Lettings Policy

Tower Hamlets Lettings PolicyBehaviour serious enough to havejustified a possession order33. We will then decide whether, had theperson who is guilty of the unacceptablebehaviour been a local authority orHousing Association tenant, whetherthere are sufficient grounds for a Courtto be able to grant a possession order.If still considered as unsuitable whenthe application is made34. We will not normally consider incidentsthat happened more than two years agoexcept where the person has beenguilty of very serious acts of anti-socialbehaviour including racial, domestic orother acts of harassment or violence. Atthis stage, we will consider any and allevidence from the applicant that wouldgo towards them establishing that theyare suitable to be a tenant.What happens when I make anapplication to go on the Housing List?35. When your application to go on thehousing list is received your details willbe registered on a computer. We have aduty to protect public funds. Theinformation you give on your form willbe stored on a computer and may beshared with other public agencies (suchas the Department for Work andPensions); Council departments (suchas Housing Benefits and Council Tax) orany other appropriate agency, solely todetect and prevent fraud. We will sharethe information you give us withRegistered Social Landlords and otherhousing authorities for the purposes ofhousing nominations.Obligation to be truthful36. Section 171 of the Housing Act 1996makes it an offence to withholdinformation that we reasonably requireto assess your application, or to providefalse information that leads to yourgaining a tenancy. We will takeappropriate action (including legalaction) against anyone who gains atenancy through knowingly providingfalse information. This may mean youlose your home. A person guilty of anoffence under this section is liable onsummary conviction to a fine. Legalproceedings may begin if :a) any false information is given, orinformation withheld, on anapplication form to appear on thehousing registerb) any false information is given, orinformation withheld, in response tosubsequent review letters or otherupdate mechanismsc) any false information is given, orinformation withheld, by applicantsduring a review.37. We will check if you, or anyone in yourhousehold, are already registered on thehousing list. You can only be on oneactive application at any one time.When someone else at your addresswants to join the list38. If you are a tenant of one of the partnerlandlords and someone living with youapplies for separate housing, we will askyou to undertake that if you move youwill make sure no one is left in theproperty. Normally, until you give thiswritten guarantee of vacant possessionyou will not be able to bid for availablehomes and we will not actively consideryour application.Joint tenants who want to be rehousedseparately39. If you are a joint tenant of the Council ora Registered Social Landlord you willusually only be considered for rehousingwith all other joint tenants. Thisis unless there are exceptional reasonswhy you cannot, such as if your safety isthreatened. If you do not wish to be rehousedwith your joint tenant(s) thenyou should seek independent advice onyour rights and obligations. If we agreethat you can register for re-housing8