The Homeseekers Register

homeseeker1

Because Affordable Homes are built on ‘exception sites’, they classed in with ‘social housing’ in general – this means that  applicants will need to be on the  ‘Homeseeker Plus’  register.   

The Homeseeker Plus Partnership is a group of councils and housing providers who work together to provide homes across Gloucestershire & West Oxfordshire.

Homeseeker Policy states:

“Affordable Rent housing is for eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Eligibility is determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.”

In this area, you could have a household income of up to £60,000.   You do not have to have any special social needs.

It costs you nothing to apply and ECLT would urge anyone who thinks they might be eligible, to apply without delay.  You can do this here:   

 www.homeseekerplus.co.uk

Be sure to state your local connection

The Register works through an online a bidding system.  When you register you will be advised of your eligibility and given a gold, silver or bronze classification – according to need.  Once registered you will be able to log in, on a regular basis, to see if there are any available homes for which  you might apply  (‘bid’) .

ECLT homes will be available for people with an Eastington Local Connection, First

  • Resident of Eastington Parish (for 3 continuous years during the last 5 years)
  • Person with local family connections, living elsewhere, wishing to return to Eastington (parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren or siblings)
  • Person living or working in the parish for 6 out of the last 12 months. (This is a lower priority than the first two conditions above).

Only if  more than one local person bids for a particular home will the gold/solver/bronze category be taken into account, followed by the length of time on the register.

You will only see and be able to bid on homes of the type for which you are eligible, based on the number of bedrooms.  A single person  or a couple qualify for one bedroom;  children may then be accommodated two to a room, but children over 10 years may not share with a child of the opposite sex.  Children 16 or over  and additional adults are eligible for a bedroom of their own.

After a successful bid, the Housing Association (Aster Homes for Fullers Close or Two Rivers for Project Two) will be advised, and will handle the process of verifying the local connection and completing the actual letting.  ECLT members will not be directly involved in any of this, but will monitor the process to ensure that the rules are being followed correctly.

 

 If no-one with an Eastington Local Connection applies for a vacant home, it will be offered to people in our neighbouring parishes (e.g. Whitminster, Leonard Stanley etc) before going on the general Stroud District vacancy list.  Similarly, any homes that are built under CLT-type schemes in our neighbouring parishes  will  (and do) extend the same privilege to Eastington.