how does one get council housing and what are the requirements?

Answer 1

foreign,immigrant,illegal

Answer 2

There is a huge deficit of social housing in the UK so it is very difficult these days to get a house through your council. The Housing Act was introduced to put restrictions on who will be priority to be housed.

There is no point in applying if you fall into these catagories as the council will refuse to house you:

1. You have become homeless intentionally (i.e. you have failed to pay the rent without good reason, you have been evicted for antisocial or disruptive behaviour)
2. You own a property or properties anywhere in the world
3. You have the means to put a deposit on a rental property or the means to buy a house (within reason)
4. Despite what most people believe, immigrants will not automatically qualify for housing. a family or household must have rights to public funds which you simply don't have if you are not given permission to remain in the UK. Then they have to meet the same criteria as other people.

Anyone other than the above can apply to go on the housing register but unless you have a priority need, you are unlikely to ever be offered somewhere.

To have a priority need, you need to show that your wellbeing or that of someone in your household would be adversely affected if you weren't housed. The aim is that healthy 20-something people will not qualify and social housing will go to people who need it.

Most people with priority fall into the following catagories:
1. Physical or mental disability which is severe and is unlikely to improve
2. Children in a household will be considered vulnerable however, families who are evicted from previous accommodation through their own fault or who can afford to rent will not be allowed.
3. A person fleeing violence, although this does not automatically mean they will be rehoused. Often there will be mental health problems or disabilities or children involved.

Housing law is very complex and the lack of social housing means that councils are now putting many families into private properties to meet their obligations to provide settled homes. The rent in this accommodation is often as expensive as any other private property, In the London council I work for, low priority households can wait for more than 15 years to be rehoused. This figure is greatly reduced if you are in inappropriate housing or homeless.

Unless you are unable find your own accommodation, I would not bother applying.

A better bet is to look for shared ownership schemes or buy outright.

Sorry

Answer 3

With great difficulty. It is usually only for those on low or no incomes that could not privately rent or are in circumstances where this would not work ie dependents, vulnerable adults or those with families

The system is points based so it depends on what your situation is, if you are sleeping on a friend's sofa for example then you would get higher points than someone that is living with parents or is privately renting.

If you are homeless you would get temporary accomodation in the first instance.

In all cases you will go on the housing register and have to wait for a place, sometimes for years.

Answer 4

Depends on how fast you need one.
If you are indigenous to the UK then you go on a waiting list in the area of your choice. Single mothers get priority and more priority if they have more than one child. Then there are young families. Then there are the elderly. Then there are single people. Sometimes you can be on the list for years.

If you are an illegal immigrant, just go to the local council and you will be housed within days, plus benefits, plus free furniture and electrical goods, plus priority in the jobs queue...especially if you can't speak English.

Answer 5

The borough council i live in you need to be in receipt of full benefits, unintentional homeless or be about to become so, disabled etc.., etc ...
Those are the only ones i have ever known to get council or housing association housing.

Answer 6

if you are homeless you get temp housing and you get points its takes a lot longer if you are still at home you are looking at 1yer if not homeless a lot longer it also depends where you want to live and if you want a flat or a house first fing to do is register with council its a long slowe proses that can take years it all dip ends on your circumstances

Answer 7

You have to be a bone-idle chav, with no intention of getting a job.

It also helps if you've got a broken down Ford Sierra permanently parked in the front garden.

Answer 8

you need to get your name on the list it can take upto 5 years to get a house depending on where you live

Answer 9

Tell them you are an unmarried mother, unemployed, or an immigrant because you won't get one if you are in employment in this country and you were born here

Answer 10

you apply to go on the housing list and you are then given 'points'...whoever has the most points moves up the list etc etc

Answer 11

have 1 child you'l get a flat
2 kids you might get a house
the more kids you have the bigger the house