rent a home from us

Applying for a home with us is easy – click the button below to apply online or call 0300 561 1111.

We've recently had a huge increase in people applying for a home with us, so we are not currently taking an new applications whilst we work hard to help those already on the list. If you have previously applied for a home with us, your application will not be affected. If you are looking to make a new application, please contact your local authority for further advice on alternative housing options.

Apply for a Home

We are here to help. If you need any help with your application or you have any queries, please contact the lettings team for advice and support.

To make sure that you have the best chance of securing a home, we also encourage you to apply to your Local Authority and other registered housing organisations in your chosen area.

If you are applying for a home in Manchester, we work with ‘Manchester Move’ who allocate our homes. To apply with Manchester Move go to https://homes.manchestermove.co.uk/choice/default.aspx

If you're looking for a home with a little more support, our homes for older people provide independent living with additional security and support. We offer tailored packages of support to help residents maintain their independence; together with a 24 hour emergency support service providing help in an emergency such as a fall. For more information click here.

who is eligible

Anyone can apply for one of our homes. However, you will not be able to apply for a home with us if:

Your gross annual household income is £60k or more
You are a home owner
You, or a member of your household have been found guilty of unacceptable behaviour, this can include previous antisocial behaviour
You have previously been evicted
You have arrears or debts relating to a current or former tenancy, including former rent arrears. If you have arrears of £100 or less you can make an application with us, however this arrear would need to be paid before an offer of a new home can be made.

Due to legal restrictions we may not be able to offer tenancies to some people from abroad who are subject to immigration control. If you meet one or more of the above and submit a housing application with us, we might need to ask for further information.

processing your application

We allocate our homes using a points system. Providing you have enough points to meet the criteria for the area you have chosen, your details will be entered onto our system and you will be awarded ‘points’ according to your housing need. This system ensures that everyone is treated fairly. You will then be put onto our provisional waiting list.
A member of our lettings team will meet you at one of our offices to confirm the details on your application. Your points may increase or decrease as a result. The meeting allows us to discuss your needs and offer support where necessary. It also allows us to verify the information you provide.
We may request references from your previous landlord or other agencies, including the Police. We reserve the right to refuse someone onto the waiting list where we feel that they would be unable to keep to their tenancy. You have the right to appeal if this happens.
If your application is successful and we have received your references, you will be put onto our waiting list which will enable you to receive offers of homes.
We will write to you every six months to confirm your details and check that you still need a new home. If you do not reply, your details may be removed from our list.
At the first opportunity, we will offer you a suitable home. If you refuse the first offer, two further offers will be made. If three offers are rejected your application will be cancelled.

understanding the points system

We allocate homes based on need and use a points system for this. Your points will be based on your personal circumstances, so it is important that you provide us with as much detail as possible when completing the application. The number of points you are given will determine the priority you are given. The more points you have, the greater the priority you will be given over other applicants.

In certain areas, where demand for homes is very high, but the number of homes that become available is very low, we have set ‘thresholds’. These thresholds avoid accepting people onto a waiting list where there is little, or no chance of them receiving an offer of a home. If this applies to an area where you are wanting to move to, your application must get a higher number of points than the threshold for you to be accepted onto the waiting list. If your application fails to meet the thresholds of the areas you have requested, we will support you by offering you alternative areas where your points will be enough to be accepted onto the waiting list.

The categories of housing need and points available are detailed in the tables below

how long will I have to wait?

As our homes are allocated on a points system and some of our customers’ needs are more urgent than others, we are unable to say exactly how long you may be waiting for a suitable home. How long you wait will also depend on how often the homes you are looking for become available in your chosen areas.

We will provide you with an estimate of how long you may have to wait before an offer is made. To improve your chances of securing a home, you can widen your choice of areas and the types of homes you want. We would also recommend that you apply to other housing providers and Local Authorities to increase your chances of securing a new home quicker.

our tenancies

We use ‘starter’ and ‘assured tenancies’. New customers moving into one of our homes from a local authority or another housing association home, with a tenancy that started before 1st April 2012 will immediately sign up to an assured tenancy. New customers moving in to one of our homes from a local authority or another housing association home, with a tenancy that started after 1^st April 2012 will be signed up to a starter tenancy.

All other new customers will sign up on a starter tenancy. A starter tenancy is initially for a twelve-month period. If the customer successfully maintains their tenancy, their tenancy is converted into an assured tenancy.

We want people to thrive in their homes and support customers to maintain their tenancies. Any customer who is unable to sustain their tenancy with our support, will not be converted to a full assured tenancy. If the customer fails to keep to the terms of tenancy agreement it may result in us ending their tenancy.

equality, diversity and inclusion

We believe everyone should be treated fairly. We have an equality, diversity and inclusion framework, which aims to eliminate discrimination and promote equality. Please contact us on 0300 561 1111 if you would like a copy.

Renting a home