Text Size: [ A (small font) | A (medium font) | A (large font) ]

Housing Register

What is the Housing Register?

The Council maintains a waiting list of people who would like to live in a housing association home in the Borough. This is known as the Housing Register. The Council also maintains a waiting list of people who already live in a housing association home who would like to transfer to a different housing association property. This is known as the Transfer Register.

A Housing Register factsheet can be downloaded through the links on the right.

The housing needs section can be contacted by e-mail through housingneeds@broxbourne.gov.uk or 01992 785555.

Who is eligible to join the Housing Register?

Anyone aged 16 years and over, who is not already a housing association tenant, is eligible to join the housing register as a new applicant. However, you will not be eligible to join if one or more of the following applies to you:

You are subject to immigration control or you are not normally a resident in the UK and this precludes you from housing accommodation provided under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996
The Council is satisfied that you or a member of your household is guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make your household unsuitable to be a social housing tenant

People aged 16 or 17 wishing to register on the list must have a guarantor (over the age of 18) who will guarantee the tenancy offered until the applicant reaches 18. This is because people under the age of 18 are not legally able to sign a tenancy contract. The guarantor may be a parent, guardian or social worker.

Applications may be deferred (put on hold), however, for the following reasons:

If you owe money to the Council
If you have been evicted from a council or housing association tenancy due to anti-social behaviour, rent arrears or other breach of tenancy
If you are residing in accommodation which was purchased through a subsidised scheme ie. Right to Buy, Tenants Cash Incentive or you have benefited from such a scheme and it is within five years from the date of purchase
If you have been found intentionally homeless. In such cases your application will be deferred for one year from the date of the decision
If your financial circumstances ie. your income and savings level, property ownership or other capital investment, is considered sufficient to secure appropriate accommodation by your own means
If you refuse two offers of suitable accommodation. This will be a deferral period of two years and will start from the date of the first suitable offer

How can I join the housing register?

You can join the housing register by filling in a Housing Register application form. If you are a tenant of a housing association, and would like to transfer to another property, you can download and fill in a Transfer Register application form.

Please contact housing needs if you would like a hard copy of these forms.

If you are already on the housing register and your circumstances have changed, you must notify the Council by submitting a change of circumstances form which can be found on the 'leaflets and forms' page.

What happens once an application has been accepted?

Applications are added to a category of accommodation that corresponds to the size and needs of the household. They are then assessed and points awarded according to the points scheme.

The Council must be kept informed of any change in an applicant's circumstances as this may affect their position on the list.

Applicants receive a reminder letter once a year asking if they wish to remain on the housing register. If the Council does not receive a reply, the application will be cancelled.

What if I have particular medical problems?

If you have medical problems which are affected by your current housing, you may be given extra points. Our factsheet, medical circumstances will give you more information about this and can be found on the 'leaflets and forms' page.