Housing Options Summary
Introduction
In Scotland there are three main types of accommodation, or tenures: Social Renting, Private Renting, and Owner Occupation.
Renting accommodation means that you are a tenant and agree you pay rent to a landlord in exchange for the right to occupy a property.
The difference between Social and Private Renting is that Social Rented accommodation is allocated on the basis of need and the subsidised rent levels are lower than rents in the Private Rented sector. There are around 10,000 Social Rented properties in Perth & Kinross.
The main alternative to renting is to buy a property to live in yourself and, therefore, become an owner-occupier. Property purchase is through a mortgage, which is a long-term loan secured on the value of the property. Around 66pc of the households in Perth and Kinross are owner-occupied.
This summary is available in Arabic, Chinese and Urdu as well as English. It has been published as a leaflet which is available from local area offices. Electronic versions of the translated document are also available in the downloads section.
Social Rented Accommodation
Social Rented accommodation is provided in Perth and Kinross by the local authority, Perth and Kinross Council, and by Housing Associations.
If you wish to apply for this type of housing you will need to complete an application form, and an assessment of your circumstances will be undertaken.
Because a Common Housing Register operates in Perth and Kinross the submission of a single form gives access to all of the main social-rented housing providers in the area.
Application forms can be collected from any Council or Housing Association office. A translation service is available to help with forms or discussions with housing staff.
For most areas, and property types, there are more applicants than there are vacancies. This means it's likely that your application will be added to a waiting list.
The length of time you wait for a property will depend upon the number of vacancies and the assessment of your housing need. If you feel you need accommodation or alternative housing urgently you should contact the Council's Homelessness Advice and Assistance service. A translation service is available if required.
Private Rented Accommodation
A variety of types and sizes of property can be rented privately in Perth and Kinross.
Landlords advertise their properties in a variety of places including the Perthshire Solicitors' Property Guide which is a good single source of information about properties that are available to rent privately.
Charges will vary across areas and property types but, for a typical two- bedroom flat in Perth, the rent is likely to be between £350 & £450 per calendar month.
Properties may be furnished or unfurnished and, in either case, it is normal for new tenants to be required to pay a deposit of around one month's rent at the start of the tenancy.
It is important to remember that private tenants have occupation rights. They include entitlement to a written tenancy agreement and the landlord must give proper notice if the tenant is required to vacate the property.
The landlord is obliged to carry out essential repairs to the property such as repairs to roofs, windows, heating and plumbing systems. If any landlord fails to carry out these repairs the tenant should contact Perth & Kinross Council's Environmental Health Service.
Tenants in Private Rented Acommodation with landlord concerns may wish to seek legal advice or contact the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Owner Occupation
As in all parts of Scotland, properties offered for sale on the open market in Perth & Kinross are generally advertised on an 'offers over' basis.
This means that prospective buyers are expected to make an offer that is higher than the stated price. For popular properties, this margin requires careful judgement, and can be considerable.
Generally, property transactions are administered by an estate agent who takes responsibility for selling the property and dealing with the legal aspects.
In Perth & Kinross, many individual estate agents submit details of their properties for publication in the Perthshire Solicitor's Property Guide. This is a free weekly paper that can be obtained from throughout Perth and Kinross.
If you are thinking about buying a property you should visit a local estate agent, who will advise you.
If you are already an owner-occupier and your property is in need of major repairs, or if you require some form of adaptation to accommodate a disability, you may be eligible for grant assistance. You should contact Perth & Kinross Council to inquire about assistance available.
Housing Benefit
If you are considering social or private rented accommodation and you have a low income, you may be entitled to help with paying some or all of your rent.
Your potential entitlement to Housing Benefit depends on who factors like who lives with you, your income and theirs, and any savings.
If you have identified a private rented property but you're unsure about whether you can afford it, you can apply to the Council for a 'Pre-tenancy Determination'.
This is the first step - and it's important - in identifying how much Housing Benefit you will be entitled, to before you commit yourself to taking on a tenancy. This is because it's often the case that Housing Benefit does not meet the amount charged by a private sector landlord.
For the privately rented sector it is the Rent Officer who will determine a 'Maximum Rent' figure for a particular property, to be used in calculating any entitlement to Housing Benefit.
A private landlord is entitled to charge you rent at a higher amount than the restricted 'Maximum Rent' figure. In these circumstances, even if you are entitled to full Housing Benefit, you would have to pay the difference between the two figures yourself.
In the social-rented sector, if you qualify for full Housing Benefit, all of your rent will be paid for you. This is because social sector rent levels are normally considered to be reasonable and do not have to be restricted.
Certain charges (like fuel costs and food) even if they are included with your rent, do not attract Housing Benefit.
This applies to both the social and the private sector.
Council Tax Benefit
Once you have found accommodation to live in, you may be liable to pay Council Tax. However, if you have a low income, you may be entitled to Council Tax Benefit.
How much benefit you will get depends on who lives with you, your income and theirs, and any savings.
Council Tax Benefit does not cover water and sewerage charges.
Even if you do not qualify for Council Tax Benefit because of your high income or savings you may still be able to get a Second Adult Rebate if someone in your household (not including your partner) is on a low income.
This summary is available in Arabic, Chinese and Urdu as well as English. It has been published as a leaflet which is available from local area offices. Electronic versions of the translated document are also available by following the links to the right.
