Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

Affordable Housing Opportunities

• Fareham Borough Council's Enabling Role
• Affordable Homes in Fareham
• Providers of Affordable Housing
• Current Affordable Housing Programme
• Affordable Housing Strategy 

Fareham Borough Council's Enabling Role

Fareham Borough Council has two roles in the provision of new affordable homes in the Borough.

The Council is able to directly provide new homes which are managed by Housing Tenancy Services. However, it also works with Register Providers to enable the development of new and acquire existing homes for affordable housing in the Borough. The Council has an annual target to provide 100 new affordable homes per annum.

Fareham Borough Council influences the provision of new affordable homes in the Borough by:

• Negotiating with private developers over new affordable homes being delivered through the planning system;
• Supporting Registered Providers in their bids for grant funding from the Homes & Communities Agency to develop new affordable homes;
• Providing additional top-up funding to Registered Providers from the Housing Capital Programme;
• By making Fareham Borough Council land available to build new affordable housing;
• Promoting HomeBuy schemes within the Borough to help local residents gain a first step on the housing ladder;
• Undertaking surveys to ensure the type of affordable housing provided is appropriate to the needs of the residents.

Affordable Homes in Fareham

Affordable housing is available to eligible households who would otherwise be unable to meet their housing needs on the open market.

There are a number of properties available in the Borough to eligible households that include homes to rent from Registered Providers and the Local Authority (who own and manage the properties) and also homes that can be purchased through HomeBuy, the Governments affordable home ownership brand.
 

Homes for Rent

Social rented housing is owned and managed by Registered Providers (formerly known as Registered Social Landlords) and the Local Authority.

The Government has recently introduced a new Affordable Rent tenure. The rent will be set at up to 80% of the gross market rent on a more flexible tenancy than social rent.

Both Social and Affordable Rental properties will be allocated in the same way. Normally, only households on Fareham's Housing Waiting List and Registered Provider registers are eligible for properties which are advertised on the Council's choice based lettings scheme. 

Housing for Sale 

HomeBuy (this is an external hyperlink) is the Government's brand name given to affordable home ownership. The products are in place to assist priority groups and other first time buyers get onto the property ladder.

HomesinHants

If you are interested in any of the HomeBuy schemes, the Local HomeBuy Agent for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is HomesinHants (this is an external hyperlink).

HomesinHants provide a one stop shop to guide applicants though the options available via HomeBuy, and will provide information on the available schemes in the Borough. They will also explain and assess eligibility and affordability criteria. Their website provides further information on the HomeBuy schemes and details of all the available home ownership developments.

HomeBuy Schemes

There are number of HomeBuy schemes available in Fareham that are listed below under the relevant Scheme headings:
 

Shared Ownership

Shared Ownership is a part buy part rent scheme, where you purchase an initial share and pay a reduced rent on the remaining percentage. You can buy further shares until you own the home outright, or can stay as long as you wish as a shared owner.

From time to time, existing shared ownership properties become available for resale on the same basis as new build shared ownership properties.

HomesinHants will provide details of the shared ownership properties currently available and will be able to explain and assess eligibility and affordability criteria
 

Equity Loan Schemes

Equity loans schemes describe where the purchaser holds the full title of the property, but receive assistance through the equity loan which is secured as a second charge on the property. There are two products funded by the HCA called HomeBuy Direct and FirstBuy.

HomeBuy Direct - Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan of up to a maximum of 30% of the purchase price based on the full market valuation of the property.

Applicants are required to fund at least 70% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. Applicants must obtain their conventional mortgage from a Qualified Lending Institution. The equity loan is provided as a second charge. Further information on HomeBuy Direct is available on the HomesinHants or HCA's website.

FirstBuy - Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan of up to a maximum of 20% of the purchase price (based on the open market value). Applicants are required to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. Applicants must obtain their mortgage from a Qualified Lending Institution.

HomesinHants will be able to provide more information on the equity loan schemes in Fareham together with eligibility and affordability criteria.
 

Armed Forces Home Ownership Scheme pilot (AFHOS)

Armed Forces Home Ownership Scheme pilot (AFHOS)
This pilot scheme provides assistance to qualifying applicants to purchase a home.

If you have between 4-6 years continuous service you could get a loan between 15-50% of the value of a home when you purchase from the open market
 

Rent to Buy

Some new homes may be available for applicants to rent initially with a view to buying a share within a certain time

For further information about the scheme and for details of any properties available on these terms please contact HomesinHants


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Providers of Affordable Housing 

There are several terms used to describe the providers of affordable housing. These are Housing Association, Registered Social Landlord and Registered Providers.
Housing Associations are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost housing for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones. The term is often used as a shorthand term for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), although not all housing associations are RSLs. From 2010 the Tenant Services Authority regulates all providers of affordable and social housing and they have become known as Registered Providers irrespective of the private, public, for profit or not for profit status
 

The Homes and Communities Agency (this is an external hyperlink) is the body responsible for the delivery of nearly all the affordable homes in England. The HCA provides the funding for affordable homes and brings land back into productive use. The HCA's role is to create opportunity for people to live in high quality sustainable places.

Fareham Borough Council reserves the right to nominate households into affordable housing through the Housing Waiting List. The housing association then becomes the landlord of the new tenants who subsequently move in.  

The Tenant Services Authority (this is an external hyperlink) is the agency responsible for regulating social landlords and sets high standards of management.  The TSA has a goal to raise the standards of service for tenants.

If you are dissatisfied with the services of a housing association the TSA has set out information on how to go about making a complaint in their leaflet 'Putting Things Right' (this is an external hyperlink). 

 

The first step is to contact the association directly and try to resolve the problem through their formal complaints procedure.  Should you still be dissatisfied, you may take your complaint to the Independent Housing Ombudsman (this is an external hyperlink).

 

If your complaint is against the services provided by Fareham Council, this will be managed through the Council's Corporate Complaints Procedure and should you remain dissatisfied you may refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (this is an external hyperlink).

 

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Current Affordable Housing Programme

New affordable housing is currently being developed in the Borough. Fareham Borough Council seeks to ensure that, on appropriate sites, an element of affordable housing is provided for local people.

Fareham Borough Council and its housing associations partners work together to seek out affordable housing development opportunities, for example on surplus Fareham Borough Council land. The Council has a target to provide 100 new affordable homes per year both directly and working with housing associations.
 

View details of recent and current developments within the Borough.

 

Fareham Borough Council works with three preferred housing associations who are the key developers of affordable housing within the Borough and work with private developers to deliver affordable housing secured through planning policy.

• First Wessex (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 0800 8402 813
• Radian (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 0300 123 1567

There are other housing associations that have stock within the Borough or are currently developing new affordable homes. Those with over 25 homes to which the Council has nomination rights are: 

• Sovereign Housing Association (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 01635 572220
• The Hyde Group (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 0800 085 4195
• Guinness Hermitage (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 0300 303 8034
• Sanctuary Housing (this is an external hyperlink) - Tel: 0800 083 9283

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Affordable Housing Strategy

Fareham Borough Council has produced an Affordable Housing Strategy (147 Kb) .

The strategy describes the Council's policies for delivering affordable housing through the planning system and by other means; our partnership arrangements with housing associations; how we will deliver good quality affordable homes and how we will attract sufficient funding for the programme to proceed.

 In light of the rising level of local housing need, Fareham Borough Council has adopted a target of delivering 100 affordable homes per annum as a Priority Corporate Objective and will aim to meet this target through appropriate policies.

 

The strategy should be read in conjunction with: 

• Affordable Housing Strategy Addendum - July 2007 (91 Kb)
• Affordable Housing Strategy Addendum 2 - July 2008 (171Kb)

 

These documents describe modifications to the strategy arising from any external influences, such as Government policy and housing need.

The Council is currently developing a new Affordable Housing Strategy to take account of the affordable housing planning policies in the Council's Core Strategy adopted in August 2011.
 

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