Is the home affordable?
We’ll also check to make sure customers can afford to pay the rent on any property they might be offered. This applies to all customers, whether or not they receive benefits.
If you’d like to know more about this, please contact us.
What kind of home can I apply for?
All Optivo properties are offered to customers based on the size of the household. This means you can have one bedroom for each person or couple living in the home. There are some exceptions:
- Two children under 16 of the same gender are expected to share
- Two children under 10 are expected to share regardless of gender
- A disabled resident who needs a non-resident overnight carer will be allowed an extra bedroom
- Approved foster carers will be allowed an additional room so long as they have fostered a child, or became a foster carer in the last 12 months
- Adult children in the armed forces will be treated as continuing to live at home even when deployed on operations.
We’re not able to offer homes that are bigger than you or your family need, based on the above criteria. This is in line with Government recommendations.
What happens if you want to move?
Want to buy a home?
If you're an Optivo resident it may be possible to buy the home that you rent from us.
There are a number of schemes that allow you to do this and the eligibility criteria for each is different.
It may also be possible for you to purchase a new home through Shared Ownership. This is where you purchase and own a percentage share of a property and pay rent to us on the share we own. This is often a great way for first time buyers to get on the property ladder, as a smaller deposit is typically required.
Find out more: