How to Apply for Council Housing

Residential Requirements

To be eligible for inclusion on the Housing Register (unless you are applying for Sheltered Housing, see below) you must currently live, and have lived within the Cannock Chase Council boundary for the 12 months prior to the date of your application.

Anyone who applies who does not fulfil this requirement will have their application cancelled and you will need to submit a new application once they have lived within the Cannock Chase Council boundary for 12 months or longer.

If you are applying for Sheltered Housing you are not subject to the above BUT you must have a close relative who currently lives and has lived within the Cannock Chase Council boundary for the previous 12 months from whom you will receive support.

NOTE: If you are currently living in Specialist Supported Accommodation or in Prison and immediately prior to moving to your current accommodation you were a resident within the Cannock Chase Council boundary for 12 months or longer, you should make these facts known to the Allocations Team who will assess your individual residential qualification.

If you already have a current housing application and wish to express interest in a property you can do so at Cannock Chase Housing website or click the logo below.

Register Online

To register your interest for housing you will need to complete an online Registration Form, available on the Cannock Chase Housing website, click below.

If you require any advice or assistance please contact the Allocations Team on 01543 462621.

Important:

You will not be able to express an interest in any properties until your application has been fully assessed.

If you attempt to gain priority by withholding or giving false information, your application will be deferred and if you obtain a property by such means legal action may be taken against you.

Frequently Asked Questions

When I have submitted my application do I need to contact you again?

Once you have submitted your application you will be contacted within 10 working days to advise you what documentation is required to fully assess your application. Once your application is fully assessed we will advise you of your band and login details. At this point you can begin to express an interest in properties. Please see our leaflet below 'How to Express an Interest in a Property' for further information.

All applicants, including Council tenants will have to re-register each year on the anniversary of their application. You will receive a letter requesting you contact the Housing Office to re-register. If you do not do so, your name will be removed from the Housing Register.

Can I live on a particular estate?

Applicants may express an interest in vacant properties in the areas they wish to move into and for which they are eligible.

What If I am unable to live in my present accommodation because of an illness or disability?

If your illness or disability means that your present home is not suitable for your needs, additional priority may be given to your application. If you wish to apply for medical priority you should complete a 'Medical Needs Assessment Form'. When this has been returned, arrangements will be made for the application to be considered by the Council's Medical Panel. We will notify you of the outcome.

Who Can Apply for Council Accommodation?

You can apply for a Council property by placing your name on the Housing Register if:

You are aged 16 or over and live in the Cannock Chase area: or
You are not in a category of persons excluded from the Housing Register.
You live outside of the Cannock Chase area and wish to move to sheltered accommodation.

You will have to re-register your application each year. You must also notify the Council if your circumstances change.

How to Express an Interest in a Property Leaflet

Ineligibility for Housing

The Council has a legal duty to check whether an applicant is eligible to be allocated accommodation, or whether he or she is excluded under section 160(a), (1) (3) or (5) of the 1996 Housing Act. The Council can also decide to treat an applicant as ineligible for an allocation of accommodation due to serious unacceptable behaviour under section 160(a)(7) of the 1996 Housing Act.

The Homelessness Act 2002 allows the Council to determine whether an applicant is ineligible for an allocation of a tenancy due to serious unacceptable behaviour.

Any of the following may result in your application being investigated further:

People who have previously been evicted by this council or another local authority or social housing provider, for reasons of anti-social behaviour or for causing damage to the landlords property.
People who have had an injunction under Part V of the Housing Act 1996 obtained against them by the Council.
People who have been convicted of an offence relating to the supplying of drugs and who have received a custodial sentence of at least two and half years, or have received a shorter sentence that is not yet spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Any person where this Council, or any other local authority or Registered Social Landlord has a current injunction, or has obtained an injunction within the past three years, against them due to their behaviour towards housing staff.
Any person convicted of a violent or threatening offence towards a Council member, a member of staff of this Council, or any other local authority or another Registered Social Landlord within the past five years.
If you or a member of your household, are considered to have committed acts of unacceptable behaviour, you may be requested to provide additional information or attend an interview. If the Council then decide you are ineligible you will receive a written decision giving reasons why you have been been determined as ineligible for allocation.

In these cases, your application will not be placed in a band and the application excluded.

Where the behaviour of an applicant or a member of his/her family affects their suitability to be a tenant but is not so severe as to exclude them from the Housing Register (e.g. low level nuisance) the applicant will receive reduced preference and be placed in Band 4.

Last Updated: 01/09/2016

CORONAVIRUS: Information, Support and changes to Council services