How to Apply

Social housing provides affordable accommodation to people on low incomes. To be eligible for social housing you must have some housing need, for example your current accommodation is not suitable for you or a member of your household.

You can register for social housing through Kent Homechoice. Before you apply, you will need to complete a pre-assessment to check you’re eligible for social housing.

You’ll need the following information to complete the pre-assessment:

• ages of the members of your household
• your salary details
• total amount of benefits that you receive, including housing benefit
• any other income, including savings
• total of any money that you owe
• total amount of any current or former owed rent 

The application process

 

Proof of identity and supporting information

After completing the form you will have 21 days to submit all the necessary supporting information. Any incomplete applications after this time will be cancelled.

We need to see copies of the documents listed below for every member of your household. When you apply to Kent Homechoice you will be given information about how to upload this information.

1. Proof of identity

• For each named applicant photographic identification, for example, a valid passport or photo driving licence

2. Proof of address - provide 2 from the following list

• Recent utility bill eg Gas, Electric, Water
• Council Tax bill
• Bank statement from the last month
• Tenancy agreement
• Rent card/book
• Entry on Electoral Register
• Driving Licence

3. Proof of income 

• Salary/wage slips for the past three months
• Proof of any income-related benefits received, for example, Universal Credit
• Statements from all bank and savings accounts for the past three months

4. If you have children living with you

• Birth certificate for each child, and
• Proof of receipt of child benefit or child tax credits

5. If you have access to children that do not live with you full time

• Residence Order if available, or
• Letter from the child’s full time carer detailing the access arrangements, including the frequency of visits, the length of time they have been in place, and any future arrangements.

6. If you own, or have ever owned, a property

• Current mortgage statement and recent valuation of the property
• Confirmation of the amount received from the sale or transfer of the property

7. EEA Nationals

 EEA nationals who were resident in the UK prior to 31 December 2020 and whose rights are preserved in Part 2 of the         Withdrawal Agreement must provide the following:

• Valid passport for each household member
• Evidence of Settled or Pre-Settled Status granted through the EU Settlement Scheme

• Households with Pre-Settled Status, Frontier Workers and those who have not yet applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and who are relying on their rights afforded by the Grace Period 01 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 or those who have made an application and are awaiting a reply from the Home Office, must provide evidence that they have a retained qualifying EU right to reside in the UK. This will include evidence that they are economically active including recent payslips, contract of employment, P60, P45 and self-employed accounts

8. Applicants subject to immigration control

• Valid passport for each household member
• Home Office documentation demonstrating your immigration status in the UK and that of all household members. Such documentation includes:
  • Biometric residence card or permit
  • UK Visas and Immigration account ‘share code’.

To prove and share your immigration status, please use the online facilities on the Government’s webpage ‘View and prove your immigration status’.

If you do not have a UK Visas and Immigration share code, you can obtain one by reading through Government guidance and completing the online form.

 

9. No fixed abode

• If you have no fixed address please provide either a contact address and a letter from the person at that address giving their consent for correspondence to be sent there, or an email address. 

How to apply

1. Visit www.kenthomechoice.org.uk

2. Click on the Register Button

 

Apply for housing »

Joint applicants

Applicants with children, who live separately from their partner, should complete their application form using the address at which the children normally live and will be assessed from that address.

Members of the Council, staff members and their relations

To ensure that we are seen to be treating all applicants fairly, any application from members of the Council, employees of the Council or associated persons must be disclosed on the application form.

Such applications will be assessed in the normal way but, in order to ensure public confidence, any accommodation allocated to the applicant under the scheme must be approved by the Head of Housing following appropriate checks.

The term ‘associated persons’ above is as defined in S178 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended).

Renewing an application

It is an applicant’s responsibility to renew their application each year. Every applicant will be sent a renewal notification by letter or email, close to the anniversary of the date of registration, which will include a request to provide information on any change in circumstances. If the renewal is not returned within four weeks the application will be cancelled without further notice. An application can only be considered for reinstatement in exceptional circumstances and only if the request is made within six months of the cancellation date.

Not actively bidding

Applicants who fail to place any bids over a twelve month period will have their application cancelled, unless it is demonstrated that no suitable accommodation has become available within those twelve months or there were other exceptional circumstances that did not make placing bids possible.

Those applicants whose applications are cancelled may reapply, but their housing circumstances will be investigated in full before being accepted back onto the register.

Applicants will be given notice in writing if their application has been cancelled for this reason.

Changes of circumstances

Once placed in a priority band, applicants should notify the Housing Needs section in writing or by email, of any material change in their circumstances that will affect their priority for housing, for example:

• A change of address, for themselves or any other person on the application.
• Any additions to the family or any other person joining the application
• Any member of the family or any other person on the application who has left the accommodation.
• The health of any member of the family or any other person on the application, getting better or worse.
• Any change in income or savings.

Applicants will be required to complete an online Change of Circumstances form and applications will be temporarily suspended from bidding while the Council assesses the information provided by the applicant and completes further enquiries that may be necessary.

The Council will carry out an assessment of each applicant’s entitlement to and priority for re-housing on the basis of information which has been provided by the applicant or otherwise received in connection with the application.

If you need help please contact us

Tel: 01304 872265