Sheltered housing is specially designed housing for older people in clusters of unfurnished self-contained flats or bungalows. It is ideal for people who want to live independently but would like the extra security of a 24-hour alarm service for emergencies.
Some schemes are complexes with communal facilities such as a lounge, laundry, guest room and gardens. Others are groups of bungalows or flats often with a small individual garden. Most have access to some communal and social facilities. Accommodation is available for couples and for single people.
Sheltered housing provides:
Sheltered housing is provided by housing associations. They must ensure their accommodation is allocated to households who are in housing need and who do not have sufficient income, savings or assets to meet this housing need themselves through privately renting or purchasing accommodation. If you have substantial income, savings and/or assets you will need to consider privately renting sheltered housing.
Details of the social rented sheltered schemes in Basingstoke can be found in the social rented sheltered schemes document in the documents section below.
You can apply for sheltered housing in Basingstoke and Deane if you:
If you have a financial or legal interest in a property it is unlikely you would qualify, however a financial check is carried out on a case by case basis to determine eligibility.
To be considered for socially rented sheltered housing you must first apply to join the ‘housing register’ which is managed by the council.
Our ‘Homebid’ website is where you apply to join the housing register. Once on the Homebid website, click on the ‘Register’ link on the right-hand side to start your application. Applications usually take 20 minutes to complete.
The law says reasonable preference should be given to certain groups of people. To be in housing need you must be:
You will receive a letter by email or post telling you which band you are in on the housing register, the date of your application and the size and type of property you can bid for. The letter details your unique reference number and memorable date password which you use to login to Homebid.
Once you are registered you can view available sheltered housing properties online each week and if you see something suitable you can bid for it. Bidding means 'show an interest in'.
Property adverts are live between 12:01 am on Thursday morning and midnight on Monday. This gives you five days to put your bids on each week. You can place one bid every week. It does not matter when in the cycle you place your bid as it will not impact your final position.
There are four ways in which you, a family member or friend, can place a bid or express your interest every week using Basingstoke Homebid. You can:
If you have requested a weekly newsletter, you should receive this on a Friday or Saturday every week. If you decide to use an alternative method of placing a bid, you can cancel the newsletter at any time.
When you place bids you should look at the listed landlord and the type of support that is offered at that scheme. If you have any questions about the type of support on offer at a specific scheme you should call the landlord directly.
It is not possible to give a timeframe. You can look at recent lets on Homebid to get an estimate of waiting times. This will show you the bands and application dates of applicants who have recently been offered a property. You can increase your chances of being re-housed more quickly by broadening your areas and property types.
If you are not eligible to join the housing register a full explanation will be provided either by email or post.
You have the right to request a review of any aspect of your housing application assessment by contacting the housing team online, by telephone or in person within 21 days of receiving your decision.
You need to amend your application online on Homebid. We may ask you to supply supporting documentation to verify your change of circumstances.
We will contact you every 12 months by web message in Homebid for you to confirm your circumstances are correct. If you do not renew your application, we may close your application.
Sheltered properties are also available to private rent. Details of the private sheltered schemes in Basingstoke can be found in the private sheltered schemes document in the documents section below.
If you need some advice about your housing situation email the Housing Team or send a message via our enquiry form