Applying for the right home in the right area
You need to make sure you apply for the right home that suits your needs and that is in an area you want to live in. You will need to read the advert carefully before you bid. Sometimes you will need to have a connection to the area and have evidence to show this.
Identification and evidence
Anyone over 18 living in your new home will need to provide identification.
UK residents will need to provide their birth certificate, national insurance number and a bank statement. Those from outside the UK will need to provide passports, original home office letters and a bank statement. If you do not have this identification when we visit, we will need to move onto another applicant.
You may be required to give us evidence of your housing need where it is necessary to verify your band if you have applied to us from a choice based lettings scheme that does not do these checks at registration.
References
We will require references from all your previous landlords for the past five years. In some cases we may ask for up to 10 years.
If your current or previous landlord was the council or a housing association, we will give you three working days to obtain a reference from them and provide this to us. You need to have the time to do this before you bid.
For a private landlord we will need their name, address, telephone number and an email address. We will want to speak to them and maybe visit them. We will also want to see a copy of your tenancy agreement.
If you have not held a tenancy before we may ask for an employer or other relevant character references.
Check you can afford to rent
We will carry out assessment with you which may take up to an hour, either over the phone or in one of our offices. This will help us to understand the level of money advice and support you may require.
Before you bid, you need to make sure you have enough money saved. You will need to provide a month's rent in advance, cover the cost for removals and any furniture you need.
A typical month's rent is over £500 and removal costs are usually over £300.
You will need to have this money saved before you bid.
Police, social services and other agencies
We will work closely with the police, social services and other relevant external agencies. We will ask you some very sensitive questions about criminal convictions, support needs and medical circumstances. You will need to have all relevant contact details available for us to make contact with any agencies you deal with and discuss your application.
Rent payments
We expect customers to demonstrate behaviours that show a commitment to paying their rent on time, all the time. If you're coming to us from another landlord and you're in arrears, you need to be able to evidence at least 6 months payments made by you consistently to clear the debt.
It is not acceptable to pay off debt just to get the keys to a Bromford home. This does not demonstrate the commitment we look for in our customers.
If your arrears have required legal action to recover the debt, we would expect that the agreed payment plan has been in place for a period of no less than 12 months.
If you need an adapted home
If you need an adaptation to be carried out after you move in, such as a walk-in shower or stairlift, you need to make sure you have applied for the funds and there is a commitment to make these available should you find a home that needs an adaptation.
It is important you bid on properties that are suitable and have the relevant conversations with those helping to fund any alterations in advance for you placing a bid.
Interview and online contact
We will carry out a telephone interview. This interview will take 45 minutes to complete. We will ask you to be open and honest about your past and current circumstances.
You will need to have a valid and accessible email address as part of the interview process. Some of your application will need to be carried out online.
You need to make sure that you have the time to carry out our online survey. Without this, we will be unable to proceed with your application.
Home visit
Once we have completed our lettings process, we will visit you in your current home. We will ask to see documentation, and we may take photographs of your home and ID.
We will want to look around your property to be satisfied that you would look after a home with us, this may include taking some photographs for our records.
If you're not available to let us visit you, we will have to move onto the next applicant.
Viewing properties
You will need to be available at short notice to view potential properties.
Moving quickly
We aim to let homes quickly so you will need to be prepared to move very quickly.
If you're serious about moving then start thinking about packing and what you are taking and disposing of. We will not be able to give you extra time to sort these things out before signing your new tenancy agreement, and paying your rent.
Neighbourhood coaches
Your neighbourhood coach will help you get to where you want to be, we could be the perfect partnership. We want you to thrive – and that means spending time to get to know you and developing a relationship that is based on mutual trust.
Why is this important? We know that a great relationship helps us support you in achieving your goals as well as enhancing the community as a whole.
