Finding a home after hosting

17 Feb

When people are thinking of moving on

The Government has given guidance for what might happen from the 4th month of hosting in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Find it here.

A guest and sponsor might agree that the arrangement is working well and there is no need to end it at 6 months. All arrangements stay the same and the host continues to receive the support payment.
The guest and host may agree that the arrangement should come to an end but the guest is not yet ready to live without support. In this case they can look for a new sponsor in the Homes for Ukraine scheme and begin another 6 month arrangement.
The sponsor and guest might decide to change the arrangements to one of tenancy.
The guest may feel they are ready to look for their own accommodation.

If it is decided that the guests will begin to look for their own home the Council should be informed by the host by e mail to ukraineresponse@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk that the sponsorship is ending and the guest might also contact the Council for support.

Here are the basics

It is the family's responsibility to find accommodation that is appropriate and affordable. The hosts provide support.
The family will be eligible for Housing Benefit.
The house size and Housing Benefit amount depends upon the family circumstances and area (e.g. number and age of children, the amount of income, whether Shaftesbury or another area) There is a calculator you can use for the size of property and the amount of Housing Benefit per week on this page https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/benefits/housing-benefit/housing-benefit/housing-benefit-amount e.g. a 3 bedroom House in Stourpaine would be supported by £182.96 per week for a family of Mother, Father and teenage children.
Private accommodation is the most likely option and a search through Right Move or Zoopla, filtered for the family’s needs and area, is the best approach. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent.html
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/
A single person or couple might also try https://www.spareroom.co.uk/
The prospective tenant must prove that they have a right to rent property in England. They will be able to use their Biometric Residence Permit as evidence of immigration status in the UK, including the right to rent in England.
After 6 months the support of hosts can continue but is not obligatory. If the family has not found housing and become homeless because hosting has ended, the Council has an obligation to provide emergency housing which is likely to be bed and breakfast accommodation, possibly in a different town or part of Dorset, dependent upon availability.

The search for housing can commence at any time, as the family is already eligible for Housing Benefit once they have enrolled onto Universal Credit.

Government guidance for people renting

The government provides a very good guide on How to Rent which also lists the support you can get.

Dorset Council support

Guests can expect support from the Council to avoid homelessness and the Council provides excellent advice here.

For example, if you are at risk of being homeless, the Council can provide a deposit bond and rent in advance. The Council would pay this money as a loan which you would need to repay in instalments.

Approaching Estate Agents

The current rental market is competitive as the amount of private rental accommodation is very limited.

Average Rents:

1 Bed’s £650-£800
2 Beds £775-£1000
3 Beds £950-£1,300
4 Beds £1,300-£2,000

Advice from Estate Agents includes

Save as much money as you can
Asking friends/family to be a guarantor (if in the UK)
Have as much information about your family, it’s history of renting, it’s resources, the family budget, what you can afford, the deposit you have available etc. etc. ready to go
You will need:
- ID and Proof of Address and Right to Rent in the UK (A Biometric Residence Permit)
- An annual income of 25 to 30 times the size of the monthly rent or a guarantor who lives in the UK. That is for a £1000 a month property, an annual income of £25,000.
- Money for a Holding deposit, security deposit and first months rent

Call or visit all the Estate Agencies in your area to be added as applicants and keep active.

Once you have found a property that is suitable call or email the estate agent to book a viewing

Book the viewing for as soon as possible, there will be many other people looking at it

If you like the property, apply for the property at the viewing
You will need to pay a 1 week holding deposit
You will need to provide ID and proof of address and Right to Rent (A Biometric Residence Permit)

Guarantees and deposits

Letting agents will carry out any referencing checks within the law as appropriate before accepting a new tenant. This may include income requirements or the need for a guarantor, dependent upon the decision of the individual landlord.

A deposit is usually required, which must be held in a secure account, not available to the landlord, until the end of the tenancy when any damages or unpaid rent may be taken from the deposit.

References

If providing references proves challenging for you , we would encourage you to discuss your personal circumstances with the letting agent or landlord about alternative forms of reference that might be acceptable.

Tenancy Agreement

The tenant will need to sign a ‘tenancy agreement’. This is a legal contract between the tenant and the landlord. The tenancy agreement will set out how much rent needs to be paid and how often, a list of repairs and maintenance that are the tenant’s responsibility and which are the landlord’s responsibility, and any other rules or restrictions e.g. smoking restrictions or the keeping of pets.

The tenancy will usually be for a fixed period of 6 or 12 months. The landlord must allow you to stay in the property for a minimum of 6 months. If you want a longer initial fixed period, you must ask whether the landlord is willing to agree to this and there may be a small cost in setting up another fixed term agreement. Usually, after the fixed term ends the tenancy enters a ‘periodic’ tenancy where its on a monthly rolling contract and either party can end it with notice: the tenant provides 1 months’ notice and landlords needs to provide 2 months’ notice.

You will be obliged to pay the rent for the duration of the tenancy.

You can find out about your responsibilities and rights as a tenant in the government’s How to rent guide

Joint Tenancies and House Shares

House Shares are possible and common amongst many younger UK people. A room in a shared house is usually around £600 with bills included.

Joint tenancies are possible (2 or more friends) but subletting is usually not permitted, unless permission is given from the landlord. Places to look for a house share or a room in a shared house

•https://www.gumtree.com/property-to-share/uk/share+accommodation

•https://www.spareroom.co.uk/

•https://www.roomgo.co.uk/

•Cloud Homes

The Housing Register

Dorset Council maintains a housing register where you can apply for social housing (housing outside the private rented sector).

Dorset does not have its own housing stock, there are no ‘council houses’. DCC instead works with social landlords (housing associations, community land trusts and alms houses) to support the aims of their housing scheme.

Dorset offer a choice based lettings scheme which means applicants have choice about where they live. However, it prioritises those people in the most need of affordable housing. There is a high demand for social housing in the area and Dorset will balance providing choice and housing need.

When you apply to join the Housing Register, you will be asked to upload a number of documents as PDFs. These will include but not be limited to: three months' UK bank statements; international passport copies for all members of the applicant family; a separate copy of a recent bank statement showing receipt of Universal Credit payments (if applicable); and proof of child custody (if applicable) as evidenced by receipt of Child Benefit payments. Visa status will also be independently verified. The Dorset Housing Solutions team are currently advising a waiting period of 20 weeks for processing new applications and "bids" for available properties cannot be placed until a new applicant has been approved.

Apply to join the Dorset Council Housing Register here.

Council Tax and other costs

When the move from sponsored accommodation rented property or another home the Ukrainian guest will become liable for paying Council Tax. This is a set amount for the financial year which runs from April to March, and can be paid monthly. Council Tax is a tax which goes to the local authority for local services such as care, social services, police and local facilities.

In addition to Council Tax payments, other bills that you will need to pay may include: gas; electricity; water; TV licence; wi-fi/broadband provision; contents insurance.. (In Ukraine, it is the norm for all utilities to be included within the monthly rent payment, rather than to be the responsibility of the tenant and there is no TV licence).

Help with Housing Need

If you are having difficulty with housing matters such as a disagreement with a landlord or you are fearful of becoming homeless there is immediate help from the Local Authority, Dorset Council.

Locally Open House have Housing Advisers who can help with the Housing Register and other issues.

There are also other national organisations that can provide advice and very real support in particular SHELTER and Citizen’s Advice.

Keeping Job Centre plus and Universal Credit informed

When you signed your rent agreement, you must report your new housing details on your UC account. You will need to confirm the details by providing

- The tenancy agreement or a rent statement or rent book

- A signed letter from the landlord confirming his/her details, the rental address and rent amount.

The rent amount will only be added to the Universal Credit payment after the Assessment Period when you reported the change. There is no partial payment for rent costs.

Furnishing your home

We recommend the following for free and cheap household items:

Store House. based at Father's House in Shaftesbury who provide and deliver furniture for free. Contact storehouse495@gmail.com 01747852994. The store is open at 10.00am on Tuesday.

Then try