Preston

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Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) 

How does the scheme work?

Easy Guide

Step 1 - The customer fills in an application form and registers with Select Move

Step 2 - They are put on a list (called a 'band') of people wanting to move home

Step 3 - Lists of homes to rent are published in the Select Move Property Shop, and all partner housing offices.

Step 4 - The lists come out every two weeks on a Monday.   From the date the list is published, customers have got nine days to show their interest in individual homes advertised.

Step 5 - After the closing date, the Select Move partnership looks at how many people have shown an interest in each home advertised.  

If only one person has shown an interest in a property and they are suitable, they'll get an offer.  

If more than one person is interested in a home, the customer who most closely matches the property requirements will get the offer.   If more than one person is still suitable, the person registered with Select Move the longest will be successful.

How are people picked to go in each band?

Most people go into the green band to begin with. The only exceptions are people who:

These people will usually go into the priority red band.

Will being in the red band get me a quicker move?

Not necessarily. Some people think that being in the red band gets you housed very quickly but it is not always true.

If you are placed in the red band you are joining a different list. There are still lots of people waiting in priority need and there are not enough homes of the right type for many applicants. So it can still be a long wait.

Being housed from the red band depends on the date you became a red band priority. If you have been on the green band for a long time, swapping to the red band may not benefit you because the date you become a red band priority is the date on which the expression of interest in a home is based. Therefore you may change from being at the top of the green band to being at the bottom of the red band list.

Let’s look at an example:

Mrs. Bloggs registered on the green band on 10^th June 1998. A recent accident means she now has an urgent medical need. She could go into the red band on 11^th February 2007. What would happen if she did?

• If she stays on the green band Mrs. Bloggs has been registered longer than most Select Movers. So if she sees a home that she likes that is open to green band applicants the chances are that she’ll be one of the earliest applicants registered (as she applied in 1998). This gives her a good chance of an offer depending on whom she’s competing against.
• But If Mrs. Bloggs moves to the red band her priority registration date on the red band will be 11^th   February 2007. This means that anyone registered on the red band before 11^th February 2007, will be ahead of Mrs. Bloggs in the queue.

Please note that we will place a selection of our vacant homes for preference to both red and green band applicants so you should have a similar choice of property types and location no matter which band you are in.

If I give you my reference number can you say where I am on the list?

There’s no way to tell you where you are on the list because it changes from day to day.

When you express an interest in a home we can tell you where you are at that moment in time. But this could change within a few minutes, hours or days, if other people then show an interest in that same home.

We can’t predict who will be interested in a home or what your chances are of getting the home you want. It all depends on whom you are competing against for each property.

I’ve got a serious medical problem. Does this make me a priority?

It depends. We base your medical priority on your needs and how suitable your current housing is.

We will only award medical priority if:

Rehousing will improve or stabilise your medical condition

OR

Your mobility will be improved or helped if you are rehoused.

What happens if there are changes in my life?

It depends what changes have happened:

• New Baby: just tell us and give us a copy of the birth certificate.
• Moved Address: you need to fill in a new form because your housing circumstances will have changed. 
• Someone has moved into your home: You will need to fill in a new form so we can work out if your priority has changed.
• You want someone taken off your application: Please write and tell us who you want removed. If it is a joint tenant we will need their written permission before we can remove them, and we may need to discuss with you both what is to happen to the original application.

I’ve lived in the same home for 20 years. Do I still need to provide references?

Yes we want to build strong happy communities in Preston and South Ribble where people want to stay. That’s why we ask for references from every Select Mover.

If you’re a tenant we need a reference from your landlord. If you are working we need a reference from your employer as well.

Can I express an interest in a home on someone else’s behalf? 

Yes as long as we have their written permission that you can do this. But we can’t tell you the results (whether an offer is likely to be made or not).

How long will it take to get a move?

We really can’t tell. It depends which homes you’re interested in, how many other people are interested in the same homes and which of you have been registered the longest. However, we publish the registration date of the successful applicants for each property, so you can use this as a guide to waiting time.

How many points have I got?

Points don’t matter now. What matters is the band you are in and how long you have been in that band or registered with Select Move. The onus is now on you to choose homes that you are interested in.

What’s the advertising cycle?

We advertise a new list of available homes every fortnight beginning on a Monday. These homes are advertised for nine days and the closing date for expressing an interest in any of them is midnight on the second Tuesday.

On the second Wednesday Thursday and Friday we draw up the shortlist for each home, carry out applicant checks and subsequently offer the homes.

Why are there age restrictions on some homes?

Some groups of homes are designed for older residents. These properties, known as “sheltered housing”, have support services tailored to meet the needs of elderly people. We can normally only house people 60 years and over in sheltered housing, although some schemes accept people from 55 years. Offering sheltered homes to younger people would affect other residents’ rights.

However, occasionally we have rehoused someone under 60 years old in these sheltered schemes. This is when the individual has had severe medical needs and can benefit from the support services available.

Sometimes, if there are a lot of elderly people in an area, or there have been problems with Anti Social Behaviour, we will offer homes to certain household types. The whole idea is to build balanced communities where people want to live.

I need to move now! Can I apply for a home that is smaller than my needs?

We will not support any move to a home that is not right for you. We want to make sure that when you move the property is suitable for your needs.

The government expects us to give reasonable preference to those in urgent need. So you may notice that for some homes, preference is given to those in the red band.

Being in the red band does not guarantee that someone will get a particular property – remember that it’s also about when you became a priority. Everyone is competing against other people in their particular band.

I am already registered with one of the partner landlords, do I need to re-apply for this Sub- Regional Scheme?

No your application will automatically be included in this new scheme. Community Gateway applicants will keep the same registration number. New registration numbers will be issued to all other applicants. We will write to you to advise of your new number.  If you have an application with more than one of the partner landlords the date of the earliest application will be retained to enable you to have the best chance when bidding for property.   

Can I swap homes with another tenant or tenants?

Select Move partnership tenants (and other housing association tenants) who want to move can advertise their home on the exchange list on this site.   It's also quick and easy to put a notice in local shops or community notice points.

To improve the chances of finding someone to swap with, it helps to give details of:

• The type of home lived in (such as a house or flat) and number of bedrooms
• Which area, or street, the home is in
• Any special facilities that might make the property attractive to other people (such as a new kitchen, garage, big garden)
• What type of home is wanted, and the number of bedrooms needed
• The area(s) that would be considered
• Anything else that is important to the household.

Can I buy the home I rent?

Select Move tenants who want to buy their home may be entitled to do so through one of two schemes:

• The Right to Acquire
• The Preserved Right to Buy

The Right to Acquire

This scheme gives some housing association tenants the legal right to buy the home they currently rent. It's based on a grants system. Both the property, and the tenant living in it, must qualify for a purchase to be made under the Right to Acquire.

The home must either:

• Be a property which transferred from Preston City Council to the CGA or owned by any of the other partners
• Have been built by the partnership on or after April 1 st 1997, with a grant from the Housing Corporation (a national body) or
• Have been bought by the partnership on or after April 1 st 1997, with a grant from the Housing Corporation.

The tenant must also meet one of the following rules:

• Have spent at least two years as a public sector tenant, or in housing provided by the armed forces (if you were a tenant before January 18 th 2005) or
• Have been a public sector tenant for at least five years (if your first tenancy started on or after January 18 th 2005)
• Live in a self-contained house or flat, which is your only or main home.

To apply for the Right to Acquire, tenants should fill in an application form and return it to your landlord.

The landlord will check the application and confirm:

• If the tenant is entitled to buy their home under the Right to Acquire
• If they're entitled to buy, the purchase price of the home currently rented, based on a market valuation
• The price discount the tenant is entitled to. This is a fixed amount, set by the Government.

The Preserved Right to Buy

The Preserved Right to Buy gives some tenants the legal right to buy the home they currently rent. The Right to Buy is based on a discount system. This gives tenants a discount on the purchase price of their home, based on the number of years spent as a council or housing association tenant. The discount grows each year, until the maximum level is reached. To apply for the Preserved Right to Buy, tenants should fill in an application form and return it to their landlord.

The landlord will check the application and confirm:

• If the tenant is entitled to buy their home under the Preserved Right to Buy
• If the tenant is entitled to buy their home, the purchase price of the home currently rented
• The price discount the tenant is entitled to, based on their length of time as a tenant.