Common Allocations Policy: Applying for housing

Who can apply for housing? 

Anyone 16 years and over can apply for housing unless they are subject to immigration control. See note below for more information on immigration control. 

Everyone applying for housing is included on the housing waiting list. However your application will not go live, which means you will not be considered for housing, until you have provided all of the information we require such as proof of identification, birth certificates etc. 

Where your application is placed on the list depends on your housing need. However, please remember if you apply for housing this does not mean we will definitely offer you housing. More people apply for housing through the CAP than the number of homes we have available to let. 

Before you apply for housing we will invite you to use our Housing Options Self-Assessment (HOSA). We will also offer you an enhanced housing options interview to discuss your housing options with one of our trained advisors. 

At an enhanced housing options interview, a range of solutions will be discussed, tailored to your individual needs, to help prevent homelessness or promote successful tenancy sustainment including: 

• practical assistance or intervention to delay the urgent need to leave home, such as negotiating with landlords, parents or mediation 
• practical assistance or intervention to enable you to remain at home such as providing housing support, assistance with budgeting or debt advice 
• intervention or referral to secure alternative accommodation through exploring various housing types such as private sector, low-cost home ownership and/or social housing 

If social housing is the right option for you, we will support you to fill out a housing application form to become registered on the Common Housing Register (CHR). 

By completing an application we can gather information on your personal and housing circumstances, as well as your preferences about where you would like to live and the type of property you would like to live in. 

Staff from each partner will be available to provide assistance with completing your application form if you ask for help. 

Information and advice which recognises your individual needs will also be available to help you make informed choices that maximise your opportunities for housing. 

In line with our commitment to make services easily and equally accessible to all housing applicants, we can also provide an interpretation service if you are hearing or visually impaired or if your first language is not English. 

Note about immigration control 
Eligibility for social housing is defined in legislation and our Allocations Policy is required to comply with legislation. People with refugee status and those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Resettlement Scheme will generally have eligibility for social housing. People seeking asylum and awaiting a decision on their asylum claim are not eligible for social housing. People subject to immigration control will be required to evidence their entitlement to access publicly funded services, such as housing when making an application.

In order to assess an application properly, it is important for us to have accurate and up-to-date information on your circumstances. You must keep your application up-to-date by notifying us of any change as soon as it occurs. 

If you deliberately provide false or misleading information you will be suspended from the CHR. Any offers of housing that have been made will be withdrawn. If a tenancy is granted on the basis of false information, partners could take action to end the tenancy. 

You can apply on your own, jointly with a partner or jointly with anyone else who will be living with you. However, we cannot allow you and two or more applicants who are unrelated to you to rent a property under this policy because this creates a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) which are governed by separate regulations. 

Our Housing Options Team will manage your application, and you can call them on the phone or visit in person at Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth or any Locality Housing Office to discuss your application. 

You can also talk to staff at any of the partners' offices. 

The contact details for the Housing Options Team, Locality Housing Teams and each partner can be found in Appendix 2.