This document provides a checklist for determining if a person is ready to be referred to a housing brokerage service. The checklist includes requirements that the person must be over 18, have access to benefits or income to pay rent, have the capacity to understand and sign a tenancy agreement, have applied to join the local housing register, understand their housing needs, and be ready to move into a new property. Meeting all of these criteria helps ensure the individual and housing brokerage are properly prepared before pursuing alternative housing options.

1. Are you tenancy
ready?
Here’s our checklist
to see if the person
you are working with
has everything in
place before
referring them to our
housing brokerage
service.

2. Be over 18
To sign a tenancy agreement the prospective
tenant needs to be over 18 years old.
This is a legal requirement.
1 Be over 18

3. 2 Have access to benefits
Have access to welfare benefits/paying rent
The individual must have access and
entitlement to welfare benefits or an income so
you can pay rent.
Individuals pending immigration or refugee
status with assets in excess of £16,000 may not
have entitlement to welfare benefits.

4. 3 Have capacity
Have capacity
Anyone entering into an assured shorthold tenancy agreement
must have capacity to understand and sign it.
If the individual doesn’t, or has transient capacity, only a court
appointed guardian or person with the Court of Protection for
housing and finance can sign on their behalf.
Best interest agreements are not acceptable for entering into a
legal agreement.

5. Applied to join the Housing Register
All individuals referred to the housing brokerage
service should have completed an application
to join the Housing Register, or made a
homelessness approach, prior to service.
There are two reasons for this…
4 Applied to Housing Register

6. 4 Applied to Housing Register
A. Dimensions will always promote people’s rights and choices.
Access to social affordable housing with greater security of
tenure presents the best long term option in terms of house.
B. If the individual has approached the local authority for
housing in the first instance and is deemed low priority or
not eligible for assistance, this will provide strong evidence
that all other options were explored before going to
alternative housing or private market. This will also provide
a strong evidence base for any future housing benefit claim.

7. Understand their housing need
Where welfare benefits or commissioning are paying the rent on
a property, considering should be given not only to the
individual’s wants but also their needs.
E.g. If an individual requires sleep-in overnight support, a two
bedroom property is all that would be allowed unless you have
good cause for additional rooms (such as sensory needs or
medical equipment)…
5 Understand their needs

8. Also, Dimensions can claim an exempt rent (above local housing
allowance) as a support housing provision.
But, benefits or commissioning bodies may consider rent
excessively high if:
A. The property is larger than the client’s needs.
B. The rent is above the average rental prices in the area (for an
equivalent property).
5 Understand their needs

9. Ready to move on?
Is the individual ready to move into the property?
Dimensions can claim Housing Benefit from the tenancy start
date, but if there is a delay in moving into the property,
Housing Benefit will refuse to pay unless the individual is
leaving hospital or moving out of residential care (you may be
able to claim a maximum of 4 weeks rent to allow for this
transition period).
… Ready to move on?

10. Contact us
Email jane.neil@dimensions-uk.org to
discuss your case and see how we can help
you.
… Contact us