Guildford Home Choice

UK Housing Options

Registering with other Councils

It is now possible to apply to go on the housing register of any local council in the country. You can apply to as many councils as you want. However, each council can decide how to prioritise the applications that they receive and may give greater priority to people who have a local connection with the area that they cover, for example if you work there, used to live there, or have close relatives in the area. You will need to contact the council in the area that you wish to move to in order to find out more. To find the contact details for a local authority go to www.direct.gov.uk.

HOMES Mobility Scheme

The HOMES Mobility Scheme is a national scheme designed to help people move to another part of the country. You will usually need to have a reason for moving to another area for example moving to be near to your work or moving to be near a relative to support or be supported by them.

You can apply to your landlord to nominate you to another council or housing association. If you are eligible your landlord will get in touch with other landlords in the area that you want to move to in order to see if they will accept you under the scheme.

Landlords agree to re-house a small number of HOMES Mobility Scheme movers each year and do not have to accept nominations made to them. In areas where there is high demand for housing, such as London and the South, housing providers are rarely willing to accept nominations particularly for family housing. It is more likely that nominations will be accepted from elderly applicants wishing to move to sheltered accommodation, although it is still not possible to guarantee acceptance. For more information about the HOMES Mobility Scheme click HOMES.

LAWN

The LAWN scheme helps people move from one part of Britain to another. It works by linking councils and housing associations that have long waiting lists for housing with those that may have empty homes or shorter lists. Many families have already used the scheme to move from London and the South to homes in the Midlands, the North of England and parts of Scotland and Wales. For more information on the LAWN scheme click LAWN.

Move UK

Move UK is a new service currently being developed, which will shortly replace both the HOMES Mobility Scheme and the LAWN scheme. It will offer in one place access to available social housing, job vacancies and a range of information giving people greater choice about where they live and work. Move UK also includes the Homeswap scheme. Click Mutual Exchanges for more information about Homeswap.