Find out if you meet the eligibility criteria

If you do not have the option to access public funds due to your immigration status, you will not be eligible to be on the Housing Register. For example, this includes if you:

• are subject to immigration control within the meaning of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (unless he or she comes within a class prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of State)
• only have a right to reside in the UK because they (or a member of their household) are a jobseeker
• are not habitually resident in the Common Travel Area (for example the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland)
• have a right to reside in the UK of less than three months

You must have a local connection to Chelmsford to be eligible to join the Housing Register. This means you must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• you have been continuously living in Chelmsford for at least the last five years
• you are in regular, continuous and paid employment in Chelmsford for the past six months
• you have an immediate family member who has lived in Chelmsford for at least five years. (Immediate family members are parents, legal guardians, adult children and siblings. Alternatively, other family members or special persons who are providing substantial ongoing care or support.)
• you are owed the statutory homelessness ‘main housing duty’ by us or are assessed and placed in band two under a statutory prevention of homelessness duty to prevent main duty being owed
• you have special circumstances as defined by statute or agreed by the Strategic Housing Services Manager, Housing Solutions Manager, or Housing Casework Manager

You might not eligible to be on the Housing Register if:

• you are able to afford to house yourself, either by privately renting or buying a home that is a suitable size for your need
• you or members of your household (those seeking to be rehoused with you) have capital (savings, investments or other assets) of £16,000 or more

We think it is acceptable for you to spend up to 30% of your gross household income on your rent or mortgage. Gross household income means all your family’s income from all sources including most benefits, and 25% of non-dependent’s (for example adult children) income living within your household.

You can find out more about how we assess financial circumstances in section five of the allocations policy.

You cannot qualify for the Housing Register if you, or a member of your household, has acted in a way that demonstrates you are not a suitable tenant. This includes recent behaviour or actions in the past which continue to make you unsuitable to hold a tenancy.

You can find out what we consider unacceptable behaviour in section five of the allocations policy.

You cannot qualify to join the Housing Register if you are under the age of 18 and unable, by law, to hold a legal tenancy.

If you have been evicted for rent arrears within the last five years, from a private or social tenancy, you will not be eligible to join the Housing Register.

There may be some exceptions to this, for example if you repaid the rent arrears in full afterwards. You must provide evidence of the arrears being cleared.