Homelessness and looking for accomodation
Council housing waiting list
The council has an ordinary housing waiting list called the
Common Housing Register [CHR], for those people
who are not statutorily homeless. [If you are homeless see
Council
help for the Homeless.
Full details of the rules for applying for the Common Housing
Register are contained in the council's Allocations
Policy, which can be obtained from the Town Hall at a cost
of £10.00. It is also available on the council's website:
www.rbkc.gov.uk.
The following information is only a brief outline of the main
issues and should not be treated as comprehensive advice. There are
always exceptions to the rules and it is recommended that you seek
individual advice.
Eligibility for the Common Housing Register
The eligibility criteria in brief are as follows:
1. Residence
You can apply even if you do not live in the Borough. However, the
local authority can operate a reasonable preference in respect of
existing residents of the borough. This means that you are likely
to get lower priority if you live outside the borough.
2. Age
You must normally be over 18 years old [the age at which you can
legally hold a tenancy]. However, there are exceptions where Social
Services act as guarantors for the tenancy.
3. Eligibility to apply
Some people from abroad are disqualified from applying.
In order to be eligible for assistance a person must not be
excluded by coming within certain categories of "persons from
abroad".
For example, if you have only been granted a time limited stay
without the right of recourse to public funds then you are not
eligible to apply to the council for help with housing.
This area of law is very complex. If you are uncertain about
your immigration status you should seek advice before applying to
the CHR. You need to be very careful about making an application
for council housing because if you are not eligible it could
endanger your immigration status.
The Homelessness Act 2002 has added a second
eligibility category. Applicants are not eligible if they, or
members of their families, are guilty of unacceptable behaviour,
serious enough to make them unsuitable as council tenants. The test
is whether the behaviour would result in the council being able to
obtain an outright possession order, if the person was a council
tenant. This would be things like causing serious nuisance to
neighbours, a poor history of rent arrears or using a property for
illegal or immoral purposes.
4. Tenure
Council tenants should apply for a transfer as any other applicant
by filling in a Common Housing Register application form and
submitting it to the Town Hall.
If you are a Housing Association tenant, you can apply for a
transfer directly with your landlord. Some landlords, such as
Notting Hill Housing Trust use the "Locata" Choice Based letteings
scheme. Further information can be found at
http://www.locata.org.uk
5. Assets
In most cases you are not eligible to apply if your realisable
assets are more than £16,000, although, there are exceptions to
this. For example, you may have more than this sum but still cannot
afford the specialist accommodation you may need due to your health
or age.
Priority Points
Once Kensington & Chelsea have accepted your application, then
you and all the eligible family members who normally live with you
will be placed on the waiting list. Your priority for
rehousing depends on your personal circumstances. The Allocations
Policy states that priority points are awarded for the following
factors:
- Overcrowding
- Split families [where families are forced to live apart due to
a lack of suitable accommodation]
- Temporary Accommodation
- Medical priority
- Welfare and social issues
- Decants [e.g. where a council tenant needs to be rehoused in
order for repairs to be carried out]
The specific points for each criteria are contained in the
Allocation Policy.
Points Letter
Once your priority has been assessed you will receive notification
of your number of points on the register.
It is important you check to make sure that the details are correct
and that you notify the council of any changes to your
circumstance, for example, any ill health.
Home Connections
The Government is keen to promote "choice-based
lettings" and in conjunction with a number of other local
authorities and housing associations, Kensington & Chelsea is
running a scheme called Home Connections.
The council is advertising vacancies throughout the borough for
people to bid for, using their points on the Common Housing
Register.
Further information can be found on the Home Connections
website:
www.homeconnections.org.uk
Annual renewal
You are required to renew your application annually otherwise
you can be removed from the waiting list.
Right of Review
If your application to theCHR is refused, or you are removed from
the waiting list, then Kensington & Chelsea will notify you of
their decision in writing giving you the reasons why and the
details of your right of review.
The time limit for requesting a review is 21 days.
Practicalities
Although it is definitly worth registering on the CHR, you are
likely to be on the waiting list for many years. Indeed, if your
priority is low you may never be housed from the waiting list. The
CHR is not an answer in the short term to your housing
problems.
However, being registered on the council's common housing register
can be a prerequisite of being eligible for other housing options,
such as housing associations or other schemes sush as shared
ownership or Homebuy.
How to apply
Application forms can be obtained from:
RBKC Homeless and Advice Section
Town Hall
Hornton Street
London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7361 3008
Fax: 020 7361 3718
Further informatiom
Further information can be found on the council's website:
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
Housing Associations
Housing associations are independant non-profit making
organisations providing affordable accommodation for people on low
income.
The vast majority of the property that they develop is for renting.
However, they do also have some schemes to assist people to buy,
see Shared Ownership
Unfortunatly, due to the chronic shortage of accommodation in areas
such as Kensington & Chelsea, local Housing Associations
usually only accept people who are nominated to them by the local
authority.
However, on rare occasions some housing associations do open their
lists for direct applications. Getting housed this way is a very
long shot but you may wish to try your luck and approach them
directly.
in conjuntion with Government's initative Keep London
Working housing Associations are looking to provide
subsidised homes for rent in the capital for key workers. The
Peabody Trust runs schemes across london, including in Kensington
& Chelsea. the scheme is aimed at workers such as bus drivers,
NHS staff and teachers with rents below market level. Information
on the scheme can be obtained fron the Peabody marketing department
on Tel. 020 7021 4444, or at there website:
www.peabody.org.uk
Some housing associations use Housing Co-operatives to let
accommodation on a short -life basis, usually while a property is
awaiting major renovation. However, due to the general shortage of
accommodation in London, co-operatives are generally getting less
and less short-life accommodation.
A list of housing co-operatives can be found on the website:
www.susx.ac.uk/Users/iane/coop/coopdirectory.html