Ideas for searching for a home

 

Wherever possible your Council will try and help you to stay where you are living now. To learn more about how, click this link:

Private Rented Accommodation

Public or 'social' housing is usually in very short supply, and if you cannot stay where you currently live it is a good idea to look for private rented accommodation to improve your chances of moving.

 

Also, not everyone is eligible for public housing.

 

For more information about eligibility, click this link:

 

 

Where to look

  • In Lettings Agents near where you want to live

 

Click here to find some addresses and 'phone numbers:

  • On-line

 

Click here to browse some sites:

 

  • In local newspaper small ads and newsagent windows

 

  • Spread the word among family and friends to see if anyone knows of a property coming up.

 

  • Some Councils may have a list of landlords that they know and can recommend to you.

 

 

What Other Options Could I Consider?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What financial help can I get?

 

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new way of calculating Housing Benefit for tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord. It was introduced on 7 April 2008. It will apply to private sector tenants who make a new claim for benefit, and for existing customers on Housing Benefit who change address or move into private sector housing.

 

If you live in council accommodation or other social housing, LHA will not affect you. You may be able to get LHA if you are in work or out of work.

 

LHA is based on rent levels for the area in which a person lives and how many people live with them (not on the rent payable on the property you intend to rent). Payment will normally be to the tenant, who will then pay the landlord. If the LHA you are awarded exceeds the rent on any property you find, you are allowed to keep the difference. However, if there is a shortfall between the LHA you are awarded and the cost of the property you want, you will have to find the shortfall yourself.

 

You can claim LHA as soon as you have a rent agreement with your landlord. Contact your local council as early as possible to discuss your claim. If you delay you could lose benefit.

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of private renting?

Private tenants can have several different types of tenancy. Some of these give you more rights than others.

It's very important to know what kind of tenancy you have, as it can have a big impact on your rights. The vast majority of private tenants are assured shorthold tenants but it is possible that you have a different type of tenancy. It usually depends on the sort of accommodation you live in. You may not necessarily have the type of tenancy that your tenancy agreement says you have.

 

An assured shorthold tenancy is a tenancy that gives you a legal right to live in your accommodation for a period of time. Your tenancy might be for a set period such as six months (this is known as a fixed term tenancy). Or it might roll on a week-to-week or month-to-month basis (this is known as a periodic tenancy).

 

 

For more information on tenancy types and rights, click this link:

 

What about the Deposit and Rent in Advance?

Some Councils have schemes to lend you the money to pay the deposit and/or rent in advance, because this amount can be quite alot to find. If you can't afford this amount, talk to the Council.

 

When you pay a deposit to the landlord, it should now be protected by a Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme.

 

For more information on Tenancy Deposit Protection, click this link: