Housing information pack for parents and carers
1. About this pack
This pack provides information about the different routes into housing in Leicester and is designed for parents and carers of people drawing on adult social care services.
There are various ways to find housing in the city and the best route depends on the individual circumstances of the person and what matters to them. This will include thinking about their support needs, preferred or essential locations, any specific requirements they may have, finances available, and your views in supporting your family member towards greater independence.
This information is designed to give an overview of the options available.
A list of useful contacts is available at the end with links to further resources.
2. Sources of accommodation
| Source | From | How | Considerations |
| Social housing is provided by a council or registered social landlord, including housing associations. The rents are lower than in the private sector and there is greater security as a tenant. | Social housing means renting from a council or a housing association. |
Apply to the housing register. Available properties are advertised through Homechoice. |
A live application is required, then you can bid for a property. Priority is given by a banding scheme one to three and the time spent waiting on the register is considered when you bid on properties. |
| Privately rented This can be found through letting agents and advertised in local newspapers. Rents can be higher and there is reduced security as a tenant. |
Renting from a private landlord local housing allowance rates apply, so your benefits may not cover the full rent charge. |
Register with letting agents The housing options service can also give advice. |
This option can provide choice in terms of areas and can be quicker to achieve, but your rights as a tenant are limited as the landlord can ask you to leave if they want the property back. |
|
Home ownership There are several options for home ownership, including owning a property outright, shared ownership, or through a trust. |
Financial support is available for some people to meet their mortgage costs through support for mortgage interest. Eligibility is for people in very specific circumstances. |
Advice on both home ownership and family investment schemes is available locally through Advance Housing Association. | You would need to have access to funds for any deposit required and all legal fees linked to purchasing a property. A financial assessment is required to ensure this route is an affordable option. |
3. Routes into social housing
| Routes into independent housing | Considerations | How | Pros and cons |
|
You must be over the age of 18 and have an identified housing need to apply for housing from the council. There are also other conditions that mean you do or don’t qualify, such as income and savings and being a Leicester resident. You can apply for housing if you have been living outside of the city if you are being supported by Leicester social care services (children’s or adults) and now wish or need to return to the city. |
If you are supported by children’s services as a care leaver, you can make an application three months prior to your 18th birthday. Tenancies are not granted to anyone under the age of 18. In some circumstances, a tenancy can be held in trust until the young person turns 18 years of age. Confirmation that you have been supported by Leicester social care services is required. |
Apply to the housing register. To make an application you will need to set up a housing online account. You will need to provide supporting information and identification. |
This could be a lifetime affordable home. A tenancy held in trust is for situations where the council has a legal duty to rehouse a young person, for example, homeless young people and those leaving the care of the local authority. A supporting letter will satisfy some of the details that will be requested on your application form. |
4. Adapted and accessible housing
| Adapted and accessible housing | Considerations | How | Pros and cons |
| If you need a partially adapted or fully wheelchair accessible property, your housing application will be put into a category to show this. | An occupational therapist assessment will be required to identify and confirm any accessibility requirements that you have. | Apply to the housing register. |
You will be emailed when any suitable adapted homes become available so that you can bid for them. Adapted homes are limited and there can be long waits for them. |
5. Housing register priorities
| The banding scheme | Considerations | How | Pros and cons |
|
Priorities are made dependent on the person’s circumstances. The application is then placed in a band. The highest priority is band one and the lowest is band three. |
Banding is decided either by information given on the application form or by supplementary information. |
You will be informed which band your application has been placed in. |
The time that your application has been ‘waiting’ prioritises you against others for properties you bid on. There could be lots of people with a greater priority than you. |
The housing options service, Leicester City Council, for homelessness and emergency housing advice, contact is 0116 454 1008.
All other housing related advice and enquiries, including the council’s housing allocations policy, can be viewed online at: leicester.gov.uk/housing
6. Supported living via adult social care
| Supported living | Considerations | How | Pros and cons |
|
You can receive supported living services in your own home, or a property specifically provided for supported living. The property could be:
|
Adult social care determines who can access the properties. The minimum age is 18 years. There are different types of services that support you, dependent on what you want. |
This type of accommodation is for those who draw on social care services. |
Supported living enables people to live independently, with choice and control over their lives. Usually, the accommodation and support services are separate, so the person has a lifetime home but can change the support provider if this is needed. |
Access to supported living with adult social care
This will follow an assessment by a social worker or social care practitioner who will make a referral to the supported living team. The team will work with you to consider options and support your choices.
Finding accommodation and moving is recognised as a stressful event in life.
The team will support you through the whole process, assisting you to identify options, viewing different properties, weighing up the pros and cons of each, making housing applications, meeting the support providers, tenancy sign-ups, and preparing and co-ordinating the move with you.
You can contact the team for advice on individual circumstances by emailing: [email protected]
7. Useful contacts
Revenues and benefits service: 0116 454 1006
York House, 91 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 6FB
For further information please visit Leicester City Council’s website
Welfare rights service, Leicester City Council: 0116 454 5570
Benefit advice helpline, benefit checks and form filling support.
Advice Line: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 1pm – 4pm, and appointments available.
Advance Housing and Support Ltd: 0333 012 4307
For advice and further information on family investment schemes and home ownership through HOLD scheme (home ownership for those with long term disabilities) visit advanceuk.org/services/shared-ownership
MENCAP
mencap.org.uk where there is a range of information available.
Contact for the wills and trust team: 020 7696 6925 or email: [email protected]
MyChoice at Leicester City Council
MyChoice is a directory of care and support services for people living within the Leicester area. mychoice.leicester.gov.uk
8. Frequently asked questions
Question: I have been told that my son, who still lives at home, would not get any priority to join the housing register as he is suitably housed, is this right?
Answer: This is incorrect. If someone wishes to leave the family home and move onto living independently their application would now be placed into one of two bands:
band two – people with a care package where adult social care assess that a move will assist independent living
Or
band three – people identified by adult social care as ready to leave the care of family or carer.
For band three, your son does not need to be in receipt of services from adult social care, but adult social care must confirm that he is ready to leave to support their housing application. You can contact the contact and response team on 0116 454 1004 to discuss this.
Question: There is not enough housing so what is the point in applying?
Answer: It is true that there are more people in housing need than there are houses that are both affordable and accessible. However, each year there are lots of people rehoused, so it’s important to understand what your priority is and seek advice on what options are available.
Having your housing need recorded on the register can be used as evidence of what the city requires in terms of any future new housing.
Question: I have been told to apply when I am clear about where and when I am ready to move?
Answer: Registering an application should be part of planning for a future move, rather than having to act quickly because of a crisis or because you have no choice.
As it will take some time to achieve an offer, it is important to have an application registered. And remember the time that you have been waiting on the register now goes in your favour when bidding against others in the same band.
Applications remain live and are only cancelled in the following circumstances:
- the applicant asks for it to be cancelled
- the applicant does not respond to a review letter
- the applicant does not respond to an offer letter or other correspondence within 7 working days, or within the deadline stated in the correspondence
- the applicant has been housed through the housing register
- the applicant becomes ineligible for housing
- the applicant has given false or misleading information
- the applicant no longer qualifies for an allocation of housing
- the applicant has not bid or made any contact with the housing options service for the past six months.
Question: Why isn’t there any help or support to explain the system or to give advice to those who might need it?
Answer: The housing options service provides online support for many of the common enquiries, as well as the option to submit an online enquiry. Please see Leicester City Council’s website: leicester.gov.uk/housing. The supported living team in adult social care can give advice on supported living options.
Question: What help is there to support someone who might not be ready to live on their own but needs something like a steppingstone to independence?
Answer: Firstly, talk to the social worker or social care practitioner about the types of supported living there is in the city. They can make a referral to the supported living team where the person has a level of eligible needs (fair access to care criteria). Those involved will work to ensure that people are adequately supported, regardless of where they live.