Home4U User Guide
Contents
1. expected to use the Home4U scheme to look for an appropriate property as your permanent home If you are unable to participate in the Home4U scheme or if you choose not to we may find and offer a property to you If you refuse this offer you may not be given another one and the Council may not assist you further You will have to leave your temporary accommodation and find your own home Page 7 Registration You are automatically amember of Home4U if Stevenage Borough Council or the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership accepts you onto its Housing Register If you do not have a local connection to Stevenage you will not qualify to join the housing register in Stevenage Unless you re over 55 and seeking sheltered housing you will no longer be eligible to join North Hertfordshire s Housing Register if you do not have a local connection To have a local connection this means e You have lived or worked as a keyworker in Stevenage continuously for the last five years or have lived in North Hertfordshire for the last twelve months e You have a permanent contract of employment in North Hertfordshire e You live permanently in a Social Services residential home in North Hertfordshire e You are a student studying away from home but normally live in Stevenage or North Hertfordshire e You normally live in North Hertfordshire but are temporarily living away from home e Receiving medical or respite care e Livi2. tel 01438 242666 textphone 01438 242150 fax 01438 242384 email lettings stevenage gov uk North Hertfordshire District Council Council Offices Gernon Road Letchworth Garden City Herts SG6 3JF tel 01462 474688 or 01462 474000 textphone 01462 474800 fax 01462 474546 www north herts gov uk www home4U org uk You can make your bids on the website at the above address Please ensure you enter your Home4U number and bids correctly North Hertfordshire Homes The Manor House 21 High Street Baldock Herts SG7 6AZ tel 01462 633397 fax 01462 633586 email lettings nhh org uk www nhh org uk Howard Cottage Housing Association Pioneer House Norton Way South Letchworth Garden City Herts SG6 1NY tel 01462 683307
3. rights Customer Interview for you This is likely to and responsibilities be within a week of your viewing The New Customer Interview will take up to At the New Customer Interview you will receive one hour You will need to bring proofs of your the keys to the property and sign your tenancy identify to the interview We will tell you at the contract viewing what proofs to bring to your New We will speak to you about how we can Customer Interview support you in your new home before Once you have received the keys to you move in your new home your Housing Application will be cancelled You can get information from the website www Home4U org uk on your bid or bids see bidding history after you have logged in or contact one of the Customer Service Centres Understanding the Feedback Reports In each edition of Home4U there will be a Location Feedback page The Feedback contains details of This gives an indication of where the property is all properties that have been let since the previous within Stevenage or North Hertfordshire We do not edition This tells you how many people bid for give the exact address because the property may each property as well as the band points level or still be occupied priority date of the successful bidder Bids Magazine Issue Date This is the total number of bids that were made for This is the publication date of the Home4U magazine the property by applicants on the Housing Register that
4. the advert appeared in Letting Information Advert Reference Number This shows the band points and priority date for the Combined with the Home4U magazine edition successful bidder number this gives a unique identity number to any We aim to re let most empty properties inside 3 advert appearing in the magazine weeks If you are a successful bidder you need E to be prepared to move quickly If you have any Property Size and Type questions about how Home4U works or about This is simply a description of the property bidding for properties please contact one of the advertised two Customer Service Centres in person or on 01438 242666 in Stevenage or 01462 474000 in North Hertfordshire Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Home4U Feedback Report Letting Information Magazine Advert Size Property location Points North Issue Date Reference Type Bands Herts oniy Priority Date 05 Jan 14 001 1 bed Flat Stevenage 100 02 Feb 14 05 Jan 14 Stevenage 02 Feb 14 STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Page 11 What Type and Size of Property can bid for In the Home4U system you can bid only for properties of a type and size that are suitable to your needs as shown below You are informed of which properties these are when your housing application is accepted or reviewed Number of Bedrooms Family Size and Composition These are reserved to those over 55 in North Hertfordshire or over 60 in Bungalows Steven
5. H Kia Do Aid yya us laa aaa HUSA AH H Wel ua Asani AA wel Waal yani Guasu sud AA lal HAD u a Mar r alsl He Wel wal gear Var wee 6 Alec Mle sla 21 01438 242242 nual 282514 01438 242555 SRY SA N 89 vod TER Ar fais asi so R IS HAT I Gua HW Tod el en Ue sot 4 sem ae ae 5 fae guitar al afar wt 81 GON fer 01438 242242 w SATT PY ar 01438 242555 R CREDIT W ga wy mH dost ats We 3 ed cy ITE ads aut ws es fhe fev GUZI Ava BUT Aad Ii Wa as Quast Sai ons eaii Here St ae foa fa wade sh Geer med Se sel 01438 242242 3 235 ad T 01438 242555 3 muses dt eas ad S ld alge odd LE er u le SS los hen wuss Al IS ul pry my 3330 ott ae S lees Sal ly Ay 4 oS oly a yley gg SV S oL y 01438 242555 jb SSL 01438 242242 g tt AS whylas Monday to Friday 8 00am 6 00pm Monday to Friday 9 00am 5 00pm LOCATA Housing Services STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Page 3 This guide is designed to assist new housing applicants to understand the Home4U scheme It is intended as a basic guide to the Home4U scheme If you would like a full copy of one of the Allocation Schemes or further assistance with understanding the Home4U scheme please either visit the Stevenage Borough Council website on www stevenage gov uk or 01438 242666 or North Hertfordshire District Council on www north herts gov uk or 01462 474000 The Home4U Scheme covers the letting of all the social housing in Stevenage and North Her
6. It is your responsibility to keep the information we hold about you up to date applications are often cancelled because people move and fail to inform us of their change of address You will need to contact Stevenage Borough Council or the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership either to update your information or to confirm the details are correct The review letter will tell you how to do this Page 9 The adverts give you information about each property available for letting We will include a photograph and floor plan if available You can bid for up to three properties in each issue of the magazine i e three per week studio flat At the end of the bid period all North Herts bids for each property are put in points order for Band A applicants then in points order for Band B applicants etc We call this our shortlist for the property If two people in the same band have the same number of points the person who has been registered the longest is put first All Stevenage bids for each property are put in Band then date in Band order If two people have the same date in Band the person who has been registered the longest is put first The Lettings Teams carry out all the necessary eligibility checks to make sure that people are entitled to bid for that size of property are eligible to be on the Housing Register We will invite the top bidders from each shortlist to view the property usually during the week
7. S wales ge BOROUGH COUNCIL Info ern North un Hertfordshire g pots P Homes North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership ala Homesl Home4U User Guide www home4U org uk Version 07 March 2015 Contents Welcome to the Home4U user guide How Home4U works p The Home4U Scheme p8 The feedback p11 Bidding p12 General Information p16 Page 2 WELCOME TO Info4U Helping you find a home in Stevenage or North Hertfordshire Do you need us to explain Home4U In Stevenage you can contact the Customer Service Centre on 01438 242666 or textphone 01438 242150 for people who are deaf or have hearing difficulties In Stevenage there is an automated document reader in the centre that reads text aloud It is free for you to use You can visit the Customer Service Centre in Danestrete Stevenage to the left of HSBC who will deal with enquiries about Home4U In North Herts the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership is made up of North Herts District Council North Hertfordshire Homes and Howard Cottage Housing Association You can contact North Hertfordshire District Council on 01462 474000 or visit the Council Offices in Gernon Road Letchworth and speak to a member of staff You can contact North Hertfordshire Homes on 01462 633397 You can contact Howard Cottage Housing Association on 01462 683307 At both centres there are computers for you to place your bids online again free of char
8. age or those with a medical need for a ground floor property Single person One bedroom Single person Couple Single person or couple with access to child children Family with two children same sex both aged under 16 Two bedroom Family with two children different sexes both aged under 10 Family with one child Two bedroom either one double and Related non couple i e brother and sister one single or two doubles Couple with independent medical recommendation for separate bedrooms Single person or couple with verified need for a live in carer Three Bedroom two doubles and one single Family with two three or four children Three bedroom one double and two singles Family with two three or four children Three bedroom three doubles Family with two three or four children Family three children where none can share a bedroom Four bedroom three doubles and one single Family four children Four bedroom three doubles and one single Family with five or more children Family with five or more children Five bedroom any combination There are a very few exceptions to these criteria If you need further information please contact Stevenage Borough Council on 01438 242666 or North Hertfordshire District Council on 01462 474000 Page 12 STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE The quickest and easiest way to bid If you made a bid but then change your is through our website mind you
9. can remove the bid as long as Instructions the bidding cycle is still open You can are given on screen but you will need to also view your bidding history once you know your unique Home4U number in have logged in order to loq on g Free internet access is available at libraries On the website there is an online copy of in Stevenage and North Herts and you can the Home4U magazine and as soon as you also bid online at the Customer Service choose a property you can place a bid Centres STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Page 13 General information Bid deadline All bids for properties must reach the Home4U office by 2pm on the closing date shown on the front of each edition of the Home4U magazine Bids received after this time will not be considered Need help bidding You can contact Stevenage Customer Service Centre on 01438 242666 or North Hertfordshire Customer Service Centre on 01462 474000 or North Hertfordshire Homes on 01462 633397 or Howard Cottage Housing Association on 01462 683307 We will be able to help and advise you on how to make your bids and talk you through the bidding process We may also be able to bid on your behalf or we can work with a friend family member or advocate to assist you or send you details of the properties you are eligible to bid for each week Partners Lettings Team Stevenage Borough Council Daneshill House Danestrete Stevenage Herts SG1 IHN
10. d after all the usual checks you are eligible we will offer you the property Step 5 Feedback In every edition of Home4U we will publish the results of the previous bidding cycles including how many people bid for each property and the band and points level of successful North Herts bidders and the band and priority date of successful Stevenage bidders Feedback In every edition of Home4U we publish the results of the previous bidding rounds including how many people have bid for each property and the band and points level of successful North Herts bidders and the band and priority date of successful Stevenage bidders You should be able to find all the information you need in this guide but if you have any questions about Home4U you can contact the Stevenage Customer Service Centre or the Lettings Team at Stevenage Borough Council on 01438 242666 or www stevenage gov uk In North Hertfordshire contact North Hertfordshire District Council on 01462 474000 or at www north herts gov uk or North Hertfordshire Homes on 01462 633397 or www nhh org uk or Howard Cottage on 01462 683307 or at www howard cottage co uk STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE e What happens if I am homeless Stevenage Borough Council and North Hertfordshire District Council support homeless applicants and can in some situations arrange emergency and or temporary accommodation If we accept a homeless duty you will be
11. e for and your unique Home4U number If there are any changes to your household accommodation or personal circumstances you must contact Stevenage Borough Council or a member of the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership and let us know You may have to complete another form and provide us with evidence It is very important that we know what has changed as it may affect the banding points or priority date you have been awarded or the type of home you can bid for We advertise available properties e weekly on the Home4U website every Thursday e On the website at www home4u org uk from every other Thursday to the following Wednesday at 2 00pm Your bids must reach Home4U by 2 00pm on the Wednesday STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE e We may also be able to send you a personalised sheet of the properties that you can bid for contact one of the Lettings Teams if you need this service We advertise ALL available properties in the Home4U magazine Reviewing your application We aim to review your application every year On or near the anniversary of the date of your application or last review you will receive a review letter from Stevenage Borough Council or North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership The letter will ask you to confirm that you remain interested in looking for accommodation through the Home4U scheme and that the details we hold about you and your household remain correct
12. ed through the scheme and most of the applicants who are successful may have to wait several years before they can place a winning bid We hope that you find the Home4U scheme easy to use but we hope too that all users of the Home4U scheme understand that there is not enough social housing in our towns to meet the demand for it Private Rented There are approximately 4 000 properties rented privately in each Local Authority Area The councils may be able to help a limited number of households with deposits through their rent deposit schemes Help to Buy Homebuy is a government led initiative to help people buy an affordable home through shared ownership Households with incomes of up to 60 000 may qualify Details of the scheme are available at www helptobuyeastandsoutheast uk or 03333 214 044 More Advice Stevenage Borough Council and North Hertfordshire District Council Housing Advice Services offer a free service so if you need help with housing or would like to discuss your housing options please contact the Housing Advice Team in Stevenage on 01438 242242 or email housing advice stevenage gov uk In North Herts contact NHDC on 01462 474682 or email services north herts gov uk Their service is free impartial and confidential STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Helping you find a new are allocated in this way so If you want to a pe re housed here you will have to take home in Steve
13. following the close of bids If you bid you should be ready to view it at Page 10 Key to advert symbols Sheltered properties have a white background Minimum and maximum number of people who can live in this property J U tU U Floor level of property if flat or maisonette u 4 Wheelchair symbol Suitable for wheelchair users for full time indoor and outdoor mobility Number of bedrooms in the property short notice If the person who was top of the shortlist refuses the property we then offer it to the next person on the list and so on If you appear at the top of more than one shortlist at the same time you will need to decide which property you prefer We will contact you to ask you We will advise you of your right to appeal against any decisions and how to exercise that right If you do appeal against any decisions Stevenage will notify you of the outcome within 20 working days and North Hertfordshire within 8 weeks In most cases we will not have completed all the repair work in the property to bring it up to the Lettable Standard by the time of the viewing The Lettable Standard describes the repair standard which empty homes must reach before we let them STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE If you like the property you have viewed and We will also explain to you the conditions of are happy to accept it we will arrange a New your tenancy contract and identify your
14. ge You can also log on to www home4u org uk where there are email enquiry forms We can make information available on request e In large print e On audio information on CD e In different languages If you have other requirements please contact us to discuss alternative ways of taking part in the Home4U scheme We will do our best to help STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Home4U is our Choice Based Lettings Scheme The scheme is for all social housing this is the name for all homes that are owned by Stevenage Borough Council North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership or by Registered Providers RP s and all properties will be let in this way Home4U gives you more choice about where you want to live In the past you may have waited on the Housing Register until the Council selected a property for you Now you can decide which properties you would like to be considered for Asking to be considered for one of the homes advertised is called bidding Later in the magazine we will show you the different ways you can bid for a property Homed4 U is available to everyone on the Housing Register including e Transfer Applicants existing tenants who would like to transfer to a new home All social housing will now be allocated in this way So if you want to be re housed you will have to take part The feedback section of the Home4U magazine will help you to understand the housing situation
15. in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire You will be able to see how many properties of each type are available how many people have applied for them and the band and points level of successful North Herts applicants and the band and priority date of successful Stevenage applicants If you decide that you may not be successful you can look at other ways to solve your housing difficulties You should be able to find all the information you need in this guide but if you have any questions about Home4U you can contact the Customer Service Centres or the Lettings team of Stevenage Borough Council or North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership Contact details are available in this guide the Home4U N magazine and also at www home4u org uk e Homeseekers new applicants who are waiting on the Housing Register OPENING HOURS Translation Facilities We can make published information available in different languages Braille and large print upon request We also have interpreting facilities for people who do not speak English Telephone 01438 242242 or Textphone 01438 242555 for information OPA WAS Sage A FACS NA VW NT KOR CAP AIA R TU f r Men 1 JRS AGRI DMI SAT GA ATRIA Monday to Friday 8 30am 5 30pm A II SLATS MATA Al DI GT NNA 01438 242242 GHIA MIR 01438 2425551 PATA LAD eK DAS AN TAT SS MR E SCA RK SAG SUR TE EH Fi RL BEATE HY VA Ay ASHE AS Vi IR VE AACE Ge EE A IN I PER AT H BCH 01438 242242 BV HRI SCAN HG 01438 242555 KK
16. nage and part You can pick up an application pack in North Hertfordshire the Customer Service Centres or call them and they will send one to you You can also download the application form from our websites www stevenage gov uk or www north herts gov uk The NHHP form can also be completed on line at this website Home4U gives you more choice about where you want to live In the past you may have waited on the Housing Register until the Council selected a property for you Now you can decide which property you would like to be considered for by bidding for it The feedback section at the back of the Home4U magazine will help you to understand the housing situation in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire see how many properties of each type are available how many people have applied for them and the band and points level of successful when a property is advertised by a different North Herts applicants and the band and landlord we will make it clear in the advert priority date of successful Stevenage applicants All Stevenage Borough Council homes and winning bidders those of the North Hertfordshire Partnership Stevenage Borough Council North Hertfordshire District Council and local Registered Social Landlords participate in the Home4U scheme More Choice Registered Providers Registered Providers in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire manage over 11 000 properties with more built or added each year These are the main Pro
17. ng in supported housing e In prison e Keeping to bail conditions e Certain or Former Member of the Armed forces e You are residing in a Stevenage Women s Aid refuge for a minimum of six months e You are a young person in the care of Herts County Council who has been placed by another Authority in residential or foster care in Stevenage continuously for the last five years Page 8 Home4U Scheme You will not have a local connection if you are living in Stevenage or North Hertfordshire temporarily for instance on holiday or receiving hospital treatment here If you need information about whether you are eligible to go on the Housing Register please contact Stevenage Borough Council Lettings Team or the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership You have the right to appeal against any decisions that we make about your housing application as long as you put the request forward within 21 days Stevenage will notify you of the outcome within 20 working days and North Hertfordshire within 8 weeks Suitability to join the Housing Register Stevenage Borough Council or North Hertfordshire will consider each new applicant s suitability to join the Housing Register This will include the following e Looking at the circumstances of the applicant and their household including a 10 year address history in Stevenage and a 5 year address history in North Hertfordshire e Checking that we have been given full cor
18. rect and up to date information If your behaviour or actions at a previous address in social housing resulted in your eviction or you are considered unsuitable to be a tenant because of unacceptable behaviour you may be excluded from joining the housing register STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Processing your application We aim to process your application within 10 days of receipt of all documents and information It is important that you keep the receipt of your application in a safe place for future reference When we receive your application form this does NOT mean you have been accepted onto the Housing Register We do not consider applications until you have supplied all the proofs If you send us or hand in an application form that is not complete we will return it to you It will NOT be considered for registration Once we have received your application and all the proofs we need we will then decide if you are able to join the Housing Register If you are able to join your application will be registered and you will be advised of your priority Once we have assessed your completed application and we have included you on the Housing Register we will write to you and tell you your registration date which band you are in and how many points you have for North Herts applicants and the band and priority date for Stevenage applicants We will also tell you the size of property you are eligibl
19. tfordshire Social Housing is the name for all the homes that are owned by Stevenage Borough Council North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership or by Registered Providers RP s Registered Providers are mostly housing associations although there are some other specialist RP s in the towns There is a very high demand in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire for social housing At the start of 2014 there were approximately 7 500 applicants on the housing registers and we are predicting approximately 900 new or empty nomes each year The demand for social housing is already much greater than the supply of new or empty homes and it is growing very quickly as the number of new applicants who join the Home4U scheme each year is double the number who are housed through the scheme Although in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire the costs of buying a home or renting a home or renting a room are high we recommend to all applicants on the Home4U scheme that you should explore all your other housing options as well as joining this scheme Page 4 Existing tenants in social housing should explore mutual exchanges i e swapping nomes with each other as it is often easier quicker and cheaper to find a suitable home this way and in many cases the rules for exchange may allow people to gain or to keep spare rooms which the Home4U scheme does not allow Most of the applicants on the Home4U scheme will probably not be housed or re hous
20. viders in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire and the approximate number of properties they manage Number of Number of general Registered Providers in Stevenage and Properties in needs properties in North Hertfordshire Stevenage North Hertfordshire amisso JRR rslosoutn ngla S EEE I Suinness son TA E S Ce 7 En EEE housigar E SE Eee Borough Counc f S weten Garden ciy Housing Association je Je Hanover has sheltered properties in Baldock Registered Providers advertise their new or empty homes through the Home4U scheme STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Page 5 With Home4U you look for your own home There are five steps for you to follow in choosing your new home There are more details on each section later in the guide Step 1 Membership You are automatically a member of Home4U if you are accepted onto the Housing Register Step 2 Registration Once you have applied and been accepted onto the Register you will be registered on the Home4U scheme and allocated a unique Home4U number Step 3 Choosing amp Bidding You can see the available properties on the Home4U website If you find a property you would like to move to then as long as you are eligible you can bid for it Page 6 STEVENAGE amp NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HOME4U SCHEME USER GUIDE Step 4 Offers If your bid is at the top of the list we will invite you to view the property If you like it an
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