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Transfers - have your say

29 Jun 2011
Consultation with residents about changing our Transfers policy

We are consulting tenants about a proposal to change the rules about who can join the Transfer list.

The table below shows the existing rules and the proposed changes as well as guidance on how the changes may affect you.

Current

Proposed

Open list – any assured or secure tenant can register, provided they have a clear rent account, not in breach of any other tenancy condition, lived there for at least 1 year.

Band C includes tenants lacking one bedroom and those with no recognised need.

Minimum level of need required, as defined by transfer policy, to qualify for registering. Band A and B remain unchanged.

Band C will be restricted to tenants lacking one bedroom.


How many tenants are affected?

Around two thirds of the Transfer list is currently in Band C. Within Band C there are around 500 tenants with no recognised housing need and 700 lacking one bedroom.

When will the change take place?

If we go ahead, we will stop taking new applications from households who no longer meet the rules in September 2011. We will implement the change for all existing applications between September 2011 and the end of March 2012.

Why are you proposing this change?

The Transfer list continues to grow year after year while the number of homes we can offer for transfers remains static or is falling. Last year (10/11) another 460 households joined the Transfer list while we transferred 142 households. We are being more honest with tenants – it’s not fair to raise expectations of a transfer being a possibility for people with no recognised housing need.

By making this change we can focus our efforts on helping those tenants in the greatest need. Tenants lacking one bedroom will be the main gainers as they will be competing against a much smaller group of tenants in Band C.

Everyone remaining on the Transfer list should benefit as we will save staff time in registering fewer new applications and dealing with fewer enquiries from tenants who have been taken off the list. The time saved can be redirected to helping those that remain.

How can I comment?

There are two ways to comment:

By emailing connections@familymosaic.co.uk
or
By calling our dedicated consultation line 0300 123 7772 Monday to Friday between 2.00 and 4.00 pm. Outside of these times you can leave a message and a member of staff will call you back. This line will run from Tuesday 28th June until Tuesday 19th July.

How will I know if I am affected?

If you are in Band A or B you will not be affected by this change. If you are in Band C we will be reviewing your application between September 2011 and February 2012. We will write to you during this time to tell you whether your application will be cancelled or not.

If you bid successfully for a property before we have reviewed your application, we will review it when checking your circumstances before making the offer. If your circumstances no longer meet the criteria for being on the Transfer list, we will bypass your bid and cancel your application.

My application was cancelled due to rent arrears. When I’ve cleared the arrears can I rejoin the Transfer list?

Only if you have a housing need recognised by our Transfer policy.

I’m not on the Transfer list at the moment but I’m thinking of joining in the future. How will I be affected?

If you meet the criteria for joining the Transfer list at the time you apply, you’ll still be able to join. But only of you have a type of housing need recognised by our Transfer policy.


If my application is cancelled, will FM offer any help at all?

We will still be offering advice and suggestions on other ways to move even if you no longer qualify to join the Transfer list. We will be improving our rehousing advice services this year and these will be publicised in future editions of Connections magazine. We will continue to encourage tenants to look for a mutual exchange.

If I remain on the Transfer list, what improvements are planned this year?

There will be improvements to the CBL website to offer self-service options advice. We are planning at least two options fairs where tenants will be able to get advice on all the options available. Details of these and other improvements will be publicised in future editions of Connections magazine.

I’m registered on Lewisham Homesearch as well – how will I be affected?

If you no longer qualify to stay on or join our Transfer list, you will not be eligible to join Lewisham Homesearch either. If we cancel your Transfer application, we will also cancel your Lewisham Homesearch registration.

What will happen to all the comments made by tenants?

We will consider all the comments made before making a decision to implement the proposed change. We will publish a summary of the comments received in the Autumn edition of Connections magazine.
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