You can also see what level of priority the successful applicant had and how long they waited for a new home. If you would like to find out more about how to use HomeOption to express an interest for a home you should contact your Council Housing Department. Contact details for Councils are available in this Guide, the HomeOption freesheet and also at Page 2 homeoption user guide

3 HomeOption is committed to helping all those registered to access the scheme. If you would like assistance or have any specific requirements, please contact your Council Housing Department to discuss this. Some of the measures available are: Large Print Braille Translation into other languages Audio translations One-to-one help from staff Albanian Bengali Gaelic Gujarati Italian Kurdish Mandarin Polish Portuguese Punjabi Slovakian Somali Turkish Urdu Vietnamese Welsh homeoption user guide Page 3

4 Landlords / Local Authorities Brentwood Borough Council Town Hall Ingrave Road, Brentwood Essex CM15 8AY [email protected] Broxbourne Borough Council Borough of Broxbourne, Borough Offices, Bishops College, Churchgate, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire EN8 9XS [email protected] Chelmsford Borough Council Customer Services Chelmsford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1JE [email protected] CHP Atholl House, 65a Duke Street Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1LW [email protected] East Herts Council Housing Options Service Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Herts SG13 8EQ [email protected] Repairs Freephone: Minicom: Fax: Epping Forest District Council Housing Directorate Civic Offices 323 High Street, Epping Essex CM16 4BZ Uttlesford District Council Council Offices London Road Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4ER [email protected] Page 4 homeoption user guide

5 How the scheme works Under the HomeOption scheme, homeseekers must express an interest in a property in order to join a shortlist by using the HomeOption website or other methods listed in this guide. There are five steps for you to follow: Step 1 Membership You are automatically a member of HomeOption if you are on the participating Council s Housing Register as a homeseeker, or are an existing tenant of any of the participating Council s and have registered for a transfer. Step 2 Registration Once your Council has accepted you onto their housing register, HomeOption will write to you to give you a HomeOption Identification Number (HOIN) and will tell you your date of application, priority band, or how many points you have been awarded. You must keep your Housing Department informed of any changes to your household, medical condition, housing situation or circumstances. This is very important as it could result in changing your priority or eligibility. HomeOption is a scheme which currently includes six Local Authority areas as follows: Brentwood, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, East Herts, Epping Forest and Uttlesford. Each of the Local Authority Areas have their own Housing Allocation Scheme which includes prioritising applicants by way of either a banding or points based scheme. Although each scheme must meet with certain rules, they do vary in some ways. Please refer to the individual Local Authority for their scheme (see Council addresses, telephone numbers and web address on page 4). homeoption user guide Page 5

6 Step 3 Choosing Available properties are advertised on the website; go to You can also pick up a fortnightly property list advertising the properties available in your Council area from the distribution points listed on pages 8-9 The properties are usually advertised every other Friday, in Chelmsford it is weekly. Your expressions of interest must reach us by 1pm the following Wednesday. Before you express an interest in a property: Please read the information on the property advert very carefully to ensure you are making the right choice. Expressing an interest inappropriately creates a longer waiting time for others. Age restriction on the property Some properties have a minimum age requirement, for example, in some cases only people over 60 years of age can apply. Any restriction will be indicated by the icon in the property advert. Retirement housing with support will usually only be available for applicants over 60 years of age. However there may be certain circumstances where younger applicants with support needs or mobility needs can be considered. If you are interested in retirement housing with support you will be visited by a Scheme Manager who will undertake an assessment of your needs. Mobility sign: This is intended to provide a guide to people who have various levels of mobility needs. This does not restrict anyone else from expressing an interest for these properties but the advert will often say that priority will be given to applicants with mobility needs Choice of area: You can only express an interest in areas where you have a live application on the district or borough register. If you wish to express an interest in a property in another district or borough you must be registered with them. You can join as many registers as you wish although your priority may vary. Expression of Interest: You will be able to express an interest for a maximum of 3 properties in each cycle. You can make an expression of interest in the following four ways: On the web Go to and logon with your HOIN number and date of birth. (See page 11 for instructions on making your expressions of interest by internet). By postal coupon We send blank coupons direct to you with your registration pack. Each coupon will have your name and HOIN number printed on it. This is your individual number so do not give your coupons to anyone else. (See page12 for instructions on how to complete your coupon). You can request more coupons by going to the HomeOption website. By telephone Call and follow the instructions. (See pages for instructions on making your expressions of interest by telephone). By text Text (see page 13 for instructions on making your expressions of interest by text). If you have questions about how the scheme applies to you or about expressing an interest for properties, there are fully trained housing staff available to support you in your Housing Department (see Council addresses and telephone numbers on page 4). Page 6 homeoption user guide

7 Step 4 Offer HomeOption puts the expressions of interest received, for each property advertised, in priority order to produce a list of eligible applicants for each property. The property is offered to the homeseeker who is top of the short-list by the landlord after making further eligibility checks. Following these checks if your name is still at the top of the short list, you will normally be invited to view the property. If you refuse this property, the next person on the priority list will be invited to view the property. Some Councils will automatically penalise you for refusing properties you have chosen. Your Council/landlord will advise you if any action will be taken because you have refused a property. Many landlords invite more than one applicant to view their properties at the same time, although the property is always offered first to the applicant with the highest priority who attends the viewing. You may not be invited to view or be considered for a property if: You have any rent arrears or other debts to the Council, Housing Association or other landlord for current or former rent arrears, a recharge for damage to a property or an outstanding private rented deposit loan. You have a current Notice of Seeking Possession or Notice to Quit from your Council or Housing Association landlord. Your Council or Housing Association landlord is not satisfied with the conduct of your current tenancy such as management issues, anti-social behaviour or your property has not passed a home inspection. You are ineligible for an allocation via the Council s allocation policy because you have sufficient financial resources to access housing to meet your needs. You have not supplied information requested by the Council to verify your application If you are at the top of more than one list, the council will decide which property to offer you and the other properties will be offered elsewhere. If you are offered a home you will not be short-listed for other properties until you make a decision whether to accept or refuse the offer. If you receive an offer to view but you do not wish to or are unable to attend you must contact the landlord. Step 5 Feedback You do not need to contact your Council or Housing Association to find out if you have been successful. If you have come to the top of a shortlist, they will usually contact you within a week of the closing date. However, a lot of properties are advertised some time before they are ready for occupation. If a person who was top of the list refuses, the next person who was on the list may be invited to view some weeks after the closing date. These shortlists will show as under offer on the website. Once properties have been let they are listed on the Feedback page on the website (see page for an example of the feedback). The feedback tells you how many people expressed an interest for each property, as well as the band/points and registration date of the successful applicant. This helps you to see how long the successful applicants had been waiting. It is not possible to notify you individually when your expressions of interest have been unsuccessful. homeoption user guide Page 7

8 Distribution Points Copies of the Property List will be available from the following places Brentwood Brentwood Borough Council Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood Essex CM15 8AY Brentwood Library New Road, Brentwood, CM14 4BP Broxbourne Broxbourne does not have any distribution points. Chelmsford Chelmsford Borough Council Customer Service Centre, Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1DH Community Information Centre 34 Baron Road, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex CM3 5XQ Chelmer Housing Group Atholl House, 65a Duke Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1LW East Herts East Herts Council Charringtons House, The Causeway, Bishop s Stortford, CM23 2EN Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8EQ Riversmead Housing Association Riversmead House, 36 Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7HH Bishop s Stortford Library 6 The Causeway, Bishop s Stortford, CM23 2EJ Buntingford Library 77 High Street, Buntingford, SG9 9AE Hertford Library Dolphin Yard, Maidenhead Street Hertford, SG14 1DR Sawbridgeworth Library The Forebury, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9BD Ware Library 87 High Street, Ware, SG12 9AD Watton at Stone Post Office 119F High Street, Watton at Stone, Herts. SG14 3SB Page 8 homeoption user guide

9 Epping Forest Epping Forest District Council Information Desk, Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4BZ Area Housing Office (South) 63 The Broadway, Loughton, Essex IG10 3SP Limes Farm Housing Office, 661a Copperfield, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5LA Loughton Information Desk, Loughton Library, Traps Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1HD Town and Parish Council Offices Loughton Town Council 1 Buckingham Court, Rectory Lane, Loughton, Essex IG10 2QZ Waltham Abbey Town Council, Waltham Abbey Town Hall, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1DE Buckhurst Hill Parish Council Parish Offices, Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill Essex IG9 5BY North Weald Parish Council Queens Hall Community Centre, School Green Lane, North Weald, Essex CM16 6EJ Uttlesford Uttlesford District Council Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4ER Tourist Information Centre, 1 Market Square, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1HR Dunmow Library, 47 White Hart Way, Dunmow, Essex CM6 1FS Community Information Centre, 7 Town Street, Thaxted, Dunmow, Essex CM6 2LD Post Offices High Street, Newport, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3QX PO Stores, The Heath, Hatfield Heath, Bishops Stortford, Herts. CM22 7EB M&M Supermarket, Stortford Road, Clavering, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4PE School Street, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1NN Lodges Garage, The Street, High Easter, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4QT 5 Crown Hill, Ashdon, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2HA 1 Ambrose Corner, Robin Hood Road, Elsenham, Bishop s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM22 6EH Dunmow Road, Takeley, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire CM22 6SH Shops The Country Shop, Dunmow Road, Leaden Roding, Dunmow CM6 1QB Hatfield Broad Oak Stores, I High Street, Hatfield Broad Oak, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2LS Petrol Stations Total Stansted, 1 Cambridge Road, Stansted, Essex CM24 8BX homeoption user guide Page 9

10 The Adverts Key to advert symbols Available for homeseekers only Available for transferring tenants only Available for homeseekers and transferring tenants This shows the property has a lift This shows the property has no lift Number of bedrooms and property type Sheltered housing (Defined by white background), you must have been assessed for sheltered housing Property designed for people this age or above Minimum and maximum number of people who can live in property Floor level of property, if flat or maisonette Number of bedrooms in the property Mobility Group 1 - Suitable for wheelchair user indoors and outdoors (defined by symbol and white bar) Mobility Group 2 - Suitable for people who cannot manage steps or stairs and may use a wheelchair some of the day (defined by symbol and white bar) Mobility Group 3 - Suitable for people only able to manage 1 or 2 steps or stairs (defined by symbol and white bar) Page 10 homeoption user guide

11 Expressions of Interest Making your choice on the Internet The quickest and easiest way to express an interest is through our website Instructions are given on screen but you will need to know your unique HomeOption Identification Number (HOIN) and date of birth in order to log on. On the website there is an online copy of the property list and as soon as you identify a property you can place an expression of interest. If you have made an expression of interest but then change your mind you can remove it (as long as the property cycle is still open). You can also view your choice history once you have logged on. Our website homeoption user guide Page 11

12 Making your choice by Post Your coupon has your name and your HomeOption Identification Number (HOIN) printed on it - please check that these details are correct. You can express an interest for up to three properties in each edition of the property list. Each property will have a 3 digit reference number, shown in the property advert in the property list. For example if you want to apply for the properties which have the reference number 456, 444, and 491, you should mark the coupon as shown in the example copy. You should put an X in the first column against the relevant first digit of the reference number. You should put an X in the second column against the relevant second digit of the reference number. You should put an X in the third column against the relevant third digit of the reference number. Your coupon will only be processed if returned by post directly to HomeOption. The address is already on the coupon, but you will need to put a stamp on it. Remember to post in time for the deadline. If you need more coupons sent to you, please tick the more coupons box. Page 12 homeoption user guide

13 Making your choice by Text Message Action To begin making your choice: Example 1 Open a new text message 2 Enter in your HomeOption Identification Number BBC12345 (HOIN) via the keys: 3 Then followed immediately by a hash mark: BBC12345# 4 You should now enter the advert reference number of your 1st choice followed immediately by a hash mark: BBC12345#456# If you have finished choosing then send. If not keep following the instructions below. 5 You should now enter the advert reference number of your 2nd choice followed immediately by a hash mark: BBC12345#456#491# If you have finished choosing then send. If not keep following the instructions below. 6 You should now enter the advert reference number of your 3rd choice followed immediately by a hash mark: BBC12345#456#491#444# 7 When you have entered all of your choices send your Text message to: Most mobile phone companies charge SMS text messages at around 10p per text. You can enter your expressions of interest in both upper and lower case. Check your HOIN and advert reference numbers are correct before sending. Please note that you will not receive a text message to confirm the choices you have made. homeoption user guide Page 13

14 Making your choice by Telephone 1 To begin making your choices please dial: You will hear: Welcome to the HomeOption Property Line. If you are registered with: Brentwood Borough Council Press 1 Uttlesford District Council Press 2 Epping Forest District Council Press 3 East Herts Council Press 4 Chelmsford Borough Council Press 5 Broxbourne Borough Council Press 6 CHP Press 7 3 You will then hear: Thank you. You are now through to Brentwood/ Broxbourne/Chelmsford/East Herts/Epping Forest (or) Uttlesford. Please enter the number section of your HomeOption Identification Number. 4 You should now enter the numerical Thank you. Please enter the day number of part of your HomeOption Identification your birth date. e.g. For 16/04/60 enter 16 or Number only (HOIN) Eg. If your for 08/01/58 enter 08 (you must put a 0 before a HOIN is BBC54321 you only need single number) to type in Once you have entered the correct number you will hear: 5 You should now enter the day number Thank you. Please enter the property reference of your Date of Birth. Once you have number for your first bid. entered the correct number you will hear: 6 Once you have entered the 3 digit Advert Thank you. If you would like to add an additional Reference number correctly you bid press 1, or press the star key to complete will hear: your bidding. 7 If you have pressed one you will hear: Please enter the property reference number for your second bid, or press the star key to complete your bidding. 8 Once you have entered the second Advert Thank you. If you would like to add an additional Reference number correctly you will hear: bid press 1, or press the star key to complete your bidding. Page 14 homeoption user guide

15 Making your choice by Telephone Cont. 9 If you have pressed one you will hear: Please enter the property reference number for your third bid, or press the star key to complete your bidding. 10 When you have finished entering choices Thank you for calling the HomeOption property line. you will hear: If you have made errors you will hear instructions as follows: 11 If you have made an error with your I am sorry, the HomeOption Identification Number HomeOption Identification Number you have entered is not found. Please try again. (HOIN) you will hear: 12 If you have made a further error with I am sorry, the HomeOption Identification Number your HomeOption Identification you have entered is not found. Please check with Number (HOIN) you will hear: your Council. 13 If you have made an error with the day I am sorry the day of birth you have entered does number of your date of birth, not match the day of birth specified for your you will hear: reference number. Please re-enter using your telephone now. 14 If you have made a further error with I am sorry, the day of birth you have entered the day number of your date of birth, is still not correct please check with your Council. you will hear: 15 If you have placed an ineligible bid I am sorry you are not eligible to bid on that you will hear: property. Please re-enter another property or press the star key to complete your bidding. homeoption user guide Page 15

16 Feedback Understanding the Feedback Reports In each edition of the property list there will be a Feedback page. The feedback contains information on lettings that have taken place since the previous edition. The feedback is colour-coded in the same way as the adverts appearing in the freesheet. Property list Issue Date This is the publication date of the property list that the advert appeared in. Advert Reference Combined with the property list issue date, this gives a unique identity to any advert appearing in the property list and is used for making expressions of interest. Size and Property Type This is simply a description of the property advertised. Location This gives an indication of where the property is situated. Expressions of Interest This is the total number of expressions of interest that were made against the adverts at the close of the cycle. Letting Information This is the status of the successful applicant who accepted the property. Page 16 homeoption user guide

17 Example of HomeOption Feedback Property list Issue Date Advert Reference Size Property Type Location Expressions of Interest Letting Information Points/ Bands Band in Date List (Applicant) Brentwood Council 30 Dec bed flat Tower Court, Tower Hill Apr 2011 Homeseeker 16 Dec bed flat Broad Meadow, Kelvedon Hatch Mar 2008 Homeseeker 16 Dec bed flat Whittington Road, Hutton Aug 2008 Homeseeker 16 Dec bed house Fielding Way, Hutton May 2007 Transfer 16 Dec bed maisonette Elizabeth House, Albany Road Aug 2011 Homeseeker Broxbourne Council 01-Mar bed House Rowan Drive, The Springs /02/06 Transfer 01-Mar bed Flat Marquis Court, Hoddesdon Rye Park /03/05 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed Maisonette Fishers Close, Holdbrook /09/06 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed Flat Valence Drive, Cheshunt /11/06 Transfer Chelmsford Borough Council 24 Feb bed house West Avenue, North West Chelmsford, CM1 2DE 24 B2 23 Nov 2011 Homeseeker 27 Jan bed flat The Withywindle, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 7BB 145 B2 26 Oct 2011 Homeseeker 13 Jan bed flat Pembroke Place, Woodhall, CM1 4AT 180 B2 19 Jul 2010 Homeseeker 27 Jan bed bungalow Brook Hill, Little Waltham, CM3 3LL 49 B1 09 Dec 2011 Homeseeker CHP 27 Jan bed Flat Rutland Road, Woodhall, CM1 4BH 150 B3 18 May 2010 Transfer 27 Jan bed House The Green, North West Chelmsford, CM1 2BQ 284 B2 08 Nov 2011 Transfer 02 Dec bed Bungalow Israels Bungalows, Grest Waltham, CM3 1EQ 170 B3 19 Aug 2010 Transfer 18 Nov bed House Springfield Park Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6EE 143 B3 20 May 2009 Transfer 04 Nov bed Flat St Michaels Drive, Roxwell, CM1 4NX 195 B4 25 nov 2009 Transfer East Herts Council 01-Mar bed Flat Dixon Place, Buntingford /05/07 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed House Benhooks Place, Bishop s Stortford /01/07 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed House Longwood Road, Hertford /05/05 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed House Wheatsheaf Road, Hunsdon /08/07 Homeseeker Epping Forest District Council 01-Mar bed Flat Roger Stone Court, Coombe Rd, Loughton May-07 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed Flat Copland Road, Wembley, Essex Jun-07 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed Flat Harlesden Gardens, Essex Jul-02 Transfer 01-Mar bed Flat Albert Road, Essex Sep-06 Homeseeker 01-Mar bed Flat Landau House, Chatsworth Road, Essex Jul-06 Homeseeker Uttlesford District Council 16 Dec bed house Felstead Crescent, Stansted 48 B 28 Dec 2010 Homeseeker 27 Jan bed flat Waldgrooms, Great Dunmow 15 B 04 Nov 2011 Homeseeker 10 Feb bed flat Holloway Crescent, Leaden Roding 18 C 25 Jan 2011 Homeseeker 10 Feb bed bungalow Weaverhead Close, Thaxted 19 A 22 Dec 2011 Transfer homeoption user guide Page 17

18 Alternative Ho HomeOption is a different way of allocating homes owned by the Council and Housing Associations. It will not provide more homes but it will allow you to see the vacancies that arise in the six partner authority areas. Most Homeseekers will not get the opportunity to rent accommodation with a Council or Housing Association. There are many more people looking for homes than there are vacancies. Therefore, you may need to consider alternative solutions to your housing difficulties. Here are some alternative housing options you may wish to consider. Private Rented Accommodation Private rented accommodation can include lodgings, renting your own flat or house or shared accommodation. Your landlord will be a private individual or company. Living in private rented accommodation you will either be a tenant or a licensee. Private renting offers you the freedom to find the type of accommodation you require in the area you wish to live. You may be eligible for help with the rent payments through Housing Benefit, contact your Local Authority for more details. If you decide to go ahead, you will need to get money together for a deposit and usually one month s rent in advance. Contact your own Local Authority for further advice and to see if they operate either a Rent Deposit or Rental Loan Scheme. Mutual Exchange Tenants of Councils and Housing Associations may be able to swap their home if they are secure or assured tenants. This is called a mutual exchange. In mutual exchange, two or more tenants exchange their homes and take on the terms of each other s tenancy. If you are a tenant of a Council or Housing Association please contact your landlord for further details. Page 18 homeoption user guide

19 using Options Shared Ownership HomeBuy is a government backed affordable shared ownership scheme. HomeBuy Products include: New Build HomeBuy New Build HomeBuy is a part-buy/part-rent scheme offering you the opportunity to buy what you can afford now. Homes are sold as leasehold properties on shared ownership terms. They can be flats or houses; newly built or occasionally newly refurbished. You can purchase as little as 25% and up to a usual maximum of 75%. You will need to be able raise a mortgage for the share you want to purchase, and you will pay a subsidised rent on the share you don t own. You can buy additional shares at a later date. This is known as staircasing. When you want to sell the property you can sell the share you own through your housing association allowing further households to benefit from low-cost home ownership. The property is resold at market value and you will benefit from any equity which has built up on the share that you own. Rent To HomeBuy This option offers new build homes to rent for a pre-defined period of time with the expectation that you will buy a share of the property at the end of the rental period. Homes are available through a range of housing associations on assured shorthold tenancies with an affordable rent of 80% (or less) of market rents. The rent is payable for a pre-defined and limited period, after which time there is an expectation that you will purchase the property on the terms of New Build HomeBuy. The rental period provides you with the opportunity to save for a deposit towards buying a share in the home, enabling you to access mortgage availability. Some housing associations offer variations of Rent to HomeBuy. Some of these schemes are marketed with different names, for example Try Before You Buy or Rent Save Buy, etc. HomeBuy Direct This option offers equity loans towards the purchase of a new build home on selected developments. You buy a minimum of 70% of the market value of a property. An equity loan of up to 30% is provided to assist your purchase. There are no payments on the loan for the first five years. After five years there is a fee of 1.75%, which increases annually in line with inflation. You will need to raise a mortgage to purchase through this scheme. You can also use any savings you may have to contribute as a deposit towards your share. You can buy additional shares at a later date until you own 100%. This is calculated on the current market value at the time that you purchase the additional shares. If you wish to sell your property, the equity loan is repaid as a percentage. Other Options: HOLD HOLD is a specially tailored option to assist people with long-term disabilities to purchase a share in a property. It is offered by a small number of housing associations, with limited availability. New Build Discounted Rent Also known as intermediate rent, this option offers new build homes to rent at 80% (or less) of typical market rents. Homes are available through a range of housing associations on an assured shorthold tenancy, usually for an initial period of six months. This is reviewed regularly. Many housing associations that let properties through this scheme also offer an option to buy a share in the property on a New Build HomeBuy basis at a later date. Some housing associations may ask you to agree to purchase the property after a pre-defined rental period. This is called Rent to HomeBuy. homeoption user guide Page 19

20 Information Deadline for Expressions of Interest All expressions of interest placed by any method must reach the HomeOption office by 1.00pm on the closing date shown on the front of each HomeOption property list. Expressions of interest received after this time will not be eligible. Methods of Expressing an Interest Include: Internet - You can express an interest in a property on the HomeOption website at the above address as shown in this scheme user guide. Please ensure you enter your registration number correctly. By Telephone To make your expressions of interest by telephone, use the above number and follow the instructions given on the tape recorded message or as shown in this Scheme User Guide. By Text To make your expressions of interest by text (SMS), follow the instructions shown in this Scheme User Guide. By Postal Coupon You can complete and post coupons to the address set out in this Scheme User Guide. Do You Need Help Expressing an Interest in a Property? Please contact the landlord or local authority with whom you are registered who will be able to help and advise you on how you can express an interest in a property. Subscriptions If you are unable to access the property list on the internet or by picking it up at one of the distribution points for your Local Authority, you may be able to have it sent to you directly on payment of a small fee. Please contact the Local Authority with whom you are registered to get details of whether this is possible and what charge they will make.