Housing Needs Register

The Housing Register is open to all persons over the age of 16 years who wish to apply, with the exception of individual applicants who can be excluded in the following circumstances:

• Where a person from abroad is subject to immigration control under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, except where regulations prescribe otherwise
• Where a person from abroad is excluded from being allocated housing by regulations issued by the Secretary of State
• Where at the time of the application, the applicant or a member of the applicant's household, is considered to be guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make him/her unsuitable to be a tenant

For further information on the Housing Register, our Allocations Policy and the way our points scheme works, or to download an application form please click on the links below.

• Housing Register Information Booklet
• Housing Register Application Form
• Allocations Policy

To complete the Housing Register Application form online click on the link below:

• Housing Register Online Application Form

Once your application has been received, and if you are eligible to be included on the Housing Register, you will receive written confirmation, a renewal card and a registration number. If your application is to be excluded, you will also receive a letter from us giving the reason(s) why your application has been excluded and advising you of your right to request a review of the decision.

Introducing Home Choice
Tandridge District Council has introduced a system of allocating properties known as Choice Based Lettings from June 2008. For more information about Choice Based Lettings click on the link below.

• Choice Based Lettings

Re-registration
When you receive the letter of confirmation that you have been accepted onto the Housing Register you will also receive a renewal card which includes your Registration Number and the date you are due to re-register. You must contact the Housing Needs section on 01883 732825 or 732826, or return your renewal card to the Council by the date shown if you wish to remain on the list. The Council will write to every applicant who has not renewed by his or her renewal date to check whether:

• They wish to remain on the register
• There are any changes to their circumstances
• They wish their application to remain pending

If you receive this letter you must respond within 14 days or your application will be cancelled from the Housing Register without any further contact from the Council.

Visits
As soon as possible, and certainly before an offer of accommodation is made, a Housing Needs Officer will visit an applicant at the registered address to verify the information that has been provided, to offer relevant advice about re-housing prospects and to discuss possible alternative solutions.

Because of staffing limitations, priority for home visits will be given to those in greatest need (i.e. those most highly pointed) to ensure that the assessment process is completed.

Introductory tenancies
Tandridge operates an introductory tenancy scheme, which has been introduced as part of our commitment to fighting anti-social behaviour.

All new tenants will become introductory tenants, and will not have the right to:

• Buy their home
• Take in lodgers
• Sub-let
• Make improvements
• Exchange their home

If an introductory tenant breaks the tenancy conditions and we go to court, the judge must grant a possession order. After 12 months all introductory tenancies become secure tenancies unless we have begun possession proceedings.

Tenants of Tandridge District Council and housing associations within the district
Existing tenants of Tandridge District Council and tenants of Registered Social Landlords (Housing Associations) are able to apply for a transfer to move to another property within the district. To do so, you will need to complete a Housing Register application form. If you are still within the introductory period of your tenancy this status will move with you.

Those transferring from family-sized general needs accommodation to accommodation designated for older persons or designated for persons over 40 years of age may be eligible for the Transfer Incentive Scheme. For more information about this please click on the link below:

• Tenants' Transfer Incentive Scheme

Mutual exchange
It may be possible for you to speed up your move to alternative accommodation by finding another Council or Housing Association tenant who may want to exchange accommodation with you. You can advertise for a mutual exchange in shops, newspapers or on the Council's Mutual Exchange Register.You should be aware that if you do advertise on the Council's exchange register, your telephone number would be available to the public.

Your right to information
The Council is required to provide information to applicants to enable them to make informed choices over the parishes/areas in which they apply to live and the type of accommodation they apply for. To assist applicants in making choices, the Council has produced a list of Council and Housing Association stock in the District and produce an information document that sets out the distribution of allocations over the preceding year. These lists can be provided upon request or downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

• Housing Stock List
• Housing Organisations with Accommodation in the Tandridge Area

The Council is also required to inform applicants of decisions to exclude them from the allocation scheme or to afford them less preference, and of the right to request a review of such decisions.

Your right to review an offer of council accommodation
We try to ensure that all offers of Council accommodation or nominations to Housing Association vacancies meet your needs and preferences. However, sometimes this may not be possible and you may feel that you have been offered unsuitable accommodation.

If you think that you have been made an unreasonable offer you should first discuss this with the officer who made you the offer and explain why you consider the property to be unsuitable.

If you are still not satisfied that the offer is reasonable after discussing it with the relevant officer you can request a review of its suitability.

Alternatively you may wish to write to the Housing Needs Manager at the Council Offices. Please provide full reasons why you consider the offer to be unreasonable.

Please note that if you have been made an offer of temporary accommodation because you are homeless you can request a review of its suitability even though you have accepted the tenancy. This is very important because you are only entitled to one offer of suitable accommodation. It will not usually be possible to keep the offer open to you while the review is completed.

If you would like to make a request you should complete the form by clicking on the link below and submit it to us as soon as possible.

Request of a review of council accommodation