Transfers

Management transfers and priority lettings:

From time-to-time there may be a requirement outside of MHA Home Options to carry out management transfers and lettings. Examples where this discretion may be required are:

• Customers on a low income who will face extreme financial hardship following the introduction of the Housing Benefit under-occupation rules and want to transfer to a smaller property
• Customers facing domestic violence, racial and other forms of harassment where their wellbeing is at risk

Exclusions / Refusals of Applicants:

The Association is committed to rehousing those customers with the highest needs but there are sometimes grounds on which an application may not be accepted. These include:

• Unacceptable Behaviour Examples of unacceptable behaviour are, incidents of anti-social behaviour, harassment (including racial harassment), violence or threats of violence, and involvement in criminal or immoral activities. Refusal of applicants on these grounds will be based on evidence. Evidence may include criminal conviction, previous eviction for ASB, or a previous injunction or ASBO within the last two years.
• Housing-Related Debt An applicant who owes any housing-related charges or is currently in arrears with their rent to their current or previous landlord will not be allocated a property until the monies have been paid in full or an agreement for payment by instalments has been complied with for a reasonable period.

New tenancies

These will be Starter Tenancies in the form of Assured Short-hold Tenancies. Starter tenancies are probationary tenancies. They allow the Association to manage and end the tenancy quickly when the tenant has persistently failed to meet the tenancy obligations. If the obligations are met, a starter tenancy will be converted to a full Assured Tenancy after 12 months.

Equality & Diversity

We are committed to a policy of fair and equal treatment for all our tenants, employees and applicants, regardless of religion, sexual orientation, age, class, racial origin, sex, disability or marital status as determined in the Association’s Equality and Diversity Policy.

Monitoring and Review

We will monitor and review this policy in conjunction with customers to ensure its effectiveness and relevance to the Association’s stated aims and objectives.