Sheltered Housing
5. Who provides sheltered housing?
There are four main types of organisation that provide sheltered housing:
Local council sheltered housing
Local council sheltered housing is only available to rent. There is no 'right to buy' local council sheltered housing. (Please note: in Northern Ireland, sheltered housing is not provided by the local council but through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.)
How do I apply?
In England, Wales and Scotland you should contact the housing department at your local council and ask if you qualify to apply for sheltered housing. If you do, you will be sent an application form to fill in, or someone from the housing department may visit you to help you complete it.
There is no local council sheltered housing in Northern Ireland as all social housing there is administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). Details of how to apply are given later.
Advice if you bought your council house
You may want to sell your present home back to the local council in return for being rehoused in sheltered housing. Not all councils operate these schemes - ask your local housing department if this is offered in your area.
Remember that local councils almost always offer less than the market value of the property. Once you give up ownership you will not be able to pick and choose where you would like to be rehoused so it may be better to sell your property for its full value on the open market.
What are my chances of being offered housing?
Allocation policy: Every council should have a policy which describes how the housing in their area is allocated. This may take into consideration your health, suitability and the value of your current housing. Some housing departments use a points system to determine where you go on the waiting list. Ask to see a copy of the allocation policy. In Northern Ireland contact the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) for details of its allocation policy.
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Residency in the area: Most housing departments insist that you have lived in their area for a particular length of time before qualifying for sheltered housing. However, if you haven't lived there for the required amount of time, you may still be able to join the waiting list but probably won't be offered housing until you have lived in the area long enough. Talk to your local council housing department about this. If you are eligible, send in your application form straight away so that you join the waiting list as soon as possible.
Waiting times: Demand is usually greater than supply so waiting lists can range from a few months to a few years, depending on you live in. The waiting time will often depend on how flexible you are. Obviously, the longest waiting time will usually be for the most desirable property. If you state that you are willing to consider whatever sheltered housing is available, you may be offered housing much sooner. Ask how long you are likely to have to wait and whether you will be given priority under the housing department's allocation policy.
If you are offered sheltered housing you may be able to get help with moving: for example, packing and arranging for a removal firm, if your family or friends cannot help. Ask for more information about this when you are allocated a property.
Moving away to a different area: You might want to move into sheltered accommodation nearer family or friends but it can sometimes be quite difficult to get local council sheltered accommodation in an area away from where you currently live.
You may find it helpful to find out if there is any housing association or local council sheltered housing on the Homeswap register in the area you want to move to. If the tenant who lives there is keen to move into your accommodation, and the landlord has given you permission, you can swap homes – see www.homeswaplist.co.uk.
For further information about this scheme, contact your local housing department (or the Northern Ireland Housing Executive if you live in Northern Ireland).
Local councils working together with housing associations: Some local councils have a shared waiting list with housing associations in the area and some housing associations will offer their sheltered accommodation to people on the council's register. Ask the housing department at your local council if they work with the housing associations in their area. For more information on housing association sheltered accommodation, see below.
Making a complaint: If you are unhappy with the way your application has been dealt with by the council, use the housing department's formal procedure to make a complaint. If you still are not happy, you may want to complain to:
However, they cannot question a decision just because you may not agree with it. They can only look at the way the application has been dealt with.
You can also look at our information sheet no. 27 How to Make a Complaint.
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Housing Association property
You can rent or part-buy a housing association property.
What are housing associations?
A housing association is a non profit making organisation which provides and manages homes for people who cannot afford to buy a suitable home on the open market. A housing association may be a charity, a registered trade or provident society or both. Some associations obtain funding from private sources such as charitable trusts but the majority provide housing using public money from local councils or from the Housing Corporation (England), Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Communities Scotland, or the Welsh Assembly Housing Directorate.
How to apply?
The first step is to obtain a list of housing association sheltered housing schemes in the area you wish to live in. There are three ways of doing this:
- Contact your local housing department. They will have a list of housing association sheltered schemes in their area.
- Contact Elderly Accommodation Counsel, a charity which offers a comprehensive advice service covering all types of housing for older people, and can provide details of housing association schemes in any area you ask for.
- Contact a local Citizens Advice Bureau or housing advice centre. They should keep a list of housing association schemes in their area.
Unless your local housing department refers you to a particular housing association, you will have to approach each scheme yourself to find out what is available, whether you can apply and how to make an application.
In Northern Ireland you should apply through a housing association or through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. You will be sent an application form to complete in which you will be able to select the areas where you would like to live. You will then be placed on a waiting list.
What are my chances of being offered housing?
Allocation policy: Each housing association will have its own policy on allocating its sheltered housing. So if you don't qualify with one housing association, you may be able to apply to others which have different allocation policies.
A housing association has more control than local councils over who they can offer housing to. For example, it can overlook residency qualifications, so it may be a better option if you want to move to another area.
If you are an owner-occupier, or have savings over a certain limit, you are unlikely to be offered accommodation with a housing association. However, some housing associations operate shared ownership schemes for people with capital who cannot afford sheltered housing at the market price. We cover this in more detail below.
Waiting times: As with local council accommodation, demand is greater than supply, so expect to wait for housing to become available. Ask the housing association roughly how long you are likely to have to wait for accommodation in their scheme.
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Making a complaint: If you're unhappy with the way your application for sheltered housing has been dealt with, make a formal complaint through the procedure operated by the housing association. If you are not happy after going through this procedure ask about making an appeal to the committee who manages the association. If you are still not satisfied, you may also want to find out how to complain using:
Housing association shared ownership schemes
There are housing association schemes for older people with a limited income, who have some funds, and wish to buy a sheltered home. To qualify, you may have some savings or could own a home which has become too big and expensive for you to maintain. Another consideration will be whether you can affored a sheltered home at the market price. If you can, you probably won't qualify for a shared ownership scheme.
In a shared ownership agreement you will usually have a choice of buying a 25 per cent, 50 per cent or 75 per cent share in the property. You will pay rent for the proportion that you do not own. When the property is sold, you will receive your share of the sale price, once the housing association's costs have been taken away.
Details of housing associations running shared ownership schemes can be obtained from your local housing department or from Elderly Accommodation Counsel.
If you are interested in a housing association shared ownership scheme it is important to get legal advice before signing any agreement.
Voluntary sector housing
There are some voluntary organisations that provide sheltered for older people to rent. These include Abbeyfield Societies, which run supported sheltered housing in small family style households with 8-12 residents. The residents are usually people over 75 years of age, who no longer wish to live alone. Supervised by a house manager, the schemes provide two cooked meals a day. Residents furnish and care for their own room.
Almshouses are run by charitable trusts and are intended to provide good quality, affordable accommodation for older people. Most almshouses have their own particular rules as to who they house. For a list of charities running almshouses in your area contact The Almshouse Association.
How do I apply?
Your local housing advice centre should be able to tell you about all the sheltered housing schemes provided in your area. Alternatively, you could contact the Elderly Accommodation Counsel which will be able to provide you with a list for the area where you'd like to live. Contact each organisation directly to find out about availability and how to apply.
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Help the Aged 'Gifted Housing' service
If you own your own home and are thinking about leaving your estate to a charity, you could consider the Help the Aged Gifted Housing service. In return for donating your property to Help the Aged, the Charity takes responsibility for maintenance, property insurance, water rates and Council Tax; provides a community alarm; and helps with gardening costs. The Gifted Housing team can also help with arranging and paying for care. You can contact the team for more information - its contact details are in the Useful contacts section.
Private shared housing available to buy
Sheltered housing that is available to buy has usually been built by private companies or developers. Once all the houses or flats have been sold, the scheme is usually run by a separate management organisation, rather than directly by the developer.
If you are buying a brand new property, it is advisable to only buy from a builder who is registered with the National House Building Council (NHBC). This is for two reasons. Firstly, if a builder is NHBC registered it means that the house will come with 'Buildmark Cover', which is a 10-year insurance policy against a number of defects which could be expensive to put right. Secondly, buying from an NHBC registered builder means that you will be covered by the NHBC Sheltered Housing Code.
The NHBC Sheltered Housing Code obliges builders to provide a Purchaser's Information Pack. This must contain important information such as the names of the developer or management organisation, guidance on the purchaser's legal rights, a detailed breakdown of service charges and information on resale arrangements and charges. The code also sets standards which ensure that buyers are fully protected through a legally binding management agreement between the developer and the management organisation. Many of these standards cover how the scheme will be managed in the future. You can get a copy of the Sheltered Housing Code from the NHBC.
It is important that you get professional financial and legal advice both on buying sheltered accommodation and on paying the service charges and running costs. You can get advice from a solicitor, bank or building society or your local
Citizens Advice Bureau.
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The management company
The quality of the service provided by the management company can have a great effect on how satisfied you are with your home. Check if the management company adheres to a code of practice.
If you live in England or Wales, you could check if the management company is a member of the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM). ARHM is a national organisation committed to promoting high standards of management practice and has developed a code of practice that promotes good practice in managing retirement housing.
If you live in Scotland you could ask if the management company abides by the Scottish Executive framework code of management practice. Or contact INNIS, a free advisory service managed by Age Concern Scotland, which works to encourage good management of private retirement housing. You can call INNIS on 0845 833 0250. You could also contact the Property Managers Association Scotland Ltd. (See the Useful contacts section for details.)
How do I find out about sheltered properties for sale?
You will probably have noticed advertisements for private sheltered housing schemes in the local press and magazines. However, you may want to get a comprehensive list of new developments and existing properties for sale in the area where you wish to live. This can be done in a number of ways:
- Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) offers a comprehensive advice service on all types of housing for older people in the UK. Contact EAC for details of private sheltered housing developments in any area you are interested in.
- Retirement Homesearch can match your housing requirements with properties for sale in England and Wales, and can also help people who want to sell a retirement property. There is no charge for people looking to buy. For property in Scotland contact Retirement Homesearch Scotland.
What if I can't afford to buy sheltered housing?
If selling your present home won't cover the cost of buying sheltered accommodation there are a few things you can look into. But bear in mind that these schemes might not always be available.
- A few private companies run Life Interest Plans, which allow you to buy the right to live in a property for the rest of your life, often for well below the normal market price of the property.
- Some housing associations run shared ownership schemes.
Elderly Accommodation Counsel should be able to tell you about any schemes like these in your area.
If you are thinking about these options it is vital to get legal advice before signing any agreement.
