Homes in the City January 2013
...the smart way to find an affordable home in Wolverhampton
The cost of running a home
If you are looking for your first home, have you thought about how much it will cost to run? On top of rent and council tax there are bills such as gas, electric, water, home contents insurance and TV licence. You’ll also need to think about buying furniture, carpets and curtains. Before you accept a housing offer, you’ll need to make sure that you can afford it. It is also important to remember that if you don’t pay your rent on time, you could lose your home.
What can you do to prepare? • Complete a personal budget - If you will be paying out more than you get each week you will get into debt. You’ll need to look at other housing options such as staying at home or sharing with friends or relatives. • Start saving - Save a bit each week for your new home. Check out Wolverhampton City Credit Union for savings accounts. www.wccul.co.uk • Steps to Success - 16 to 24 year olds looking for a home can join this course to find out
Newly modernised with connectivity for broadband and digital TV.
Available for letting in late spring. Watch out for adverts on www.homesinthecity.org.uk in February or visit www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk for more info.
g in n om o C so
One and two bedroom apartments in Wednesfield
t he rights and responsibilities of tenants, being smart with money as well as decorating and cooking tips. • Bid for properties suitable for you - if you are working age and you receive housing benefit don’t be tempted to bid on homes that would give you a spare bedroom. You will need to top up your housing benefit or pay the full rent.
Homeswapper the national home
swap service If you are already a council or housing association tenant and want to move, you can join Homeswapper and be automatically matched to potential exchanges. It’s easy: • Register online at www.homeswapper.co.uk • We will approve your registration subject to rent and tenancy checks and you will receive your membership details by email or text. • Homeswapper will let you know if you have any matches. To get the most out of Homeswapper here are a few tips: • Give as much detail as possible about your home (Number of bedrooms, sizes and property details). • Add any positive selling points (Large garden, large kitchen etc).
• Add photos showing how nice your home is. 50% of successful mutual exchanges have uploaded photographs. • Remember to be as specific as you can about how far from your chosen area you want to live. • Provide your email address so that Homeswapper can send a message to tell you if any matches have been found. • Keep checking Homeswapper. You will need to review your application every six months and if you don’t access Homeswapper for eight months your application will be deleted.
Speedmatching
find your
perfect home In the autumn we held a ‘speedmatching’ event in the Low Hill district. The event brought together tenants who needed more bedrooms due to overcrowding and tenants who wanted to downsize. Everyone who came along could see details of the properties available for exchange and could express an interest if they saw one that suited them. Elizabeth Corfield said “I found the event very useful with lots of information available, especially talking to staff and information on other properties available.” The event was very successful and some exchanges are already being investigated. We’ll be holding more events across the City. Visit www.wolverhamtonhomes.org.uk for details of future events. January 2013 I Homes in the City
New home
for the
new year A family are celebrating the new year after moving into their new home together Susan Loudon and Leslie Dolman are moving from a three bedroom house into a brand new Heantun Housing bungalow. Rose Dolman is Leslie’s mother and is moving in with them from a three bedroom house. This means that two families will also have new homes for the new year. Susan said: I’ve been a council tenant for almost 30 years so I was a bit nervous about moving into a housing association home. But the bungalow is lovely and the staff at Heantun have been really nice. It’s really not much different being a housing association tenant compared to a council tenant.
“
“ We’re settling in really well and it’s nice to know that two families have been able to move into my old house and my mother-in-law’s house.
”
Your questions
answered
What should I do if I have rent arrears on a previous tenancy? Before we make any offer, we will check your tenancy history with Councils or Registered Providers of Social Housing. If you owe more than £60 we will withdraw your offer, change your band to Band 4L (our lowest band) and move on to the next customer on the shortlist. If you think you owe debts to a Council or Registered provider please contact them as soon as possible and get a payment plan in place. You could miss out on an offer if you have debts outstanding. What happens if I refuse a property that I bid on? If you refuse three properties in a 12 month period your application will be deferred. This means you will not be able to bid or be offered any properties during this time. Your priority may also be reviewed and reduced. If you are in the Homeless Emergency Band and you refuse a new home, you must contact the Council’s Housing Options Team within 21 days to discuss why the property is not suitable for you. If you fail to do this you may lose your priority. Can I bid on homes with level access showers even if I don’t need one? If you are eligible for the property in terms of your family size, then yes you can. However we will give preference to customers that require the adaptations before we look at customers that don’t need them. If you do move into a home with a level access shower, we will not remove it unless it is no longer repairable. Homes in the City I January 2013
Housing fraud
we’re cracking down
100
home recovers ed
There are more people needing homes than we have to offer, so we want to make sure we offer homes to people in real housing need. We’re working with other local Councils and housing associations to tackle housing fraud. We check that all the details on housing applications are true. If we find that anyone has given false information, they risk losing any existing tenancy and may be prosecuted. Report any fraud on www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk
Changes affecting the Armed Forces Are you in the armed forces? Are you a bereaved spouse or partner of a member of the armed forces? Have you been asked to leave your service accommodation? The Allocation Policy for armed forces personnel has changed. If this affects you please contact Homes Direct on 01902 556789.
If you require this information in another language or format, contact us on 01902 556789.
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Contact us
Call us on 01902 556789 or visit www.homesinthecity.org.uk Homes in the City I January 2013