Housing Criteria

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Anyone know what the criteria is for a bungalow with social housing?

I am having to move due to illness & requiring more support from family. At the moment I live in a social housing house & am looking to transfer via the same social housing association.

All I keep hearing is you have to fit the criteria, but noone is offering information on what the criteria is I have to meet. Does anyone have any idea?

Looking for positive replies only please

Savvy_Sue

I would think that the only people who could tell you what the criteria are for your HA would be ... your HA!

Now, I know they won't be answering the phone at this time of night, so it COULD be worth scouting around their website. It's also possible that they work mostly to the same system used by the local council, so their website might also be worth a trawl.

I hope that's sufficiently positive for you.

LadyMorticia

I think that different HAs differ. I know that alot of them say 50 or 60 plus but usually they can waiver this if you need a bungalow for health reasons.

I know someone with M.E on a forum I'm a member of who is in their 30s I think and they managed to get a bungalow.

Best to ask your HA. Sometimes the info is online though so if you have a problem with phones (like me ) then it might be worth checking, or emailing them.

wolfehouse

your housing need would be for fully wheelchair accessible housing (and possibly extra bedroom or more space),
not necessarily a bungalow.

the housing association have a duty to rehouse you within their own stock if your needs have changed drastically to
the point where your previous place is not adequate (at least in my patch)

(I know this is not necessarily what you want to hear as a bungalow is the gold standard)
I suggest you see if your local area has a disabled persons housing service or something similar
as they are very client centred and can give you the correct information and support

sock-knitter

a lot of ha use the same criteria for bungalows, as ground floor flats, and that usually means 50 or 60+ or need wheelchair accessability

tenmah

The criteria for our local council (for whom I work) is over 60 years old or a band B for mobility. I think all councils (and HA's) have different criteria though. I am trying to get myself and my daughter eligible for a bungalow as my daughter has mobility issues and I am gathering as much evidence of her condition as I can to help them make a decision. We are currently a Band C and I have been on the housing register since 1985 without an offer of a property! I also worked in the Housing department allocating properties to disabled people so it is pretty hard to have to fight so hard to get us on a higher band.

Richie-from-the-Boro

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Anyone know what the criteria is for a bungalow with social housing?

I am having to move due to illness & requiring more support from family. At the moment I live in a social housing house & am looking to transfer via the same social housing association.

All I keep hearing is you have to fit the criteria, but no one is offering information on what the criteria is I have to meet. Does anyone have any idea?

Looking for positive replies only please

You need to clarify what you mean by ' more support from family ', but generally its within the areas below, as others have said it varies slightly between different LA's and different HA's :

Housing

Band A - high care or support needs / high medical needs [ Multiple housing need ]
Band B - you need to move to give or receive essential support in daily living / you have high medical needs [ High housing need ]
Band C - you want to move to give or receive care or support / you need to move for medical reasons [ Low housing / medical need ]
Band D - you want to move as part of a mobility scheme [ Non-urgent housing ]

Needs / High Medical

An assessor will decide if your household has high medical needs. The type of issues seen as high medical needs are:

- not being able to get to basic facilities like the bedroom or bathroom because of mobility problems
- having a degenerative or a terminal condition and your home is no longer suitable because you need a ground floor or adapted property
- your home is affecting your mental health and you urgently need help from the mental health services

Needs / Low Medical

An assessor will decide if your household has low medical needs. The type of issues seen as low medical needs are:

- having problems getting up your stairs or getting to the facilities in your home but still having full use of your home
- your home is not helping your mental health problems; this could be due to harassment or poor housing conditions that cannot be improved

How the decision is made

Information you give on your application form / if it is relevant they talk to your social workers, doctors / occupational therapist or other people who support you to get more information about your housing or medical issues

Band Change

Your band will change if your housing need changes. You must let them know about any changes in circumstances in writing.Generally time spent waiting for a property will not mean that you move up a band.

Mupette

I'm in my early 40's and moved into my social housing bungalow almost a year ago.

Previous to that, i lived in a maisonette in a block of flats, i was left housebound for several months as i needed a ramp to get out with my wheelchair, but was not allowed one because it was a communal walkway. and the temp ramps offered were useless.

It was the DX of M.S. that pushed the council to actually stop avoiding me and do something constructive, they reviewed my needs and said i needed a ground floor flat or a bungalow.

There was no way in hell i would have a ground floor, I've had 15 years of inconsiderate slobs stomping and banging in their flat above me. And a drugged up slapper with her 'baggin tunes' below me.

I am so happy now, a purpose built bungalow for the disabled and elderly, both neighbours fit that on either side, but i see it like this, no noise, no baggin tunes... it's been piece and quiet all the way for this past year.

Mind you the old dear next to me that see's the 'communal parking drive on my bit of land as her's and complained to the council that i was parking on it, kinda got slapped in her face.. they told her it was as i said i assumed it was a 'communal' space. she hasn't spoken to me since.... as i said it is lovely and piece full here :rotfl:

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Thanks Mupette. I know exactly what you mean about very inconsiderate neighbours. I've suffered with this for the past 10 yrs I've lived in my home. The property next door is private rented & the landlord is in it for the cash.

I need somewhere like you where I am not stressed out by noise & the fact I'm made to feel so uncomfortable in my own home.

I also need to be closer to family as at the moment, I live approx 40 mins bus journey from my mother. In fact, the other day when she visited me, it took her over an hour to get home & we actually live in the same town.

Did you have to bid on a property or did the HA have a number of properties set aside for those with health needs? I'm considering applying to other HA as the one I'm with at present are proving very difficult to deal with & constantly demand more & more info from my care co-ordinator. Not sure how much more info we can give them.

kingfisherblue

My friend was moved into more appropriate social hoousing because of her son's disabilities. He has complex needs, but the two things that were taken into consideration were his continence problems (so he needed a downstairs toilet) and his autism, which causes night time issues (so he needed a separate bedroom from his younger sister, as she was unable to get much sleep due to his night time behaviour).

She had to bid on a property, and as she wanted to stay in the same general area because of schools, she was more limited in her choice of properties to bid for. One came up almost immediately though, and she was successful. It was her first bid and she moved within six weeks of first seeing the housing officer.

I realise that she was very lucky and that there are many councils/social housing firms are not able to rehouse people as quickly as this, even when health problems are severe.

A slightly different matter, but our local social housing firm is also actively building new homes, including a high number of bungalows and flats that are suitable for the elderly and disabled. One 'village' is a mixture of private and social housing, another is social housing, and there is at least one other area where building is currently taking place.