Residents

We provide help and assistance to Council Tenants moving to smaller properties. This allows us to make sure our tenants are in homes they can afford and we make best use of our housing stock by freeing up larger properties for homeless families and overcrowded households. Put simply, we will be able to provide good quality homes to more people.

Why move to a smaller home?

You may want to consider moving if:

• You are in receipt of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit and affected by the size criteria i.e. bedroom tax.
• Your home has become too costly to run and difficult to manage
• The number of people in the household has reduced (e.g. children have grown up and left home)
• You want to move to a different location to be nearer family or work

What help will I get with moving?

If you transfer to another Cannock Chase Council home with fewer bedrooms, we will:

• Prioritise your transfer application (Band 1 or 2)based on your Housing Need
• Advise on how to access The Homeswapper Website
• Apply for Discretionary Payment to help with housing cost

How do I apply?

To apply for a transfer you will need to complete an on-line form click here.

Can I move if I have rent arrears?

You will be required to clear all outstanding arrears before moving home.

If you are affected by the size criteria and cannot move due to arrears you should contact us to discuss this.

The Condition of your home

We also reserve the right to exclude residents from moving if there has been any breach of tenancy or if your current home has not been kept in a suitable condition, click here for more details.

Please make sure your home and garden in a clean and tidy condition so we can re-let it without having to repair things that you have damaged, change things that you have altered or remove old furniture and rubbish. We will charge you for the cost of work if we have to put things right before you move or treat the damage as a breach of your tenancy Conditions.

If you had our permission to make improvements to the property, such as installing a new kitchen or bathroom, you may be asked for a copy of the letter approving the alteration.

Are any Tenants excluded from expressing their choice?

You will not be allowed to use or bid on our Choice Based Lettings scheme if you have rent arrears.

You will be required to clear all outstanding arrears before we can offer you a property. If you are unable to clear the rent arrears the home will be offered to the next applicant on the list.

If you are affected by the size criteria and can not move due to arrears you should contact us to discuss this.

We also reserve the right to exclude residents from bidding if you are in breach of your tenancy agreement (eg anti-social behaviour) or if your current home has not been kept in a suitable condition.

Last Updated: 13/12/2018

We at Cannock Chase Council are working with the Department for Work & Pension on a campaign to reach out to both Social & Private Rented Sector landlords to provide information about Universal Credit that will help them support their tenants.

DWP has developed a new suite of landlord communuication products including a top tips guide , new videos and a new section of the Under Standing Universal Credit website for landlords.

Go to http://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/landlords or click on the http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/residents/housing/income-management/universal-credit to see what information the council is providing for tenants.

Last Updated: 18/12/2018

Homelessness Reduction Act - Duty to Refer and strengthening partnership working

Homelessness Reduction Act provides an opportunity to work more closely with partners in notifying us of people who are at risk of/are homeless.

It is important partners understand their role in identifying people at risk of homelessness at an earlier stage and refer them to the Housing Options Service to help the person resolve their homelessness.

The Housing Options Team will work closely with the named public bodies under the Duty to Refer

The Duty to Refer will commence in October 2018. The agencies that will have this mandatory duty are:

• prisons
• youth offender institutions
• secure training centres
• secure colleges
• youth offending teams
• probation services, including community rehabilitation companies
• Jobcentre Plus
• social service authorities
• emergency departments
• urgent treatment centres
• hospitals in their function of providing inpatient care.

The above public bodies must refer details of any person they are aware of who is homeless or at risk of homelessness within 56 days. Please be aware that the consent of the individual who are are referring must be sought prior to referral.

If public bodies are asked to access the form with details of the person/family and circumstances. Please see our website

Last Updated: 18/12/2018

The following is a sample of frequently asked questions which have been raised by leaseholders.

If there is a question you would like answering then, please get in touch by e-mailing leaseholdservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk or by telephoning the Leasehold Services Officer on 01543 456868.

Q.  My service charge estimate includes repairs.  I never have any repairs done.

A.  Your service charge estimate includes an amount for any “responsive/emergency” repairs we may have to carry out throughout the year.  The Council includes a nominal figure of £20.00 in respect of repairs to individual property and £50.00 in respect of communal repairs, which it considers to be the most reasonable way to estimate repairs costs because we are unable to predict what repairs will be necessary or their cost.

Q.  I have a low confidence that the Council receives correct information from contractors in regard to major repairs tenders/quotations.  I would like some reassurance as to how the process is audited to ensure VFM.

A.  For all major works contracts the Council employs their own in-house surveyors to administer the contracts and undertake quality inspections during and on completion of the works.  The Council also utilises the expertise of external quantity surveyors to manage the financial aspects of these contracts to ensure the contract terms and conditions are complied with and any completed works are appropriately valued in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Q.  What can I do if I have a query about the amount of the charges in respect of Major works or the standard of workmanship?

A.  Where a dispute occurs, the Council will try to resolve this via its own internal dispute process.  This may include: the provision of a breakdown of costs with an explanation of the bill, face to face meetings with individual leaseholders to discuss issues and joint inspections of the works.  If the dispute remains unresolved, leaseholders can follow the Council’s internal complaints procedure and, if necessary, be given information on possible routes for external dispute resolution.

Q.  Why do leaseholders have to pay a service charge and tenants don’t?

A.  Tenants do not pay a service charge because they pay rent and as part of their tenancy agreement they have the right to have their accommodation kept in a reasonable state of repair.

After a flat is sold under the Right to Buy Scheme or on the open market, the Council is still responsible for the upkeep of the structure, exterior and communal parts of the block and for providing services.  Your lease will say what share of the overall charge for the block you will be asked to pay for and when.  You may be liable to contribute towards the cost of services, even if you choose not to take advantage of them, eg. washing areas, communal footpaths.

Many of the Council’s blocks and estates have both tenants and leaseholders living in them.  As a leaseholder you are not charged for the cost of repairs to tenants’ homes.

Q.  I am not liable for the charges as they relate to the period before I bought the property.

A.  Unfortunately this is not the case as the current leaseholder takes on responsibility for all leasehold costs.

When a leaseholder sells their property they transfer their lease obligations to the new owner.  By doing this the buyer accepts all rights and responsibilities included in the lease and the previous leaseholder is released from any liability for debt or refunds, even if they relate to the period they owned the property.

It is the purchaser’s responsibility to ensure that any outstanding debts are cleared before completion takes place.  We do not enter into any pro-rata agreements about liability for outstanding charges or refunds.  Any such agreements are made solely between the buyer, the seller and both parties conveyancers.

The Council will continue to deal only with the current leaseholder as this is who we have a contractual relationship with.  We will send invoices to the current leaseholder and any refunds will also be made to them.

Last Updated: 08/11/2018

Building Control - How we use your personal information

At Cannock Chase Council we take your privacy seriously and will only keep and use your personal information for reasons that the law requires or allows.  We are a data controller for the personal information we hold about you in relation to Building Regulations.  In order to comply with data protection legislation we want to be sure you understand how we use this information.

The purposes for which your data may be used are:-

• Processing submitted applications for approval under the Building Regulations from initial submission through to issuing a completion certificate.
• Ensuring that reports of Unauthorised Works are assessed and acting upon accordingly.
• Providing fee quotations to enable an application to be submitted.
• To provide pre-application advise to customers who are proposing works that may require Building Regulations.
• Ensuring the registration of Initial Notices are processed accordingly.
• Ensuring that Sections 80 Demolition notices are registered and processed accordingly.
• Providing you with updates and developments to our service (only where you have given your consent for us to do so)

We are able to do this because legislation under The Building Act 1984  says that we can and it is in the public interest. The main rules are contained in the following statutes and subsequent amendments to them.

• The Building Regulations 2010 and any subsequent amendments.
• The Building (Approved Inspector) Regulations 2010 and any subsequent amendments

We may share your information with;

• Other internal departments directly involved in recovery of outstanding monies or enforcement of the building regulations, dangerous structures or demolition works where necessary.
• Other Local Authorities when applications are submitted under the LABC Partnership scheme.
• The Fire and Rescue Service as required by the above legislation and to ensure buildings comply with fire safety legislation.
• Other consultees necessary to ensure construction work complies with the building regulations. eg. structural engineers
• We are obliged to populate a public register with information relating to building works including a description of works carried out. We also publish these details on our website.

Otherwise, we will only share your data if you ask us to, if it is in the public interest to do so and if the law requires or allows us to. 

We only keep this data for the time specified in our retention schedule or as required by law.  This includes a secure off site data storage facility.

Your personal data is processed (including storage) within the European Economic Area only.

Data protection law provides you with certain rights, however not all of these rights will be available to you in all situations, particularly where we process your information as part of one of our statutory duties.  Where we are under a legal duty to use data for a particular purpose you will not have the right to prevent it being used in that way.

A full list of the rights you may have, under data protection law, is given in the 'Your Rights' section of this webpage.

If you wish to contact us in relation to any of your information rights, please contact the Information Manager at infomanager@cannockchasedc.gov.uk  or Information Manager, Civic Centre, Cannock Chase Council, Beecroft Road, Cannock, WS11 1BG.

If you wish to complain about how your personal information has been handled by Cannock Chase Council then please contact the Information Manager in the first instance using the details above.  If you are not satisfied you can submit a formal complaint to the Council via http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/council/about-council/customer-feedback-help-us-get-it-right.  

Finally you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 or you can visit their website at ico.org.uk.

You can also find details of how we handle your personal information by visiting www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/DataProtection .

For any general enquiries you can contact the council by phone on 01543 462621, via email customerservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk or by writing to us at Civic Centre, Cannock Chase Council, Beecroft Road, Cannock, WS11 1BG. 

Last Updated: 24/10/2018

From 1^st October 2018 there will be a duty imposed upon all specified Public Authorities to refer people they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness for assistance to a local authority providing that the person gives their consent to the referral.

Who does this duty apply to?

Listed below is a list of ‘Specified Public Authorities’ within the:    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/223/made   The Homelessness (Review Procedure etc.) Regulations  2018 and these are detailed as follows:

• Prisons (Public & Private)
• Youth offender institutions
• Secure training centres
• Secure colleges
• Youth offending teams
• Probation services (community rehabilitation companies and national probation service)
• Jobcentre Plus
• Hospital A&E Services)
• Urgent treatment centres
• Hospitals (when providing in-patient treatment)
• Social service authorities

The Secretary of State for defence (in relation to members of):

• Royal Navy
• Royal Marines
• Army (regular)
• Royal Air Force

How can a public authority make a referral?

A referral can be made by contacting the housing options team on 01543 462621 or online at https://homeless.cannockchasehousing.co.uk .

Public authorities are not expected to conduct housing needs assessments as part of the section 213B duty to refer and all that is required is that the referring authority gathers as much information as is reasonably practicable.

Please note that a referral made by a public authority to the housing authority under section 213B will not in itself constitute an application for assistance under Part VII Housing Act 1996 (the homelessness legislation).

Last Updated: 21/09/2018

WHAT WE DO.

Receiving a decision that you do not agree with can be very stressful, we understand this.

The Homeless Review is an independant service that generally looks at cases where it has been decided that you are only entitled to advice and assistance to secure a home.

What should happen if you request a review

• You should request a review within 21 days of receiving the letter or the Council making this available for you.
• You should receive an acknowledgement letter with contact details of the reviewing officer who will detail -
• The amount of time you have to give us any new information that you would like us to take into consideration
• The amount of time the Council has to complete your review

What if there are mistakes in my first decision or my situation has changed

• If there are mistakes or your situation has changed, we can change the decision and help you to secure accommodation.
• Sometimes even if there are mistakes, we may still decide that the Council should still provide you with advice and assistance to secure a home
• In any case we will always write to you to explain our reasons and give you a chance to chat face to face.

What if you still disagree

• You can ask for you case to be referred to our appeals and complaints panel. The Appeals & Complaints Panel is a committee of the council with the purpose of  hearing appeals in respect of homelessness decisions made under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended).
• If you still disagree you can ask the court to take a look at the decision.
• All we ask that you remain respectful to our staff!

Last Updated: 18/12/2018

We work hard to prevent homelessness, and we can do this far more effectively if we have the opportunity to help sooner rather than later. Please do not wait until you are actually homeless before contacting us.

Preventing homelessness

Preventing homelessness is our main priority, and there are a number of options that you can consider if you believe that you are at risk of becoming homeless.

We have specialist officers who can advise you on how to resolve specific issues that increase the risk of becoming homeless, particularly housing-related money advice, and can advise on tenancy eviction law.

The main thing is to contact us before you are made homeless – once you have been made homeless, it is much more difficult for us to help you resolve your situation.

How to contact us

In the first instance, it is best to telephone us. We will take brief details and advise you of how we propose to deal with your situation - 01543 462621

Homelessness prevention: private sector renting

An alternative to making a homeless application is considering renting accommodation through the private sector. Privately renting a property gives you, as a tenant, more control over important factors such as:

• location
• facilities
• schooling
• access to services

The Housing Options Service has a number of ways to help you into privately rented accommodation, including the rent advance/ deposit guarantee scheme, and we can provide you with details of local accommodation agencies. There may be other opportunities for getting financial assistance with paying your deposit or rent in advance.

Private housing advice service 

If you are a private tenant, housing association tenant or homeowner and need housing advice, our housing ooptions team can help you with a range of issues such as:

• landlord and tenant issues
• your rights to stay in your home
• housing debt such as mortgage or rent arrears
• private renting.

Homeless prevention: domestic violence

If you are a victim of domestic violence and need help with accommodation, the housing options team is available to offer advice and assistance. Our service is completely confidential, you will be interviewed in private, we will try to ensure you are seen by an officer of the same gender as yourself and we can provide translation where needed. 

Homeless support

If we cannot prevent you from becoming homeless or are unable to find you a new home, then we may provide you with temporary accommodation if you are in one of the following groups:

• you have dependent children
• someone in your household is expecting a child
• you are a child aged 16 or 17
• you are under 21 and have been previously ‘looked after’ or fostered between the ages of 16 and 17
• you are vulnerable due to old age, mental illness, physical disability, institutionalisation, or some other special reason
• you are homeless due to fire, flood or some other emergency.

Please remember that we are responding to a crisis situation. We therefore have to rely on using bed and breakfast hotels and properties outside of the district boundaries. Typically, these can be of a smaller size than your ideal requirement.

We realise the difficulties this can cause with schooling, employment etc., so making a homeless application should be seen as a last resort.

Remember that homelessness is not a fast track to a council tenancy. In addition to this, you will be limited to one offer of permanent accommodation.

Last Updated: 18/12/2018

The Homelessness Reduction Act

 Changes in how we can help people who are at risk of homelessness

From 3 April 2018, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 came into force. The act puts a legal duty on councils to offer more support to a wider range of people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness - and to intervene earlier.

So how does the new Act help? What does it mean for the people of Cannock Chase who are homeless or at risk of homelessness?

The Act will require a fundamental change to the way the council delivers its homeless support and advice services.

From 3 April, new legal duties mean the council must: 

• provide advice and carry out prevention work, so that where possible, people can be supported to remain in their current home;
• offer everyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness access to meaningful help, irrespective of their priority need status, as long as they are eligible for assistance; and,
• carry out prevention and relief work for anyone threatened with homelessness within 56 days (up from the current 28 days)

Helpful guidance explaining these changes can be found in fact sheets produced by the Government http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-reduction-bill-policy-factsheets and in further detail in the code of guidance http://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities which sets out what Local Authorities, like Cannock Chase, must follow to deliver the required homelessness services.

Please seek help and advice as soon as you think you may at risk of losing your home. This will give us more time to prevent you becoming homeless or to help you to find somewhere else to live before you do

Report rough sleepers and beggars

If you've seen someone sleeping rough, we can help. We work with the homelessness charity Streetlink to meet with rough-sleepers, carry out assessments and provide support.

We look at options to reconnect people to their own area or to support them to find accommodation, usually in the private rented sector. There are some categories of rough sleepers we cannot assist due to immigration restrictions. In these cases, we'll try to reconnect them with their country of origin.

What you can do

If you spot a rough-sleeper in your local area or have concerns about people sleeping rough or using the streets, contact the Streetlink. Rough sleeping is often the most visible sign of homelessness. Some people who appear to be sleeping rough may be engaged in street activities, such as drinking or begging, but in fact have somewhere to stay. You can still alert StreetLink as it is always better to get in touch about someone you think may be rough sleeping, so that local services can provide support if needed. There is no need to feel pressured to approach people you don’t know to ask them about their situation. This is the job of local services.

Call 999 if someone is unwell or distressed - don't put yourself in danger or approach someone acting strangely, even to help.

Last Updated: 18/12/2018