Anyone work for a housing association? Or have experience moving someone in/bigger property

[humpetyhump]

Hi - posting for a close friend!

Does anyone know if/how finances are assessed when moving someone into your housing association property? Do they take into consideration the salary and savings of the person moving in? Does it make a difference? Can they refuse?

Similarly, if/how are finances assessed when declaring someone now lives there AND planning to put them on the tenancy too? Again, do they take into consideration that persons salary and savings? Can they refuse to add someone to a tenancy if their salary is over a certain amount/they have too many savings?

My friend is desperately wanting to move his girlfriend of 3 years into his small 2 bed HA flat. He has 2 DDs (16 - live there full time as he has sole custody).

However he is unsure if they will want to inspect her salary/finances when he declares that she lives there and he's worried they will say no.

Similarly (thinking about the future) they plan to have a child but would definitely be overcrowded (his daughters are 16 and therefore 'entitled' to their own room. Kitchen dining room and lounge all 1 room onto a balcony so this couldn't count as a bedroom for them. Also another child would be added to the mix).

He is wondering if they asked to transfer to a bigger property at that point, if the HA could decide that actually they collectively/one of them earns too much/has too many savings so they are no obliged to rehouse them in a bigger home? Can they do this?

Any help/advice much appreciated. I've never had a council or HA home before so useless to him for advice!!

I think it would very much depend on the HA. Mine wasn’t at all interested in my DH’s (very small) salary when he moved in. I only told them in case something happened to me and he was left having to prove he’d resided there for 18 months, so he wasn’t left homeless. But he’s still not on the tenancy. That’s mine and I’m not risking anyone being able to tell me to leave my home if we ever broke up. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, he just needs to tell the HA and because they know he resides here, they’ll transfer the tenancy into his name. He really needs to contact them and ask them what their rules are.

Same with the larger home, although I’d warn your friend that your definition of overcrowded may not be the same as the HA’s definition and he might find that 3 DC are expected to share the same room. Houses are like gold dust.

Where I live the living room absolutely DOES count as a bedroom, even if it's got an open plan kitchen. It's still a ton that's capable of taking a bed to sleep on.