Homechoice

Warrington Borough Councils Allocations Policy has changed.  It is no longer choice based lettings and so properties will not be advertised.

Applicants will have chosen the area that they would be interested in living in and when a property becomes available in that area which they meet the criteria for, they will be shortlisted with all the other applicants.  Nominations will be made in order of highest band and earliest effective date in that band.

 

1. How do I become an Under One Roof member?

You become a member of Under One Roof by registering and completing an online application though this website.

We no longer accept paper applications. If you need help to complete your online application click here.

 

2. Can anybody join Under One Roof?

Anybody can apply who is over 18 and meets the eligibility criteria.

You may not be able to join Under One Roof if:

• You earn more than £60,000 a year or owns assets worth more than £24,000
• You have been found guilty of unacceptable behaviour in the past
• You owe money for housing related costs

If you already live in a social housing property and want to move but don’t have an urgent housing need we may ask you to register with HomeSwapper instead.

HomeSwapper is a national scheme which allows people living in a social home swap their home with another person. Registration is free for all existing social housing tenants.

 

3. How will my housing need be assessed?

Your housing need will be based on what you tell us about yourself and your circumstances.

There are two Under One Roof bands:

• Band 1 is for anyone with an urgent housing need
• Band 2 is for anybody over 18 who is eligible to join but doesn’t have an urgent housing need
   

4. What checks will I have to go through?

We will check that the information you have given to us is correct and that you can provide evidence to support your situation and the housing banding you have been given.

You may need to provide information from support agencies or other professionals that you are involved with. We will let you know what information you need to provide and when.

 

5.  How many people are on the waiting list in Warrington

Our services are in extremely high demand at the current time ( January 2023 ).We currently have a total of 5997 applicants looking for rehousing  in Warrington and receive an average of 70 applications each week  The breakdown is as follows :

 

	Bed need				Grand total
Band	1	2	3	4+
Band 1 Additional	32	12	2	2	48
Band 1 Reasonable	125	84	20	13	242
Band 1 Reduced	22	14	2	2	40
Band 2	3070	1783	632	181	5667
Grand Total	3249	1893	656	198	5997

 

6. How will homes be allocated to me?

You WILL NOT be able to see which homes are available or choose the ones you are interested in.

Instead we will match available homes with members who have the most housing need and have been registered for the longest amount of time. This will be based on the areas you have chosen and your family type. 

Although you can tell us which areas you would like to live in the most, Under One Roof cannot guarantee that homes will become available in those areas.

 

7. How long will it take for me to get a home?

We can't confirm exactly how long a person may wait to be re-housed as this will depend on individual circumstances and a number of contributing factors, such as:

• Type and size of property that you need
• Demand for similar properties from other applicants
• Availability of properties in your area of choice

We advise applicants to look at the recent lettings table that is available on our website. The recent lettings table provides details of all the properties that have been let and the band of the successful person. This can help people when considering the areas in which to choose on their application form.

You will only be matched to suitable properties as they become available in your area of choice. If you are able to consider properties in a wide range of areas then this may improve your chances of getting a home more quickly.

 

8. Will I be offered a property outside the Warrington area?

If you have completed your application for Warrington only then you will not be considered for properties outside that area.

 

9. What happens when a home has been allocated to me?

Once we have checked your application details we will send your information over to the relevant landlord, this is called a nomination. 

The landlord will then contact you directly and carry out their own checks which may include an affordability check.  If you meet their criteria you will be made an offer and invited to view the property before making a decision if you want to accept the property or not. 

 

10. What happens if I refuse the home I’m offered?

There are consequences when you refuse an offer depending on the Banding that you are in:

• Customers who have refused 1 offer of suitable accommodation will receive reduced preference status for 12 months
• Customers who have refused 2 offers of suitable accommodation will no longer qualify to be registered for a period of 12 months

PLEASE NOTE:  Those households 1) accepted as statutorily homeless and owed a duty to house; or 2) have been granted homeless status under section 166A(3) (a) (people who are homeless within the meaning of Part VII of the Housing Act 1996) will lose their priority status banding if they refuse a suitable offer of accommodation. Unless they have another reason to be awarded priority banding they will then no longer qualify to be included on the register. The offer of suitable accommodation made will also bring to an end any statutory homeless duty to any of those applicants under section 193(2) or 195(2) and they will be warned of this consequence at the point the property is formally offered to them.

 

11. What happens if my circumstances change?

You must tell us about any changes in your circumstances straight away.

You can do this by logging into your online account and amending the details on your application form. 

Your new details will then be re-assessed. If you fail to tell us about any changes it may affect your application and may result in future offers being withdrawn. 

 

12. Where can I find out more about Warrington Borough Council’s housing policy?

You can read Warrington Borough Council’s full housing policy here.

 

13. What help and support is available to me?

The Under One Roof team can offer help and advice in completing the online application form,  and answering any other queries. 

You can contact the team by using the message option on your application or if you are not yet registered you can use the Contact us page.

 

14. How do I complain?

We hope that your experience with Under One Roof is positive,if  you're not happy - we want to know about it straight away so that we can resolve things quickly for you.  We are here to listen and learn and welcome your feedback, which helps us to develop and improve services for you.

You can do this by using the Contact us page on this website or email us at infoWA@U-1-R.co.uk

What happens next?

We want to resolve your issue as quickly as possible and where appropriate we will work with you to provide a response or to put it right.  

If we are unable to resolve you issue informally, it will go into the following formal two-stage procedure:

• Stage One – We will look to investigate and resolve your issue within 10 working days or less.
• Stage Two – If you are not happy with how we have managed your complaint in stage one, you can request an appeal .  Your complaint will be escalated for review we will work towards resolving your issue within the next 20 working days or less

If you’re still not happy

If you’ve gone through our complaints process and are still unhappy you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service.  The Housing Ombudsman Service can be contacted at:

Housing Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London, E14 9GE
Tel: 0300 111 3000 (lines are open Monday to Friday from 9:15 to 17:15)
Fax: 020 7831 1942
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk