To enable a successful application you must meet the eligibility and qualification criteria as listed below:
Applicants must be eligible for social housing as per government legislation :
- Persons from abroad may not be allocated accommodation if he or she is a person from abroad who is ineligible for an allocation under s.160ZA of the 1996 Act
- A person subject to immigration control is not eligible for an allocation of accommodation unless they come within a class prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of State (s.160ZA(2))
- Regulations may provide for other descriptions of persons from abroad who, although not subject to immigration control, are to be treated as ineligible for an allocation of accommodation (s.160ZA(4))
- The Secretary of State may, by regulation, prescribe other classes of persons from abroad ineligible for an allocation of housing in addition to those described above
- Applicants who do not have recourse to public funds or who cannot prove they have recourse to public funds or those not habitually resident
- British citizens not habitually resident in the UK
Applicants aged 16 and 17 years are only eligible to join the register if they meet the following conditions:
- They are a looked after child under section 20 of the Children’s Act 1989 or are care leavers with a relevant support package and trustee and are ready for independent living as agreed with Social Services and confirmed by City of York Council’s Housing Department
OR
- They are homeless / have a housing need and have an appropriate support package to enable them to sustain their tenancy and they have an identified trustee who can hold a tenancy on their behalf until they reach the age of 18. Trustees can be a person or an organisation and will not have a financial liability
Applicants who have been assessed as not capable of applying for or sustaining a tenancy. may not be eligible to apply for housing due to mental capacity. A best Interest meeting would be required to determine whether registering for social housing is in the customer’s best interest.
Section s.160ZA(6) provides that housing authorities may only allocate accommodation to people who are defined as qualifying persons and section s.160ZA(7) gives the power to decide the classes of people who are or are not qualifying.
If you are eligible to apply to the register then you must meet the qualification criteria for the City of York Council allocations policy, and have a local connection to the area (see policy for further details, which is available here)
Certain applicants may not qualify to join the housing register and these include persons:
- MAPPA: Applicants subject to Level 2 or 3 MAPPA arrangements may not qualify to join the register if determined by a senior manager in Housing, in conjunction with representatives from a MAPPA meeting as part of a risk management plan
- NO HOUSING NEED: Applicants with no housing need other than those who are:
- 60+ who have assessed care needs and wish to move into Independent Living Community (ICL) accommodation or specific 60+ housing
- Members of HM Forces
- Applicants at risk of homelessness where there is a duty under Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and who would otherwise qualify for the register
- BEHAVIOUR: Applicants whose behaviour is such that if they had been a secure tenant of the Local Authority there would have proven grounds for possession under schedule 2A of the Housing Act 1985
- ARREARS: Applicants who owe current rent to a social housing provider or a private landlord that is in excess of 8 weeks payable rent that is not due to delayed benefit payments
- DEBTS: Applicants who have outstanding historic housing related debt and have made no payment arrangement
- LOCAL CONNECTION: Applicants with no local connection to the City of York Council Local Authority area
- HOME OWNERS: Applicants and joint applicants who own or part own a residential property, whether they currently live in the home or not, cannot generally register for social housing if their housing needs can be met in the current accommodation or they are able to meet their own housing needs from the sale of their property
- INCOME AND SAVINGS: Applicants or people who are part of an application who have a combined household annual income or savings above the allowable threshold and are able to meet their own housing (see full policy document for further details, which is available here)
- SOCIAL HOUSING TENANTS: Applicants who are current tenants, previous tenants, joint tenant or were a named member of a household but are reapplying to the register in their own right within 12 months of the previous tenancy start date
- APPLICANT ACTIONS: Where the action(s) of the applicant or household members is deemed to be unacceptable
Please note that completion of a housing application does not guarantee acceptance of your application; or that an offer of housing will be made. You will be advised of the application's status and any additional information we may require once you have completed and submitted your details.
