Lettings Policy
When you are allocated a property you enter into a legal
contract with the Council - this is called the Tenancy
Agreement.
If you are offered a property:
- checks will be made to ensure that your circumstances
haven't changed e.g. that no rent or other debt is owed;
- you will have an opportunity to view the property and
decide whether you want to accept it. If you refuse two offers
which meet your stated choices, your application will be placed on
a deferred list for 12 months, during which time no further
offers will be made. You will be asked for your reasons for
refusing the properties and we will check whether you want to
reconsider your options;
- you are expected to make a written decision as soon
as possible, and no later than five days after the offer of
tenancy.
- once the start date of the tenancy has been
confirmed, occupation must be taken within four weeks by all
persons who initially applied. Failure to do so will result in
legal action being raised to recover the property.
You are expected to occupy your house as your main and
permanent home. If you need to go away from your home for a long
period please let us know. If you are not living at your home and
you have not informed us the Council may begin legal action to
evict you.
From April 2011 anyone wanting to rent social housing
in Cumbria will be able to apply to the one scheme for housing in
any part of the county. You will also be able to apply to the
scheme by visiting the Cumbria Choice website where you will be
able to view and search by area all the properties available for
renting in the county. It will be just like visiting an on-line
estate agent.
The website will be available in April 2011 – http://www.cumbriachoice.org.uk/
There is a lot happening between now and April 2011. All those
people currently on housing waiting lists with: Accent Housing,
Barrow Borough Council, Derwent & Solway, Eden Housing, Home
Group, Impact Housing, Riverside, Two Castles and South Lakes
Housing will be sent a new housing application form which they will
need to complete so they are transferred onto the new housing
register with their original date of registration. All existing
applications will be cancelled.
Cumbria
Choice newsletter - October 2010|
Cumbria choice Newsletter
- June 2010
Working Together
The 6 District Authorities and 8 Housing Organisations are
working together to develop a new way of letting their properties
which will give more choice to local people needing social rented
housing.
The 8 housing organisations are; Accent Housing; Derwent &
Solway; Eden Housing; Home; Impact Housing; Riverside; Two Castles,
South Lakes Housing Arms Length Management Organisation.
One Application Form
At present most properties in the County are allocated to those
on housing registers using a points-based system. The customer has
to register with each housing organisation and then wait to be made
an offer. Under choice based lettings, landlords will
advertise their properties through the scheme and customers will
then choose which homes they are interested in applying for.
Where point based schemes are used they will be replaced with a
banding system. Customers will only need to complete one
application form to register on the Cumbria Scheme and will be able
to look at all properties in the County. Local connection to an
area will still be given priority but 10% of properties will be
made available to people across Cumbria.
The comments received during the consultation period were taken
into account when finalising the Cumbria Choice based lettings
allocation policy.
Housing
application form |
Medical Form |
If you require the policy in another format or language, please
contact South Lakes Housing
FAQs
Lettings Standard
SLH have produced a Pictorial Voids Letting Standard which
outlines the standard of accommodation that a South Lakes Housing
customer can expect when taking a new tenancy.
Size 6531Kb. Download time 21 mins 46 secs over a typical dial-up connection.