Community

Joint Housing Register

Housing Needs Team
Tel: 01276 707127
housing@surreyheath.gov.uk

Or if you are an Accent Peerless tenant by calling the Customer Advisory Team on 01276 852900.

What is the Joint Housing Register?
The Joint Housing Register is the way that all moves into housing association homes are managed, including where the move is a transfer from one housing association home to another.

To be considered for a move you need to apply to the Joint Housing Register. When you apply your application is assessed in accordance with the Joint Allocation Policy. The Policy tells us who gets priority and how we give that priority.

Does everybody qualify to go on the Joint Housing Register?
The Joint Housing Register is open to everyone who is over 18 except:

Certain people from abroad; and,
People found guilty of anti-social behaviour that is serious enough to make them unsuitable to be a tenant.
16 and 17 year olds can join the Joint Housing Register in certain circumstances.

Who gets priority on the Joint Housing Register?
Priority is given to:

People who are overcrowded or live in poor accommodation
People who are homeless
People who need to move for a medical reason
The way people are given priority is a mixture of Government requirement, local policy and the feedback we have had from customers about who they think should be a priority.

To ensure that we have a way of treating everyone in a consistent way while recognising their individual circumstances we have a points system. Everyone who applies for housing is given points based on their circumstances.

Points are given for:

the facilities that you have, or lack;
how secure your home is;
any disrepair in your current home;
any medical or other factors that make your current home unsuitable, or mean that you would be better off in alternative accommodation.

We also give points if you have a connection with Surrey Heath through living, working or having family here and we give priority to Housing Association tenants in the area who need to move.

What points are given?

Points for your current home:

Toilet	None	20 Points
	Outside Toilet	15 Points
	Shared	10 Points
Bath or Shower	None	20 Points
	Shared	10 Points
Living Room	None	20 Points
	Shared	10 Points
Kitchen	None	20 Points
	Shared	10 Points
Mains Water	None	20 Points
Electricity	None	20 Points
Heating	None	20 Points
	Other	5, 10 or 20 Points
Hot Water	None to bathroom	10 Points
	Non to Kitchen	10 Points
Bedrooms	Each person without a bedroom	20 Points
Garden	No garden access for children under 16	10 Points for each floor above ground level

We can also give points if your home is in poor repair although we will see if there is a way to improve your home first rather than move you.

Points for your security:

If you have a license e.g. you live with family, a resident landlord or your employer or you are a tenant or owner with notice or a possession order - 30 points
If you have a tenancy in the private sector or have a tenancy tied to your job - 15 points
Housing Association tenants, Council tenants and owners - 0 points

We also have separate points for families who are homeless, those people who have no fixed accommodation and travellers.

Other points:

Medical points - awarded following an appointment with the Medical Advisor who will look at the evidence linking your health with your housing (0 - 80 points)
People who need to move to the area to give or receive care and support (10 points)
People who need to move to the area to take up the offer of a job (10 points)
People with a local connection: this is people who have lived in the borough for 6 out of 12 months, or three out of 5 years (this does not include Service housing, supported housing placements, or homeless accommodation arranged by another Council); people with employment of over 20 hours in the borough; and those who have close family who have live in the borough and have been here for over 5 years (Close family is father, mother, brother, sister or adult children). (80 points)
Housing Association tenants in Surrey Heath, points for each bedroom being given up by moving (20 points)
Families who have to live separately because they have no accommodation together (20 points)

Can I choose where I want to live?
Yes, you can choose the area where you want to live but not the road. We will only offer you housing in an area that you have said you want to move to.

However, the fewer areas you choose the fewer homes you are being considered for. It is important that you take this into consideration when you are choosing your areas.

For example: you are down for a three-bedroom property and you only want to be considered for Bisley. There are only 15 3-bedroom housing association homes in Bisley and even if you have a high priority you still have to wait for one to become vacant. On the Old Dean, however, there are 388 3 bedroom homes, and in Camberley 402. Because of this more people get re-housed into 3 bedroom properties in Camberley and Old Dean.

Can I choose the type of property I want to live in?
Yes, you can tell us what type of property you would like, e.g. house/flat/bedsit, but not the size of the property you would like to be considered for.

We would not give a single person a three-bedroom home and equally would not offer a family with 2 children a bedsit. From your details we will tell you what size property you will be considered for.

You can then choose what type of property you would like. However, as with areas, the type of property you choose may affect the opportunity that you have for being offered a home.

For example if you are being considered for a one-bedroom home and you want a house you will have a long wait. Of the 663 one-bedroom homes in Surrey Heath only 12 are houses.

Also when it comes to 2 bedroom homes there are 855 in the Borough but only 268 are houses.

These are examples of the size of properties we consider families for:

Bed sitting room - Single person
1 bedroom property - Single person or couple (including same sex couples)
2 bedroom property - Single parent/couple and 1 child , or 2 children of same sex under the age of 10, or 2 children of different sex under the age of 5
3 bedroom property - Single parent/couple and two children of different sex over the age of 5, or two children over the age of 10, or 3 or 4 children
4 bedroom property - Single parent/couple and three children over 10, or 4 or more children

Sheltered Housing Schemes at Ballard Court, Cranmore Court, Derek Horn Court, Orchard Court, Heathermead Court, Windsor Court, Meade Court, Bowling Green Court, and Pollard Grove are for people over 60 years of age. Housing Associations also have some other schemes that are specifically for older people and those with special needs.

How do you choose who goes to a housing association home?
When a property becomes available the housing association will look at who has the most priority on the Joint Housing Register.

The person that is put forward will usually be the one:

Who is entitled to the size of property;
Who has the most points for the area that the home is in; and,
Who wants the type of property that is available.
If there are two people who have the same points the property will go to the person who has the earliest 'active date', which is usually the person who applied first.

This is the person who will be offered the home. If they say they do not want it for some reason it will be offered to the next person on the Register.

We will not usually offer a home to someone who has current or former rent arrears with the Council or other housing provider, or has breached their tenancy because of anti-social behaviour.

A small number of people will be housed without having to go through the Joint Housing Register. These are people who need specialist housing, or need to move for a special reason like receiving support, moving from supported housing or fleeing violence and needing protection.

How many offers will I get?
You will have three offers of accommodation on the Joint Housing Register.

If you refuse 3 reasonable offers you will not be suspended and you will not loose your points. However your active date will be changed to the date of the last offer. This means that you will loose the priority you have for the time you have been waiting on the Joint Housing Register.

I want to move because of neighbour problems
When we asked people why they wanted to move many said it was because of their neighbours. However, if we give you priority for this reason all it means is that you move and somebody else gets a bad neighbour.

If you are having problems with a neighbour and you are a housing association tenant this matter will be dealt with by your landlord - it will not give you a priority to move. Your Housing Officer will give you advice on what action can be taken, on how disputes can be resolved and, where there is serious anti-social behaviour, how the Police and the Council can assist you.

Want to know more?
Contact the Housing Needs Team at Surrey Heath Borough Council on 01276 707127, or if you are a Accent Peerless tenant by calling the Customer Advisory Team on 01276 852900.

We welcome genuine enquiries to check your circumstances and update us on any changes. However, contacting staff on a weekly or monthly basis does not give you any additional priority - you can be assured that when we are in a position to offer you a home we will contact you.

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness the Register may not provide you with an offer of housing and you should contact the Housing Needs Team to discuss your options.