Moving Home
- I have physical difficulties managing my home- can I move house?
- Transferring to another “Johnnie” Johnson Housing property
- Transferring to a local authority or another housing association property
- Mutual Exchange
- Homeswap
- Can I buy my current home?
- Low cost home ownership options
- Homebuy scheme
- Download a copy of our leaflet “Moving Home” (PDF 1.11MB)
I have physical difficulties managing my home - can I move house?
If you are having difficulties there are a number of ways we could help you, for example:
- by adapting your current home
- by contacting social services who may be able to provide aids to help you live in your home
- helping you transfer to an adapted or more suitable property
- arranging an exchange with someone who has an adapted or more suitable property
Please contact your local Manager who will be able to talk to you about all your options to find the best solution for you.
Transferring to another 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing property
The Trust has a large number of properties. If your current home is no longer suitable for your needs you can apply for a transfer. We give some priority to current tenants who need to transfer to another property.
Please contact the Customer Service Centre for further advice and assistance on 0845 6041095 (Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.30pm).
Transferring to a local authority or another housing association property.
MoveUK is a national initiative, supported by the government, to work with local authorities and housing associations offering a range of services that help people move. As a member of moveUK, 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing has links with hundreds of other housing associations and almost every local authority in the UK. This means we can help our tenants to move more easily.
For example:
- where a move is needed for employment reasons
- where a move is needed to be nearer relatives to give or receive support
- where there are other social reasons for needing a move
If you are accepted on to the scheme, we will nominate you to housing associations and local authorities in the areas you want to move to. There
is a limit to the number of people each housing association or local authority can house through moveUK and it is up to the other landlord whether they accept you. In general, the most popular places are the most difficult to move to. If you wish to be nominated for the moveUK scheme, you will need to complete an application form, which you can request from your local manager.
Mutual Exchange
You have the right to exchange (swap) your home with another 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing tenant, as well as tenants of other housing associations or
local authorities. This is known as a mutual exchange. If you find another 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing tenant who wishes to swap, please speak to your local manager, who will discuss your circumstances with you.
Homeswap
Homeswap is a way for you to swap home with another housing association or local authority tenant anywhere in the UK.
Homeswap is part of the moveUK service and their website shows thousands of properties occupied by tenants who are interested in swapping. This is a national register for anyone wishing to exchange homes and it is open to all local authority and housing association tenants throughout the UK. You can register for Homeswap and get more information on the moveUK website, www.moveuk.com. If you don't have internet access, you can still phone them to register on 0845 606 6161 (calls charged at local rates).
If you register online for Homeswap, not only will you be able to look for possible swaps on the website, but moveUK will look for people whose
homes meet your requirements and who might be interested in swapping with you. If there are any, they will send you the details.
Do I need to get permission to 'exchange' my home?
If you want to exchange your home, you must get permission. However, permission will not unreasonably be withheld. There are, certain conditions which need to be met before we will approve your request for a mutual exchange of your home;
- both sides in an exchange must get the written consent of their landlord
- any outstanding rent arrears must be cleared before an exchange can take place
- you and your exchange partner must have a good tenancy record and not have any outstanding notices or legal action pending against you for breaking conditions of tenancy
- the accommodation you occupy must not be designed for someone with special needs, e.g. a disabled person
- your home must pass an inspection for damage by your local manager.
There are also some general rules and conditions that apply to mutual exchanges;
- you may only move into a property that either meets your statutory
requirements in terms of number of bedrooms or has one extra bedroom - you should note that in exchanging properties you will take over the tenancy of the person you are exchanging with and they will take over
your tenancy. This is why it is advisable to speak to your new landlord to check out your new rent payment and the type of tenancy that you would
be taking on to see if there are any differences in terms and conditions that you need to be aware of - when accepting an exchange property, you are taking it as seen and, therefore, accepting the condition of the property. The landlord will only initially carry out repairs for essential works l be realistic about the area or type of property you want or size of property to increase your chances of success
- you may be liable for eviction or a fine (or both) if you give or receive money or goods to secure an exchange
- if repairs are needed, check that they will be carried out make sure you can afford the moving expenses
- try to keep your expenses to an absolute minimum before arranging to move as you will not get them back if your swap partner withdraws from an exchange at any time.
Most of our tenants do not have the right to buy their home, but you may have the 'Right to Acquire' if your home was built after 1997 - please contact our Customer Services Team for an information leaflet on your Right to Acquire.
Low Cost Home Ownership Options
Shared Ownership
If you would like to own your own home, but cannot afford to buy on the open market, shared ownership could be for you.
How Shared Ownership Works
Shared ownership does not mean you have to share your home with someone else! Simply put, shared ownership is part-buying, part-renting your home with the help of 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing.
It allows you to buy a share of a property (minimum 25%) and pay a reduced rent for the remainder. Your monthly outgoings will include repayments on any mortgage you have taken out for the initial share, plus rent on the share of the property retained by us. Your total monthly outgoings are usually less than your mortgage payments would have been if you had bought your home outright. Later, when you can afford it, you can increase your share by purchasing further equity in the property.
For more information on shared ownership and details of where we have properties, please telephone our Leasehold Services Team on 0845
6001767 for a full information pack.
Homebuy Scheme
What is Homebuy?
Homebuy helps people to buy a home who would not be able to afford to do so without assistance. There are three different routes to home ownership through Homebuy:
- you can buy a home on the open market, whilst only having to fund 75% of the purchase price. If you qualify for the scheme, you can apply for a loan of 25% towards the purchase price of a new home. You will need to contribute the remaining 75% through a mortgage and personal savings. There are no monthly payments on the loan for the 25% share. Instead, you repay it when you sell your home. You will repay 25% of the value of your home at the time you sell it
- you can purchase your current rented home, whilst receiving a discount on the purchase price of the property
- you can purchase a newly built home from us on a shared-ownership basis
It is important to know that the funding for Homebuy is limited and not every housing association will be granted the funds to support these schemes. At present ‘Johnnie’ Johnson Housing is only likely to be involved in the New Build Homebuy programme. The development and promotion of all these Low Cost Home Ownership schemes is coordinated by Zone Agents. These are housing associations who provide a 'One Stop Shop' for information about home ownership. They would be able to advise which associations in their area operate the various schemes. Please contact the Leasehold Services Team on 0845 600 1767 for details about the Zone Agent for your region.
