Who can use Homefinder
Anyone who has been accepted onto West Lancashire Borough Council's Housing Register is able to use the HomeFinder service. This includes current tenants.
Who cannot use the service
You cannot use this service if you have not completed an application form and been accepted onto the housing register.
There are also some people who will not by law be eligible to join the housing register. These are:
- Certain people who are subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act
- Certain people from abroad who are not subject to immigration control but who are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland
- People (including members of their household) who have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour that makes them unsuitable to be a tenant.
In addition the the council has decided that the following groups of people do not qualify to join its housing register:
Unacceptable behaviour: If an applicant or a member of his/her household is found to have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make them unsuitable to be a tenant eg rent arrears, or anti social behaviour.
Damage/Neglect of Council Property: Current or former Council Tenants who have not maintained their property in accordance with the terms of their tenancy
Applicants successfully housed through the scheme: Applicants will not qualify to re-join the housing register for 12 months from the start of their tenancy
Right to Buy: Those who previously purchased a property through the Right to Buy within the last 10 years unless they are applying for sheltered housing.
Owner Occupiers: The Council will not allocate housing to people who already own their own homes, unless you need sheltered accommodation and your home/assets were not of sufficient value to secure such accommodation privately, or you have other exceptional circumstances.
Income/Assets: Applicants whose income is over £40,000 or have savings/assets over £60,000.
For more detailed information, contact our Housing Options team.
How do I apply to join the housing register
You will need to complete the online application form. The application form enables you to apply for a council or housing association rented home.
To apply to join the housing register you must be over 16 years of age.
Do I need to show any other documents
Before you can bid you will be asked to provide further documents to support your application. We will tell you what documents to provide and when to provide them. These include:
- Proof of identity for all household members (e.g. passports, driving licence)
- Reference detailing your suitability as a tenant, this should be from your current or previous landlord, if applicable. If you have not rented accommodation before, the reference should be from your employer. The reference should state your suitability as a prospective tenant and should state how you have conducted previous tenancies. If you have never rented accomodation or worked before the reference should be from a professional or someone of standing within the community who knows you.
- Proof of employment and/or income (e.g. recent wage slip)
- Evidence of your right to reside in the UK if you are not a British Citizen(e.g. passport and other relevant documents from the Home Office)
All documents must be up to date and valid. For further information contact the Housing Options Team.
If you do not provide us with the documents required your application will not be accepted onto the housing register. Once the documents are received your application will be assessed and placed in the appropriate band from the date the documents were received.
For more details on our banding scheme view prioritising applications
ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO myhousingapplication@westlancs.gov.uk. If you have a smart phone you can take a photograph of the document and email it to us. If you are providing a number of documents at the same time, they will need to be sent as seperate documents or photographs.