Who can apply?
Anyone aged 16 years or over can join a housing register. You can apply as a single applicant, or with other people (joint application).
You can choose to be considered by all the landlords on the North Ayrshire Housing Register (NAHR):
When applying online, you must fill in an Online Application Declaration (PDF, 65kb). This authorises us to request tenancy references from your landlord. This is only needed if your current or previous landlord (last 3 years) is not an NAHR landlord.
The North Ayrshire Housing Register (NAHR)
The NAHR is a shared (or common) housing register. This is where 2 or more landlords agree to have a shared pool of housing applicants that they let their houses to. This means that people don't need to fill in a form for each landlord.
The NAHR is the council and 3 housing associations:
- Cunninghame Housing Association
- Riverside Scotland
- ANCHO
These landlords own and manage around 98% of the social housing in North Ayrshire.
Housing need assessment
Your housing need is assessed in line with the North Ayrshire Housing Allocation Policy which is a shared (or common) allocation policy. It is a 'group plus points' policy.
Applications are placed in 1 of 7 groups and can be awarded points for recognised housing needs. The allocation policy summary (PDF, 539kb) details the size of house you can apply for and how points are awarded.
Points aren't awarded for the length of time you're on the housing register. However, if applicants in the same group have the same number of points the applicant with the oldest application will have higher priority on a shortlist.
Health issues or disabilities
If you, or someone who lives with you, has a health issue or disability that affects the type of housing you need, you will need to apply for an Accessible Housing assessment.
An Accessible housing assessment is not about a person’s health condition. It is about the way the condition affects how the person manages at home. All assessments are carried out by a fully qualified Occupational Therapist, and takes into account all health conditions including mental health. Please read the Accessible Housing Assessment guidance for more information.
House allocating decisions
Each landlord has their own letting plan. You may contact the landlords to request a copy.
Council house allocations
Council houses are allocated by housing officers via the NAHR. When a property is available, applicants are shortlisted by greatest need to the suitability of the property. Properties are allocated strictly in terms of the policy and procedures. All allocations are checked by a second officer and 10% of allocations are audited by a manager.
Suspending applicants from offers of housing
The NAHR has a shared suspension policy. This is an agreed set of rules used to determine when not to offer housing to applicants, known as suspending applicants.
Reasons for your suspension
The law gives everyone aged 16 years or over the right to be on a housing register. However, landlords do have the right to suspend applications for a length of time, for example, because of a person's previous behaviour.
A suspension means we would not consider you for an offer of accommodation during the suspension period. However, your application will still be on the housing register.
You may be suspended for:
- outstanding tenancy debt
- antisocial behaviour
- other breaches of tenancy
If we do suspend your application, we will contact you to tell you that we have done this, explain the reasons why and what you need to do to remove the suspension.
Appealing your suspension
You have the right to appeal against our decision to suspend your application.
You should make your appeal in writing to the Housing Manager of the NAHR landlord who dealt with your application. If your application is suspended from offers when the application is placed on the register, you have the right to appeal to the sheriff court. This is in addition to your right to appeal to the landlord that made the decision.
Suspensions are regularly reviewed and are removed when appropriate to do so. If you want to know more about suspensions, you can ask for a copy of our suspension policy from any of our offices.
Offer of housing from the NAHR
An offer will depend upon:
- the number of properties available for let
- your level of housing need compared to other applicants
- the landlords, letting areas and house types you have selected
After we receive your application, we'll write to you with details of your group and points assessment. Please contact us to discuss your prospects for housing, we will tell you:
- about availability
- your chance of receiving an offer
- what you can do to improve your prospects
- about other housing options
Demand for social housing in North Ayrshire outstrips supply, with around 5,500 applicants on the NAHR.
