Northamptonshire Community Housing Network Housing Training Programme 4 th October 2011 SESSION TWO

The programme is about…. Learning together by sharing and finding things out

We want to help you think about these 4 things What’s possible for me Making a decision & moving Expanding our options Living Happily in my new home

Our Rules 1.You need to come to all the sessions 2. You need to come with a supporter if you are under If you live with your family you need to bring a family member with you, and 4. We need to be willing to help each other 5. We all need to respect each other

Today we will look at……

Home work from last time What we found out

Housing rules, responsibilities & applying for a home SESSION 2

Session 2 – will cover…. Tenancy types Responsibilities of landlords & tenants Responsibilities of home owners Who can help us find a home? Ways of buying a home & rules How to apply for a home to rent Understanding Choice based lettings Finding a private home (buy or rent)

Rights & Responsibilities

Responsibilities & Rights We all have responsibilities, things we have to do as part of the agreement about our home These cover People & Landlords Home buyers & Home sellers We also have rights about our home and how we can live in it

Housing Rules Where ever we live we all have rules to follow, Can you name some rules where you live now

Legal Housing Agreements To live in a home we make an agreement with another person or organisation. The agreement is between us and the people who supply the home.

Types of Housing Agreements There are many types of housing agreement We can either :- Buy a home Rent a home, or Stay in a care home or hospital

Renting a Home We can rent a home from:- a Private Landlord From a Council or Housing Association From a Charity or Voluntary Organisation from Parents & Relatives

Legal ways of Renting a Home When you rent a home you will have a Tenancy and you become ‘a Tenant’ To do this you need to sign a Tenancy Agreement This is a legal agreement between You as a Tenant and the Landlord who owns the home

Types of Tenancy agreement There are many types of tenancy agreement 1.Some mean you can stay in your home for a very long time, like an Assured Tenancy 2. Some let you stay for a shorter time, like an Assured Shorthold Tenancy 3. Some let you rent a room in someone’s home,a License agreement

The Rules The Tenant follows You agree to follow the rules of the Tenancy, 1.To make a weekly payment to live there – this is called ‘the Rent’ 2.To look after your home, keep it clean & tidy 3.To respect people living near by & not make noise 4.To report any repairs 5.To let the landlord in to do repairs 6.Agree not to damage your home

What the Landlord must do Landlord agrees to: 1.To make the home available to you to live in for the agreed time 2.To repair & look after the home 3.To respect your privacy & only visit when agreed 4.To give you regular details of the rent you have paid and let you know if you get behind

What Happens if you break the rules It can be very serious if you break the rules of your tenancy. You could even loose your home Often you will be warned if you are behind on the rent or if you break another rule

What if the Landlord breaks the rules You can make a complaint if the Landlord breaks the rules, either to:- 1.Other people that work for the Landlord or 2.To the local council, police or Trading Standards office

Responsibilities of Home Owners If you own your home you also have responsibilities To pay for your home – often pay a mortgage To keep your home in good order To get along with neighbours To let the mortgage company know if you want to rent out your home

Any Questions Any Thoughts

Playing a Game The Housing Snakes & Ladders Game

Getting a Home

Buying a Home Buy your home outright Shared Ownership or Home buy Buying a home with a mortgage

What is a Mortgage This is a way many people use to buy their Home. A mortgage is when you borrow the money to buy your home You can borrow from A bank A building society A trust or a charity Or your family

Finding a Home to Buy You can find a home to buy by…… Looking in the paper Going to an Estate Agent Looking on the internet Talking to people & friends Talking to a Housing Association if shared ownership

Help with Buying You will need help to buy your home, you can ask…. A solicitor Family & friends A Housing Association A Voluntary body like My Safe Home Your support worker Delos The Community Housing Network

Finding a Home to Rent You can find a home to Rent by…… Applying to the Council’s Housing list Looking in the paper Contacting Housing Associations & charities Going to an Estate Agents Looking on the Internet Contacting a supported housing provider

Applying to Your Local Council Every Local Council in Northamptonshire helps people find a home. They all have a Housing Register that you can apply to go on When your name comes up on the Register they may offer you a home to rent

How The Housing Register works Most Councils run a Choice Based letting System to decide whose needs are highest for a home. All available homes are listed each week and you can ‘Bid’ for the home you like. Who ever is the highest on the list against each home is offered the home

How Choiced Based Lettings works Applying to Keyways Steps:- You fill in application form to join in You are registered & then given a band depending on your level of housing need You can start bidding for up to 2 properties per week If your bid is near the top you may be asked to view the home If you like it you can sign a tenancy & move in

About Banding This is the way the Council’s decide who is in the most need of a new home. The higher the band the higher your level of need. Some Councils band A – D, where A is the highest & D the lowest If you live with your family you may be in the lowest Band - D BAND A B C D

More Information about Choice Based Lettings The Housing Network did some work with Keyways in the Spring 2011 We produced a very important report & 2 guides saying how it works These are available today for you to collect

Residential Care Larger care homes Small care homes NHS Homes & Campuses

Applying for Residential Care You can apply directly to care homes if you have your own money to pay, or You can apply to Social Services to have your needs assessed & choose a care home

Rules in a Care Home These are different to renting your own place:- You may have your own room or may share You will have to help out with home care You may not have much money left over You have your meals at set times Your rights & choices are less Someone may have to go out with all the time

Any Questions Any Thoughts Thank you – see you next time

To join the Community Housing Network contact Marion Turner on or look at our website