Charnwood Borough Council

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: HOUSING ALLOCATIONS

How will my points be calulated?

Your points will be calculated according the council's Allocations Policy. Points are allocated according to the applicant's level of housing need.

How many points have I got?

We will tell applicants how many points they have and advise if they are well placed to receive an offer. However, we are unable to say how long applicants will have to wait for an offer.

If you believe that the points awarded do not reflect your housing need and circumstances, you can request a review of your application. Please initially contact the Senior Housing Options Officer on 01509 634567 to discuss this.

How likely am I to be offered a property?

The level of points needed before an offer can be made changes almost daily and is influenced by the supply and demand for different property types and locations – so we are unable to say how many points an applicant needs before they will be made an offer.

Over the last 12 months, the properties that became available for different types of household (e.g. single people, couples, families with 1 child and families with 2 or more children) were offered on very different numbers of points for each property.

Can I choose where I would like to live?

Yes, you can choose where you would like to live unless you are a homeless applicant, but waiting times can be longer if your choice of areas to live in is small. Also, we do not have all property types in all areas so although you can request an area, there may not be any properties that meet your needs.

I've seen an empty property I am interested in - can I be considered for that?

You will be considered for all suitable vacancies in your areas of choice and the property will be allocated to the applicant with the highest level of points or the next homeless application to be re-housed.

The property may appear empty but all properties are only allocated when notice to vacate the property has been received – so it is likely that the property has been allocated already.

A Housing Association has told me that the council has to nominate me - can you put me forward?

Housing Associations in Charnwood sometimes tell the council that we can nominate an applicant from the council's Housing Register for vacancies they have. Nominations to Housing Association properties will only be made to applicants who have the hightest points or are the next homeless applicant to be re-housed on the Housing Register for a property.

What happens if I refuse a reasonable offer of accommodation?

If an applicant refuses 2 reasonable offers of accommodation (see the council’s Allocations Policy for more detailed information), you will lose your 100 priority points for 12 months. During this time you are unlikely to get another offer of accommodation.

If you have been accepted as homeless and you refuse a reasonable offer of accommodation, the council will no longer have a duty to house you and will make no further offers of accommodation.

However, homeless applicants who refuse a reasonable offer of accommodation may be placed on the council's Housing Register and receive further offers of accommodation subject to the council’s Allocations Policy.

What is shared / low cost home ownership?

If you would like to buy a home but cannot afford to buy one without some help, then there are a range of options you may like to consider. The most common is New Build Homebuy (NBHB) which used to be called shared ownership. Other options include:

• Buy part and rent the rest of a new property
• Buy with the help of equity loans
• First time buyer initiative
• HomeBuy direct

More information about the options available and properties available in Charnwood can be found at www.emhomebuy.org.uk or contact:

EM HomeBuy

Jubilee House, Stenson Road, Whitwick Business Park, Coalville, Leics LE67 4NA

Tel: 0844 892 0112

For more information contact:

HOUSING NEEDS TEAM

Charnwood Borough Council, Southfield Road, Loughborough, Leics LE11 2TT

Office opening hours: Mon–Thu: 8:30am-5:00pm and Fri: 8:30am–4:30pm

Telephone: 01509 634567

Email: housing@charnwood.go.uk

Online contact form: Click here

Out of hours telephone – for Homeless Emergencies Only: 01509 634567

OTHER OUT OF HOURS (EMERGENCY) TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Tenants who need an emergency repair: 01509 634666

Lifeline customers: 01509 643970