Accessing settled housing
If a homelessness duty is owed to you by the Council, the Housing Service will work with you to understand your circumstances and create an option to find you settled accommodation. Your housing officer will explain your housing options with you, and you will be required to keep the Council up to date with any changes in your circumstances to ensure the pathway is still the correct one.
Private rented accommodation
Private rented accommodation is the main option for homeless households, and you should search for your own private rented property whilst you are owed a duty by the Council, as there is a long waiting list for private rented properties that the Council is offered.
You can view available properties through sites such as Zoopla, Rightmove, OnTheMarket. If you find a property you like, you can contact your housing officer to discuss the property and what support is available to you to secure the property.
You can also find out if you would be entitled to any benefits to support you to meet your housing costs and other household expenses via Benefit calculator.
The LHA is the amount of money you could receive in benefits to help you meet your housing costs if you are eligible to receive this allowance. You can find out the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for different areas to assist your search on the LHA Rates website. The Benefit calculator will help you identify what funding you may be entitled to receive.
Homefinder
Homefinder is a nationwide scheme to help applicants find settled social housing all over the country. If you wish to apply to Homefinder, you should visit Homefinder.
Housing register
The number of applicants on the Housing Register exceeds the supply of social housing in the Borough, and therefore you should look to other forms of accommodation to resolve your homelessness.
If you want to apply to join the Housing Register you should visit the HomeOption website and complete an online application form. Your application will then be assessed within 28 days and the outcome will be sent to you. In most cases you will need to have lived in the Borough for five years continuously to be eligible to join the Housing Register.