Allocations Policy and Application

Allocations Policy – Castle Vale Community Housing

The Allocations Policy is CVCH’s ‘rulebook’ for giving people properties on Castle Vale. It says who can apply, why we might say no to an application, and what type of property the applicant will be able to rent.

If you would like to see a full copy of our allocations policy please contact us to request a copy.

50% of our empty properties are let under the Allocations Policy. Because we are a Housing Association, we also have a duty to offer properties to applicants from Birmingham City Council, under what’s called a Nominations Agreement: the other 50% of empty properties are let under the Nominations Agreement.

General rules:

You must include everyone on your application who is going to live with you, even if they don’t live with you at the moment
You need to prove your identification and your income before being offered a property
We don’t know how long it will be before you’re offered a property – as our homes are let on assured tenancies it means that we do not know when properties will become available
You will need to renew your application every year of you will lose your place – we will remind you of this
It’s your responsibility to make sure what you tell us is accurate, and you might be prosecuted if it’s not
If you refuse an offer, you will go back to the bottom of the list, unless there’s a good reason – and if you refuse three offers, you will be taken off the list altogether
If you disagree with a decision, you can ask us to review it, or you can follow up with an appeal to court

Rules about who can apply:

You have to live, work or have close family in Castle Vale
You have to live in the UK already and normally
You have to be over eighteen
You can’t have a history of behaviour that would give us possession via court order, which includes:
- Domestic abuse
- Threatening, violent or abusive behaviour relating to your home or neighbourhood
- Fraud relating to public funds
- Subletting without permission
- Not allowing access or reporting repairs
- Breaching your tenancy agreement
You can’t have rent arrears, for where you live now or for anywhere else
You can’t be a homeowner or have high income or savings
Current CVCH tenants aren’t able to join the waiting list, unless they need a different property (for example because of overcrowding)

Priority:

Tenants of Chivenor House who wish to move to Phoenix Court because a high rise block is unsuitable for their needs are given first priority
Then, we give priority based on community contribution – this means whether you give something back to the community, through working or volunteering
If there’s a reason why you can’t work or volunteer, we will take this into account

Where you will be offered:

We don’t give applicants choice about where they want to live within Castle Vale, unless there’s a reason that’s been agreed by CVCH
We won’t offer a property that you can’t afford to live in
Bedroom allocation is:
- Couples are allocated one bedroom;
- single people over 16 are allocated one bedroom;
- two children both aged under 10 or of the same gender are allocated one bedroom;
- two children aged over 10 and of different genders are allocated two bedrooms
If you need extra bedrooms for any reason, we will take this into account
If you have a child under ten, you will not be offered a flat in a high-rise block

Please click the buttons below for our frequently asked questions, guidance notes (please read before completing the application) and our housing application.

If you have any enquiries not covered in the frequently asked questions or the guidance notes, please call us on 0121 748 8100 or email application@cvch.org.uk

How long will it take to be offered a property?

Unfortunately, if you are accepted onto our waiting lists we cannot be specific about how long it may take for you to be offered a property. This is because the types of tenancy we grant allow people to stay for as long as they keep to the terms of their tenancy conditions. We therefore cannot predict when a suitable property might become available. We know that some people might be waiting a long time, and some may never be allocated a property. This is because on average we let less than 100 properties a year, and we are required to let half of these to people on the Council’s waiting list under the terms of our agreement with the council. This is called a nominations agreement. We always recommend that people register for both schemes to increase their chances.

We have a lot of people on our waiting list, and because of the popularity of Castle Vale as a place to live, you might be waiting for a very long time. We do let some properties on a market rent basis which might be immediately available, but these are not let on discounted social rents, are let on a short term basis and are not subject to the same waiting lists. If this is of interest, follow this link and submit an enquiry. If you already have a social tenancy you might be rehoused quicker if you find a mutual exchange.

Can you tell me where I am on the waiting list?

We do not tell people exactly where they are on the waiting list or how long they might be waiting. In addition to the reasons above, the waiting list order can change. Sometimes we have to house people in an emergency – for example when someone loses their home because of fire, or if they are fleeing serious violence or domestic abuse. You might lose your place on the waiting list if you don’t return our review forms. We may be able to tell you if you are in the top quarter of applicants, but we won’t guess at how long you might be waiting as we can’t guarantee this and it is likely to lead to disappointment.

Please return your completed and signed form, along with your supporting evidence to application@cvch.org.uk. If you are unable to return your form by email, please post it to CVCH, 11 High Street, Castle Vale, Birmingham B35 7PR or you can hand deliver your form to our offices during normal office opening hours.

You, and your landlord, have a number of rights as a result of the contents of your tenancy agreement.

Some of these rights apply even if they are not included in the written agreement. These are known as ‘implied terms’, and means that you and your landlord can rely on parts of the law to provide you with additional rights/protection.

To find out more information about these rights download our leaflet.

All social landlords must ensure that the quality of their rented homes are at a specific standard. This is known as the Decent Homes Standard.

The Government has produced guidance around what ‘decent homes’ look like which can be found here.

The Decent Homes Standards are currently under review by the Government but as part of the current standard, we must ensure that:

Your home is safe for you to live in and does not have any hazards which are serious or pose an immediate risk to the health and safety to you or anyone living in your home.
Your home is in a reasonable state of repair, it may not be:
- If one or more ‘key building components’ are old, and need replacing or need major repairs carried out;
- If two or more “other building components” are old and need replacing or need major repairs carried out.
Your home must have reasonably modern facilities and services (this includes a modern kitchen which is 20 years old or less, reasonably modern bathroom which is 30 years old or less, adequate insulation and adequate size and layout).
Your home must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort – meaning it must have both effective insulation and effective heating.

We monitor the condition of your home by carrying out condition surveys annually. We also undertake surveys of shared spaces such as hallways. We use this information to decide on improvement works that may be required.

Please contact us 0121 748 8100 if you do not think that your home meets the Decent Homes Standard.

If you, or someone you live with, has a disability you can ask us to make reasonable adjustments (which includes changes or adaptations) so that any barriers are removed allowing you to access services from us.

Download our leaflet here to find out more about the adjustments we can make.

Are you homeless, or at risk of homelessness?

All Birmingham citizens are able to access housing advice to prevent homelessness, and support at a time of housing crisis. It is always best to seek support as soon as possible in order to prevent a homelessness crisis. Click here for more information.