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Applying for housing from a housing association or housing co-operative
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Housing options for lone parents factsheet
Housing association homes
The process for getting a housing association home is similar to that for local authority housing (see Applying for housing from the local authority). When you apply, your priority over other housing applicants will be assessed.
Your local authority should have a list of housing associations that work in your area or you can get a list from regional offices of the Housing Corporation or the Welsh Assembly (see Further help and information).
Sometimes, local authorities will 'nominate' applicants to be housed by a housing association operating in the area, in which case the offer of accommodation would come from the housing association rather than the local authority. If you are offered a house from a housing association, you must treat it as if it were an offer from the local authority.
Some housing associations that work in very high-demand areas do not have open housing registers or waiting lists, but take all their applicants as nominations from partner local authorities.
Housing co-operatives
A housing co-operative is a small housing organisation, where properties are managed, and may be owned, by the members of the co-operative. There are different types of housing co-ops, for example:
- ownership co-ops that are owned, managed and controlled by their members and tenants;
- tenant management organisations, which take on aspects of the management of properties while another organisation remains the landlord;
- self-build co-ops where the tenants have been involved in the building of the properties; and
- short-life co-ops, which lease properties that are hard to let from a landlord, for a fixed period of time.
Getting access to a housing co-op home can be difficult. Some have open waiting lists, which can be accessed in the same way as for local authority housing. But some operate by word of mouth and it is difficult to get on a list unless you know someone who already lives in a co-op property. Information is available from the National Federation of Housing Associations (see Further help and information).
Housing association/co-operative rents will be lower than those set for private accommodation, but are usually higher than local authority rents.
The amount of rent charged by each local authority is set according to their housing policy. As a tenant, you cannot control the amount of rent charged, but you may be able to claim Housing Benefit to help to pay it. Call the Lone Parent Helpline (see Further help and information) for information about how to claim Housing Benefit.
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