Whether you’re after more room or ready to downsize, we have a number of home transfer schemes available for you. And did you know the more schemes you apply for, the better chance you’ll have of finding the right home?
Who can access these options?
In this article, we’re looking at moving options if you‘re a general needs or social rent tenant. Keep an eye out for your next edition of Home Magazine, where we’ll take a closer look at choices for private rent and shared ownership.
Who gets priority?
When you apply for a new home, we’ll look at your reason for wanting to move and prioritise you according to our Allocations Policy.
If 2 people have the same priority, the person who’s been on the waiting list for a new home the longest will usually get the home. There are other contributing factors such as priority for people who need to move urgently in an emergency situation, for example, or for those of a certain age if the property has an age limit associated with it. If you’re allocated the home, we’ll contact you and ask you to fill out an application form. We’ll need to check you meet all the criteria before you can move.
What options are there?
You might be surprised by how many options there are if you want to move to a new home.
1. HousingJigsaw
This is our in-house, choice-based lettings website for affordable and social housing tenants who want to find a new home. It allows you to bid for rental properties that we advertise. You can find out more about HousingJigsaw and register on our Housing Jigsaw website.
2. Locata
This is a choice-based lettings scheme for social housing customers in the West London boroughs of Hillingdon, Harrow, Brent and Ealing. It’s also open to you if you live in other areas of London and want to move to one of these 4 boroughs. You can apply on the Locata website.
Housing Moves is the Mayor of London’s housing mobility scheme. If you’re a tenant of a London Borough, you can use this scheme to move to a different area or borough in London. You can apply for this programme on the Housing Moves website.
This is open to 2-person households living in council or housing association properties in London where at least 1 member of the household is aged 55 or over. You can find if you are eligible and apply online on the government website.
5. Mutual exchange with HomeSwapper
With HomeSwapper, you can exchange your home with other customers from local authorities or housing associations. You can find out more on the HomeSwapper website. You can also find out more about mutual exchanges on our website.
If you're thinking about downsizing through mutual exchange, we’re keen to hear from you, so please get in touch with us. We offer assistance with removal costs up to £700 and paint vouchers which are available via a transfer system or your local authority. If you’re downsizing through the mutual exchange scheme you can get a £500 cash payment (subject to any rent arrears) in addition to the above.
6. Search Moves
Search Moves is run by Spelthorne Borough Council. If you’re looking for a home in the boroughs of Spelthorne and Elmbridge, this is the scheme for you. To find out more and apply, visit the Search Moves website or contact the local authority.
7. New Generation Scheme
We’ve introduced the New Generation Scheme to relieve overcrowding in your home. We can offer separate housing to an adult non-dependent (i.e. a child over the age of 18 years) living as part of your household in an A2Dominion property. If this is something that interests you, please get in touch with us.
8. Your local authority
You can contact the local authority for the area you'd like to move to and register with them to find out about available properties. You can find a list of contact details for local authorities on the government website. Each local authority has different criteria, so it’s best to speak to them directly to find out how they can support you.
How do I find out more?
If you have any questions, you can contact our Central Lettings team on 0800 432 0077 or at centrallettingsteam@a2dominion.co.uk. Happy moving!
You can also find out more in the moving section of our website.