Our application process - Stoke-on-Trent Housing Society

We have redesigned our Application, Offer and Sign up Process to keep you and our staff safe during the current coronavirus outbreak.

STEP 1 – SEARCH & APPLY

Search for properties at https://www.homehunt.co.uk/home Our available homes will be advertised here as they become empty. Once you see a property you like apply, answering the online questions.

STEP 2 – CONFIRM YOUR INTEREST

If we identify you as the successful applicant we will contact you by telephone or email to confirm that you are still interested in the property. If the answer is yes then we will ask you to supply us with copies of the following documents and will make an appointment for a telephone interview with our Housing Officer:

6 months bank statements & 3 months wage slips
Proof of ID e.g. passport or driving licence & birth certificate
Free credit report which you can obtain online at www.creditkarma.co.uk

STEP 2 DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

SOCIETY DEAL

ASSESSING YOUR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY

HH DECLARATION FORM

STEP 3 – VERIFICATION

Our Housing Officer will have a chat with you over the telephone to confirm your circumstances and to discuss the Society Deal. If this discussion goes well and both of you are happy to proceed to the next stage an appointment will be made for you to speak to our Wellbeing Coordinator about whether you can afford the property.

STEP 3 DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

SOCIETY DEAL

T ENANCY AGREEMENT EXAMPLE

STEP 4 – AFFORDABILITY ASSESSMENT

We want our new customers to have a successful tenancy with us and so our Wellbeing Coordinator will ask you to demonstrate that you can afford to live in your new home. You’ll have a chat about:

your employment details, including details of earnings
any existing debts and loans and any history of debt, bankruptcy or CCJ’s
any arrears owed to a former landlord, benefit overpayments and any restrictions to benefits.
an income and expenditure check to see if you can afford to pay the rent

STEP 4 DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

ASSESSING YO UR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY

STEP 5 – VIEWING

Once we have verified your application and you have demonstrated that you can afford to live in your new home we will send to you via email and Watsapp, more photographs and a video of the property.

If you decide to accept the property based on the photographs and video we will go straight to STEP 6.

If you would prefer to view the property in person we will arrange an appointment to meet you at the property, ensuring that all parties follow our Viewing Protocol.

STEP 5 DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

VIEWING PROTOCOL

STEP 6 – SIGN FOR YOUR NEW TENANCY

Once you have decided that you definitely want to move into your new home we will contact you to arrange a telephone appointment to discuss your tenancy agreement.

We will also make an appointment for you to come to our offices to sign the tenancy agreement and to collect the keys to your new home. Don’t worry, the paperwork will be left for you to sign in a space that only you will enter. We will leave the keys to your new home here for you as well.

If you need to make a claim for housing benefit or for the housing element of universal credit we will also arrange for our Wellbeing Coordinator to call you to help you with your claim.

STEP 6 DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

DATA PROTECTION

PHOTO ID INFORMATION

SAFETY LEAFLET

DIRECT DEBIT FORM

DATA SHARING WITH CORE

FIRE ACTION NOTICE (apartments only)

LIVING IN YOUR A PARTMENT (Dickson &Hammond House only)

**IMPORTANT – A percentage of our available properties are also let to households selected by Stoke on Trent City Council. To be considered for these vacancies you’ll need to apply directly to Stoke on Trent City Council and will be assessed and selected according to their priority system. Go to www.stoke.gov.uk for more information.

For more detailed information on how we allocate our homes look at Our Allocations Policy.

Society Tenants – Transfers and Mutual Exchanges

Transfers

If you are a tenant of ours and have a housing need to move you can apply to move to another one of our properties. It’s best that you contact us first to discuss why you need to move and we’ll advise you if you meet the criteria. If you do, you’ll be able to bid on properties advertised via http://www.homehunt.co.uk

Our criteria:

You or member of your household has health and/or mobility issues where your current accommodation is having a serious adverse effect on your health
You are overcrowded in your current accommodation in accordance with our property eligibility criteria
You can evidence a need to move on care/support/welfare grounds

Before we authorise any transfer, we’ll need to inspect your home to ensure that it’s clean and tidy and in a good state of repair. If there’s any evidence of unsatisfactory conduct and you are in breach of your tenancy agreement, we won’t be able to authorise a transfer and instead we may have to take tenancy enforcement action which could lead to eviction.

Contact us on 01782 968566 if you would like to discuss a transfer.

Mutual Exchanges

If you want to swap your home with another tenant from Stoke on Trent Housing Society or a tenant from another Registered Social Landlord or Local Authority, you can look for a Mutual Exchange.

There are several websites where you can advertise your home and search for other tenants to swap with:

Before you look or apply for a mutual exchange please bear in mind that a mutual exchange will be permitted only where:

both parties have conducted their tenancies in a satisfactory manner – that means no rent arrears
no under occupying – we use the criteria from the Welfare Reform Act 2012 to assess this
the property must be in a satisfactory decorative condition and without any outstanding repairs that are the tenant’s responsibility

Permission to exchange won’t normally be granted in the following circumstances:

a ‘live’ legal notice has been served on the applicant by the landlord
in exceptional circumstances where we are advised by the police or other relevant agency that the exchange would not be reasonable or advisable on the grounds of community safety

Once you have found someone to exchange with you’ll need to complete a Mutual Exchange application form, click here to request a form or call 01782 968566.