Housing Advice

Housing Services offers advice on a range of housing issues, including if you are threatened with homelessness within the next 28 days. Whatever your circumstances, it is important to seek advice.

We want to help you to stay in your home whether you are in your own home, renting from a private or Registered Social Landlord (RSL, sometimes known as a Housing Association), living with friends or family or in any other situation.

Maldon District Council makes prevention of homelessness a priority so this is an important role of the Housing Services. You may face a lengthy wait on the Housing Register before you are nominated for alternative accommodation with an RSL, so we will do all we can to help you keep your accommodation to ensure that you do not become homeless in the meantime. Ways we can do this include:

Helping you to negotiate with your landlord, friends or family to enable you to stay in your present accommodation until suitable alternative accommodation can be found.
Make enquires on your behalf to ensure you receive all the financial assistance to which you are entitled to enable you to meet the costs of your housing.
Assisting you if you are in arrears with your rent or mortgage by negotiating an agreement with your landlord or lender to help you to retain your home.

If you cannot stay in your home

Again, prevention of homelessness is the main priority. We will therefore do all we can to help you to secure rented accommodation with a private landlord to prevent you from being homeless. We can help you to find privately rented accommodation by:

Helping you to look for a private landlord.
Possible assistance towards the rent in advance which is required by landlords.
Identify the financial assistance to which you may be entitled to help you meet the cost of rent.
Advising on other tenancy matters.

How does the housing register work?

In 1995 all Council properties were transferred to Moat Homes Limited. Moat Homes Limited manages a Common Housing Register (CHR) on behalf of Maldon District Council.

The register allows you to apply for accommodation managed by any of the housing associations involved in the scheme.

Those accepted onto the Housing Register will be considered for properties that become available at the following Housing Associations.

Moat Homes Limited Tel No:- 0845 0860 086 / www.moat.co.uk/MoatWeb/AboutMoat/Contact+us.htm

Colne Housing Association Tel:- 01206 224700 / www.colnehousing.co.uk/

Estuary Housing Association Tel:- 01702 462246 / www.estuary.co.uk/pages/apply.asp

Salvation Army Housing Association Tel:- 0845 3000 008 / www.saha.org.uk/housing_services.htm

London & Quadrant Housing Association Tel:- 0208 262 4300 / www.lqgroup.org.uk/find-a-home/

If an application form is completed to join the Housing Register a points system will be used to prioritise people in terms of their housing need.

How do I put my name on the Council’s Housing Register?

You will need to complete an application form.

Forms are available from the District's Housing section at Maldon District Council Offices. Please telephone 01621 854477 for further information.

Joining the housing register will not automatically mean that you will be offered a property. All housing associations taking part in the scheme will have different policies, for example some housing associations may not consider people whose earnings and savings are over a certain level. If you would like details of the policies please contact the relevant Housing Association.

How long will it be before I am offered a permanent home?

Exactly how long you will wait is reliant on many factors including the number of points you have, the size and type of accommodation you need, the area you want to be housed in and the number of properties that become available in that area.

How many offers will I receive?

An eligible Common Housing Register applicant, who is NOT homeless under the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002, who refuses two suitable offers of accommodation in their chosen location will be removed from the Common Housing Register. However, applicants who have been awarded 100 points on the grounds that they are statutory homeless, but NOT intentionally so, and in priority need under the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002 will be made ONE reasonable offer of accommodation which may be ANYWHERE within the Maldon District.

If you do not feel the property you were offered was reasonable for your needs then you have the right to appeal.

I don’t want to accept the housing I have been offered how can I appeal?

If you are living in temporary housing provided by the Council under the homelessness legislation you will have to move into the property that you have been offered then you can write into the housing section to appeal against the decision.

In all other cases you would need to contact the Housing Association that offered you the property and ask them for details of their appeals procedure.

I don’t think I have the right number of points what shall I do?

If you do not think you have been allocated the right number of points for your circumstances, please contact a member of staff in the Housing Section or Moat Homes Limited to check they have recorded the correct information.

I want to make a complaint?

If you do not think your application to the Housing Register has been treated fairly or you feel you have received unfair treatment from any officers employed by any of the associations involved you have a right to appeal. Contact a member of staff in the Housing Section for details of the appeals procedure.

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Advice and Support for Asylum Seekers

The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) provides support, accommodation and financial help for asylum seekers whilst their claim is being considered by the Immigration & Nationality Directorate (IND).

Please click this link to the National Asylum Support Service website for further information.