Council or housing association accommodation outside London

Getting a council or housing association (HA) home outside of London can be much easier, or just as difficult, depending on the area of the country you want to move to.

Council and HA's largely operate in the same way outside of London as they do in London. But you might find that the council has little or no homes itself in some areas as it has transferred them to a HA. Outside of London HAs are more likely to take applications from people directly rather than having new tenants referred to them by the council.

Rents are likely to be lower than in London and are usually cheaper than rents charged by private landlords in the same area.

There are a few ways that you can apply for council or HA homes outside of London:

Moving to an area of low demand

In some areas of the country, it is possible to get a council or HA home even if you don't have any particular connection with that area.

In these areas there are more homes vacant than there is demand for them and councils and HA's are keen to have tenants who are willing to move in and pay the rent. Some are willing to support people making the move to their area, and help them find training or a job.

Examples of areas of low demand are:

• Leeds
• Manchester
• Burnley
• Stoke on Trent
• Cardiff.

To get more information, click on Organisations that can help.

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Moving to an area where you have a local connection

If the area you want to move to isn't an area of low demand, then it still might be possible to get a council or HA home there. But you are likely to need a strong local connection or other good reason for wanting to move to that area. This can include:

• family or friends who you need to support (such as an elderly relative), or who you need to get support from
• a job or training that you are due to take up in that area
• a need to move to escape domestic violence, harassment or another serious threat to your safety.

To get more information, click on Organisations that can help.

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Applying after you leave London

Both of the previous options involve arranging to get a council or HA home before you leave London. Another way might be to move to an area first, and then make an application to be housed by the local council or HAs.

This can be a good idea if you're not sure whether you want to make the move permanently. If you rent from a council or HA you usually have to furnish the home yourself which can be wasted expense if you decide not to stay. You might instead decide to live with your family first or stay in a hostel until you make a decision about staying. But doing this is risky, unless you have already checked out your likelihood of being able to get a council or HA home in that area with a reliable source.

To get ideas of who might be able to help you with this, click on Organisations that can help.

For more information on your chances of getting a council or HA home click on Council and HA.

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Click on these links to reach different parts of the website:
Private renting - Council or housing association - Buying your own home
Hostels - Jobs with accommodation - Moving out of London
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