Your housing options
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 -
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.
> Apply for a council house
> Download application form to
join the housing register
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. Most
landlords also ask for a deposit and a months rent in advance. The
deposit is usually the same amount as a months rent. The council
can help people on benefits by agreeing with the landlord to cover
the deposit. See the Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme 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.
Related information
> Contact the housing teams
> Rents and
benefits
> Housing and council tax benefit
> Moving to West Lancashire
> Rent deposit guarantee scheme