Apply for an affordable home

Last Updated: 3 April 2024

Once you have found an affordable home for sale, you must complete and return to us an application form attaching your supporting documentation;

Affordable housing application form (PDF 639B / 14 pages)

The information you supply will allow us to decide if you qualify to buy the affordable home you have found. For enquiries relating to a specific property please contact the affordable housing officers on the number at the end of the page.

Supporting documentation

You should supply full details of anybody who will live in the property as their main home. For each applicant supporting evidence must be supplied, including:

• Current address: a copy of your Council Tax bill/a recent paid utility bill/your driving licence
• Income: wage slips covering the last two months, for the self-employed you will need to supply your recent accounts
• Savings: latest savings/ISA/bank statements covering two months transactions for all accounts
• Finances: latest bank statements covering two months transactions for all accounts
• Copy of a mortgage offer in principle: we only require an 'in principle' offer of the kind provided by most high street lenders. We do not require proof that you have a firm mortgage offer
• Confirmation of any other funds which will be put towards purchasing the property: a letter from a family member providing a gift or loan confirming the amount and terms of the loan/gift   
• Confirmation of any available equity: if you own any property or land in any country we need a valuation of the property, proof of marketing and proof of the equity remaining (eg an existing mortgage statement) 
• Employment: If you are self employed, please state the nature of the business and any connection to the location of the home you are applying for 

Any original documents will be returned to you. We may contact you for further information.

Decisions

We can only make a decision on eligibility when in receipt of:

• a fully completed application form, including the address of the property you wish to purchase
• all supporting evidence

We may contact you for further information.

New development decisions

A closing date for applications will normally be advertised for all new developments. Applications must be received by us during this time, any applications received after the closing date may not be considered. Applications take us up to 15 working days after the closing date to process (not including bank holidays and weekends). The decision will be sent out to you in a letter. We cannot take enquiries about the status of your application until this time has passed.

A list of all approved applicants will be sent to the Developer. The Developer will contact approved applicants with whom they wish to progress the sale. Therefore even if you are approved, it does not commit you to a purchase nor guarantee that you will progress to buy the property. Often with new builds, there are more applicants than available properties.

Resales decisions

When an affordable home owner wishes to sell their home, there will not be a deadline for applications. Any interested buyers must be approved by us before progressing with a purchase. We do suggest that you inform the owner/Estate Agent of your interest in the property. Applications for approval take up to 15 working days to process (not including bank holidays and weekends) from the date we receive your application and all required supporting information. The decision will be sent out to you in a letter. We cannot take enquiries about the status of your application until the time frame has passed.

You will not be able to progress with the purchase until you have received an approval letter from us for that property. However, even if you are approved, it does not commit you to a purchase nor guarantee that you will progress to buy the property. For resales, the decision to progress the sale is with the property owner usually via their Estate Agent.

Declines

If you are not approved, this will be explained in a letter as well as information about appeals. This does not mean that you cannot re-apply for another property, as the Section 106 Agreement criteria and property values differ from property to property.