Incommunities on behalf of Bradford Council provide housing information and advice to both tenants on a range of housing issues that could include:
- Homelessness
- Rent arrears
- Domestic violence
- Landlord/tenant disputes
- Loss of employment
- Anti-social behaviour/harassment
- Welfare benefits
Our Housing Options service will work with anyone who is either homeless or threatened with homelessness to try and enable them to stay in their homes or to help find them alternative accommodation. This may include:
- Mediation in landlord and tenant disputes
- Advice and information
- Assistance with housing benefit queries and forms
- Referrals to other agencies for support, mediation and temporary accommodation
For further information, or if you need help because you might become homeless, contact Incommunities on 0845 141 6666 and speak to a Housing Advisor.
Should we be unsuccessful in preventing you from becoming homeless, we can refer you to our Homelessness Case Worker, who will assess your needs.
Homeless Applications
An appointment will be made for you to see the Homelessness Case Worker. This will be a same day appointment if you have nowhere to go that day. A homeless application form will be completed and all of your options will be discussed.
Incommunities will assess your housing needs and establish the following:
Are you eligible for assistance?
Some groups of people who have lived abroad are not entitled to help if they are homeless. Incommunities will check if you are subject to immigration control.
Are you homeless or threatened with homelessness?
Incommunities must check whether you are legally classed as homeless before it can decide what help you are entitled to. In deciding whether you are homeless, the council has to look at any accommodation you may have access to.
Are you in priority need?
You will be in priority need if one of the people included in your application falls into one of the priority need groups:
- Pregnant women
- People responsible for dependent children
- Most people aged 16 or 17 certain care leavers
- People who are particularly vulnerable, and
- People who are made homeless by fire or flood.
If you are homeless and in priority need Incommunities may have a duty to provide you with temporary accommodation.
Are you intentionally homeless?
Incommunities has to make enquiries into the reasons you became homeless and must be satisfied that:
You deliberately did (or didn't do) something that caused you to leave accommodation which you could otherwise have stayed in.
It would have been reasonable for you to stay there.
This may include:
- Not paying your rent or mortgage when you could have afforded to
- You were evicted for antisocial behaviour
- You left accommodation you could have stayed in
Once a full assessment has been carried out you will be notified in writing of the outcome and informed of what duty is owed to you.
The decision letter will say:
- What decision the council has made
- What duties are owed to you
- The reasons why the decision was made and
- That you have a right to request a review of a decision and how you can do so
For further information or if you need help because you might become homeless, contact Incommunities Housing Advice in 0845 141 6666 and speak to a Housing Options Advisor.
