Renting from the Council or a Housing Association
The Council and certain Housing Associations keep a joint Housing Register, and there is one form to fill in for both. For application forms ring Housing Registrations or ask at the Customer Advice Centre.
If you are under 18 you cannot normally go on the register. However if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness you may be accepted on the list but you will also need a financial guarantor and support package (ask for advice and see here). Otherwise if you are 16/17 your application will be kept on hold, and when you turn 18 it will be put on the list from the date you first applied.
You must let them know about any changes in your circumstances as it can affect your application, for example, if you change address. You should tell them if;
- you are being harassed where you live or asked to leave
- the place you live is making you ill, mentally or physically - eg damp, dust (can worsen asthma), overcrowding
- you become pregnant
- there are medical conditions or other special circumstances affecting you
Whilst you are waiting on the list you can ‘bid’ for homes through the Council’s ‘Choice Based Lettings’ scheme. Each week some empty homes are advertised. A property is offered to the person bidding who was been longest on the list - whatever band they are in. Adverts are in Council housing offices, on the Council’s website or Thursdays ‘Press’ property supplement.
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust and Ryedale Housing Association are not part of the joint housing register and you will need to contact them direct for application forms. You can go on their lists at 16 (you may need a financial guarantor if you are 16/17 - ask for advice).