In Addition, The Local Lettings Plan For Lancaster City Council Independent Living Accommodation Means Applicants Will Need To Meet The Following Criteria:

 

• The applicant or their partner will need to be aged over 60 and be able to demonstrate that they would benefit from the key aspects of Independent Living accommodation. They will need to complete an additional application form with the Independent Living Officer, which will assess their need and suitability for the service.
• If a member of the household has a history of anti-social behaviour or unspent convictions, then they may be rejected if there is concern that their activities will affect other residents in the scheme.
• If a member of the household has support needs, they will only be accepted with a recognised support package and they will need a history of previous positive engagement. The applicant will have to agree to a minimum of two contacts per week with the Independent Living officer.
• Applicants will need to be able to live independently and not have a requirement for specialist health services, personal or nursing care which cannot be met in a community-based setting.

 

There Are Two Types Of Independent Living Properties – Category 1 And Category 2:

• Category 1 are flats and bungalows within a scheme that are not situated within one large block of flats. There may be communal facilities such as a laundrette and communal lounge, but this varies per scheme. Pets are permitted if you have your own front door.
• Category 2 are flats within a larger block where there is a communal front door, and your own front door opens onto a corridor within the scheme. These all have communal lounges and launderettes as there is not enough room in your flat for a washing machine. Pets are not permitted. Residents will need to be able to leave the building via the main communal front door in the event of a fire without using the lift. Therefore, if they are not able to get down the stairs in an emergency, they will not meet the qualification criteria for an above ground floor flat. Mobility scooters need to be kept inside flats (if there is no scooter storage at the scheme).

 

If you are an owner-occupier or are classed as one, as you have sold or signed over your property in the previous five years or have over £30,000 in savings, you will only qualify for category 2 Independent Living flats. The system will let these applicants bid on other properties, but they will be skipped on any shortlist.

For Beck View and other schemes where we have lower demand for properties, we will reduce the age to 55.

To Qualify For A Bungalow The Applicant Will Need To Meet One Of The Following Criteria:

• The applicant or one of the joint applicants will need to be aged 55 or over. An applicant’s partner does not need to meet the age requirement but may not have a joint tenancy.
• The applicant or one of the joint applicants has been sanctioned a bungalow on medical grounds by the medical officer.

 

In Addition, No Member Of The Household Should Be Aged Under 30. The Only Exception To This Will Be Where:

• An applicant or a member of their household is a full-time indoor wheelchair user, confirmed by a medical practitioner or occupational health therapist, regardless of age.

Priority for two-bedroom houses will be given to applicants with children aged under 16 included on their application.

This is because within the social housing stock in the Lancaster district, there is a larger supply of two-bedroom flats that are better suited for applicants with no younger children in their household.

Applicants without children who need two-bedrooms, will be able to bid on two-bedroom houses but those with children aged under 16 will take priority.

Realistically, this means that if applicants do not have any children aged under 16 included on their application, they will not be successful in bidding on a two-bedroom house.

Applicants who require a property with adaptations or a fully adapted property will need to provide an up-to-date Occupational Therapy assessment, which details what adaptations they or their family member needs.

Applications are updated with details of the adaptations recommended by the Occupational Therapist. This means that if a property is advertised with these adaptations, e.g., wet room, then then applicants requiring the adaptations will take priority over applicants who do not require the adaptations that the property has.

If a property is advertised with adaptations, e.g., a wet room, but no-one who requires them bids on the property, then we will just offer it to the first applicant on the shortlist.

The Occupational Therapy assessment will also be assessed by our District Medical Officer for any medical priority for rehousing and the application will be updated to reflect any priority awarded.

Properties that are highly adapted will usually be offered to a household with matching needs. These properties may be assessed by an Occupational Therapist, who will assess their suitability before a formal offer is made. We will not normally advertise these properties, unless we have no applicants who require those adaptations, or they do but not wish to move to the area where the property is. We will not normally let highly adapted properties to applicants who do not require them.

Applicants who require adaptations can bid on properties that are not adapted. However, we would normally arrange for them to be assessed by their Occupational Therapist and our Technical Officer to see if they can be adapted to meet their needs.  The Technical Officer can also advise on timescales. The applicant would normally be expected to move into the property and wait for the adaptations to be undertaken.

There are occasions when we would make direct offers of properties that are not adapted to families who require ground floor bedroom and washing facilities. This is usually when they have a very high need for rehousing, and we have a limited supply of properties that are suitable to be adapted for their needs.

Bedroom Requirements Are Based On Assumptions That A Bedroom Is Suitable For:

• An adult couple
• Any other person aged 16 or over
• Two children of the same sex aged under 16
• Two children, regardless of sex, aged under 10
• Any other child
• A disabled child or adult who needs their own bedroom on medical grounds
• A carer, or team of carers, who has a home elsewhere, who uses a bedroom on a regular basis to stay overnight because an adult member of the household requires overnight care

 

We Do Not Make Exceptions. This Means That:

• If an applicant shares care of their own child, the child will only be taken into account of calculating the property size needed for the designated “main carer” – if care is shared exactly equally, the main carer will be the parent that receives the child benefit
• Applicants whose children visit but are not part of the household, are not assessed as needing an extra bedroom
• Applicants living together as a couple, who currently sleep in separate bedrooms for personal reasons, will only be allocated one bedroom. If there is a medical need for a separate bedroom this will be authorised by our medical officer. If an additional bedroom is sanctioned under medical grounds, an affordability assessment may be required.

 

Requiring An Additional Bedroom On Medical Grounds

If a separate bedroom is required for a disabled child, disabled adult, or a carer, they will need to provide supporting medical documentation regarding this, including any PIP/DLA award letters.

This will be submitted to our medical officer, and they will assess as to whether this is required on medical grounds. The applicant may be required to undertake an affordability assessment before proceeding with the offer.

To Qualify For A Rural Property, The Applicant Must Have A Rural Connection. This Means That They Must Fulfil One Of The Following Criteria:

• Lived in that village for at least six out of the past twelve months or three out of the past 5 years
• Previously lived in that village for at least 5 years
• Has permanent employment in a village and has worked in the village for the previous 6 months
• Has close family who live in the village and have done so for the previous six months. Close family includes parents, adult children, and adult siblings.

 

Additional rural connection priority is given to applicants within bands but not between bands. This means that if we advertise a property to a given band, for example Band C, an applicant in Band C with a rural connection, will be given priority over an applicant in Band C with no rural connection. If an applicant in Band D bids who has a rural connection, they will not be given priority over an applicant in Band C without a rural connection.

Under the Planning Act some developments are subject to Section 106. This requires those properties to be let to customers with a local connection, which can be more demanding than the rural connection Lancaster City Council applies. Where this applies, only those applicants meeting the requirement of the Section 106 will be eligible for an offer of property. The advert will state if this applies to the property and provide details of the connection required.

For an applicant to have a rural connection, they will need to provide documentary evidence of this.

If there is limited or no social housing in the village to which an applicant has a rural connection, a rural connection will be given to the next surrounding village(s).

If an applicant does not have a local connection to the Lancaster district, then they will not qualify to join the Housing Register. This will apply to all applicants on the housing register and may mean that existing applicants on the housing register will no longer qualify to remain on the housing register.

 

A Local Connection Means That One Or More Of The Following Statements Applies To The Applicant:

• Lived continuously in the Lancaster district for the previous three years.
• You have previously lived in the Lancaster district for a minimum of 15 consecutive years. If this is the only local connection criterion that applies, then the applicant will be placed in Band E, regardless of whether any other factors in a higher band apply.
• Residence in a hospital, prison, residential school, student accommodation (where it is not their principal home), approved premises, residential rehabilitation facilities, supported accommodation and recovery housing does not gain a local connection.
• Worked or provided a community contribution in the Lancaster district for the previous three years
• Is serving in the Regular Armed Forces or has served in the previous five years.
• Is a bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces and is having to leave Services Family Accommodation.
• Was previously living in Services Family Accommodation but is having to leave due to relationship breakdown with a member of the Armed Forces
• Is an existing or former member of the reserve forces who are suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability which is wholly or partly attributable to their service.
• Is an adult child of service personnel who are no longer able to remain in the family home due to the impact of their family moving from base-to-base.
• Is a social housing tenant in another Local Authority area who is needing to move to the Lancaster district to take up employment or apprenticeship opportunity within the district.
• Is a social housing tenant who has a need to move to the Lancaster district to avoid hardship.
• Close family (i.e., mother, father, adult sibling, or adult child), who currently live in the Lancaster district and have done so for the previous five years. If this is the only local connection criterion that applies, then the applicant will be placed in Band E, regardless of whether any other factors in a higher band apply.
• They have a continuing caring responsibility for someone who is resident in the Lancaster district, and that this care could not be provided unless they were resident in the district.
• They have moved to the Lancaster district to escape violence or harm.
• They are a victim of domestic abuse who has fled to the Lancaster district.
• Applicants from the travelling community who do not have a local connection to another local authority area.
• Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status or other form of leave (Exceptional leave to remain, humanitarian protection and discretionary leave) and were living in Home Office accommodation in the Lancaster district at the time their asylum claim was determined.
• They are a care leaver who has been looked after by Lancashire County Council and after care duties still apply under s23C of the Children Act 1989.
• They are a care leaver aged under 21 who reside in the Lancaster district and have done so for at least 2 years, including some time before they turned 16.
• They need to be near special medical or support services which are only available in the Lancaster district.

The only exception to this will be applicants who wish to move into and meet the criteria for Independent Retirement Living (flat accommodation only), where they will be placed in Band E and will only be able to bid on this type of accommodation.

If a Lancaster City Council tenant or other social housing tenant has rent arrears or any related housing debt (court costs, recharges, service charges, former tenant arrears), then their application will be deferred until these arrears or housing related debt is cleared.

The only exception to this would be if there is an exceptional or emergency need to move, and their landlord agrees to their tenant moving with outstanding rent arrears and/or other housing related debt.

If a Lancaster City Council tenant or other social housing tenant has rent arrears, which relate to them being unable to pay the rent due to under-occupying the property, then their application will not be automatically deferred.

If the arrears are under £500 and the applicant has been taking all possible steps to address them and their Landlord supports this, then they will be permitted to have an active application.

If an applicant has a current tenancy or previous tenancy (within five years) with a private landlord and has rent arrears of more than eight weeks or have consistently not paid a shortfall for an eight-week period, then they may not qualify to join the housing register.

 

Example One:

Applicant rents a house from a private landlord and the rent is £750 a month, they have missed some payments and some months not been able to pay the full rent. They do not qualify for housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. If the amount they owe is more than eight weeks, you can work this out by multiplying the monthly rent x 12, divide by 52 and then multiply by 8).  In this example, this would be ((£750x12)/52*8) which is £1384.62. If the amount they owe is more than this amount, then they may not qualify. If the rent owed is less than this, then they will qualify.

 

Example Two:

Applicant rented a flat from a private landlord two years ago. The rent was £600 per month and their housing benefit allowance was £500 a month, which was paid direct to the landlord. Therefore, they had a monthly £100 shortfall that they needed to pay. They had never paid this for the length of the six-month tenancy, therefore they owed £600. As the weekly shortfall was £23.08, eight-weeks of the shortfall would be £184.62. As they owed £600 this is more than £184.62 so they may not qualify.

 

Before a decision is made as to whether they qualify under these criteria, applicants will be sent/emailed a letter to advised them that they may not qualify and to provide further information in relation to this. This will include details of the rent due, payments made, income and benefits received and details of any mitigating circumstances. Applicants will be given eight weeks to provide this information and it is their responsibility to provide this, we will not request information from landlords/benefits etc.

If an applicant can demonstrate that they were not able to pay their rent due to their income changing (e.g. loss of a job, illness) and have been making all efforts to pay the rent or pay what they can afford (including all housing related benefits to the landlord), then we would normally allow them to have an active application. We would ensure that they are working with the CAB to ensure their income is maximised and encourage to apply for a DHP etc to try and resolve the debt whilst they are bidding on properties.

Once we have the information, we will write to the applicant to advise them of the outcome of our decision. If we decide that they do not qualify, the letter will advise them of their rights to request a review and what they need to do to enable them to qualify in the future.

We would usually advice that to qualify to join the housing register, applicants will need to demonstrate that they have set up a repayment schedule, which has been agreed with their current or previous landlord and kept to this for a twelve-month period, unless a shorter time period is deemed suitable. Prior to any offer being made, further checks will be made to ascertain that the repayment schedule has been adhered to.

One of our qualification criteria relates to Unsuitable Behaviour and any unspent convictions an applicant or member of their household has, that may affect their suitability to become a social housing tenant.

What are Unspent Convictions?

Many people are not sure what unspent convictions are and think that if they or their family member have served their prison sentence, paid their fine or completed their probation that they are spent convictions, but this is not necessarily the case.

We can only provide general advice regarding the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, if an applicant is in doubt, they should seek their own legal advice. This government website enables someone to check if their conviction or caution is spent.

If you need to tell someone about your criminal record, find out here.

We can only take into account unspent convictions, once a conviction has been spent, the applicant no longer needs to declare this, and it cannot be taken into account in line with the relevant legislation.

If an adult or child has a custodial sentence of over 4 years or a public protection sentence, this will never be spent and will need to be declared.

If an applicant has listed a Probation Officer on their application or one of their addresses is a prison in the previous five years, then it is likely that they have an unspent conviction. If they have declared this information or have indicated that they or a member of their family have an unspent conviction, then we will send them a Housing Registration Declaration form when processing their application.

When we receive details of the unspent convictions via the completed form, we will consider the impact they would have on the local community, if they were committed when they were a social housing tenant. If we feel it would have a negative impact on the community or there would be a risk to the local community, staff or our property, then we will send a letter advising that they may not qualify. This letter details that they have eight weeks to provide details of mitigating circumstances, reasons why they should qualify and/or supporting information from other agencies e.g. Probation Services. If they are unable to provide this within 8 weeks, we will extend this period of time.

Once we have this information, we will make a decision and write out to the applicant to inform them of the outcome. We may request further information from Probation Services relating to risk or an up-to-date housing reference, if this has not been provided before making a final decision. We may allow them to join the housing register but put a caveat on, e.g. own entrance property only or non-Independent Living properties. This information would be in the letter we send.

If a decision is taken that they do noy qualify to join, the letter will advise them of their rights to request a review and advise them of what they could do in the future to enable them to meet our qualification criteria.

If an applicant or a member of their household have behaved in a way that would make them unsuitable to become a social housing tenant, then they will not qualify to join.

 

Examples Of Unsuitable Applicant Behaviour Include:

• Applicants whose own actions, or actions of a member of their household, have led to a previous landlord taking action against their tenancy.
• Applicants or members of their household, who have damaged or neglected a current or previous property.
• Applicants or members of their household, who have committed domestic abuse.
• Applicants or members of their household, who have used a former or current home(s) for immoral or illegal purposes.
• Applicants or members of their household, who have caused nuisance, alarm, distress or annoyance to their neighbours or local community.

 

Applicants who have declared on their application that they meet one of the above criteria or where we are made aware that there have been issues from the landlord, police or other agencies, we will write and advise them that they may not qualify to join the housing register.

The letter will give them eight-weeks to provide further evidence in support of their application, details of any mitigating circumstances and reasons why they should qualify to join the housing register.

We will assess the information and make a decision. We will write to the applicant to advise them of the outcome. If they do not qualify, they will be advised how they can request a review of the decision and what they need to do in the future to meet our qualification criteria.

Applications are assessed to determine the size of property a household needs. A household is defined as any other person who normally residence with the applicant as a member of their family or any other person who might reasonably be expected to reside with them.

A household is defined as “any other person who normally resides with the applicants as a member of his/her family or any other person who might reasonably be expected to reside with the applicant.” (Housing Act 1996).

If we receive a request to add a person to an application, we will usually require documentary evidence to confirm that they are or could reasonably be expected to be a permanent member of that household. We would normally expect that they have resided with the applicant for a minimum 12-month period to be an established household unless there are reasons why a shorter timeframe should be considered.

If an applicant wishes to include a child on their application, that they do not have parental responsibility for, they will need to provide documentation which demonstrates that the child is expected to reside with them on a permanent basis e.g., residency order, special guardianship order. We may contact Social Services to verify any information provided.

A person can only be included on one application. You cannot be included as a member of a household on more than one application.

 

Bedroom Requirements Are Based On Assumptions That A Bedroom Is Suitable For:

• Each adult couple
• Any other person aged 16 or over
• Two children of the same sex aged under 16
• Two children, regardless of sex, aged under 10
• Any other child
• A disabled child or adult who needs their own bedroom on medical grounds
• A carer, or team of carers, who has a home elsewhere, who uses a bedroom on a regular basis to stay overnight because an adult member of the household requires overnight care

If an applicant has children in the Armed Forces but continue to live with their parents when they are not away on operation, they can be included when assessing the size of property required. A letter from the adult child’s chain of command will need to confirm this.

If an applicant is an approved foster carer or has a child placed with them prior to adoption, then we can include them on their household. This will not increase their property size by more than one bedroom, regardless of how many children they foster. The applicant will need to provide documentary confirmation of this.

 

Pregnancy And Bedroom Allocations

If an applicant has been assessed as requiring a one-bedroom property and they are pregnant, we will amend their application so they can bid on two-bedroom properties from 12 weeks prior to their due date. This will be subject to an affordability assessment.

If an applicant has already been assessed as requiring a two-bedroom (or larger) property and they are pregnant, we will not amend their application so they can bid on larger properties, until the children are born and birth certificates and proof of address have been provided for them.

 

Permitted Numbers

Properties have permitted numbers that cannot be exceeded. Therefore, there may be properties that meet the number of bedrooms an applicant requires but they may exceed the permitted number for. Adverts will state where there are permitted numbers for a property, these are usually smaller family properties. e.g., a two-bedroom house that has a permitted number of 3.

We aim to make the best use of the social housing stock in the Lancaster district. Some of our three- and four-bedroom houses have additional living rooms, that can be utilised as a bedroom, effectively making them a four- or five-bedroom house. When these properties are advertised, applicants who require the extra room to be used as a bedroom, will be eligible to bid for them. These applicants are given priority within each band over those who do not require the extra room.

The most common local connection is from living in the district, previously living in the district or have family living in the district.

• Lived continuously in the Lancaster district for the previous three years

DO NOT ADVISE APPLICANTS TO CONTACT THEIR GP FOR PROOF OF RESIDENCY

If an applicant has been liable for Council Tax at a property in the district, they could ask Council Tax to email Ideal Choice Homes at challocations@lancaster.gov.uk to verify that they have lived in the district for the previous three years.

If an applicant is under 21 and have not had their own tenancy or any utility bills, they could ask their previous school or college in the district to confirm their attendance or they can provide official letters that have their name and details on, e.g. medical letters their parents may have received on their behalf.

• Worked or provided a community contribution in the Lancaster district for the previous three years
  • If an applicant as worked in the district for three years, they could provide proof of employment covering this period, e.g. payslips or letter from employer confirming this. If you are self-employed, you could provide your tax returns for the previous three years.
• Previously lived in the Lancaster district for a minimum of 15 consecutive years. If this is the only local connection criterion that applies, then the applicant will be placed in Band E, regardless of whether any other factors in a higher band apply.
  • If an applicant has been liable for Council Tax at a property in the district, they could ask Council Tax to email Ideal Choice Homes at challocations@lancaster.gov.uk to verify that they have lived in the district for the 15 year period, otherwise they will need to provide other evidence, e.g. utility bills.
• Close family (i.e. mother, father, adult sibling or adult child), who currently live in the Lancaster district and have done so for the previous five years. If this is the only local connection criterion that applies, then the applicant will be placed in Band E, regardless of whether any other factors in a higher band apply.
  • If an applicant has family who live in the district and have done so for the previous five years, the relatives will need to provide a letter confirming their relationship to you and official documentation, e.g. utility bill or council tax bill to cover the previous five years.
• Moved to the Lancaster district to escape violence or harm
  • This would be supported by the Police/Social Service or another agency
• Victims of domestic abuse who has fled to the Lancaster district
  • We do not insist on documentation for this as not all victims of domestic abuse work with statutory agencies. We would usually ask if they have contacted/worked with Police/Social Services/Domestic Abuse Support Agency and they will usually confirm.

 

General Information About Residency In The District:

Residence in a hospital, prison, residential school, student accommodation (where it is not their principal home), approved premises, residential rehabilitation facilities, supported accommodation and recovery housing does not gain a local connection.

In addition, a holiday caravan does not provide a local connection to the Lancaster district. If you do not pay council tax at a caravan site, it is a holiday site and not a permanent site. There are some applicants who live on a holiday site though and we will request additional documentation, including details of their permanent address that they provide to the holiday site.

We will not contact Council Tax to request proof of residency for an applicant’s family member. The family member needs to contact them.

 

Local Connections Criteria For Members Of The Armed Forces :

• Is serving in the Regular Armed Forces or has served in the previous five years.
• Is a bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces and is having to leave Services Family Accommodation.
• Was previously living in Services Family Accommodation but is having to leave due to relationship breakdown with a member of the Armed Forces
• Is an existing or former member of the reserve forces who are suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability which is wholly or partly attributable to their service.
• Is an adult child of service personnel who are no longer able to remain in the family home due to the impact of their family moving from base-to-base.
  • The applicant will have proof of this and if they don’t, they can contact the Armed Forces/SSAFA who will assist.

 

Local Connections For Care Leavers Are:

• They are a care leaver who has been looked after by Lancashire County Council and after care duties still apply under s23C of the Children Act 1989.
  • Social Worker/PA can provide confirmation of this.
• They are a care leaver aged under 21 who reside in the Lancaster district and have done so for at least 2 years, including some time before they turned 16.
  • Social Worker/PA can provide confirmation of this.

 

Other Local Connection Criteria:

• Is a social housing tenant in another Local Authority area who is needing to move to the Lancaster district to take up employment or apprenticeship opportunity within the district.
  • They will need to provide proof of employment/apprenticeship offer

• Is a social housing tenant who has a need to move to the Lancaster district to avoid hardship
  • They will need to provide evidence of this – could be many reasons but will need to include some financial evidence of hardship

• They have a continuing caring responsibility for someone who is resident in the Lancaster district, and that this care could not be provided unless they were resident in the district.
  • This will need to be demonstrated by medical/social services documentation

• Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status or other form of leave (Exceptional leave to remain, humanitarian protection and discretionary leave) and were living in Home Office accommodation in the Lancaster district at the time their asylum claim was determined.
  • The letter they receive when they are awarded this, will have the address of the accommodation where they were living at the time, they can provide a copy of this.

• They need to be near special medical or support services which are only available in the Lancaster district.
  • This will need to be demonstrated by medical/social services documentation

• Applicants from the travelling community who do not have a local connection to another local authority area

Proof of Pregnancy:

• Details of Expected Due Date (EDD)
• Copy of the MATB1 form
• Once the baby is born, please submit a copy of their birth certificate along with a copy of the Child Benefit award letter

 

Proof Of Employment:

• Recent payslip that shows you work within the district and the number of hours worked. If this does not show where you work, please provide other documentation to confirm this, e.g., letter from employer, contract of employment.
• If you are on a flexible hours contract, please provide three months’ payslips so we can calculate the average number of hours worked, or
• Self-employment contract, stating your employment location, start date and, tax return for the previous year

 

Proof Of Ownership, Past And Present, Or A Property (If Applicable):

• Mortgage statement
• Two recent property valuations
• Sale completion certificate and proceeds of sale

 

Proof Of Medical Conditions:

• PIP/DLA award letter
• Letter from your GP/Consultant or any other medical professional who wish to support your housing application. If there is a charge for this, Ideal Choice Homes will not be able to pay or reimburse you for this. You do not need to provide a letter as you can update the medical information on your application form.
• OT reports if you require any adaptations e.g., wet room

 

Proof Of Connection To Rural Parish/Market Town of Carnforth

 

If Your Connection Is Via Residency, Please Provide:

• Proof you have lived in the parish/market town for at least six out of the past twelve months or three out of the past five years
• Previous residence in the parish/market town for a five-year period
• If your connection is via family residency, please provide
• Proof that you have close family (parents, adult children, adult siblings) that live in the parish/market town and have done so for the previous six months. Please ask them to provide a letter confirming their relationship to you and official documentation, e.g. utility bill or council tax bill to cover the previous six months

 

If Your Connection Is Via Employment, Please Provide:

• Proof that you have permanent employment in that parish/market town and have worked there for the previous six months, e.g. a copy of your contract with your employment start date, full name and base of work, payslips throughout the six-month period and your latest payslip to confirm that you are still in employment there.