What is CalonAdref?
CalonAdref is a leasing scheme operated by Cadwyn Housing Association in partnership with Cardiff Council. Under this scheme Cadwyn leases unfurnished homes from private owners to be used to resettle homeless families.
We are looking for houses mainly in the central areas of Cardiff to lease for a minimum period of 3 years. The properties need to meet a certain standard before we lease them which is in line with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. They need to have fairly modern kitchens and bathrooms and be well decorated.
Who can join the scheme?
The scheme is open to couples with children or single parents to whom the Council has agreed that they have a duty to re-house under homelessness legislation.
Who will be the Landlord?
The tenancy agreement will be between Cadwyn and the tenant.
Is CalonAdref like the private sector?
The tenancy offered will be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy for an initial period of a year. After that the tenancy will continue to run as an Assured Shorthold and will never become an Assured or Secure tenancy like the ones the Council or Housing Associations use. There is no Right to Buy or Right to Acquire and the time spent in a CalonAdref property will not count as a social tenancy for the purposes of exercising the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire in the future.
How much is the rent?
The rent for each property is set taking into account the costs of the lease with the private landlord, as well as Cadwyn’s management charges, so the rent can be quite high, and will be more than Council or Housing Association rents. However rent levels have been set so that they can, depending on the applicant’s circumstances, be covered by housing benefit where this applies.
How long will tenants be able to live in the property?
That depends on two things – the tenant and the private landlord.
· Properties are leased from private landlords for a 3 year period, but if the Landlord is happy to continue to lease the property to us after that period (and we will try to make sure that they do) then we can continue to rent to the tenant.
· Tenancy agreements are for one year but will be renewed annually as long as tenancy conditions are not breached. The tenant will therefore usually be able to remain in the property for a minimum of 3 years.
What if tenants need support?
The Council’s Tenant Support Scheme will assess ongoing support needs if necessary. However it would be beneficial if your organisation would provide initial resettlement support.
How many offers will applicants get?
Applicants can have one reasonable offer of a property under the CalonAdref scheme. If they do not accept this offer we will no longer consider them for housing under the scheme. However, this will not prevent them receiving the one reasonable offer of accommodation the Council will make in fulfilment of its homeless duty. Therefore a refusal of a property under CalonAdref will not count against them whilst waiting for a Council or Housing Association property.
Will the Council or a Housing Association still offer a property while on the CalonAdref list?
An offer of accommodation through the Council or a Housing Association may be made even if an applicant is registered for the CalonAdref scheme. The usual rules will still apply about the number of reasonable offers made, and once an offer of accommodation with the Council or a Housing Association is made the CalonAdref application is closed.
What if tenants want to move after accepting a CalonAdref tenancy?
On acceptance of a CalonAdref tenancy the Council will no longer have a duty under section 193 of the Housing Act 1996 and so no further offers of Council accommodation will be made. Tenants may still be eligible to join the Council’s general waiting list, or Housing Association waiting lists however and should complete application forms in the usual way.
If applicants want to move from a CalonAdref property, for instance because they want to move out of Cardiff, or because their housing needs have changed, they will be required to give 4 weeks notice as specified in their tenancy agreement.
Are Tenants able Transfer
Transferring between CalonAdref properties may be considered in certain circumstances e.g. due to domestic abuse or if needs have changed during the tenancy.
What happens when the lease ends and the private landlord wants to take their property out of the scheme?
A landlord will always have the right to take the property out of the scheme at the end of the lease period and if this happens we would give the tenant as much notice as possible. If their circumstances met the necessary criteria they would be given priority status on the Council’s waiting list, but in any case we would work with them to plan their move.
You have a family who are interested – so what happens next?
You should notify the Council’s Homelessness Assessment Team at the Housing Advice Unit, Marland House. The Homelessness Assessment Team undertakes certain checks and lets us know about all families who are eligible for the scheme and who wish to apply.
Once we have been informed of their interest we will arrange to visit the applicant and make sure that they have all of the information they need about the scheme and that we have all of the information we need about them in order to try to meet their needs.
We will keep their details on the CalonAdref waiting list, which is organised in date order, and will offer properties to people on the list in that order, depending on areas where properties become available and the sizes of properties we have. However there are occasions when applicants have been made offers within days or weeks of applying.
Do you get many refusals?
In the fifteen months that the scheme has been running we have only had one refusal.
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Further information: Enquiries about all aspects of the CalonAdref & CalonLettings schemes can be obtained by phoning the Calon Team on 029 2043 4434. |
