How To Apply
Applying for Housing with Magna Housing Association

For more information on shared ownership.

Under certain circumstances, if you are an existing tenant, you may be able to purchase your home. You can find out more from our leaflet on Preserved Right to Buy and Right to Acquire.

We work in partnership with Local Authorities where we have housing stock and 75% (3 in 4) of our empty homes are allocated to people nominated to ourselves from the Local Authority Housing Register. You should contact the Local Authority in the area that you wish to live to see if you are eligible to join their Housing Register.

25% (1 in 4) of our empty homes are let from our own Housing Register.

How to Apply to MHA’s Housing Register
Anyone wishing to apply for housing will be required to complete an application form.

Forms can be obtained from:
The Rehousing Team
Hollands House
Poundbury Road
Dorchester DT1 1SW
Tel: 01305 216064

Or you can download it by clicking here.

It is an ‘Open Register’, so anyone in need of housing can apply.

You can be registered with both ourselves and the Local Authority

Processing your Application
We will assess your application form using the information you provide, if we need more information we will contact you.

If we have all of the information required we will tell you within 28 working days of receipt of your application:

• the registered date of your application
• your banding assessment
• your acceptance onto the housing register

We may need to make a home visit to check the information on your application.

Assessing your Application
We use a banding system to assess your circumstances as follows:

• Band A
  Those in urgent need of housing including those who are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, people who have an urgent need to move or transfer, people who are subject to, or under threat of, violence.
  
• Band B
  Those who have a less urgent need including those living in poor housing conditions, in an unsuitable location, in overcrowded conditions, in unaffordable accommodation, those who are subject to harassment or who wish to move to assist them with employment.
  
• Band C
  For existing MHA tenants to enable them to register for a move to another property for family or other reasons, to enable appropriate use of housing stock, to improve the balance and sustainability in neighbourhoods.
  
• Band D
  For all other applicants who do not fit into A, B or C

You may be placed into more than one band.

When we have a property to offer, we will give consideration to the longest registered applicant in each band, and then make the appropriate allocation.

The Type of property that you may be offered
We will only offer you a property that is suitable for your requirements and in an area that you have requested. You can select as many areas as you wish.

The following are the most likely types of property to be offered:

Local Authority Nominations
3 out of 4 of our empty properties are let to people nominated from the local authorities housing register. The local authorities nominate applicants in accordance with their own allocations policy, which may be different from ours. You may wish to register with them, if you are eligible, to improve your chances of being housed.

If you are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, you should contact the local authority as they have a duty to provide housing advice and may be able to provide you with some form of temporary accommodation.

last updated 03.04.07