Transfers – What to Expect #BeforeYouApply

With many of our tenants now qualifying for priority to move, we thought this would be a good time to talk about transfers, how they work, and what you can expect.

If you have registered with These Homes and you qualify for a Gold, Silver or Bronze Priority Pass, you may also be eligible for a higher level of  priority if you meet the following criteria:

• Have a clear rent account
• Maintain your home and garden in ‘move in condition’, e.g. if you moved all your belongings out of your home, we would not need to do any work to the property to bring it up to a lettable standard
• Have no history of neighbour problems or anti-social behaviour

For example, you have had a new baby and need a larger home.  You’ve registered with These Homes and have successfully applied for a Silver Overcrowding Priority Pass.  Because you meet all of the criteria listed above, your priority has been increased to Gold Plus level.

We advertise half of our available homes with priority going to Platinum Priority Pass holders (homeless households).  Though we do this, you should still apply for all suitable properties which are advertised as occasionally there is no homeless household which makes best use of the property and it is allocated to a non-homeless applicant.

If you apply for a new home, we will call you to let you know if you are being considered for it (unless you have requested an alternate communication method).  The next step will be to check that you are still eligible for priority.  We will check your tenant records and arrange for your Housing Officer to visit you. They will discuss your potential transfer with you and carry out a further inspection of your home.

If you no longer meet the requirements for Gold Plus priority, it will drop back down to the Gold, Silver or Bronze level you were previously awarded.  It may still be possible that we can offer you the home provided  no one with a higher level of priority has applied and makes best use of it, but it is more likely that you will not be offered to you.

You can appeal our decision to downgrade your Priority Pass, and if you are successful, it does not mean you will be offered the home you were being considered for, as this will likely have been allocated to the next eligible applicant. 

If you meet all the requirements, we will normally offer you the new home shortly after your home visit and you should now complete the Tenancy End form.  You will not know when you will be able to move out at this point, but as you must give us 28 days’ notice to end your tenancy, we advise you complete the form as soon as we send your offer.  If you need additional time in your current home, this can also be arranged.  We will e-mail your offer letter to you and you will be invited to accept the offer and start your My New Home process (sometimes referred to as the pre-allocation process).  

The My New Home process sets up your new My Home account, and if you already have a My Home account, you will need to provide a different e-mail address for this new account.  The process will guide you through the information you need before you start your tenancy.  Please give yourself plenty of time to read through everything.  Once you have finished the My New Home process, the system will automatically let us know, and as soon as your new home is ready, we will get in touch to arrange for you to view it and sign your new Tenancy Agreement.

This might sound a little complicated, but moving home always is!  However, our staff will be on hand to help you every step of the way, and work hard to make sure moving from one ELHA home to another is as smooth and simple as it can be.