Not everyone who is homeless or threatened with homelessness
will benefit from presenting themselves to the Council as homeless.
There may be other options that you can consider.
Council housing
The Council’s allocations policy places people in priority bands
according to their particular circumstances. If your home is
severely overcrowded or you have multiple housing needs, you may
receive higher priority on the housing register by trying to stay
in your home until you are re-housed than if you presented as
homeless.
The booklet - A Guide to the Banding Scheme (Adobe
PDF format, 167kb) - will tell you about the different bands
and the criteria you must meet to be awarded that band. You can
also contact a member of the Homelessness Advice and Prevention Team to
discuss which would be the best route for you to take.
Housing associations
Some housing associations have homes to rent in West Lancashire.
Housing associations offer secure tenancies similar to council
tenancies and charge similar rents.
If you want to be considered for a housing association tenancy
as well as a council tenancy, you must tick the box on our Housing
Application Form. You can also contact housing associations direct
and join their waiting lists.
Private rented accommodation
These are privately owned houses that are rented out by their
owners directly or through a lettings agency. The tenancy you are
given is called an assured shorthold tenancy and usually lasts for
6 to 12 months. The tenancy is not secure so the landlord can
decide not to rent the property to you again when your tenancy
ends.
Rents are usually higher than council or housing association
properties and may not be covered by housing benefit. If you need
to claim housing benefit to help pay the rent, it is important that
you contact the Housing Benefit Department at the Council and find
out how much you are entitled to before you sign a tenancy
agreement.
Most landlords also ask for a deposit and a month's rent in
advance. The deposit is usually the same amount as a month's rent.
The council can help people on benefits or a low income by agreeing
with the landlord to cover the deposit. See the Rent Deposit
Guarantee Scheme for more information. By using this
scheme, the landlord does not need to worry about protecting the
deposit in the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme.
Landlords who take cash deposits must protect them in a Tenancy
Deposit Protection Scheme. Landlords who do not comply can be taken
to court and fined. See the Tenancy Deposit Protection section
for more information.
The benefit of renting privately is that you have the
flexibility to choose where you live and the properties are usually
available to move into straight away. Most private properties are
advertised in the local paper or through lettings and estate
agents.
Shared ownership
Shared ownership is where you part rent and part buy. The
property will be part owned by a housing association and you will
rent their share from them. You will own the other share in the
property by getting a mortgage. Most shared ownership properties
are advertised through estate agents. For more information on
shared ownership and new housing developments in the borough, see
the Housing Development section.
Related information