Who can apply

To apply for housing and  access to the North Yorkshire Home Choice housing register, we ask you to complete a housing application. The application form and information you give allows us to fulfil our role as a social housing provider,  to confirm that you are eligible for social housing, qualify for access to the North Yorkshire Home Choice  housing register and help us assess your housing needs. Please read our Privacy Notice before you provide your personal information.

Eligibility

Applicants must be eligible for social housing as per current government legislation.

Legislation states that an applicant may be ineligible for an allocation of accomodation under s.160ZA(2) or (4) Part 6 Housing Act 1996.

Qualification

Legislation states that the allocation of accommodation may only be to persons who are defined as "qualifying person" (s160ZA(6) and 7) and these requirements are in addition to eligibility in res of persons from abroad (s160A(2) and 4)

The Localism Act 2011 provided local authorities with greater freedom to manage their own waiting lists and decide who qualifies for access to their housing register and ensure homes to  the people who genuinely need them. .

North Yorkshire Home Choice Housing (NYHC) Allocations Policy sets out the criteria for those persons  who may qualify for the housing register.

Any UK resident aged 16 or over may be apply to join the register.

Applicants aged 16 and 17 (and Care Leavers) will be only be accepted if they have support to enable them to sustain a tenancy and a trustee who can hold a tenancy on their behalf until they reach the age of 18.

If you are eligible to apply to the register then you must meet the qualification criteria for the NYHC Housing Register and have a local connection to the area.

Local Connection

  • currently live in the partnership area and have been resident for at least 6 out of the last 12 months; or

  • have lived within the partnership area for at least 3 years out of the last 5 years; or

  • are employed in the partnership area. Employment is defined as meaningful permanent full or part time. Not casual or seasonal.

  • have an essential need to move to live close  to another person  and that person  has been a resident within the NYHC partnership area  for the last 5 years and there is an assessed  need to provide or receive essential daily care or support

  • has a close family member  (mother, father, adult son, adult daughter adult brother adult sister) residing in the NYHC partnership area that  person has done so for the last 5 years.

  • a partner local authority has accepted a main duty to house or a relief duty, (eligible - priority need)  a person from another local authority  under the terms of part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 as revised by the Homeless Reduction Act 2017

  • care leavers as defined by the Homeless Reduction Act 2017

Non Qualification 

Certain applicants may not qualify to join the housing register and these include persons;

  • with anti social behaviour issues
  • with rent arrears
  • with no local connection to the partnership area (HM Forces personnel are advised to contact their local housing office for further advice)
  • home-owners with no assessed housing need including those who can meet their own need with equity from their property, this includes renting in the private sector
  • who have a combined household income and/or savings of £60000 plus
  • who have deliberately worsened their housing circumstances
  • who have provided false and/or deliberately withheld information
  • those applicants who have been disqualified for the specified period of time

Applicants aged 16 and 17 must meet the following criteria

  • they are a looked after child under section 20 Childrens Act 1989 or a care leaver with a relevant support package and trustee  are ready for independent living as agreed with social services and confirmed by the local authority housing department OR
  • they must have an appropriate support package in the area they wish to live to enable them to sustain their residency and they must have an identified trustee who can hold a tenancy on their behalf until they reach the age of 18.  Trustees may be a person or organisation and will have no financial liability..
Exceptions

Where an applicant is eligible and meets one of the following criteria they may be accepted as having a local connection

  • households accepted under the witness protection scheme
  • members of the Armed Forces or Reserve Forces that meet the published criteria within the NYHC Allocations Policy
  • existing social tenants seeking to transfer from another local authority area outside the NYHC Partnership Area in England (Allocation of Housing (Right to Move)(England) Regulation 2015 who meet the published criteria within the NYHC Allocations Policy.  Applicantions will be individually assessed.