Moving home

We know how important it is for you to have a home that you are happy to live in.

This section explains how we will help you find the home you want, and the level of service you can expect. It also explains how you can help us by letting us know about any changes to your housing needs and what to do if you decide to move out of your home. And, we tell you how to complain if you are not satisfied.

There are three ways you can move home:

• exchanges
• transfers
• purchasing a Shared Ownership property

An exchange is where you arrange to swap homes with someone else. All tenants have the right to apply to swap their home with another council or housing-association tenant within the Wyre Forest District or across the country. If you can find someone to swap homes with, it can often be much quicker than waiting for a transfer.

A transfer is where we find a property for you when your existing home no longer meets your needs. We assess your housing needs and place you in one of the bands in our Homechoice Plus scheme. You can then bid for any vacancies that come up. The people within the highest band who have been on the list the longest will be successful. We rehouse an average of 400 customers each year.

There is a large demand for homes and we are not able to help everyone immediately. We have a Choice-Based Lettings system which gives priority to those tenants who need housing the most.

A Shared Ownership home is where you have the opportunity to buy your home in stages. You will need to be able to obtain a mortgage for the percentage you are buying and will pay rent on the remainder of the property. (For example, you may get a mortgage for 60% of the value of the property and pay rent for the remaining 40%)

For full details of how the Shared Ownership scheme works and the homes available to buy, click here (link opens in a new window)

To help you move, we will:

• give you help and advice about moving home
• acknowledge your application within 10 working days
• tell you which band you are in on the housing register
• review your application each year
• show you around the home we have offered you
• give you all the information you need to decide whether to take the offer
• start your new tenancy on the next Monday after you accept the offer
• make sure that you have had your gas 'test and commission' completed before your tenancy starts (this must be done before you are able to use any gas appliances and systems, and you must have both gas and electricity supplies on at the property for this to take place)
• send you written details of any decoration allowance or repairs and give you a welcome pack

We will help you find other ways to move by:

• displaying exchange registers in all our reception areas
• tell you about people who may want to swap homes with you
• help you swap homes within six weeks of finding someone to exchange with

If you need to move, you must:

• fill in an application form with your family and housing details
• tell us if your circumstances change

If you find an exchange, you must:

• thoroughly check the house you want to move into
• wait for written confirmation from us before you move
• leave your home in good condition
• have a clear rent account

If you decide to leave your home, you must:

• give us four weeks' notice if you decide to leave your accommodation
• pay your rent until the end of your tenancy
• repair any damage you or your family have caused
• return all keys to the property to us

As a tenant, you have the right to:

• exchange homes
• receive a cash allowance (when you leave your home) for any improvements you have made
• appeal against our decision if you feel you have not been treated fairly